The full collection of explorations.
Comparison is the root of so much suffering in our lives.
And social media is the root of so much comparison in our lives.
Those who are aware of this—and take actions to mitigate it—know the secret to suffocating and starving the roots of suffering from their lives.
P.s. I also published 28 Timeless Morrie Schwartz Quotes from Tuesdays With Morrie today.
Their success Isn’t your loss Their beauty Isn’t your flaw Their knowledge Isn’t your ignorance Their profit Isn’t your business Stop using them To benchmark yours Live and let live And stop keeping score
Suffering is an internal state.
And you’ll never be able to outrun what’s inside.
In fact, the longer you try running from suffering the more time it’ll have to build strength and the more tired you’ll ultimately become.
The way towards healing isn’t running—no.
The way towards healing is stopping.
…And looking at the suffering; sitting with it; inquiring into its existence—understanding the suffering (that never just arbitrarily arrives).
And then slowly, slowly—rebuilding your strength while you drain it of its own.
Until eventually you can turn suffering into softness that you can then mold like clay and let go of like art.
Understand who you are By writing down Everything you are not And never want to be Let each list item Act as a guardrail That turns vast landscape Into paved and pointed roadway
How can you say someone is beautiful If you haven’t yet Peered past the cover Of their book?
Eyes closed Content Is eyes open Freedom Joy independent Of scenery Is fulfillment In every step
Whenever possible, rather than stopping your forward momentum altogether, try slowing down instead.
One of the worst strategies for finishing a marathon is to sprint-stop-sprint-stop-sprint-stop the whole way.
When you feel yourself getting winded—adjust your pace; shorten your stride; give yourself more time to breathe.
And at all costs: delay the urge to stop.
While rest might seem like the most energy efficient decision in the moment, as physics demonstrates, keeping your body in motion is actually the most energy efficient option long-term.
So that we’re clear, I’m not advocating you never stop working.
I am advocating that you commit to a working pace that you can sustain rather than one that you have to constantly start-stop.
For example: rather than read 100 pages sporadically every month or two—commit to 10 pages per day. And if 10 pages becomes too much, don’t stop altogether. Drop it to 5 pages per day. And if that’s still too much, drop it to one page. And if that’s too much—you’re playing yourself.
Keeping the momentum alive in your daily tasks is key to efficient and effective forward movement in your life.
Starting a stopped body is much harder than keeping a body in motion.
Keep your body in motion even when (especially when) your mind wants to stop.