What justifications are you using to not have to engage with self-improvement, and instead, dwell in stagnation? 

“This is the way I’ve always done it.”  “According to the lore…”  “My parents were real shitty people.”  “This isn’t my problem.” 

Those answers are ego bonum, self-good… or for the good of our egos. 

When we live for the greater good, for the good of all, our answers come from a place of summum bonum, the highest good… or the sum of all good, which by its nature, cannot be egoic. 

How do we stop making excuses? We have to make “no more excuses” a daily practice, and not just something we’d like to do… but something that we diligently do. 

Let’s get to doing… no more excuses. 

(See y’all tomorrow)

(Note: Below, you’ll find what came to me in today’s on-topic meditation. Originally, all the uses of the word “you” were directed at me, as I was telling this story to myself during my time in contemplation. Essentially, this is the journey upon which my ego took me. If you’re willing, take the story into yourself. Make the “you” about you. May that which is revealed to you be what you need and not what you hoped for. Blessings.)

*DING DONG* 

You hear the doorbell’s call. Without losing a moment you head to the door, and upon opening it you see the delivery driver holding what is soon to be dinner for you, your family, and your friends. You pay the delivery person and tip them generously. Walking back to the table around which everyone is seated and very ready to eat, you think to yourself: As the host, you’ve gathered everyone together, painstakingly took the orders, checked and double-checked the orders with each person. When you called in the order, you checked and double-checked to confirm the person taking it down got things right, without error. You did your part to ensure the upcoming meal was filled with sterling Hospitality, and culinary delights… 

… and once unpacking your meal, and laying it out before your guests and kin, you all notice a couple of errors in what you had all hoped would be a flawless meal. As if on cue, EVERYONE looks at (read as: looked TO) you, the host, for what comes next. 

In this moment, you and everyone else, is about to bear witness to your character. Everyone is about to see who you are as a person. 

How you handle this moment IS who you are. This blip of time, this seemingly inconsequential annoyance defines you… whether you believe it does or not. 

Do you make excuses? Do you blame others? Do you over-apologize? Do you say rude things about anyone or anything involved in this situation? Do you let this ruin the rest of what would have otherwise been a delightful evening? Do you move forward with this uncontrollable inconvenience with Courage, kindness, and dare I say… grace? 

Your answer matters. 

Just like it matters in each moment, in all you do and say… it matters. 

Let adversity reveal an adamantine spirit when it comes looking. Let it find you prepared to remain in balance, and filled with Perspective. Let it find you awake and ready to meet it face-to-face. 

Otherwise, what will it find? *shudders*

See y’all tomorrow)

When Seneca was talking about “the wise”, I believe he was referring to the same kind of folx Buddhists would call “awakened” or even “enlightened”. Wisdom, like enlightenment or awakening, helps the individual get past the mindless snares of cyclical habituation. In other words, the wise, like the enlightened, are not victims of their egos. 

Holiday offers a few reasons as to why this is (The Daily Stoic, 191):  

First, the wise manage their presumptions, and wrangle in any foolish hopes for irrational outcomes. They don’t predict they’ll receive what isn’t feasible in the first place. 

Second, they keep a firm grip on reality, including all outcomes regardless of a positive or negative nature. Their focus isn’t only on what they want to happen, but on what realistically could happen. If things go pear-shaped, they won’t be caught off-guard, as they’ve been real with their expectations, seeing things fail as well as succeed. 

Finally, they pre-install a reverse clause - meaning they don’t only prepare for what may go wrong, but they prepare for what comes after, as if the “wrong” was the way they planned on going in the first place… kind of like Dr. Strange did in the first Infinity Wars film. 

Join me in adding these three steps to daily practice. If we work on them diligently, we’ll find that little to nothing surprises us, and few things will happen outside of our expectations. 

Hence, no “problems”. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 

​I miss going for walks with friends. Since my COPD diagnosis, and my friends desire to do more “hiking” and less “walking”, that practice has fallen by the wayside. As an aside, if any of y’all are in the area and feel like going for a pastoral walk with me, let me know. I’m talkin’ neighborhood stroll. Flatland kinda stuff. 

Anyway… 

In his work, On Tranquility of Mind, Seneca said…

​A stroll in the open air can do SO many things for our well-being, aside from the physical benefits. Time for a pause, change of perspective, a moment to cool off… going for that walk heals our spirit. 

15-20 min. Every other day, at the least. 

Let’s go for a walk. In our own time zones, and our own neighborhoods… let’s take a walk. 

(See y’all tomorrow.)