“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.” - Robert Frost
 
Which half of the world are you in?

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man.” - Mark Twain
 
How do you show gratitude instead of biting the hand that feeds you?

“Any man may easily do harm, but not every man can do good to another.” - Plato
 
How do you attempt to do good to another?
 

Are you the Cow or the Buffalo?

What I mean by that is, are you a person who runs away from your problems and difficulties or do you run toward them and take them on before they become too big to manage?

All of us experience the ups and downs of life. There is no such thing as the perfect job, or the perfect relationship, or the perfect person. 

We all experience trials and tribulations throughout our lifetime. But how do you tackle those challenges when they present themselves?

​Watch this short video about how the cow and the buffalo deal with an approaching storm. 

“Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture.” - Vaclav Havel
 
How do you venture toward your vision?

​Five Ways To Start Your Day by Marcus Aurelius
 

1. GREET YOUR MORNING WITH GRATITUDE: When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
2. PRACTICE PREMEDITATIO MALORUM: When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. Premeditatio Malorum or Negative Visualization is a technique to anticipate the worst so that we can adequately prepare ourselves for the challenges that lie ahead.
3. PRACTICE DELIBERATE DISCOMFORT: Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, saying to yourself the while, “Is this the condition I feared?” The practice is to continually test ourselves by making life routinely uncomfortable in some way to harden ourselves for the day we may need to live it for real.
4.  JOURNALING: By writing each morning, we can formally declutter the stress and the noise in our minds and become more aligned with our feelings. Journaling allows us to think more clearly and helps us to live a virtuous life. The more we write, the more our philosophy ingrains itself in our character, and the less we will find ourselves forgetting the wisdom we have come across in the past.
5. TACKLE THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK FIRST: Concentrate every minute like a man – on doing what’s in front of us with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, and with justice. By doing the most important task first thing in the day, you go about the rest of your day knowing you have done the difficult task, and the rest of your day will be easy by comparison. By completing the critical task on your To-Do List before anything else, you get both momentum and a sense of accomplishment. 

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” - Joseph Campbell
 
How do you bring your meaning to life?

 “What is a prophet? One who names the situation truthfully and in its largest context.” - Fr. Richard Rohr
 
How do you live a prophetic life?

If someone took you out of your comfort zone could you survive?

​If your life were upended today, by the loss of a job, or someone close to you dying, or you finding out you had a chronic or terminal illness, how resilient would you be?

Would you be a stress-survivor or are you so fragile that your world would become unglued?

Arthur Schopenhauer once said, "Every person takes the limits of their own mind for the limits of the world." What is your mind saying about your world?

When the trials and tribulations we all experience in life slap us across the face, is your mind telling you that you are weak and frail, or is it telling you that you are strong and determined?

Watch this short video and learn the story of the world's most delicate bird.

Leave me a comment about what your mind is saying about the type of person you are.     

“The simple act of practicing gratitude disrupts negative thoughts and changes our mindset to see the world in a positive way.” - Doug Good Feather
 
How does practicing gratitude disrupt your negative thoughts?

“It isn’t your fault that you were dealt a bad hand, but it is your responsibility. How long will allow your past to hold you back before you finally take control of your future.” - David Goggins
 
How do you take responsibility for the hand you have been dealt?