From Steven Pressfield's Turning Pro:
"In the post-epiphanal moment, we have two things going for us that we didn't have ninety seconds earlier: we have reality and we have humility. These are powerful allies.
And we have a third force working in our favor: shame. Why is shame good? Because shame can produce the final element we need to change our lives: will.
Epiphanies hurt. There's no glory to them. They only make good stories at AA meetings or late at night among other foot soldiers in the trenches.
These soldiers know. Each has his own story , of that ghastly, hideous, excruciating moment when it all turned around for him."
Pressfield, Steven (2012-05-30). Turning Pro (p. 88). Black Irish Books. Kindle Edition.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Link to Stoic Exercises
http://www.andbethere.com/2013/10/stoic-exercises.html#
An excellent article on Stoic exercises! Worth checking out!
An excellent article on Stoic exercises! Worth checking out!
On the Nature of Epiphanies (from "Turning Pro")
From Steven Pressfield's Turning Pro, on the nature of epiphanies:
"We usually think of breakthroughs as ecstatic moments that elevate us from a lower level to a higher. And they do. But there's a paradox. In the moment , an epiphany feels like hell. . . . [A]n epiphany trashes us. It exposes us and leaves us naked. We see ourselves plain, and it's not a pretty picture.
The essence of epiphanies is the stripping away of self-delusion. We thought we were X. Now suddenly we see we're minus-X. We're X divided by infinity.
There is great power in this moment. We've lost something, yes. A cherished self-delusion must be abandoned, and this hurts.
But what we have gained is the truth. Our bullshit falls away. The scales drop from our eyes. In that moment we have two options:
We can reconstitute our bullshit.
Or we can turn pro."
Pressfield, Steven (2012-05-30). Turning Pro (p. 85). Black Irish Books. Kindle Edition.
"We usually think of breakthroughs as ecstatic moments that elevate us from a lower level to a higher. And they do. But there's a paradox. In the moment , an epiphany feels like hell. . . . [A]n epiphany trashes us. It exposes us and leaves us naked. We see ourselves plain, and it's not a pretty picture.
The essence of epiphanies is the stripping away of self-delusion. We thought we were X. Now suddenly we see we're minus-X. We're X divided by infinity.
There is great power in this moment. We've lost something, yes. A cherished self-delusion must be abandoned, and this hurts.
But what we have gained is the truth. Our bullshit falls away. The scales drop from our eyes. In that moment we have two options:
We can reconstitute our bullshit.
Or we can turn pro."
Pressfield, Steven (2012-05-30). Turning Pro (p. 85). Black Irish Books. Kindle Edition.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
The Stoic Handbook - An Interpretation
Here is a link to an interpretation of the Stoic Handbook of Epictetus:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153551123935164
Check it out if you get a chance. I highly recommend it.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153551123935164
Check it out if you get a chance. I highly recommend it.
Great quote from "Chronicles of the Black Company"
"There are no self-proclaimed villains, only regiments of self-proclaimed saints. Victorious historians rule where good or evil lies."
Cook, Glen (2007-11-13). Chronicles of the Black Company (p. 78). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.
Cook, Glen (2007-11-13). Chronicles of the Black Company (p. 78). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.
"How Your Mind Changes When You Turn Pro"
From Steven Pressfield's Turning Pro:
"Turning pro is like kicking a drug habit or stopping drinking. It's a decision, a decision to which we must re-commit every day.
Twelve-step programs say "One Day at a Time." The professional says the same thing.
Each day, the professional understands, he will wake up facing the same demons, the same Resistance, the same self-sabotage, the same tendencies to shadow activities and amateurism that he has always faced.
The difference is that now he will not yield to those temptations. He will have mastered them, and he will continue to master them."
Pressfield, Steven (2012-05-30). Turning Pro (p. 74). Black Irish Books. Kindle Edition.
"Turning pro is like kicking a drug habit or stopping drinking. It's a decision, a decision to which we must re-commit every day.
Twelve-step programs say "One Day at a Time." The professional says the same thing.
Each day, the professional understands, he will wake up facing the same demons, the same Resistance, the same self-sabotage, the same tendencies to shadow activities and amateurism that he has always faced.
The difference is that now he will not yield to those temptations. He will have mastered them, and he will continue to master them."
Pressfield, Steven (2012-05-30). Turning Pro (p. 74). Black Irish Books. Kindle Edition.
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