One of the most uncomfortable premises to operate from is not “I’m right/wrong;” that’s actually very comfortable in its solidity.  The most potentially powerful premise is “I COULD be right/wrong,” because it allows you to account for possibility.  The trap in the second premise lies in being indecisive; the escape lies in keeping an open mind and a firm hand.  

But once you account for that quantum uncertainty, that’s true fluidity.

Be wary of the various substitutes for corrective action:  Guilt, the evocation of “rules,” faulty logic, indignant rage, the laughing “I’m-a-rebel-I-don’t-give-a-f**k” attitude…the list goes on.  A plethora of emotional drugs will try to convince me that either nothing needs to be done, or to lose myself in what’s comfortable.  And I understand that it’s painful to look deeply enough into the mirror to see what lesson I’m trying to dodge.

 Ultimately though, I know it’s essential.

Mercilessly push yourself to be better/more resilient (that means being honest about when you need a break and when you don’t).

And when life tests you, you will find that you have studied for it.

Every tradition has its share of meaningless ritual, but the focus you bring to that ritual is anything BUT meaningless, as it is widely implied that a soul must be forged through repetition and discipline in order to channel higher glories.  Working out, keeping tidy, being on time…these are more than just tools for convenience or image.  

When properly implemented, these activities prepare our body/mind/spirit to be a vessel for something greater.

Through assiduous contemplation, it is possible to emerge unscathed from any critique, for you will have already examined yourself from that angle.  But in order to do this, you have to be willing to forge yourself before someone (or life) beats you to the punch.

Even when nobody’s looking, even when I don’t feel like it, I know that it behooves me to study myself mercilessly.

Those hard-earned stores of willpower/clarity gained through discipline and contemplation aren’t meant to be used for rosy and easygoing times; they’re meant for the times when you feel trapped and broken, when the right thing is impossibly hard to define, when there seems to be no escape.  But there will be grace; there will be resolution.  Why?  

Because you have trained for it.

Few things anger me more than when a hypocrite that tries to impose his/her standards on me, but I would be a fool to dismiss him/her.  Sometimes, the best advice is given by those without integrity, or those who have lived the mistakes I’m about to make.  

No information merits blind dismissal.

Sometimes it’s about telling people.  

But mostly, it’s about showing them.

Why suffer the early mornings, the attention to minutiae, the discomfort and pain?  Answer:  All that training enhances a man/woman’s personal capability.  Then, once he/she finds their calling (their way of giving back), they can do so with unerring precision.  And whatever you believe as far as heaven/hell/karma…it has been scientifically proven that giving back is inherently rewarding.  

That’s what all the work is for.  Hone yourself.  Give back.  Repeat.  Die happy.