Here are 3 quotes, the most interesting thing I learned this week, 1 essay, and 1 question to reflect on.

3 Quotes

“The Fates guide the person who accepts them and hinder the person who resists them.” –  Cleanthes

“Mens sana in corpore sano (sound mind in a sound body)”

“What is defeat? Nothing but education: nothing but the first steps to something better” – Wendell Phillips

The Most Interesting Thing I Learned this Week

In the Gymnasium of Life, there will always be someone that is stronger than you. You will likely be stronger than others. But you are not competing against anyone else. It is you versus you. Each day, you must show up to outwork who you were yesterday. 

That is the only way to get better. That is the only way to consistently get stronger. Put in the work through focused daily effort.

Talent versus Work.

“Collapse is common to all things. The collapse of a house, the collapse of a body, the collapse of your opponent.” – Miyamoto Musashi

The ruins of today remind us of what it was like many years before. While most ruins have collapsed, some still remain.

There is a story from Plutarch about the Spartans. An old man was wandering around the Olympic Games looking for a seat. He was jeered at by the crowd until he reached the seats of the Spartans. Once there, every Spartan younger than him, and even some that were older, stood up and offered him their seat. 

The crowd looked on and applauded. Reportedly the old man turned to them with a sigh, saying “All Greeks know what is right, but only the Spartans do it.”

It is one thing to know what to do. Information in our modern world is abundant. Just because you know the recipe does not mean you know how to cook. You have to do the work. You have to take daily actions to make yourself better. 

It is not the size of the army that matters. 

“Do large and small forces not meet in battle? There are many examples of small forces defeating large ones.” – Miyamoto Musashi

You do not need a lot to be successful. You need focus. You need hard work. You need determination. You need patience. You need belief. You need to focus on the right actions at the right time.

But most importantly you need to be willing to do action. 

1 Question to Reflect on

Do you seize the opportunities in your life to take action to be better than who you were yesterday? We all should find ways to learn from our own past.

The Real Con 98