Whatever it is you are pursuing, whatever it is you are seeking, whatever it is you are creating, be careful not to quit too soon. As my friend Pastor Rob Bell warns: “Don’t rush through the experiences and circumstances that have the most capacity to transform you.”

Life is a labyrinth where an end could be a beginning or there could be multiple paths to reach a particular point. The universe has hidden deep jewels within us and the hunt that we must embark on to uncover those hidden jewels is called creative living. The result of that hunt is what is called ‘Big Magic’

'Big Magic'

<ol><li>Courage</li><li>Enchantment</li><li>Permission</li><li>Persistence</li><li>Trust.</li></ol>

Elements of Creativity 

Fear is boring in the sense that it manifests in the same way every day. There is no variety to it. It never changes or isn’t able to spark any interest or delight. Once we understand the true nature of fear we don’t need to be afraid anymore. We must cultivate the courage to embark on creative journey by making space for fear. Courage is not fearlessness i.e the absence of fear but rather living alongside fear by making space for it to exist but never let it take the driving seat.

Courage.

As per Gilbert, the universe is inhabited not just by humans ,animals but also ideas. These ideas are conscious and have a will be manifested by collaborating with a human. These ideas come in the form of an inspiration and if they are not tapped into they fade away and look for another human for manifestation.

How Ideas Work?

<ul><li>You don’t need anyone’s permission to live creatively. Why do you seek permission? You are entitled to live a life the way you want. You have the right to assert yourself just because you are born and alive.</li><li>The creative endeavour should not be to help others but to help one’s own self. It’s also okay to not have any motive whatsoever.</li><li>The paradox of creativity is that we need to make art as the most important thing that we do but at the same time it shouldn’t matter to us way too much. Make space in your life for this paradox to happily exist.</li></ul>

Permission

<ul><li>There is no age limit when you can make a start at something. As long as you stick around the different phases (frustration and disappointment) of the creative process you are fine. You are learning.</li><li>There is never going to be enough time and resources to make art possible but one needs to take that time out and work on their creative pursuits.</li><li>Fall in love with your creativity and you will find/make time for it.</li><li>Make your self look presentable to attract and invite creativity.</li><li>Perfection is the enemy of the good. Don’t hold yourself back because one is not perfect. Embrace imperfections.</li></ul>

Persistence.

<ul><li>We are co-creators of life and we collaborate with mother nature to create life through reciprocation of its services</li><li>Gilbert argues that you need to trust love over suffering to be artistic.</li><li>When you not feeling inspired or passionate about creativity then being curious is the antidote. Find clues to whatever interests you and creativity will find you eventually</li><li>Ego demands rewards and satisfaction which is always elusive and there is no ending to it while soul desires ‘wonder’ and when we take refuge in the soul our ego remains silent or under control.</li><li>Don’t dwell on disappointments.</li></ul>

Trust.

Gives me an insight into the creative process and what it takes to make art 🎨

The instant #1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller "A must read for anyone hoping to live a creative life... I dare you not to be inspired to be brave, to be free, and to be curious.” —PopSugar From the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and City of Girls: the path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you’ve dreamed of. Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

philosophy

Philosophy

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

creativity

Creativity

books

Books

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

The instant #1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller "A must read for anyone hoping to live a creative life... I dare you not to be inspired to be brave, to be free, and to be curious.” —PopSugar From the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and City of Girls: the path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you’ve dreamed of.   Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work,  embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

Elizabeth Gilbert is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Elizabeth Gilbert has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Elizabeth Gilbert's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic

“Here the ways of men divide. If you wish to strive for peace of soul and happiness, then believe; if you wish to be a disciple of truth, then search.” ~<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wakitime09-20&keywords=Nietzsche&index=aps&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=xm2&linkId=39e61491bbfc532e8dcc0bb8d63120cc">Nietzsche </a>

To a certain extent, we are always deceived. For we are only human, all too human. But to the extent that we can become aware of deception—both self-deception and the deception of others—being undeceived means being ahead of the curve of the human condition.

First, it means embracing deception as an integral part of life. Then it means being strategically circumspect while creating your own meaning. It means taking everything that you’ve learned into consideration with humility and a good sense of humor. It means becoming so healthy that your very existence is a catalyst for healthy change. It means connecting courage to curiosity. It means taking a leap of courage. It means putting things into proper perspective by using health as a benchmark.

It is, paraphrasing <a href="https://www.wakingtimes.com/bruce-lees-private-letters-explain-really-meant-like-water/">Bruce Lee </a>, “absorbing what is useful, discarding what is not, and adding what is uniquely your own.” Let’s break it down…

“If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.” ~<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/074325807X/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wakitime09-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=074325807X&linkId=b41a3a37e1afa96c0efc2f500e5609d2">Benjamin Franklin </a> What is useful? Well, if your goal is not only basic survival but also progressive evolution, then what is useful is what is healthy. Contrastingly, what is not useful is what is unhealthy.

