Things to Remember
A few bits and pieces that I revert to as things seem to be piling up or out of focus.
Get out of your own way: It means what it says on the tin. Quite a lot of people, including myself, end up creating confusion and unnecessary day to day problems. Take a step back. Refine, define and remove anything not aiding your purpose. You can be your worst enemy at times. Make sure to take a look at the bigger picture from time to time, how much are you holding yourself back through menial habits and poor time management?
As long as you’re learning, you’re not failing: Things you’re working on may not work out how you pictured but the results are separate from the skills and knowledge acquired along the way. Doors are opened without you knowing. They may not present themselves in an obvious manner, but they’re there. As long as you’re learning you’re moving forward. Success is a long-term game. You’ll be surprised as to how the smallest of new knowledge can re-shape output completely.
Action conquers Fear: Fear is uncertainty. You fear what you don’t understand. Taking action conquers that mental loop of self-talk and doubt. The first step is the hardest but most essential. I’ve come to learn that fear isn’t necessarily based in things that you’re scared of. It resides in things you’re unsure of. Grey area basically. A small step in the right direction moves mountains. A little bit of action loosens up a whole lot of fear
Happiness is Fleeting: The feeling of being ‘happy’ doesn’t stay around for long. Happiness is only sustainable as a mindset from my experience. You’re going to lose sight from time to time. It happens. Fall down five times, get up six. It’s your reaction or lack thereof that determines everything. They say that if you’re not happy with a cup of coffee then you wont be happy with a yacht. Happy with nothing, happy with something. What we call happiness is a decision. There’s no better time than now to manifest this mindset.
Remember the small things and the big things will work themselves out: What we think are the big things are merely small things compounded. Sure, you might realize a specific moment and regard it as a big moment, but remember the minute details of how you got there. Big things don’t just offer themselves to you. Showing up day after day, bit by bit and piece by piece is how moments manifest themselves. Success is found in and built upon the fine details.
Earn the right to relax: Being able to relax is a commodity and a skill in itself but there’s a catch. It doesn’t feel worthwhile unless you’ve put in the work beforehand. It’s the same as anything. Personally I find it difficult to enjoy downtime unless steps towards goals have been taken. The enjoyment in taking it easy is in knowing that seeds have been sown. Earning your rest period is nothing short of underrated.
Pleasure is only part of the equation: and a small part at that. You’re not going to feel like making moves from time to time because that nice feeling isn’t there. Wrapping your head around the fact that pleasure isn’t constant is crucial. In a similar way to the ‘Happiness is Fleeting’ mantra, pleasure is also fleeting. The only difference is that pleasure can’t really be distilled down to a mindset. It comes and goes.
There is no destination, just the journey: You wont find yourself reaching the end goal and saying ‘ah this is it, all is well, hands off’. You might for a short while but every situation runs thin eventually. Find the moments inbetween and that’s where life lays. Life is like a train ride. Only thing is you’re the driver. You decide the route, speed and what kind of passengers to take on board along the way. Be mindful of this.
The Journey IS the Reward: Once you wrap your head around the fact that there is no destination you can begin to enjoy the journey for what it really is. One long free-flowing gift. You’ll look back and realize your efforts of paving your own path were where the real gold was. Enjoy the ebb and flow of every day existence and the rewards are relatively limitless.
Awareness is the first step: Self improvement isn’t possible without awareness. People say that the first step is admittance, but without the aforementioned awareness, admittance is as close as it is far away. Awareness is the first step towards ironing out your creases. You cant correct things that you’re not aware of. Awareness is the light that illuminates everything. Tune in.
Sound body, Sound mind: Keeping yourself in shape is one way of soothing your mind. It’s one less thing to worry about at the end of the day. Health is wealth. You wont truly appreciate being able until you’re not able. Feed your body what it needs and it will lay the foundations for a more beneficial and enjoyable existence.
Move your body to move your mind: Feel like you’re stuck? All thoughts have dried up? Writer’s block? Move about. Go for a walk. Go for a run. Get up and at it. Blow the cobwebs of your mental back. Clarity is the end game and exercise is the door.
Move your body to calm your mind: This is basically the same as the previous point except it turns it on its head. Same results however. Once the mind has settled down it can move freely through thought. This has a calming effect on everything in your mind and therefore your life.
