Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach

Posted on 28 October 2011 by philosiblog

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. – Tony Robbins and here

"What dumb bunny put our lunch waaaaay up there?" - "This time, instead of jumping again, why don't you try climbing up on my back?"

What does that mean?
To me, it means that once you have made a decision, you’ve cut yourself off from other possibilities. You are also committed to the desired outcome. However, things happen, and your chosen path, your approach, might not go as smoothly as you’d like.

The quote urges you to not give up or change your decision, but to remain steadfast in the achievement of the desired outcome. It suggests that you change your approach instead. Try a different way. Observe what does or doesn’t work, use your intelligence and courage to refine your approach, and keep after it until you achieve your goal.

Why is flexibility important?  Continue reading →

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Nobody who ever gave his best, regretted it.

Posted on 27 October 2011 by philosiblog

Nobody who ever gave his best, regretted it. – George Halas

Everest on the left, Lhotse on the right. Are you ready to give it your best shot?

What does that mean?
Having done a Vince Lombardi quote about 2 weeks ago, I thought it time to give Papa Bear equal time. (I’m a Bears fan, what can I say!).

I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone who, on their death-bed, said they wish they hadn’t put so much effort into doing the best they could. They might regret some of the actions they took, or failed to take, but taking your best shot, that’s just the natural thing to do.

Doing your best, giving it your all, that is what living life fully is all about. While this quote is from a sports great, I believe that it applies to all the aspects of life. Would you want to love a little bit, or give it your best shot? Do you want to have just a tiny little bit of fun, or give it your best shot? I know how I’d answer both those questions, how about you?

Why is effort important?  Continue reading →

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Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago

Posted on 26 October 2011 by philosiblog

Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. – Les Brown

What does that mean?
To me, this is about being kind, but with a very broad target, and thinking far into the future. Trees take a fairly long time to be useful. Even the quick growing trees take a decade before they are going to make enough shade to sit beneath for more than a half hour at a time.

This means if you have shade, some kind soul planted a tree long before you got there. Did they know that you, specifically, were coming? Probably not. They planted it anyway, for anyone and everyone to enjoy. I have planted dozens of trees, mostly on Arbor Day. I don’t think I ever spent any time under their shade, but I know that some have, and that is enough for me.

Why is planning important?  Continue reading →

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True love is like a pair of socks: you gotta have two and they’ve gotta match.

Posted on 25 October 2011 by philosiblog

True love is like a pair of socks: you gotta have two and they’ve gotta match. – Erich Fromm

“Could this be the one?”

What does that mean?
Well, as a nerd an the antithesis of a snappy dresser, I might argue with having to have two that match, but two does seem to be a good number. Seriously, though, having a matching pair of socks does seem to be a good thing, even for a nerd.

We’ll leave plural and line family arrangements for someone else to discuss. I would rather just go with a standard pair, and the concept of matching. With socks, it’s fairly easy to match a pair. In love, it takes a little looking to find the other half of your pair. Sometimes, you have to try a few on before you find the proper match.

Why is searching for the other half important?  Continue reading →

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We should not moor a ship with one anchor, or our life with one hope

Posted on 24 October 2011 by philosiblog

We should not moor a ship with one anchor, or our life with one hope. – Epictetus

Scratch one knee. So much for a career in the NFL. What's next?

What does that mean?
Back in the days of this quote, almost everything about a ship was organic. Organic compounds and water are not the best mix, and frequently end in some form of rot or degradation. Eventually, the rope tied to the anchor would part, the anchor would be lost and the ship would be adrift, at the mercy of the winds and tides (and rocks).

The quote urges us not to attach our life to only one hope. What would you do if you lost that hope, either by finding it impossible (broken rope), or by achieving it? Are you adrift, without a hope? I would expand the quote to include dreams, aspirations and goals, but the basics are the same. With only one, what do you do when it is gone?

Why is having options important?  Continue reading →

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Whether or not we follow any particular spiritual tradition, the benefits of love and kindness are obvious to anyone

Posted on 23 October 2011 by philosiblog

Whether or not we follow any particular spiritual tradition, the benefits of love and kindness are obvious to anyone. – Dalai Lama

What does that mean?
To me, this talks about a fundamental human need, the need of love and kindness. Even in warrior cultures, love and kindness were shown. From the Spartans to the Vikings to the Huns to the Aztecs, love and kindness existed. We might not recognize it as such, but they would. In the less fierce civilizations, it was even more apparent (usually).

Today, however, things don’t seem to be going as well. It seems that as life goes faster, and we feel the pressures of time, we seem to be pulling back. Pulling back first from strangers, then from friends, and finally, even from family. Both people of faith or those without a professed faith seem to be susceptible to this unfortunate change in our modern lifestyle.

Why are love and kindness important?  Continue reading →

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The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.

Posted on 22 October 2011 by philosiblog

The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. – Niccolò Machiavelli

"I'm not sure about the King's adviser. Is there anything in her head, or is it hollow?"

What does that mean?
What kind of people does a leader surround themselves with? Is it a bunch of “Yes-Men” or are they subject matter experts, ready and willing to go toe-to-toe with their ruler? Are they meek, fawning, pretty, in short, little more than toys for the ego of the ruler? Are there guards, and do they dominate the chamber, or are they discreetly placed?

These things can tell you much about a ruler, their demeanor, their expectations and their intelligence. If everyone else is bowing frequently, or praising the ruler, you might be able to guess about some level of insecurity. Same if everyone defers to the leader as ‘The wisest of us all!’ That might be a clue to their true intelligence (as well as wisdom).

Why are appearances important?  Continue reading →

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Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant

Posted on 21 October 2011 by philosiblog

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. – Robert Louis Stevenson

Even she knows that you can't harvest without first planting the seeds.

