Self-mastery

Self-mastery is about being the person we want to be. Even if this seems impossible we should continue doing what we can while we can like a tree growing towards the sun knowing that it will die long before it ever reaches it but until then it just keeps on reaching. The path to self-mastery is an endless road of self reflection and walking alone with something to record new realizations with is a good way to remember new ones or review and further ingrain existing ones. Here are a few that have made their way into my notes.

Life’s too short for a bad day and things could always be worse.

Entertain or educate, induce laughter or learning, there’s rarely any other reason to speak.

The only reason to point out or repeat anything negative is if it can lead to something positive.

Work hard and see where it gets you rather than thinking about working hard and thinking about where it might get you.

Lower the bar and then raise it incrementally instead of raising it to the point you balk every time you go to clear it because what matters isn’t where you start but where you end up.

Don’t wait for opportunities create them and don’t search for paradise build it.

On the road to increasing self-mastery there will inevitably be some obstacles so rather than seeing stumbles as complete failures we must see them as important parts of the self-improvement process. Some people may progress two or three steps at a time while others may fall back a step or two for every two or three they take. Regardless those who stick with it will inevitably end up in a place much higher than they were when they started.