To attain that sharpness that parts obstacles like water, challenge yourself without ego, without bravado.  Too much at once and you’ll break, too little and you remain dull.  

Blades aren’t forged by comfort; they’re forged by precise doses of fire.

Actively enforcing the axiom that everything is fundamentally the same doesn’t mean that everything’s a drab muddle; in fact, it’s just the opposite.  The proof can be found when one’s capacity for “monotony” increases.  If I may ask you to make a small leap with me here:  There are those who are addicted to work and those who have completely done away with the concept.  Those lucky souls do not “go to work” anymore.  To them, every act is a joyous play.  

Because they’ve realized that fundamental sameness.

Success as an entertainer is creating a product so impeccable that even though you know every twist and turn, every single beat and note, YOU are still inspired by it.

Who in their right mind would settle for society’s definition of sane?  

😉

There are countless things within the physical and subtle realms that you can do to enhance your performance/clarity.  

The key is not to try and do all of them, but figure out which combination of them allow you to do your all.

Some say we have one life, others say we have many, but who knows?  What it comes down to (for me) is this:  Act with focus and urgency; as if I had one life and one life only.  But at the same time, actively be detached/peaceful—as if I had all the time in the world.

That’s the best of both theories; it’s what I mean by acting with utter conviction while remaining open and fluid through uncertainty.

When my personal comfort is the motivation behind bailing on promises/appointments or sticking to stale routine, that communicates to the universe that comfort comes before evolution.  I suspect that upon detecting this, the universe stops taking me seriously.  Now IMHO, it’s perfectly fine to bail on my word or to stick to a routine, but only if it furthers my personal evolution.  

It’s not about what makes me comfortable, it’s about what makes me better.

Mastery requires a certain amount of luck/talent.  It is ignorance to pretend otherwise.  

But that doesn’t excuse us from trying—the alternate path holds the certainty of decay and resignation.

The shackles of discipline, consistency, and deliberately pushing outside the comfort zone—as long as they’re focused on developing the spirit—will eventually offer true freedom.  

Ironic, but true.

Monotony/drudgery are illusory; every second, the fractions of our atoms shift and dance, and we are born anew.  We must train ourselves to see this, and in so doing, give birth to constant creativity.  Despite shackles, despite gray walls, despite thick rulebooks…humans will strive to experience verse, music, and immersive wonder.  

No need to believe or disbelieve, the evidence arises again and again.