Nothing is forever. Not even pride.
I believe once you accept that everything is transient, you ironically become open to the most enduring, empowering truth in all of existence. It encourages you to appreciate each moment, to clear away the BS involved in declaring yourself this thing or that, and focus on what will fulfill you in the limited time that you have left.
Musings, Volume 1, available on Amazon Kindle: Musings, Volume 1
Musings, Volume 1 is now available in paperback! Sorry for the delay–Createspace is SUPER finicky about approving the cover. If you want to read a quick piece of my mental vomit while you’re sitting on the pooper or shoveling down spoonfuls of cheerless, sugared grain set afloat in a bowl of nutrient-deficient milk, then go grab a copy right here: Musings, Volume 1, the paperback, or read it on Kindle Unlimited!
(In order to trim costs, I had to put multiple Musings on one page–Createspace determines printing costs by the number of pages–so apologies if it doesn’t look as clean as the Kindle edition, which is one musing per page).
Once you depersonalize an “enemy” and put them to work for you (at the very least, they can serve as a harsh lesson or a cautionary tale) everyone and everything becomes a helpful adviser. Drama becomes minimized, potential becomes maximized.
Musings, Volume 1, available on Amazon Kindle: Musings, Volume 1
Nothing can eliminate the need for discipline.
Hacks and shortcuts, however, can satisfy that need in smarter ways.
Musings, Volume 1, available on Amazon Kindle: Musings, Volume 1
Everyone likes to think of themselves as a hero.
But to reach maximal potential, one must contemplate when they’ve been a villain.
Musings, Volume 1, available on Amazon Kindle: Musings, Volume 1
One of the hardest, most useful lessons I’ve ever had to learn is that life doesn’t care about who I want to be or who i think I am. Life responds to results, which are propagated through discipline, strategy, and occasionally, luck or talent. Often, people seem to think they deserve results simply because they think they’re special.
I’m of the opinion that being special doesn’t matter. I’m just going to focus on getting results. Why worry about whether others see you as special, when you can act in a way where it happens naturally (being consistently disciplined and strategic), without intending it, and it becomes a complete non-issue? You do the job, or you don’t. And if you do it consistently, then you stand a good chance of getting compensated for it (in the long run).
Musings, Volume 1, available on Amazon Kindle: Musings, Volume 1
“Abnormal results” (in the positive sense) require a greater amount of output and more effective strategy than what is considered “normal.” In any pursuit that boasts a high failure rate, discipline and strategy become essential. Talent can ease the need for those two practices, but in order to endure, in order to sustain, one must be willing to set aside immediate comforts–including any ideology that becomes a hindrance–and possibly even the idea of an individual identity (unless this violates a personal code of ethics) in order to become whatever is necessary to propagate success.
I believe this is one of the starkest, purest tributes you could ever pay to the powers that determine our success or failure, and I believe that’s why the idea of personal sublimation–of piercing clarity and immense sacrifice–appears again and again in the hero’s journey.
Musings, Volume 1, available on Amazon Kindle: Musings, Volume 1
If there’s an omnipotent, unconditionally loving approximation of [God] that comprises all of existence, then the ultimate act of faith would be to not care one way or another if [It] exists, because [It] loves you no matter what, and you are, in fact, inseparably [It]. Constantly trying to negate or affirm [Its] existence would imply that [It] requires existential confirmation from an outside source, further implying that [It] isn’t all-pervasive, and that [It] isn’t omnipotent, because [It] needs a champion or evangelist.
So if [It] exists, we don’t need to worry about [Its] welfare, or force our view of [It] on “others.” If you simply solve the problems [You] have placed before you and do your best to be good to “others,” then you have fully honored [Its] existence, without even having to put a name on [It], construct a ritual around [It], fight a war for [It], or even BELIEVE in [It].
Musings, Volume 1, available on Amazon Kindle: Musings, Volume 1
Skun’JubbleFace Al-GoppleDoggle! Thank Yous with Extra Cheese goes out to those folks who bought Musings, Volume 1 on Kindle yesterday! Whoever you guys are…Thank You So Much!!! 🙂 🙂 😀
Musings, Volume 1, available on Amazon Kindle: Musings, Volume 1
Pride is based off the idea that “I” exist and that “my” actions possess inherent significance. From a universal perspective–never mind an existential one–this idea becomes increasingly laughable throughout the eons and across cultures.
But the idea of doing the best with what I have…personally, I feel that THAT idea honors the possibility that my existence might have a purpose, and that clues to that purpose are embedded in my past experiences, as well as my present surroundings.
Even if my existence has no purpose, doing the best with what I have is still pragmatic. It’s a way of simultaneously bargaining with the future and enjoying the moment. It directs me toward superior outcomes, and also allows me to immerse myself in the glory of existing–without guilt, with full involvement, and with the ecstasy of focus.
I believe it’s the most practical way to live, but I also think it’s an act of faith.
Musings, Volume 1, available on Amazon Kindle: Musings, Volume 1
Dirty Sci-Fi Buddha 