Absorb what is useful:

So, how do you figure out what is healthy or not? Through logic, reason, and critical thinking. You cannot wish something into being healthy. You cannot simply believe something is healthy and, by your strong faith alone, expect it to be valid. You can only reason through if something is healthy or not. Once you have reasoned a thing to be healthy, you free yourself to absorb what is useful.

Absorbing what is useful is absorbing what is healthy. The path is then clear to question with a good conscience. You become undeceived. In a state of undeception, you are free to wield the question mark sword, the Sword of Truth, and to use it in a way that distinguishes what’s healthy from what’s not. What is healthy is absorbed as something useful for progressive evolution. What is unhealthy can then be discarded as something useless, so as to avoid an unhealthy society.

“A fool thinks himself wise, a wise man knows himself to be a fool.” ~<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wakitime09-20&keywords=William%20Shakespeare&index=aps&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=xm2&linkId=26cbe500ba6a34a1f703948012da08f7">William Shakespeare </a> Discarding what is not useful (what is unhealthy) requires self-discipline. It requires vigilance. Most people don’t even know that they don’t know the difference between healthy and unhealthy. Especially people who have grown up, culturally conditioned and indoctrinated, in a profoundly sick society.

Discard what is not useful:

How do you know if you were born into a profoundly sick society? 1.) Any society that pollutes the air it needs to breathe is a profoundly sick society. 2.) Any society that pollutes the water it needs to drink is a profoundly sick society.

3.) Any society that pollutes the food it needs to eat is a profoundly sick society. 4.) Any society that pollutes the minds it needs to evolve with is a profoundly sick society.

You must have the self-discipline to daily question what is healthy and what is not. For health is not a matter of opinion. Health is a benchmark. Without this benchmark, you cannot discern what is useful from what is not useful.

As such, belief and certainty are the greatest obstacles blocking us from being able to discard what is not useful. This is especially dangerous when those beliefs and certainties are derived from the cultural conditioning of a profoundly sick society. Hence the importance of vigilance and strategic prudence.

In order to remain undeceived, we must remain circumspect. The Sword of Truth must be unleashed daily so that it may cut through the red tape of wishful thinking, irrational beliefs, and whimsical certitude. It is only when our naïve beliefs have been shattered upon the hard concrete of reality that we are free to distinguish between what is healthy and what is not. As we begin to piece things together, we become undeceived. We are liberated to absorb what is useful and discard what is not.

“Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.” ~<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wakitime09-20&keywords=Henry%20Thomas%20Buckle&index=aps&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=xm2&linkId=beaf00caa84487504931248b07abe628">Henry Thomas Buckle </a> Once you have successfully threshed the chaff (unhealthy/useless) from the grain (healthy/useful), you are free to unleash your creativity. From swords to plowshares, your Sword of Truth becomes a Pen of Truth. With it, you are free to create high art; art that shatters molds, stretches comfort zones, and initiates wake up calls. You become free to prove why the pen will always be mightier than the sword.

Add what is uniquely your own:

Here, still, we must remain vigilant. For even art can become dogmatic. In order not to be deceived, we must always be in a state of questioning what we think we know and weighing it against the nonnegotiable scales of healthy/unhealthy. Should our art become dogmatic, we would be wise to absorb what is useful from it and discard what is not. This way we will always be openminded and openhearted enough to add what is uniquely our own.

Outdated truth must die so that it doesn’t taint the updated truth of the times. God must die so that God can be reborn. Creativity thrives off the ashes of old art. Evolution progresses or stagnates in proportion to how creative we can be after having absorbed what is useful (healthy) and discarding what is not (unhealthy).

The art of being undeceived is more like the juggler’s art than the interrogator’s. It should be flexible and adaptable to meet results which are sudden and unexpected. The undeceived understand that the self is masks all the way down perceiving delusions all the way up, and they have the acumen and the wherewithal to juggle both masks and delusions into a state of high humor and even higher art.

Gary ‘Z’ McGee - To a certain extent, we are always deceived. For we are only human, all too human.

religionandspirituality

Religion & Spirituality

mindfulness

Mindfulness

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

The Art of the Undeceived

It takes strength to be good, and it takes more than courage to be powerful. You know how they say power corrupts, no it doesnt, it just exposes. Power amplifies and exposes cognitive and behavioral predispositions that already exist within us.The traits and characteristics required to excersise power are not the same ones required to gain it. Temperence is the ability to moderate our actions, thoughts and feelings, and is the virtue required to keep the lust for power under control. Allow me to dig deep into that mechanism..

