I guess these are some of my thoughts on life and other things. The wording may not be perfect, but I refine it often, and someday it will be. Sorry for the maleness of it. These apply to both men and women. The meaning and the thoughts that they provoke are more important than political correctness.
Rarely does one's semblance of an ideal world conform to the actions
taken to realize that world
- Comfortableness is too often an excuse for inertia. How often do you confine yourself to a situation because you're afraid of losing this security? By doing this, you are only limiting your own right to explore options. There are enough people in life who strive to limit your options to further their own cause. Don't fall into the trap of being comfortable. It only leaves you contemplating what could have been
- Once a person has attained all his goals and conquered all challenges that may have driven him to action, what's left? Challenges will still exist, but none that he has the energy or will to desire. Is that when he has defeated life, or has life defeated him?
- Don't dream the impossible only to guarantee failure. Never say never, but dreaming too big can hinder the attainment of achievable, yet satisfying goals. Try to differentiate between the ideas that are real vs. fantasy
- We have as much to learn from children as they from us. As people get older, they forget what it means to be fearless, to not care what other people think, or to have no inhibitions (not in any adverse sense of the word). You have your entire life to be old, be young while you can
- Unaduletered thoughts are realized only when your mind is free of all superficial and transient thinking
- Logic is often a way for someone to hide from his fears. A person may really want to do something, but because of the unknown outcome, will use logic to convince himself that it's the wrong idea
- Why are people so afraid to smile? Maybe their fears are not unfounded. The response to a smile seldom meets the expectations of the smiler
- That other people dissapoint you must be accepted, but that you disappoint yourself can never be forgiven
- At what point do you give up your ideals and accept that the perfect way of life will not materialize?
- People don't always know what's best for themselves, but they need to learn that on their own. Resolutely trying to help someone who refuses to be helped will only strain a relationship. Eventually, when the person does ask for support, don't turn them away
- Things may not always be what they seem. But as the subject of the deceit, does one try to understand the motivations of the duplicity, or just detach from the situation and avoid all contact
- Dreams and desires change throughout life, but how often do we actually evaluate our present lives against the dreams we imagined we'd be living? Through selective memory are we forcing ourselves to scarcely remember the dreams and desires of our past? Maybe that's easier than realizing that they will never materialize
- The tradeoff between knowledge of life and the biases that didn't exist in youth is difficult to estimate. Unfortunately, due to the ubiquitous notion of self-perfection, most people put an excessive value on knowledge and ascribe little to no value on biases
- Happiness isn't driven by setting and achieving goals. It comes from knowing your passions and understanding what it takes to live life through those passions. Unfortunately, few people realize this, fewer actually recognize their passions, and almost none have the chance to live their passions
- It's easier to live the current fantasy than the inevitable reality. But mental acceptance of the impending reality before it materializes can soften the otherwise crushing regret
- Time invested is irretrievable. Don't force yourself into a situation because you've spent a lot of time working on it. You'll end up regretting what could have been
- Most people are impressed by what you've accomplished, and few by who you really are. Don't let the ones who are impressed by you get away
- The strong fall into despair when their strengths are no longer revered
- If there were a purpose to life, then we would all be puppets of whoever or whatever is determining that purpose
- Assigning expected values and probabilities to each outcome of a scenario and calculating whether the final value is positive or negative can greatly enhance your ability to make the correct decision in any situation. Unfortunately, human emotions take over from logic, and we often do the things we know we shouldn't because they somehow feel right
- No matter how much you toil to to maintain the bliss of the present, changes occur that throw life off balance. Don't be surprised by those changes
- A friend to the lonely is probably lonelier than the people to whom he provides companionship
- It should never be too difficult to muster the courage to do the right thing for yourself. Unfortunately, people are too busy doing right for others that they forget themselves
- Much less effort is exerted in losing something you have, than achieving something you don't
- True sadness appears at the point you realize that no loss will cause you any pain
- A greater share of mind is focused on the adverse pieces of one's life than the good, while normally, the adverse events reflect a relatively minor part of one's life
- Loneliness is sadder when it's not the result of being alone
- A friend to the lonely is probably lonelier than the people to whom he provides companionship
- When you want something so much that you think you need it...that you can't live without it, you will often be disappointed by the reality of receiving it
- There is more risk than reward in expecting or wanting something too much
- When a person is so accommodating that others take advantage of him, with whom does the fault lie? With the people taking advantage or the person who is too eager to oblige
- Time in itself doesn't necessarily heal the pain. It just gives you other things to think about
- Life continues with or without you
- A friend should not require constant proof of your loyalty
- How often do people emanate intellectual vanity? Don't feign knowledge to counter the self-insecurity of your mental abilities
