Tag: Buddha

Approach the small things with dedication to improving the core skills—attention to detail, creative mind-set, ability to see others’ point of view; much like exercise, this is exhausting and strenuous in the beginning, but after careful training, the conditioning will carry to other activities.   A hard day for others will seem like any other…

When things are rough, [creativity/ingenuity/resourcefulness] will keep you afloat.   In times of calm, it will allow you to fly.

(My model of spirituality, IMHO):  Everyone is circling a mountain trying to get to the top, but the last step is a 100 mile, unscalable sheer cliff.  The evil and addicted are circling near the bottom and can barely see the glory at the top, while the selfless and meditative will circle closer to the peak and be graced with…

Abject denial of what we label as “negativity” or “darkness” will doom us to repeat history. (Underneath it all, it’s all good stuff anyway.  🙂  )

A garden is meant to be admired…but also weeded.  In the same way, Truth—whether it be “pleasant” or not—must be contemplated and sifted through.  Positive thinking (while essential), is not enough by itself. But ironically, if you sift far enough, your thinking becomes positive by default.   😉

I’ve known many to be disillusioned with politics and their vote’s lack of power.  But as far as existence is concerned, you are given votes every day/every minute/every second.  Each action that demonstrates discipline/drive/love, that is a vote that transcends politics; that vote will be counted.   Every day, every minute, every second; whether someone watches…

The notion that you could have done this awesome feat or that dazzling deed—WHO CARES?  I say pick something cool, apply consistent discipline, and use the experience to dissolve your weaknesses and shore up your strength.  In short, use adversity to hone yourself at the deepest levels.  As far as the romanticism of warrior/artist/businessman/spiritualist/etc…they’re just…

Pick whatever label you want—writer/soldier/artist/cage fighter/Samurai/spiritualist/businessman…there are core values that transfer from one to the other:  Attention to detail, creative problem-solving, DISCIPLINE (can be replaced obsession, but not as sustainable).  The outside flavors (drafting/fighting/painting/training/zen/ritual/entrepreneurship) are just that:  flavors.   In order to follow Musashi’s advice, dig deeper into that which is transferable…and then?  Dig even…

Handling failure is more than just enduring discomfort-that just leads to accumulated damage.  It’s really about setting aside ego and delving deep into the lessons of the wondrous gift that is “failure.”   The real win, IMHO, is having a spirit so refined/creative/disciplined that it effortlessly turns misfortunes into gains.  

Because of my physical constraints (and my linear movement through time), the effort I put into my work can be measured in geometric fashion. But by leveraging creativity, I aim for exponential results.