Falling down doesn’t matter, getting up does: Fall down five times, get up six. Persistence and determination is key. You have to show life and everything in it that you’re here for the long haul.
Your Reality is your Responsibility: If you don’t like something do something about it. Tired of not moving forward? Do something about it. Opportunities aren’t presenting themselves? You know what to do. How you live your life and what happens to you, believe it or not, comes about from the seeds you’ve sown.
Health over Wealth: It doesn’t get much more straight forward. Wealth isn’t inherently evil or anything, person dependent of course, it’s just not worth destroying your life for. You don’t realize how important your health is until you have no choice. Take care of yourself before you have to.
You become what you follow/pay attention to: Make your attention and intentions clear. Cut down on the social followings you give your time. If it doesn’t align with your purpose why give it the time of day. Narrow down your direction and dispose of anything that doesn’t improve said direction. If you follow thousands of social accounts on Twitter or Instagram you follow none of them at the same time. Eliminate what’s not necessary.
Happiness is a Habit: the aforementioned ‘Happiness’ can be practiced as a mindset in tandem with habits. Mindsets and habits go hand in hand. Without one it’s hard to build the other. Experiment and try new things to see which best fits your style. Waking early, daily walks, drinking sufficient water and reading before bed are all things that can drastically improve day-to-day function.
Kill your habits before they Kill you: Your habits make and break your life. The things you do day after day can become auto-pilot processes and if they’re not in check they’ll become problems before you even notice. The smallest of actions compiled can do unnecessary damage such as insufficient sleep, excess sugar and watching the news for hours at a time. Take a step back and remove things that don’t serve you in a positive manner. Awareness is key.
Beginning is half the Battle: whether it’s college work or a personal project, putting that first word to paper alleviates pressure like no other. Once the ball is rolling everything moves with it. The hard part is done. All you have to do is continue.
Failure is the spice that gives Success its flavour: in a similar vein as the ‘it’s got to go wrong before it goes right’ saying, failure is most definitely where the sweetness of success comes from. Success without the proverbial beat down beforehand just isn’t the same, never mind the fact that it doesn’t really occur. The experience of falling short builds character. As long as you get up, iterate and build upon it it will add to the eventual vivid victory. Embrace failure, it’s part of the process.
Be more Responsive and less Reactive: reacting to things usually has a funny way of making a situation worse. A response is far more manageable and respectable. Reactions can’t be taken back either. That’s why they’re called chemical reactions and not chemical responses. Take a step back. Respond.
Take a break from things you love: Just because you love something doesn’t mean you can run it into the ground. Rest from things you revel in. Return with a fresh perspective. Embrace the break.
You have to step back to jump forward: don’t be afraid of moving in a direction that isn’t forward. If you feel like you’ve hit a wall taking that step back has the potential to breed clarity. It shows a self awareness that maybe the time isn’t right. It’s not the end of the world, it might just be the start of it.
Convenience comes at a Cost: Convenience, or in other words shortcuts, will cost you in the end. Especially if the convenience comes at the initial stages of learning something. Take the time to get to know things, how and why they flow and respond as they do. Cooking is a good example of this. You can use an omelette maker to produce omelettes but remove the machine and can you make an omelette? The machine, or shortcut, will save you time but will come at a cost of skill and knowledge. Social media is another example. It makes being social so easy that you dont use it for this reason in the slightest.
Vices pay Prices: Quick uppers will catch up with you. Shortcuts to feeling good will leave you a shell of what you could and should be. We’re all victims of our own immediate desires to some degree. Make sure to check in with them every now and then and stay on top of things. You have to nip things in the bud as they say. The price for your vice can be rather costly.
You gotta be it to see it: It takes one to know one as the saying goes. We tend to despise things we see in other people which we know are within ourselves. If you flip it on its head and focus on the good in people things begin to change for the better.
Change is the only Constant: You may not like change but it’s the only guarantee as time moves along. It will serve you well to wrap your head around the fact that as things progress they have to change and adapt to survive. It’s intrinsic to our being.
Don’t watch the clock. Do what it does: Nothing is more deflating than watching the physical representation of time slip forward through itself. Take your gaze off the clock and keep on moving.
Success is improving who YOU are: Success is more about YOU then it is about a title or status. Success is progress of the self. A forward push to a better being and existence. Success is your everyday mindset and iterative betterment.