Power Amplifies 

Emotional power or power excersised from the heart is directly proportional to our capacity for emotional regulation and acceptance; and rational power or power excersised from the mind is directly proportional to our capacity for applying logic and intuition.Any imbalance between mind and heart and the power expressed becomes either bias towards coercion and control or emotional manipulation. Power for the sake of power is basically the mind feeding off the heart or the heart feeding off the mind..

Emotional & Rational Power

Exercising power from a place of strength is virtue, and contrary when power is saught after to fill a void it originates from a lack or weakness. That lack is either rooted in the heart or mind, and one gain is at the expense of the other.For example, your own reasoning can utelise or feed off fear to suppress or avoid expressions of unregulated emotions, and the backlash is usually guilt or resentment. Likewise, a lack of confidence may feed off the rationale of the ego to avoid confrontations by a fake sense of control, and the backlash is usually shame or a lowered self esteem.

Strength

We need to align our behaviour and cognition to make it easier to realize our intended goals when excersing our power. Seeking power for the sake of power feeds our ego, no matter how powerful we may seem, if it originates from a lack it will need to feed on the weak and is only powerful in that said contrast.Weakness has no virtue, choosing when to excersise power takes strength, choosing how to excersise power takes courage, and choosing who to excersise power on takes humility and modesty.

Weakness

Gaining power is an endeavour, wanting it is not wrong, but in order for it to be balanced it needs to draw from feelings, emotions and imagination as much as observation, analysis and logic. It takes both control and a restrain of impulses to be able to do something powerful, in other words, most of our bad habits are due to a lack of willpower.Temperence is the ability to moderate our actions, thoughts and feelings, can you see the link?

Will Power

Power amplifies and exposes cognitive and behavioral predispositions that already exist within us.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

history

History

strategy

Strategy

politics

Politics

Power As A Virtue

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30659.Meditations">Meditations </a> by Roman emperor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius">Marcus Aurelius </a>was probably never meant to be published, but in 1558 someone at Heidelberg University in Germany decided that these 12 books full of wisdom were too valuable to remain hidden from the world – and printed them.

Meditations By Marcus Aurelius - Book Overview 

Opposite to the Epicureans, who sought as much pleasure as they could in the here and now, for tomorrow they could die, the Stoics believed in the goodness of things, no matter how bad they were at any given time.

"Put an end once for all to this discussion of what a good man should be, and be one."-Marcus Aurelius

Author Quote

<ol><li>True “logic” doesn’t always make sense, but everything happens for a reason. </li><li>Life is too short to complain. </li><li>The only pain you suffer is the pain you create yourself. </li> </ol>Excited about stoicism? Let’s begin your training, young philosopher!

Top 3 Book Lessons

The word logic as we use it today originally stems from ancient Greek. The word “logos” means “reason” and to the stoics, it was the force of life.Logos gives everything its form and its order. It flows through every plant, every tree, every building and every human being. It is the essence of all life and the underlying master plan for everything that happens in the world . Therefore, every single thing that happens, whether good or bad, happens for a reason.

Lesson 1: The true meaning of “logic” is not something that always needs to make sense — but it’ll always have purpose.

Things are exactly right as they are, which includes terrible things like terrorism, death and disease just as much as it includes wonderful things like rainbows, sunny days and long, fulfilled lives.

We’ve long deviated from this concept. To us, logic has become a much more mathematical concept. 1+1 = 2. That’s logic to us. But <a href="http://fourminutebooks.com/the-art-of-happiness-summary/">when a close family member unexpectedly dies </a>, we don’t think that’s logical. It doesn’t make sense to us. It’s unfair, we get angry, we cry and resent the world. Marcus Aurelius believed that everything happens for a reason. Always. Even in the worst of times, he took comfort in the fact that everything is exactly as it’s supposed to be.

If everything is exactly right the way it is, complaining becomes utterly useless then , doesn’t it? There’s a saying I like: “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson You could’ve spent those 60 seconds laughing. Talking. Breathing. Living. But you chose to complain to the person next to you in line at the cashier how hard life is. How much waiting at the grocery store sucks. And how stupid that employee is for making a mistake.

Lesson 2: Life is too short to waste even a second complaining.

You never know how long you have. No one knows. You could get hit by a bus tomorrow, or never even wake up the next day. Your time on earth is limited. Incredibly limited. So don’t waste it.Marcus Aurelius hated holding court, but he knew he shouldn’t spend even a second regretting his duties. Instead, he trusted in the grand scheme of things, knowing that logos had a plan for him, and right now his part in that plan was to let people waste his time with superficial arguments and small talk in court.

