Think. Refrain. Steadfast. Fair
2 ears. 1 mouth
Goodness over greatness.
I’m trying to keep things equitable for the therapists; one day they won’t be happy. Be ready for it. You can only do your best, but things will happen outside your control and sunshine will take it personally. It cannot be prevented, only delayed.
Teach a man to fish (don’t give him a fish), they say. Set fire to the man (didn’t give the man a fire), say others. Teach a man to think, and they might come up with a better solution.
If we struggle with a solution, we could think on it harder, but that is only half of the equation. The solution is multiplicative: don’t just change how hard a number of people are working on a problem, scale up the number of people that are working on it too. Cooperation is the ultimate multiplier.
Epictetus recommends to count the days since you were last angry. But why not for all the vices? Sure, how many days since you were last angry, but how many days since you’ve over-indulged? How many days since you last judged someone as contemptible? How many days since you last assented a thought that you later checked, modified, or regretted?
Don’t forget: the world benefits from the good you do that is rarely seen or recognized. It follows that you benefit too from the good that others do that you rarely see or recognize. Open your eyes.
In open water, only once you are able to find the north star does the map begin to make sense. Find your values.
Find your values. They tell you what to strive for. They simultaneously inform you of both the direction to aim your efforts and how to avoid squandering them.
Don’t do what makes you happy; it is fleeting and is soon forgotten. Do what is fulfilling; it will endure for a lifetime.
What would Jesus do? Not a bad question to ask. God or not, he is a figure with values not much unlike your own. There are others too, of course.
Life is absurd. We are free to assign our lives purpose and meaning in a meaningless universe. I choose to live virtuously. Existentialists would say that I’m choosing a path not my own. I think that reason says otherwise.
Carpe diem. Seize THIS day.
The easiest way for one is not always the best way for all.
Most people desire and hope for certainty while ceaselessly trying to avoid failure; such people are necessarily condemned to a life of anxiety and perpetual disappointment.
On going the “extra mile”:
- I go the extra mile as often as I don’t. I’m the last week, I’ve started for an extra TKD class on Saturday, cleaned for Christine, worked longer hours at work. I give extra always.
- I’m occasionally recognized for doing the extra things, but it is also expected that I will.
- But what is extra? By whose measure of a mile? Extra is relative to an externality by comparison. There is no extra if motivation is only internal.
- It has been a long time since I’ve referred to an action as going the “extra mile” … so long that I can’t recall an instance I regret. I hope it is from wisdom rather than hubris.
- When I go the “extra mile”, it is almost always because I’m living my values without expecting anything in return. It is the rare occasion that I wish that people shared those values and wanted to match my intensity, but I know that I can’t ask for or control that, so I am learning to let that go.
- I didn’t think going the extra mile is exhausting. It would be harder living with the knowledge that I didn’t give 100%.
- The extra mile is just the difference between the average person exerting their average effort and my own capabilities.
- The line between being helpful and taking on too much responsibility depends on the capacities of the people who you aim serve. Service isn’t zero sum.
- I never considered game theory in relation Noami’s writing. Are fixing and helping negative or zero sum? Is service positive sum?
- I can’t remember the last time I’ve surprised myself by something I’ve accomplished. That means that I’m either really good at assessing my abilities or I don’t challenge myself or my limits.