You cant quantify quality: Numbers might stand for something somewhere but for the majority of things they cant be used to measure anything. They are merely fingers that can be counted. Quality doesn’t reside within a number. It’s all a matter of ones own experience and perspective.
Persistence. Discipline. Determination: The trifecta. Figure out a direction and you’re on your way. I read somewhere that you have to show life your intentions. It’s true. Things will start moving once life and the people within it know your intent.
Play the Fool: Anyone that has ever made it to where they wanted to be had to first be the fool. It’s part of the process and a vital first step. It’s one of the easiest steps, if not THE easiest, because all you have to do is begin. The skill set and unique qualities you bring to the table will form and manifest themselves over time.
Direction over Speed: You can go nowhere fast. Focusing on an end goal and taking your time is more effective and fulfilling than speeding to a conclusion with little to no purpose. Direction gives life to the chase.
Discipline or Regret: Choose one or feel the other. Your future self will thank you for sticking to the plan. What that plan is is up to you. There's no better reward than seeing something come to fruition. Stay on track.
Judgments are not about you: Judgments come from within. A persons outlook on life forms their judgments, meaning that the glasses through which they see the world colour everything, including you. You exist outside of a persons view.
Do things because you want to: Get in there before a want turns into a need. You enjoy it when you want it, but when the want turns into a need things can become tedious. Needing to do something can be a burden. Use your initiative to take action. Get ahead of yourself.
Not wanting something is as good as having it: There is no difference between having something and not wanting it to begin with. If you don’t want it, you already have it. Desire can be fulfilled, but not wanting something quenches the desire before it gets a chance to spring up - desire being the thing that makes you miserable until you get what you want.
Successful people are merely successful habits: Habits being the things that we're made of, we are basically destined to a life of the habits that we choose. You are what you do every day. Maintain the good ones and dispose of the bad ones. How you do anything is how you do everything.
See much, Say little: Being able to witness things without comment is a powerful force. Take everything in and enjoy things for what they are. There's a special moment before the mind kicks in and takes over. You can build it up over time. Play witness to the mind trying to take charge. Your thoughts on what is become less necessary.
Say Less, More Often: Things speak for themselves.....
More action, Less worry: Get out there. Most of our problems in life come from our lack of action. Making problems small comes from picking them out early in the game. Getting on top of our wants and needs frees up mental space previously clogged with worry and doubt. Begin.
It's progress no matter how slow the process: One step at a time we crawl to our destinations. Some get there before us, that’s fine. Progress is progress no matter how much time it takes. The process can't be rushed.
Suffering is a Choice: Get up and move things away from your surroundings, both physically and mentally. Sitting in and around your problems is on you. Figure ways to ease pressure on a day to day basis. Get on top of things.
You either quit or keep going. Both hurt: Give in or get going. Both hurt in equal measures. Both offer potential also. Weigh up the pros and cons and make a decision.
Assume Nothing. Question Everything: The thing you think may be obvious/straight forward may not be. Don't take it for granted. Question the fabric of everything that floats your way.
Progress, not Perfection: If you're holding back on something because it isn't perfect, then it's never going to get you anywhere. Seek progress instead of the perfect moment, person, or output. Let go of results and get out there.
No Mistakes, just Lessons: If it didn't work out, take it as a lesson; not a mistake. Everything is trying to tell you something, and nothing is trying more than your lessons. Reflect and re-invent.
Worrying gets you Nowhere: Moving forward is a hard task in itself. Worry only adds fog to the situation - it never helps. Step outside yourself and see that worry serves no purpose. What is, is. Worry wont change it.
Effort alone is not enough - you need direction and purpose: Effort by itself is akin to your wheels spinning without them being on the road. A sense of purpose puts your wheels firmly on the road, direction gives the effort a map, and with it a sense of meaning.
Overconfidence breeds carelessness: Being 100% sure isn’t always the best strategy. In fact, being unsure and less-confident is usually a sign that you’re moving forward - the future is uncertain by nature. Always being overly confident will lead to an eventual downfall - things fall through the cracks of over-confidence.
Knowledge isn’t Intelligence: Having information isn’t the same as having common sense. Knowledge itself is useless unless you have the intelligence to know what to do with it. Don’t mistake the two.