Complaining wastes your time and makes everyone that has to listen to it feel bad. So how about making it today’s mission to stop complaining?

Being an emperor in ancient Rome was a dangerous job. People tried to kill you, abduct you, stab you in the back and poison you at least once a week. Marcus Aurelius believed that physical pain was part of logos’s big plan as well. He also suffered a lot of psychological pain in his lifetime. Out of his 13 children, 8 died before him, including his wife, who died at a very young age.

Lesson 3: The only pain you suffer is the one you inflict upon yourself.

But he was convinced that all these things happen for good reason, trusted in the purpose, and thus remained calm even in the worst of times. After all, these deaths were external events that Marcus Aurelius had no hand in whatsoever. He believed that any harm done to a person from an external source was beyond their control and therefore, couldn’t truly harm them . The suffering only starts if you allow it to, because you start blaming yourself, questioning why things happen, or complaining about how unfair everything is.

Whatever pain you’re facing, you have a choice. You can accept it and move on without complaining. Always. So don’t make yourself suffer, it’s really all in your head.

Wow. For some of you this might all feel very abstract, but I can’t remember the last time I learned so much from a summary that’s this short (just 5 blinks). For books like these a Blinkist summary is the perfect intro, because it describes everything in plain words. As you can imagine, the original text is quite complicated.

Meditations - BookReview

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30659.Meditations">Meditations </a> is available <a href="http://classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.html">for free </a>online, but usually, professional translations by a publisher in paperback format will help you engage with the book more and digest its ideas better. I recommend <a href="https://amzn.to/2ocZX6y">the Dover Thrift Edition </a>. I also tend to do better with heavier topics, like life, death, thinking, etc., when I have something in my hand that I can mark, leave comments on in pen, and so on. If you’re new to Stoicism, this book is a must-read.

Book Ava

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - Book Summary 

This summary of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius will explain the great Stoic philosopher's perspective. Read my Meditations summary.

Meditations Summary

The sun symbolizes the rise and fall, the importance of night and day, summer and winter; in essence, to be equally comfortable while shining and while setting. The moon symbolizes our hidden realities and emotions, shows us how to go through cycles and phases, a reminder of lifes changing nature. Everything we experience we have the urge to label. However, the labels we place on feelings and experiences don't necessarily define them.

Sun & Moon

The labeling of good vs bad experiences in our head becomes the memory of that said experience. Good is simply a point of perceived advantage and bad is a point of perceived disadvantage formulated as a labeled perception post experience. Good experiences make you happy or motivate you to carry on, bad experiences guides your attention towards what needs change.

Good Vs Bad

Our internal condition bias determines our observation and this 'lens' cannot ever be entirely removed from our experience. It is our emotional reaction to that perception stimulus that becomes the memory of what transpired. Sun rise to sun set, full moon to new moon, yet we cling on to labeled memories as if they are god given instructions that dictate new perceptions so we can easily define our journey and who we are. The realization of that mechanism liberates the self from the identity, and the experience from the label.

Lens Of Perception

Memories are a perception of a past reality, a probable present, and a tool to either change or fixate your future. So use your memories as data working towards the values you hold dear, rather than the identity you hold dear. In short, dont get stuck in the past, unless u really want too.

Time Loop

Dont get stuck in the past unless u really want too.

mentalhealth

Mental Health

meditation

Meditation

The Philosophy Of Perception

Democracy could be seen as a rational method to elect our leaders. However, a more cynical Girardian interpretation could be that:Elections are a ritual through which we come together to express our frustration towards the current administration. A cathartic symbolic sacrifice of old leaders, similar in spirit to the tribal sacrifices of our past.ex: In the 2020, one could say Trump lost the election more than Biden won them.

Democracy as a cathartic ritual

This idea seemed interesting enough to save it. Not sure if true. 

Starting from lecture IV, we will move away from psychology and into Girard’s history, beginning with the very first human societies. In times of internal turmoil, these early societies would converge on an innocent victim, attribute to him all the blame, murder this scapegoat in a brutal killing, and achieve peace through violent catharsis. These founding murders gave rise to institutions, cultures, and even gods themselves. Far are we from the comfort of social contracts. Girard’s unsettling conclusion is that peace is built on the corpses of innocent victims. Worldly order demands violence and deceit. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:16 The Trojan War and Reciprocal Violence 00:13:51 Oedipus and the Scapegoat Mechanism 00:15:23 Step One: Mimetic Contagion 00:25:06 Step Two: Founding Murder 00:29:22 Consensus, Deceit, and Catharsis 00:36:04 Three Marks of the Victim 00:41:18 Step Three: Divinization 00:46:30 A Revaluation of Values 00:51:26 Step Four: Institutionalization 01:03:33 The Violent Foundations of Society 01:06:39 The Hymn of Purusha 1:10:20 The Founding of Rome 1:13:10 Moral Paradigm Shifts

