Many luminaries (Buddha and Musashi, for example) eschewed etiquette/tradition/The Rules, and focused instead on evidence-based function.  

And yet most people I’ve met who love to reference these luminaries seem to do the exact opposite:  they eschew evidence-based function, refuse to question/update their methodology, and stay wedded to etiquette/tradition/The Rules.  

From an immediate, sense-and-comfort driven perspective, there are countless reasons to not apply myself.  From a grander perspective, not so many.  I don’t make myself work through a noble romanticization of willpower and grit, but rather a simple, honest assessment:  I want to get certain things done, so that requires me to demonstrate a certain level of consistency and assiduousness.  

For me, it’s a matter of shifting perspective, paired with as much self-honesty as I’m capable of mustering.

Writing is only lonely if I refuse to acknowledge the multitude of personas—from heroic to villainous and everything in between—that live in the nooks and crannies of my unexplored mind.

To me, the label “badass” is a function of the capability to produce results.  And for those who can produce quality results time and again, I suspect that “badass” is a trivial label—people are either effective or ineffective.  

I used to collect reams of evidence to motivate myself into “FEELING LIKE” executing…but now I just execute; whether I’m motivated or not, whether I feel like it or not. 

(Honestly, I get tired of waiting until I feel like doing stuff; ironically it feels much better to just go ahead and get it done.)

The opportunity to conduct myself the way I want to could be taken away in the blink of an eye.  So that means every chance I get, I should strive to act the way I’d like to.

This makes things very simple.  Not easy—but simple.

To escape the dim haze of mediocrity, I must be willing to venture into the darkness of pain, hardship and complexity…for somewhere in there lies the bright light of fulfillment.  There’s no guarantee I’ll ever find it, and that’s why I need to demonstrate courage, discipline, and brutal self-honesty as I embark on my journey, so I can at least say that I gave it my best.

Should I be harsh/kind with myself?  Sometimes.  Should I follow/break the rules?  Sometimes.  In all situations, I must be STRATEGIC.  What am I trying to accomplish, why am I trying to accomplish it, and how is my next action going to further that end?

This requires as much self-honesty as I’m capable of mustering, so that my perception feeds me reliable information.  

Perhaps we have free will…perhaps we don’t.  Until either possibility is conclusively proven, the best way to act is to assume we have it (because if we have so much as a SHRED of it, it would be a terrible thing to waste).  So in my opinion, the only sensible way to take advantage of any free will I might have is not to bounce from craving to craving, from excuse to excuse, but to be as honest with myself as possible and figure out EXACTLY what it is I want to accomplish, and then pursue that end as strategically as possible.  

If I simply follow my urges and cravings, then in the grand scheme of things, I really don’t see a difference between myself and a machine.