What does that mean?
Here, the emphasis isn’t on enjoying collecting of the results at the end, but in the joy of getting things started. The form is agricultural, and notes that it takes time to reap. I would think this quote applies equally to children and to a business or charity startup as well.

I believe that the quote says that if you focus on planting, you will have a plentiful harvest. But if you focus on harvest, you might lose sight of how the harvest came about. The quote also infers that it will take time to reap your harvest. By focusing on the planting, you help to insure the harvest, even if you aren’t there to see it.

Why is patience important?  Continue reading →

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Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance.

Posted on 20 October 2011 by philosiblog

Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance. – Virgil

See? I told you it was worth enduring !

What does that mean?
To me, this quote says that no matter how or why it happens, bad fortune (an unfortunate turns of events) can only be conquered by enduring it. In other words, when things don’t work out the way you want (or hope), you can either give up (surrender) or you can fight your way through (conquer it) using your endurance.

The quote also implies that by enduring the bad fortune, you will eventually get to better times. In short, nothing bad lasts forever, so be ready to tough it out. Unfortunately, it also implies that nothing good lasts forever either.

Why is endurance important?  Continue reading →

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Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.

Posted on 19 October 2011 by philosiblog

Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time. – Goethe

Don’t wait until you are nearly to the end to prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse!

What does that mean?
To me, this quote talks about preparation, planning, and foresight. Or more precisely, the complete lack of it. If you had been doing any preparation, planning, or had any foresight, you would have taken better care of your money from the beginning.

The second part of the quote cautions us that as bad as the consequences of this behavior is with respect to our money, it is even worse if we do it with our time. Waiting until we are nearly out of anything isn’t bright, nor is it wise.

Why is preparation important?  Continue reading →

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You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims.

Posted on 18 October 2011 by philosiblog

You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims. – Harriet Woods

Cooperation is the name of the game.

What does that mean?
This quote sounds like it’s promoting win-win methods over win-lose methods, which I call cooperation. Most of us are familiar with win-lose. War, competitive sports, card games, anything with one victor and everyone else is a loser.

In a win-win situation, everyone comes out ahead. You can stand tall, alongside the others. You can win without having to crush the rest of the field. Interestingly, most group sports reward cooperation (win-win mentality) within a team while simultaneously promoting a win-lose mentality toward the other team.

Why is cooperation important?  Continue reading →

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There are two things a person should never be angry at; what they can help, and what they cannot

Posted on 17 October 2011 by philosiblog

There are two things a person should never be angry at; what they can help, and what they cannot. – Plato

What does that mean?
This reminds me of the old saying “There are two kinds of people in this world; those who divide everything into two camps and those who don’t.” Here we have a quote that divides everything in the world into one of two camps. In this corner, are the things you can help, and in the opposite corner are the things which you cannot.

By saying there are two things you shouldn’t get angry at, and then listing those two halves of everything, the quote is basically saying that there is nothing you should get angry at. Either you can help it, or you can’t, but in neither case should you get angry.

Why is being calm important?  Continue reading →

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Once your mind is calm and full of love, there is no room for hatred or fear. Others will trust you because of your open heart.

Posted on 16 October 2011 by philosiblog

Once your mind is calm and full of love, there is no room for hatred or fear. Others will trust you because of your open heart. – Dalai Lama

What does that mean?
This quote has two parts. The first part talks about how to achieve an open heart, the second part talks about what will happen once you have achieved some level of skill at opening your heart.

The quote states that if your heart is full of love and your mind is calm, you have blocked the biggest problems to having an open heart, hatred an fear. Your heart will be full of something, and by choosing love, you crowd out the other emotions that would occupy it, absent the presence of love.

Once you are known to have an open heart, the quote finishes, you will be trusted by others. This is interesting, as (on thinking about it) I find that I do trust the people whom I know have hearts filled with love. Mostly it’s family, but I do know a few others who have hearts filled with love, and they are also truly and deeply trusted.

Why is a heart full of love important?  Continue reading →

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Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them

Posted on 15 October 2011 by philosiblog

Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them. – Seneca

Yeah, it's cute... until it's chewing on your spleen.

What does that mean?
I’m not exactly sure how the Latin was translated to English, but contempt presently means to treat with dislike and scorn. I would imagine that this quote is similar to the phrase “familiarity breeds contempt” and implies that the perceived threat of a dangerous situation fades with time.

To me, it is talking about the human tendency to become comfortable with that which is not an immediate danger. Wild animal pets was the first thing that came to my mind. You have seen stories of a person who had a pet Tiger or Monkey. They’ve had it for years. It’s never attacked, so they became contemptuous of the danger. Then, when the animal reverted to form and attacked, the owner is surprised. Doesn’t that about sum up today’s quote?

Why is caution important?  Continue reading →

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If you lose money you lose much, If you lose friends you lose more, If you lose faith you lose all.

Posted on 14 October 2011 by philosiblog

If you lose money you lose much, If you lose friends you lose more, If you lose faith you lose all. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Perspective. Which is more important, the weed or the tree? You can guess my answer by my choice of words.

What does that mean?
To me, this quote is about priorities, perspective, and what really matters. People lose money all the time. Have you talked to anyone about their 401K or retirement plans lately? Yes, you have lost a lot when you lose money, but it’s not the most important thing you have to lose.

It’s bad enough when a friend moves away. But losing a friend, either to death or due to some stupidity on your part, that hurts more (at least it does for me). Losing faith, whether it be in a higher power, or worse yet, in yourself, that is the worst loss of all. Without faith, the world is a cold and brutal place, and I truly have pity on those who walk that path.

Why is perspective important?  Continue reading →

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