- What takes greater share of mind? Contemplating the past and what you did wrong, or thinking to the future and what you can do right
- Everyone finds it easier to think about what they did wrong, but talk about what they did right
- What does it mean to care for someone, or to have someone care about you? Frequently, these are uttered words without substantial significance. Search deeper to understand the meaning of the words
- It takes courage to understand who you really are
- Other people's conversations seem so trite when overheard. Your conversations are probably just as trite to others who are listening. Or more likely wishing they didn't have to listen
- Don't confuse infatuation with any deeper feeling
- For some the only way of living that they know may backfire. Everything they thought was right is wrong. Everything they thought was wrong is right. A person has the dilemma of continuing life in the manner he knows and accept the consequences of his actions, or can change his way of living. However, changing the way a person lives requires an almost complete separation from the current which is often onerously intricate
- Avoidance is sometimes the only way to get closer
- Time won't wait for you. If you've waited at all to do what you think is right, you've waited too long
- Stress is caused by excessive deliberation of a topic in your mind. The greater the number of topics you ponder, the greater the burden you embrace. Permanent relief of stress can only be achieved by allowing yourself to complete the thought process on each topic individually, and permitting yourself to realize that the burden has been lifted
- We often have a greater desire to be in the company of one we do not know or understand well. One facet that we find attractive is projected to the other characteristics of that person. Too often we are disappointed when our projections do not materialize
- Too often a person ponders the level of trust that another has for him, but gives no thought to the basis of that trust. Trust can exist through respect, love, fear, hatred, or loyalty. Determine the basis of the trust before even contemplating to what level it has evolved
- Rules of any society structures but limits existence. Your conviction in a belief manifests itself with the willingness to surrender the current society to allow yourself to practice that belief
- Unless your information is complete and reliable, which is seldom the case, every decision is a gamble. The relative importance of the stakes are a function of personal desires, but greater desire provokes unfavorable odds. Risks must be confronted to earn satisfaction of desires
- Don't ask someone to trust you! Trust is earned, not donated upon request. Prove to the person that you are deserving of his trust
- Which is more important, the practice of beliefs or the intentions behind those beliefs. Too often practice takes precedence over intentions
- We're all searching for the panacea that provides the necessary escape from the reality of our existence
- Don't you wish life had a back (<--) button, like the Internet
- To live a rewarding life, you must be willing to accept challenges. However, it is not necessary to accept all challenges that you face in order to live a rewarding life
- Is day just the time between sleeping nights, or is night the time between waking days?
- Often we endure discomfort in friendships or relationships existing only through a mutually unuttered acceptance that the past does not hold as deep a meaning as either one is afraid to admit. This discomfort can place visible strains on the relationship and on each individual. Set yourself free by unbinding links to the past
- It is impossible to understand a person's emotions and character without hearing the tone of their voice. You can't read between the lines when all you have are the lines
- If you are lost, don't rely on others to help you find your way. Whether others want to help, or you're just looking to them as role models, they can't. You can only find your way from within. Others will only confuse you
- Thinking about it won't produce results, doing it will
- We devote significant time to impress others, never realizing that what attracts someone initially would probably repel that person once he or she knows you
- Every judgement in life is skewed by personal perceptions. You believe a person is may be bad because of your perception of what is good. You believe a person is smart/intelligent because of your definition of those words. Your definitions will not necessarily correspond with those of others. When making your next personal judgement, think about why others may feel differently than you do. Open your mind by understanding their perceptions
- Don't ever expect a friend to do something for you, only expect to do something for a friend. Once you start to demand a certain behavior from a friend, you will probably be disappointed by the unfulfilment of expectations. However, if you expect nothing, you will often be pleasantly surprised and will have a lasting friendship
- Why is it easier to describe why you dislike someone than to describe why you like someone?
- Often we believe we truly know somebody after spending a large portion of time with them, especially if it's over a number of years. When you really think you know someone, spend time apart and see how much more you learn about them
- Often a situation arises that causes emotional pain to one or many people. But things change so quickly that we seldom have the time to ponder the effects of the pain before the situation has been resolved and the cause of the pain is forgotten
- People always want to know where life will take them. How many actually know where they've been?
- Yours is not the best way of life, it is just the way of life you know best
- A person’s behavior takes an artificial form of perfection when he meets someone for the first time. First impressions have too great an importance in life
- What is the easy way out?
- Keep a count of how often you are gratified by beating challenges vs. disappointed by failing
- Only those you trust or believe in can disappoint you. They are also the only ones who can make you truly happy
- Time is one of a person's greatest enemies. There is always too much or too little. Whichever you don't need