Starting from lecture IV, we will move away from psychology and into Girard’s history, beginning with the very first human societies. In times of internal turmoil, these early societies would converge on an innocent victim, attribute to him all the blame, murder this scapegoat in a brutal killing, and achieve peace through violent catharsis. These founding murders gave rise to institutions, cultures, and even gods themselves. Far are we from the comfort of social contracts. Girard’s unsettling conclusion is that peace is built on the corpses of innocent victims. Worldly order demands violence and deceit.

00:00:00 Introduction
00:04:16 The Trojan War and Reciprocal Violence
00:13:51 Oedipus and the Scapegoat Mechanism
00:15:23 Step One: Mimetic Contagion
00:25:06 Step Two: Founding Murder
00:29:22 Consensus, Deceit, and Catharsis
00:36:04 Three Marks of the Victim
00:41:18 Step Three: Divinization
00:46:30 A Revaluation of Values
00:51:26 Step Four: Institutionalization
01:03:33 The Violent Foundations of Society
01:06:39 The Hymn of Purusha
1:10:20 The Founding of Rome
1:13:10 Moral Paradigm Shifts

If I were not Diogenes, I wish I were Alexander.

Johnathan at Limbo

Lecture IV: The Scapegoat Mechanism | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

René Girard's Mimetic Theory - Lecture 3&4

Life’s toughest challenges can feel overwhelming. The courage to do hard things is not easy but necessary for growth and development. “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood,” says Ralph Waldo Emerson. When faced with a difficult situation, you might ask yourself: Is this worth the risk? Is this worth my time and energy? Am I ready for this challenge? “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility,” says Orson F. Whitney.

22 Short Rules That Will Get You Through Hard Times In Life

All form of life is transformation — a process. Many of those evolutionary changes are not linear. Your perception and interpretation of life determine who you are becoming. Lessons learned through life experiences can help shape your perspective, values, and beliefs.“I learned a lesson I’d never forget. The lesson was that, when you have setbacks and failures, you can’t overreact to them,” Angela Duckworth.If you’ve ever been through a challenging experience (broken relationship, lost a job, divorced, lost a loved one, or been betrayed), these practical pieces of wisdom can help you thrive.

If you’ve ever been through a challenging experience (broken relationship, lost a job, divorced, lost a loved one, or been betrayed), these practical pieces of wisdom can help you thrive.

<h3>Find meaning: Difficult challenges can be overwhelming, but finding meaning and purpose can help you cope. Reflect on what is truly important to you and strive to align your actions with your values.</h3><h3> </h3>

Be flexible and adaptable: Be open to new ideas and be willing to change course if necessary. The ability to adapt is crucial for overcoming obstacles and moving forward.

Once we truly know that life is difficult — once we truly understand and accept it — then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” — M. Scott Peck

Focus on what you can control: Instead of worrying about things you can’t control, focus on what you can control and take action to improve them.

Keep things in perspective: When facing tough challenges, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and exaggerate the importance of the problem. Try to keep things in perspective, and remind yourself that, while the challenge may seem difficult, it is not the end of the world.

Stay resilient: Life’s most demanding challenges can knock you down, but it’s essential to get back up and keep going. Cultivate resilience by focusing on your strengths, learning from your mistakes, and seeking help and support when needed.

Embrace change: Life is constantly changing, and being adaptable and open to new opportunities is essential for thriving. Embrace change as a chance to grow and learn.

Practice self-compassion: Be kind and understanding towards yourself. Recognize that everyone goes through struggles, and you must be patient with yourself as you work through them.

Seek out positivity: Surround yourself with positive people and things that bring you joy. Focusing on the good things in your life can help you stay motivated and optimistic.

Embrace uncertainty: Life is uncertain, and learning to accept it is crucial for your sanity. Embrace the uncertainty and be open to new possibilities.

Practice mindfulness: Learn to stay present at the moment. It can also help you better understand yourself and your emotions, which can be valuable in navigating life’s tough roads.

Let go of perfectionism: Perfectionism can hold you back and make it difficult to cope in life. It’s important to remember that mistakes and failures are normal, and it’s okay not to be perfect.

Prioritise self-care: Taking care of yourself should be a top priority, especially during tough times. Get enough sleep, exercise, and eat well to maintain your physical and mental well-being.