Sacrifice now, Gain later: Give up what you want now for what you want later. Delay the reward and watch it compound. Give up going out and get in the thick of what is now. Sacrifice the small hits now for bigger hits down the line. Give up the goods and obtain the goal. *Remember to be patient with things.
Society slaps before it claps: They'll ask you why you’re doing it, then they'll ask you how you did it. It's hard to wrap your head around someone else’s vision - slapping it aside is the simplest way to deal with it. The claps come once the results start pouring in. PUSH.
The only way to get what you want is to pay the price: You want something from the shop? Pay the price. Can't afford it? Work until you can. Take a shortcut - steal it - and pay the price - consequence - down the line. If you want something you have to sacrifice something for it. What you want comes at a cost of discipline and consistent effort.
You attract what you are: You're basically a magnet for what you put out there. Call it karma, call it paying for/thriving in the consequences of your actions. You get what you give. You attract what you are.
Accepting a negative experience is a positive experience: Everyone has, for lack of a better term, shit thrown at them from time to time. Wrapping your head around it and getting on with it can ease the pressure that it puts one under. “Bad” things happen to everyone, unfortunately they're a part of existence. The sooner you accept the situation, the sooner you can loosen its grip on you. Shifting your headspace and approaching from a different angle changes the result.
You can do anything, but you cant do everything: You want one thing and you work for it and you get it. You want it all and you work for it and you get none of it. Pick one thing - literally anything - and put your mind to it. You can do anything, just not everything.
What is not started today can’t be finished tomorrow: If you want to finish something it has to be started. It sounds obvious, because it is. Wrapping your head around the idea can be the start of a productive period in your life. What’s in between you and where you want to be? You. Begin and get going.
Things in your control: Your Desires, Actions, Words and Intentions: These are the only things that you can truly say you're in control of. Everything else is a game of chance. Being honest and in check with things in your control makes the things out of your control a lot easier to work with.
Struggle is growth in disguise: Every time you feel as if you’re stuck, you’re more than likely in a place of growth. Nature has made it a necessary thing to feel some sort of struggle on the course to betterment. If you can wrap your head around this, you can notice the moment where the struggle begins and ends - although it's more of an ease of pressure, struggle never ends. It's a great thing to be aware of. It is, in a sense, a superpower.
Pleasure beyond a point is punishment: Too much of a good thing is ultimately a bad thing - your sense of reality becomes skewed over time and your exposure to life tainted. That's not to say that nice things are bad, just keep an eye on moderation.
Every up has its equal down and every down has its equal up: Balance sits at the center of the universe and is always regained. Sometimes patience is the thing in between you and your better days. Any shortcuts to the top also have shortcuts to the bottom.
How you do anything is how you do everything: The small things all add up - everything is of equal importance when you look at it in this way. How you treat the small stuff is how you treat the large stuff. Caress your actions and intentions with a hand of respect for others and, most importantly, for yourself. You witness everything that you do, why not sharpen yourself up?
You lose that which you cling to: Hold on tight and you've lost it before it happens - the tighter the clutch, the further it flees, the harder the loss. Let go, and if it's yours, it will be back. Put faith in the process. What's yours wont pass you by...
There is no safe path: Waiting for the “right time” will leave you standing still. There is no perfect point to begin and no perfect point to end. Make a plan and execute. The train will take off without you - there is no safety net. And along with it, no safe path - they all include struggle and things you're afraid of.
The first step is the steepest: The hardest part of anything is getting started. But once the ball is rolling and the first step is taken, the burden becomes more bearable - enjoyable, even. Take that first step and begin the process. Going from nothing to something is begun by taking that first step.
Scared to die. Scared to live: Embrace your fate. Nobody gets out alive. The sooner you realize where you're heading, the sooner you can get comfortable with it. Fear of the end leads to fear of the everyday.
When you feel stuck leave things alone: Damage is done by trying to correct something that isn't broken. Give it time. Work elsewhere. Come back with a fresh perspective. Patience is key.
Seeds and Weeds, Long term/Short term: What you plant now will grow later - seeds. What you give into now will take back, and even kill future plans, later - weeds.
Avoid Failure, Avoid Success: By avoiding the possibility to fail, you also simultaneously avoid success. The path to success is paved by failure. Failure is a crucial part of the process.
Be clear, not clever: It'll be faster to get where you're going being clear with your words, actions and intentions. Leaving things up to the invisible understanding is a game that we as humans can't play too well, although we try.
