“What’s my motivation?!?”

There was a period in America’s near-history where the above phrase was, at least for a short time, part of our country’s pop cultural sayings. Taken from the acting community, this saying is meant to parody an actor’s honest struggle to get into a role when they cannot see for themselves what’s motivating their character to do the things they do. Used out of context, the phrase is a response to one’s feeling unmotivated or lazy when it comes to completing a task. 

But really, there’s a lot to that question when we ask it, in sincerity, to ourselves. 

What actually motivates us? Why do we do what we do, no matter what it is we’re doing? Why do we work the job we work, or why do we stay in certain relationships when they can be toxic? What’s the impelling force moves us? Do we act, or not act out of fear, or spite, or exhaustion? What, precisely, is our motivation? 

When we’re able to answer those questions, and more, we’ll become people whose actions reflect their words, each movement reflecting what motivates us, each moment met with intention and meaning. We won’t take on things for egoic reasons, or out of some pathological need to volunteer. We won’t do something with ulterior motives in hopes to get what we really want later. 

When our minds and bodies and spirits are moving together, as one, in the same direction, we become a force of change in the world; however, when our minds are at home on our unfinished Netflix series, and our bodies are at work performing menial tasks, how could we ever hope to unlock the key to laziness when the parts of our holistic-being aren’t even in the same location. 

Today’s takeaway: When we’re feeling lazy, bring body, mind and spirit to the same place and time. In that moment, our motivation will make itself known. 

Walk hand-in-hand with it out of laziness’ fog. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 

​When we value what we already have, it’s easy to curb our egoic desire to have more and more… 

… AND today is the 14th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall just east of my hometown, New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as the surrounding Gulf Coast area. 

Today, I’m going to sit with grief, the absurdity of life, and remember the absolute differences between “want” and “need”. 

(See y’all tomorrow)

The title of today's post is derived from the pejorative name given to Seneca (typically, behind his back) by his Roman contemporaries. Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a wealthy person, you see, during a time when it was fashionable for those who practiced and studied philosophy to apparently be poor, of mendicant status, or to be supported financially by wealthy patrons (of course, the flow of finances was dependent on the appraisal value of the lessons given by those ignorant to their inherent value in the first place - #EgoBullshit). 

It was true, Seneca did indeed have vast wealth, but I believe the difference between most people’s relationship with wealth and Seneca’s was that Seneca KNEW he didn’t NEED this wealth to be happy. There was no dependence upon it, no identity created by it’s existence, and no addiction to it… simply put, he understood his wealth to be something beyond his control, and that he himself must only do good in the world, regardless of whether he was wealthy or not. This type of approach to wealth is pragmatic, like this month’s core-lesson. Most other approaches to wealth come down the moral road, but just like in Seneca’s case, we’re trying to separate ego from wealth. 

Remember, financial success does not come with a requirement that one must live beyond one’s means. 

Ultimately, we can be happy with next to nothing… if we want to. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 

This is one of my favorite lessons on the pragmatic life, as it highlights, for me, the Ziglarian adage: Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. (Ziglar, See You at the Top, p. 204)

When we get angry or sad, it’s often due to circumstances or factors beyond our control. If we can manage, we take a breath, return to the present moment, gain pragmatic perspective… and choose to laugh about it. 

Why? 

Because if we were watching a sitcom, we’d be laughing our asses off at some dumbass character getting comically frustrated over something they had ZERO control over. Think I’m wrong? Find someone who knows the 1970’s sitcom All in the Family… they’ll tell you all about Archie Bunker, a “kind-hearted” racist and bigot who’d spend 30 minutes every week getting the nation to laugh at our own stupidity and ignorance for getting worked up over things beyond our control through his antics and abusive dialogue. 

I mean, shit… who wouldn’t laugh at that? (#Sarchasm #RacismIsNeverFunny)

But what about now? Now, in a world where the US is now synonymous with ignorance, bigotry, and racism (as if it wasn't before)? Do we curl up into a ball and cry? Do we go to the nearest streetcorner and loudly complain about the state of things? Do we use our social media like that streetcorner? Do we choose to be like Heraclitus? 

If we relate to the problems, and the -isms in such a way where we’re always lamenting about them, we can never hold in our hearts the joy of something better, something different. 

A light spirit rises above, is able to laugh, AND steps forward to change the world. 

Laughter lightens, and attitudes alter. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 

Zeno, the founder of Stoicism and wealthy trader, came to the realizations of Stoicism after being in a shipwreck and losing everything. 

It was the shipwreck that created the opportunity to self-examine, pare down his life, and study in Athens… since that was where he ended up when crashing between Phoenicia and Peiraeus. 

The entire philosophy of Stoicism is built on the foundation of being able to achieve enlightenment and the good life after terrible circumstances befall you. 

With that spirit in us, how could we not “seek out” shipwrecks? 

We adapt and change and grow BECAUSE WE HAVE TO. 

Embrace challenge… and grow! 

(See y’all tomorrow) 

​When we’re on the quest for Wisdom, it’s all about data. Does it matter what the source? Does the wisdom of “do unto others” not apply to you if you’re Pagan or Hindu? What about medicine? So much of what we know about modern medicine came out of horrific practices to the underserved and underprivileged. Do we throw that valuable information away because of how it came to be, or because of what terrible people made the discoveries? 

Oddly enough, Isaac Bonewits’ magical Law of Pragmatism comes into play here when we’re talking about “all sources”. I say it was odd because Bonewits was posthumously implicated in being sexually inappropriate with children. He was a great scholar, brilliant thinker, and crucial player in the growth of neopaganism in the US… and there are implications on his character. Do we toss the wisdom out with the bathwater? I’d hope not. 

In any case, Bonewits’ Law of Pragmatism states: If a pattern of belief or behavior enables a being to survive and to accomplish chosen goals, than that belief or behavior is “true” or “real” or “sensible” on whatever levels of reality are involved. In other words, if it works, then it’s true. (Bonewits, Real Magic, p. 13-14)

So, all sources, as long as they’re true and valid, are valuable. 

Filtering the wheat from the chaff is just a part of gathering the wheat. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 

Hmmm… there’s a big difference between: 

Don’t do (whatever)! The gods do not approve,

And, 

Don’t do (whatever) because it’ll make you miserable. 

Your self-interest will tell you the difference, in case you need a hand. 

And so...

May we each be a model for the ways less-miserable. 

It’s in our own self-interests, after all. 

(See y’all tomorrow)

In other words… 

Don’t waste one moment of your time (which if you didn’t know already, is THE most valuable, least renewable commodity human beings have) on things that are hollow and of little value for the greater good. 

I can hear some of you now: “That’s easy for you to say, Rev. Badger. You don’t have a “regular” job. Most of us work because we simply need the money, and that work is often meaningless, but I still have to do it.” I get that, and here’s my response: If one is obligated to things that don’t matter (for whatever reason), then spend as little time and worry on those things as humanly possible. 

If you spend a disproportionate amount of time on things that don’t matter, if you feed the “small stuff” your attention and energy, then the small stuff will definitely grow into bigger stuff… and thus, fulfilling the self-fulfilling prophecy you didn’t even know you had.

Think about what’s happening under-the-hood of “sweating the small stuff”. What’s happening is that small stuff is stealing time from more inherently valuable things: love, family, health, thus making those truly important things less important through your action and/or inaction. 

Don’t give your most valuable resource to something or someone who wouldn’t do the same for you. 

Sweating the small stuff makes one a small person. 

May we put our sweat toward growth, and not staying small. 

(See y’all tomorrow)