I started journaling a bit this year. I decided to try it because I hoped it would help cleanup my thinking. I didn't know how to start, but around the time I kicked things off a friend introduced to me to a daily email newsletter about being a better father. That led me to a related newsletter about Stoicism (http://bit.ly/3UPnZ4e) which led me to purchase Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. After reading Meditations for two weeks (I am still working my way through it ten months later) I realized it could be helpful for journaling. My journaling process became: read a few pages of Meditations, write down the passages that resonate most, and when it feels right start writing my own thoughts. The quotes and my thoughts aren't always related, and I don't try to write an analysis of the passages, but this process has worked great to help focus.
I realized recently that journaling may be diverting some of my energy away from the blog, so I figured every now and then I would just throw a journal entry up. Hope you find something interesting and/or helpful.
November 8, 2022 | Pgs. 101 - 102 of Meditations
Quotes:
". . . nothing is good except what leads to fairness, and self-control, and courage, and free will. And nothing bad except what does the opposite."
"The first step: Don't be anxious. Nature controls it all. And before long you'll be no one, nowhere . . ."
"The second step: Concentrate on what you have to do. Fix your eyes on it. Remind yourself that your task is to be a good human being; remind yourself what nature demands of people. Then do it, without hesitation, and speak the truth as you see it. But with kindness. With humility. Without hypocrisy."
Reflection:
In the moment, be better. The times when I need to be the best I can be. I recognize those moments: Megan needs me to be supportive, Abby needs me to be understanding, my mom needs to know I love and appreciate her. When I fail to execute in those moments it's supremely disappointing. What's worse is when I recognize I am failing in the moment and don't course-correct. I have to make a concerted effort to do better. Create a mental switch and think about it everyday, even when there are no moments of adversity or moments calling for me to be the best person I can be. Solidify a switch that I can flip in the moments where I need to be there, which usually appear abruptly and in the middle of a hundred other things happening, make it a part of me, and use it. Being there for others in the moment when in the midst of my own shit is meaningful; it's a positive, character building action. It's a thousand times better than the way it feels when I fail people because I am focused on myself and things that don't truly matter.
Concerted effort, repetition through discipline, and focus on the moment/now seem to be keys to making this work.
Nick
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