Reframe negative thoughts: Negative thoughts can hold you back and make it difficult to overcome challenges. Reframe negative thoughts by challenging them with positive and realistic thoughts.

Practice forgiveness: Holding onto anger, resentment, and grudges can make moving forward from tough experiences. Practice forgiveness towards yourself and others as it can help to release negative emotions and promote emotional well-being.

Learn from even hard experiences: Every experience, whether positive or negative, can be a valuable learning opportunity. Take the time to reflect on what you’ve learned from your experiences and how you can apply that knowledge in the future.

Keep a sense of humor: Laughter and a sense of humor can be powerful tools for challenging experiences. Don’t take yourself too seriously; try to find humor in difficult situations.

Practice self-reflection: Take time to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and actions during difficult times. This self-reflection can help you to gain a better understanding of yourself and how you respond to challenges.

You’re going to go through tough times — that’s life. But I say, ‘Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.’ See the positive in negative events. — Joel Osteen

Cultivate gratitude and appreciation: Focusing on what you’re thankful for can help you maintain a positive outlook. Take time each day to reflect on what you’re grateful for and appreciate the good in your life.

Keep a growth mindset: That means believing you can grow and improve through effort and learning. This mindset can help you to see challenges as opportunities for growth and development.

Find inspiration: Find inspiration in others who have faced similar challenges and overcome them. Their stories can provide motivation and remind you that you are not alone in your struggles.

22 Short Rules To Get Through Hard Times In Life 

If you’ve ever been through a challenging experience , these practical pieces of wisdom can help you get through the hard times in life - and actually thrive.

problemsolving

Problem Solving

22 Short Rules To Get Through Hard Times In Life | Hive

It appears to me that you are right in feeling especial fear of [the passion of anger], which is above all others hideous and wild: for the other [passions] have some alloy of peace and quiet, but this consists wholly in action and the impulse of grief, raging with an utterly inhuman lust for arms, blood and tortures, careless of itself provided it hurts another, rushing upon the very point of the sword, and greedy for revenge even when it drags the avenger to ruin with itself.

Some of the wisest of men have […] called anger a short madness: for it is equally devoid of self control, regardless of decorum, forgetful of kinship, obstinately engrossed in whatever it begins to do, deaf to reason and advice, excited by trifling causes, awkward at perceiving what is true and just, and very like a falling rock which breaks itself to pieces upon the very thing which it crushes.

There is no animal so hateful and venomous by nature that it does not, when seized by anger, show additional fierceness. I know well that the other passions, can hardly be concealed, and that lust, fear, and boldness give signs of their presence and may be discovered beforehand, for there is no one of the stronger passions that does not affect the countenance: what then is the difference between them and anger? Why, that the other passions are visible, but that this is conspicuous.

Aristotle’s definition [of anger] differs little from mine: for he declares anger to be a desire to repay suffering. It would be a long task to examine the differences between his definition and mine: it may be urged against both of them that wild beasts become angry without being excited by injury, and without any idea of punishing others or requiting them with pain: for, even though they do these things, these are not what they aim at doing.

We must admit, however, that neither wild beasts nor any other creature except man is subject to anger: for, whilst anger is the foe of reason, it nevertheless does not arise in any place where reason cannot dwell. Wild beasts have impulses, fury, cruelty, combativeness: they have not anger any more than they have luxury: yet they indulge in some pleasures with less self-control than human beings.

When [the poet] speaks of beasts being angry he means that they are excited, roused up: for indeed they know no more how to be angry than they know how to pardon. Dumb creatures have not human feelings, but have certain impulses which resemble them. […] Their impulses and outbreaks are violent, [but] they do not feel fear, anxieties, grief, or anger, but some semblances of these feelings: wherefore they quickly drop them and adopt the converse of them: they graze after showing the most vehement rage and terror, and after frantic bellowing and plunging they straightway sink into quiet sleep.

The difference between [anger] and irascibility is evident: it is the same as that between a drunken man and a drunkard; between a frightened man and a coward. It is possible for an angry man not to be irascible; an irascible man may sometimes not be angry.

[There] are some sorts of anger which go no further than noise, while some are as lasting as they are common: some are fierce in deed, but inclined to be sparing of words: some expend themselves in bitter words and curses: some do not go beyond complaining and turning one’s back: some are great, deep- seated, and brood within a man: there are a thousand other forms of a multiform evil.

Whether [anger is] according to nature will become evident if we consider man’s nature […] Mankind is born for mutual assistance, anger for mutual ruin: the former loves society, the latter estrangement. The one loves to do good, the other to do harm; the one to help even strangers, the other to attack even its dearest friends. The one is ready even to sacrifice itself for the good of others, the other to plunge into peril provided it drags others with it.

