Who doesn’t love that short burst of training montage, where the monotony is small and the struggle is dramatic?  That’s an easy thing to love; the movie industry has it down to a science.

It’s much harder—and infinitely more rewarding—to fall in love with the real thing.

After a base level of discipline has been established, it seems that “not quitting” is no longer the primary concern.  The major determinant to success, at that point, seems to be quitting everything that’s holding me back.   

The best approaches, it seems, demand no loyalty to their outward strictures; they encourage me to do what it takes to be fulfilled.

The accountability lies in the results.

Sometimes, the world feels like a completely preposterous, utterly ridiculous lie.

And ironically, that’s one of the truest things that has ever crossed my mind.

Personally, I’ve found that one of the most effective ways to view phenomena is as pure information; not as insults or compliments, not as tragedies or glory.  This way, I don’t take things so personally.  The “I” fades away as I focus on what’s being said to me, and the proper way to respond to it.

Although this seems robotic, I experience intense fulfillment when I pull it off.  Not only that, I manage to get stuff done, and if there is indeed something greater trying to communicate with me, I feel that I’ve done my best to try and listen to what it’s saying.

By continually formulating the soundest strategy possible and executing it to the best of one’s ability, one cuts through all machismo associated with quitting/persevering, as well as the egoic consideration of self-worth.

I believe that by diligently executing your best strategy, you are—by definition—persevering, as well as embodying the worthiest version of yourself.  There’s no need to seek a stamp of approval from anyone else; the case has already been made in the strongest language possible.

My attention is drawn by people who embody quotes, rather than spew them.  I listen closely to what they have to say.

Unfortunately, they’re usually too busy doing stuff to offer up a statement.

Principles are simple, but contexts aren’t.  Recognizing context-driven variables is a superpower in and of itself.  Channeling principles so they address those variables in a functional manner…

I believe at that point you start to embody wisdom, rather than spending long, frustrating hours trying to puzzle it out.