“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” – Scott Hamilton
This quote provokes a lot of thought. Everyone finds things to feel bad about, and constantly feeling bad can be considered disabling. Questions: Is our attitude totally a choice? How do we teach attitude? What factors determine attitude? When is our attitude aptitude most in development? What can we all do to help create more positive attitudes?
We are all happy that our economy continues to be strong. People are finding jobs, careers, funding retirements, and hopefully enjoying life. Many have claimed a recession is coming, but fortunately we are not in one. Analysts are concerned that more individual investors have pulled out of equities than put funds into them, and wonder if the market can continue to climb. Many of us look at what is going on and say that markets cannot continue an upward trend with so much apparent political and economic chaos. We all should remember that markets reflect more than Main Street or the typical person’s views. I have heard (and believe) that we should; stay positive, maintain a diverse portfolio, avoid debt, and keep a liquid emergency fund.
Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity. – Carl Jung
This quote raises many interesting questions. Do we have to know pain to appreciate happiness? How do we learn to have patience and balance in the face of threatening events? What causes some people to be very emotional and others more reserved; are these inherited traits? Do we have to balance happiness with sadness; can’t we just move from the ground floor to the upper floors without a journey to the basement?
When you blame others, you give up your power to change. – Robert Anthony
This quote has profound questions implied in it. Does power only come from ownership, or is it the recognition of our power in situations that leads us to understand our impact? Does our view of power lead to different behavior? Do we blame others for success? Does blame represent fear? Is blame always inaccurate? Does blame always have to be negative, and if not how do we flip it into a building block?
“The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
Some questions to consider: Do we need to force ourselves to think deeply about topics that do not initially interest us? Should we be fearful of our thoughts, or do we balance our thinking by gathering more information and countering ideas? Which comes first our souls or the ideas we focus on? How do we train ourselves and those we care about to think both deeply and broadly? Is it our duty to be caring about everyone to some extent?
I just finished Dave Ramsey’s book “The Total Money Makeover”. This is a great short read for anyone who wants to improve their financial circumstance and/or lifestyle. Dave has clear steps and practices that anyone can understand and put into practice; the only thing you need to add is determination and you will change your life. This book has a lot to offer, but I know how easy it is to substitute or create a hybrid of Dave’s formula. The book spells out that you can; have a disciplined budget, a clear focus (the debt snowball), and a goal to live like no one else so that you can live and give like no one else (retire debt free with a million plus in assets).
We are facing a wave of scandals revolving around cheating and lying. The top offices of our government are gained and maintained by hiding the truth. Parents seek to get their children into college by cheating on tests, and paying people to lie and create a deception. Some thinkers believe that as a society we are crossing a line where we no longer believe in truth and justice (the American Way), but do whatever we can to access power and resources. Our politics and legal system are under daily assault; what is the impact on our society? Perhaps our climate is changing in more ways than one.
For those of you in the USA I want to wish you a good day! Many are starting to question whether or not we should continue daylight savings. The original idea was to provide more daylight for work. Now we have modern lighting and people have so many options for work and transportation that we may no longer need to move our clocks around for increased sunlight. It will be interesting to see how this issue will play out as our society deals with changes in work, climate, and family.
“Discipline = Freedom” – Jocko Willink
The idea that discipline equals freedom has been stated in different ways I think. The phrase “There are no rights without responsibility ” comes to mind, but “discipline equals freedom” is a stronger statement that casts a wider net. Everyone I know loves to eat, but most of us know that if you don’t balance meals with activity there will be problems. The same balance (or discipline) applies to everything we enjoy….too much of it is a bad thing. The quote applies to what we want, what we look like, how we interact with others, and where we want to go in life – without discipline we cannot make things happen for ourselves. Implied in the quote is that we own our experience of life. The quote is profound.
American politics can be frustrating for citizens who follow it. There are times when you expect elected leaders to lead, but most of the time they seem to follow the mood of the majority of their voters. The midterm elections revealed that the majority of voters want checks on the executive, and the investigations are an important part of the process. Let’s hope the truth is revealed and decisions that protect our republic are made.
Ethereal Bulwark 