“What, then? Is not correction sometimes necessary?” Of course it is; but with discretion, not with anger; for it does not injure, but heals under the guise of injury. We char crooked spearshafts to straighten them, and force them by driving in wedges, not in order to break them, but to take the bends out of them.

May it not be that, although anger be not natural, it may be right to adopt it, because it often proves useful? It rouses the spirit and excites it; and courage does nothing grand in war without it, unless its flame be supplied from this source […] Some therefore consider it to be best to control anger, not to banish it utterly, but to cut off its extravagances, and force it to keep within useful bounds, so as to retain that part of it without which action will become languid and all strength and activity of mind will die away.

In the first place, it is easier to banish dangerous passions than to rule them; it is easier not to admit them than to keep them in order when admitted; for when they have established themselves in possession of the mind they are more powerful than the lawful ruler, and will in no wise permit themselves to be weakened or abridged. In the next place, Reason herself, who holds the reins, is only strong while she remains apart from the passions; if she mixes and befouls herself with them she becomes no longer able to restrain those whom she might once have cleared out of her path.

There are certain things whose beginnings lie in our own power, but which, when developed, drag us along by their own force and leave us no retreat. Those who have flung themselves over a precipice have no control over their movements, nor can they stop or slacken their pace when once started […] So, also, the mind, when it has abandoned itself to anger, love, or any other passion, is unable to check itself: its own weight and the downward tendency of vices must needs carry the man off and hurl him into the lowest depth.

The mind does not stand apart and view its passions from without, so as not to permit them to advance further than they ought, but it is itself changed into a passion, and is therefore unable to check what once was useful and wholesome strength, now that it has become degenerate and misapplied: for passion and reason, as I said before, have not distinct and separate provinces, but consist of the changes of the mind itself for better or for worse.

“But some angry men remain consistent and control themselves.” When do they do so? It is when their anger is disappearing and leaving them of its own accord, not when it was red-hot, for then it was more powerful than they; […] it is when one passion overpowers another, and either fear or greed gets the upper hand for a while. On such occasions, it is not thanks to reason that anger is stilled, but owing to an untrustworthy and fleeting truce between the passions.

[A]nger has nothing useful in itself, and does not rouse up the mind to warlike deeds: for a virtue, being self-sufficient, never needs the assistance of a vice: whenever it needs an impetuous effort, it does not become angry, but rises to the occasion, and excites or soothes itself as far as it deems requisite.

“Anger,” says Aristotle, “is necessary, nor can any fight be won without it, unless it fills the mind, and kindles up the spirit. It must, however, be made use of, not as a general, but as a soldier.”Now this is untrue; for if it listens to reason and follows whither reason leads, it is no longer anger, whose characteristic is obstinacy: if, again, it is disobedient and will not be quiet when ordered, but is carried away by its own willful and headstrong spirit, it is then as useless an aid to the mind as a soldier who disregards the sounding of the retreat would be to a general.

If, therefore, anger allows limits to be imposed upon it, it must be called by some other name, and ceases to be anger, which I understand to be unbridled and unmanageable: and if it does not allow limits to be imposed upon it, it is harmful and not to be counted among aids: wherefore either anger is not anger, or it is useless […] the passions cannot obey any more than they can command.

For this cause reason will never call to its aid blind and fierce impulses, over whom she herself possesses no authority, and which she never can restrain save by setting against them similar and equally powerful passions, as for example, fear against anger, anger against sloth, greed against timidity. May virtue never come to such a pass, that reason should fly for aid to vices!

Moreover, of what use is anger, when the same end can be arrived at by reason? Do you suppose that a hunter is angry with the beasts he kills? Yet he meets them when they attack him, and follows them when they flee from him, all of which is managed by reason without anger.

Anger […] is not useful even in wars or battles: for it is prone to rashness, and while trying to bring others into danger, does not guard itself against danger. The most trustworthy virtue is that which long and carefully considers itself, controls itself, and slowly and deliberately brings itself to the front.

No passion is more eager for revenge than anger, and for that very reason it is unapt to obtain it: being over hasty and frantic, like almost all desires, it hinders itself in the attainment of its own object, and therefore has never been useful either in peace or war: for it makes peace like war, and when in arms forgets that Mars belongs to neither side, and falls into the power of the enemy, because it is not in its own.

Vices ought not to be received into common use because on some occasions they have effected somewhat: for so also fevers are good for certain kinds of ill-health, but nevertheless it is better to be altogether free from them: it is a hateful mode of cure to owe one’s health to disease. Similarly, although anger, like poison, or falling headlong, or being shipwrecked, may have unexpectedly done good, yet it ought not on that account to be classed as wholesome, for poisons have often proved good for the health.

