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Richard Carlson Quote on Blowing Things Out of Proportion

    “We forget that life isn’t as bad as we’re making it out to be. We also forget that when we’re blowing things out of proportion, we are the ones doing the blowing.”

    Richard Carlson, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

    Beyond the Quote (108/365)

    The powerful thing about perspective is that it has the ability to change how we see.  And if how we see changes, well, everything in the world will look different.  In life, many of us disproportionately view our world as larger than it is—we blow it out of proportion.  Why?  Because from our perspective, our world is the world.  The size of our perception of life is the size of our understanding of the world.  And when we hyper focus on the trivialities of our life in comparison to all that’s happening in life throughout the world?  Those trivialities can start to look much bigger than they really are.

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    Ryan Holiday Quote on Cultivating Mental Stillness To Succeed In Life

      “Each of us will, in our own lives, face crisis.  A business on the brink of collapse.  An acrimonious divorce.  A decision about the future of our career.  A moment where the whole game depends on us.  These situations will call upon all our mental resources.  An emotional, reactive response—an unthinking, half-baked response—will not cut it.  Not if we want to get it right.  Not if we want to perform at our best.  In these situations we must: be fully present; empty our mind of preconceptions; take our time; sit quietly and reflect; reject distraction; weight advice against the counsel of our convictions; deliberate without being paralyzed.  We must cultivate mental stillness to succeed in life and to successfully navigate the many crises it throws our way.”

      Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 20)

      Beyond the Quote (97/365)

      It’s a fine line between reacting and responding; between acting then thinking versus thinking then acting; between needing to make a quick decision and not wanting to wait (or not having the self-control to wait) to make a decision.  Crisis situations are going to call upon the full extent of our mental resources if we are to handle the crisis properly and in a way that is in complete alignment with our best intentions.  The challenge, of course, is that most crisis situations have a strong sense of urgency attached to them that requires a quick decision to be made.

      Read More »Ryan Holiday Quote on Cultivating Mental Stillness To Succeed In Life

        “You are only as mentally tough as your life demands you to be.  An easy life fashions a mind that can only handle ease. A challenging life builds a mind that can handle challenge. Like a muscle that atrophies without use, mental strength fades unless it is tested.  When life doesn’t challenge you, challenge yourself.​” ~ James Clear, Blog

        Martin Luther King Jr. Quote on The Ultimate Measure Of A Man

          “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

          Martin Luther King, Jr.

          Beyond the Quote (18/365)

          It’s easy to be a good person when everything in life is good.  When everything in the house is working beautifully and you can sit on the couch and watch your favorite TV show without interruption?  When you go out to dinner and your table is beautifully set, the service is impeccable, and the food is amazing?  When you go to work and you get along with everyone, you feel like you’re producing your best work, and your boss is thrilled? 

          Read More »Martin Luther King Jr. Quote on The Ultimate Measure Of A Man

            “See if you can catch yourself complaining, in either speech or thought, about a situation you find yourself in, what other people do or say, your surroundings, your life situation, even the weather.  To complain is always nonacceptance of what is.  It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge.  When you complain, you make yourself into a victim.  When you speak out, you are in your power.  So change the situation by taking action or by speaking out if necessary or possible; leave the situation or accept it.  All else is madness.” ~ Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 82)

              “The elders were all proof that you could live a full and fulfilling life even when the weather turned stormy.  So why worry about the clouds in the forecast?  Live your life, put on a show, take a chance, give thanks for your failures along with your successes—they’re two sides of the same coin.  If we’re living longer, maybe we have an obligation to live better: wiser, kinder, more grateful and forgiving, less vengeful and covetous.  All those things make life better for everyone, but especially the person trying to live by them.  Even, I would add, when we fail in our attempts to get there.” ~ John Leland, Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 231)

                “Even if it were possible to permanently banish everything threatening—everything dangerous (and, therefore, everything challenging and interesting)—that would mean only that another danger would emerge: that of permanent human infantilism and absolute uselessness.  How could the nature of man ever reach its full potential without challenge and danger?  How dull and contemptible would we become if there was no longer reason to pay attention?” ~ Jordan Peterson, via 12 Rules for Life (Page 47)

                  “Until you experience hardships like abuse and bullying, failures and disappointments, your mind will remain soft and exposed.  Life experience, especially negative experiences, help callous the mind.  But it’s up to you where that callous lines up.  If you choose to see yourself as a victim of circumstance into adulthood, that callous will become resentment that protects you from the unfamiliar.  It will make you too cautious and untrusting, and possibly too angry at the world.  It will make you fearful of change and hard to reach, but not hard of mind.” ~ David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me