Regarding matters of day-to-day routine, it’s pretty easy (most times) to articulate the next right thing to do, harder to actually do it, and much harder to do it under stress.  And if you can do it without extrinsic pressure or for no immediate reward…well from what I’ve seen, that’s damn near a superpower.

Those who are shackled to [doctrine/grammar/etiquette/ritual] and use it as blind justification for their ill-thought-out actions will invariably fail to grasp the true depths of strategy, and how to effectively break rules.

My opinion is that if you truly learn your lesson, you will no longer think of a teacher as your “better,” or “someone special,” but simply as a friend.  (I think this is what Buddha meant when he said he’d reincarnate as “maitreya,” which means friend.  Or in other words:  even the “highest spiritual being” would be revealed to be someone you laugh and have fun with, not as someone to be venerated or idolized.)

While luck rules all endeavors, I believe we can tip the odds in our favor.  Audacity is required to make the attempt, persistence to weather the storm, brutal honesty to refine the approach—cutting away what doesn’t work and giving new methods a chance to prove themselves—and finally, love of the activity to stay steady through the fickle tides of praise and criticism, and of failure and success.  

By consistently striving to demonstrate these qualities, I believe it is possible to maintain an untarnished mind and fluid spirit, regardless of what the outcome may be.

If I demonstrate character and perspective, it’s possible to turn a good degree of suffering into a brutal, black-humored game—one I can glean valuable information from.

Without character and perspective, suffering becomes a nonsensical hell.

Perhaps some of you are like me, and harbor a vicious spark of anger deep within your soul.  Rather than let it consume me from the inside out, I’ve decided to channel it; I’ve decided to wage war on the shortcomings that hold me back from accomplishing my goals.  If rush hour eats into writing time, I will wake up early, beat traffic, go to a diner close to work, and knock out word count.  If my energy levels suffer from dietary imbalances, I will condition my mind and digestion to accept healthier fare.  If I fail to get results, I will examine the evidence, reassess, then re-aggress.  

When I put function first, there’s no reason to give up and curse my environment, not until I’ve capitalized on every vantage I possibly can.

Nothing I do may be enough.  That’s why it takes courage to try, discipline to KEEP trying, and the best critical thinking I can possibly muster, so I can sharpen my strategy as best as I can.  

If I can do all of that, I find I sleep soundly at night, knowing I’ve given it my very best, regardless of what the outcome might be.

I used to think it was all about willpower, but when I focused purely on that, I’d burn myself out.  Now I think it’s a simple decision:  based on the available information, am I willing to do what it takes to execute my strategy?  If I am, then I get to work.  If not, then I save my energy for the next push.