Qualities which we ought to possess become better and more desirable the more extensive they are: if justice is a good thing, no one will say that it would be better if any part were subtracted from it; if bravery is a good thing, no one would wish it to be in any way curtailed: consequently the greater anger is, the better it is, for whoever objected to a good thing being increased? But it is not expedient that anger should be increased: therefore it is not expedient that it should exist at all, for that which grows bad by increase cannot be a good thing.

No man becomes braver through anger, except one who without anger would not have been brave at all: anger does not therefore come to assist courage, but to take its place.

Nothing becomes one who inflicts punishment less than anger, because the punishment has all the more power to work reformation if the sentence be pronounced with deliberate judgment. This is why Socrates said to the slave, “I would strike you, were I not angry.” He put off the correction of the slave to a calmer season; at the moment, he corrected himself. Who can boast that he has his passions under control, when Socrates did not dare to trust himself to his anger?

“No plague has cost the human race more dear.” - Seneca

De Ira or "On Anger" is an essay on anger by Seneca the Younger. The work offers advice on controlling anger and to make it subject to reason. It is not clear to scholars who wrote the first work on the subject of passions or emotions (the terms are thought interchangeable), but while Xenocrates (396/5-314/3 BCE) and Aristotle (384-322 BCE) were students at Plato's Academy, a discussion on emotions took place which provided likely the impetus for all later work on the subject. The Stoic Posidonius of Apamea (c.135 - 51 BCE) is considered the main source for Seneca, also the work of Theophrastus, Antipater of Tarsus, Philodemus of Gadara, Sotion of Alexandria, Xenocrates (active sometime after 346 BCE) and Aristotle (c. 384-322 BCE ). Other influences may have included works On Passions by the Stoic philosophers Zeno of Citium, Chrysippus, Aristo of Chios, Herillus, Hecato of Rhodes, and the Peripatetic philosopher Andronicus of Rhodes (c. 1st century B.C.). Within the context of Stoicism, which seeks to aid and guide the person in a development out of a life of slavery to behaviors and ways of the vices, to freedom within a life characterized by virtue, de Ira posits this as achievable by the development of an understanding of how to control the passions, anger being classified as a passion, and to make these subject to reason.Seneca's thoughts of the relationship of the passions to reason, are that the passions arise in a rational mind as a result of a misperceiving or misunderstanding of reality.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca or Seneca the Younger); ca. 4 BC – 65 AD) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero, who later forced him to commit suicide for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to have him assassinated.

Seneca

On Anger

I’m so done living within the confines of my comfort zone. It doesn’t matter what anybody thinks of me, it doesn’t matter what they will say about me, and it doesn’t matter what they tell me I should be doing. None of them really matter to me now, because I have come to realize that my inner voice should be louder than these voices outside of me. I now know that these voices I tend to hear and listen to only show me the contrast to what my inner being knows or could amplify what my inner being tells me to do.

Getting Out Of Our Comfort Zones

I know that I am the only person who knows what is the best for me because my intuition and my heart knows where I should go and what I should do.Our life is our own responsibility. We should be the ones making decisions for ourselves, not others. We should be the ones taking control of our lives, not others. We should be the ones creating and designing our lives the way we want to. We must take the wheel and confidently sit on the driver’s seat of our lives and go where we’re headed.

Take Control

I now know that these voices I tend to hear and listen to only show me the contrast to what my inner being knows or could amplify what my inner being tells me to do. I know that I am the only person who knows what is the best for me because my intuition and my heart knows where I should go and what I should do.

Amplify Your Inner Voice

Yes, we are not always on the right path as we may stumble upon inevitable storms and shit as we take on our journey in life. Yes, life is not always rainbows and sunshine as there will be times we get hurt by others or we hurt others unintentionally (or intentionally). Yes, we sometimes tend to break glasses when doing things again and again and only end up bleeding ourselves and other people after. However, that’s where and when the best life lessons are being learned.

Pain Is Part Of The Process

The broken glasses can no longer be fixed but the cracks can now be the doorways to our soul where the light can shine through more.

Life is way beautiful if we care more about what makes us happy than caring about what others could say and think about us for not keeping up with the standards set by society. I am confident to say all these things because I now have realized that these people didn’t live even half a second of our lives, hence, they know nothing about every single experience that shaped us into becoming who and what we are today.

Focus On What Makes You Happy

I am speaking for everyone. It's about time for us to live our lives authentically and unapologetically. 

I’m so done living within the confines of my comfort zone. It doesn’t matter what anybody thinks of me, it doesn’t matter what they will say about me, and it doesn’t matter what they tell me I should…

I’m so done living within the confines of my comfort zone.

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