“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – You don’t have to suck on the ‘fake news’ firehose all day every day to be informed, step away from the noise so you can hear yourself think.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – If you wake up thinking ‘Oh God! Yet another miserable, pointless day ahead in my bullshit life’, it is way past time to try a new strategy. It is, indeed, possible to reinvent yourself, I have done it a few times and am working on Robbie v5.21 now.
“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinions than our own.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – Hint: No one cares about the shiny new car you just ‘bought’ with 6 years of $800 a month car payments. Try to impress yourself a little bit more than others. If someone is around you because of your calculated attempts to impress them, they aren’t worth having around. Ultimately, when the people who you would like to love you actually do love you, and I mean you not your money or any other possible attractants, you have won the game of life.
“The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – Almost all the overly confident ‘fancy suits’ on CNBC look great and sound impressive giving their prognostications on ‘what’s going to happen next’, but few, and I mean almost none, can see further than their nose.
“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – The Question of the Ages is what exactly is a ‘good life’? To me, it involves finding a way to make a living that you enjoy and that actually adds some value to the world. Also, you should, directly and indirectly, help others to move towards their versions of the ‘good life’. Laughing more and moving more also play a part.
“You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – Focus on what matters to you, things outside your Circle of Control and your Circle of Influence, should take very little of your time and mental bandwidth. Clutter can be virtual and relational, not just physical.
“Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?” ~ Marcus Aurelius – We often hate in others what we hate in ourselves but dare not face.
“Do not be wise in words – be wise in deeds.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – Actions>words. Doers >talkers.
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – See previous quote.
“Our anger and annoyance are more detrimental to us than the things themselves which anger or annoy us.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – Your rage and hatred hurts you worse and can and does end life early for many, but it also damages everyone around you, so it is lose-lose all the way around.
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – 2022 is here, do something audacious and outrageous this year. Don’t just live 2021 over again.
“If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change. I seek the truth, which never harmed anyone: the harm is to persist in one’s own self-deception and ignorance.” ~ Marcus Aurelius – Being willing to update your beliefs and opinions, similar snowboarding or surfing, is way harder than it looks, but you will not evolve if you don’t accept that you can be and, in fact, often are wrong, very, very wrong.
“Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?'” ~ Marcus Aurelius – Simple>complicated, neat>messy, focused>distracted, slow>fast, smiles>frowns, listening>talking, one thing at a time>multi-tasking, doing the right things>doing things right.