My Riffs

It's best to let your talent(s) to make room for itself. When you have to make room for your talent you are doing something wrong.

The human tendency is to want to talk about ourself. There isn’t much to gain in doing so. It just makes our ego feel good. And that’s it. There is much more to gain in listening to someone else’s story.

If you're not getting any resistance chances are you're doing something wrong. If you're getting a ton of resistance you may still be doing something wrong. It's resistance that builds muscle. It's resistance that makes us think about what we're saying or doing. It's resistance that keeps us in check physically (gravity). There's very little resistance in things that are bad for you. In doing something great there is much resistance. In doing something stupid there is also much resistance. Check who you're receiving resistance from. Is it from someone who loves you? Is it from someone who is wise? If you're receiving resistance from this group of people, definitely check yourself. If you're receiving resistance from people who may be jealous or lazy, then you likely are doing something good.

I believe in being generous. I believe in helping the poor and needy. There are many unfortunate situations and there are people who legitimately need our help. I've learned you have to be careful though. People don't generally appreciate things they gained unearned. The things we appreciate and usually the things we've had to work hard and sacrifice for. So sometimes you aren't really helping someone by being generous. The saying goes something along the lines of "give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry..." Teaching people to work and get what they need is much better approach than giving people what they think they want.

The steering wheel on most vehicles is quite apparent. You don’t have to look hard to see what steers a car, a boat or an airplane. But what steers the human? I believe the heart of what steers a human. The things in our heart will eventually come to pass. Good or bad, eventually what’s in the heart will be apparent.

Hiding seems to rarely be a good option. Of course, letting everything be known isn’t wise either. But it seems if you really are wanting to hide something, it likely should actually be dealt with instead of hidden.

Every story has a protagonist (main character) and an antagonist (the opposition). More of than not, in our own story we're actually both. We're obviously the main character, but we're also the main person who opposes and holds back the main character. The saying says, the line between good and evil passes through the human heart (Alexander Solzhenitsyn). It's most often ourself we wrestle against. Our weaknesses, our pre-dispositions, etc. The more we tell ourselves "so and so" or "this situation" is my antagonist, the less power we have. So in our story, we have the luxury of being both the main character and the opposition. And realizing that is what gives opportunity to overcome the opposition.

A shortcut to living and learning is learning from others. You don’t have to make every mistake yourself. Learn from others mistakes as much as possible.

We all have losses in life. It’s unavoidable. In some losses it feels like you’ve reached an end. But you will learn with the right attitude they’re actually a new beginning for something else. And usually something better. A job loss may seem tragic. and it’s immediate impact usually is extremely tough. But sometimes a job loss is a blessing in disguise if your attitude is right.

Weeds can grow faster that the plants you’re trying to grow. And if you let them they will choke the plants and the plants will die. This isn’t so different from life. We all have weeds that if we allow them to grow, they will eventually be our demise. It may take considerable time but it will happen. So self discipline and self awareness are what you need to keep the weeds removed. And remove them before they grow into something you have to dig deep to root out.

Anything valuable or important takes/costs work. You can’t get something valuable for free. If you want to get good at something you have to work for it. So if you desire something of value, get your work boots on and get after it. Don’t expect it to come to you.

Falls are usually preceded by pride. A fall is predicable when one becomes proud. Staying humble is always the right approach.

It's a super challenging thing to get right. And I don't think think you can ever get there 100%... But those who get good at this live the best lives. That is, seeing yourself properly. Seeing yourself in a balanced, hopefully clear manner. Not over exaggerating your weaknesses, but not minimizing them either. Being aware of your strengths but not being too proud of them. Seeing yourself clearly gives proper confidence. Because too much confidence is just as disastrous as not enough confidence.

We can let the wrong things ruin our day. We could just brush the thing off and carry on. Arguing on social media. Road rage. Bad news. Etc. The art of brushing things off help you live a whole lot lighter.

Every day if a gift. If we forget and stop treating each day as a gift we can start focusing on inconsequential things.

Sometimes you do the right thing simply because it makes you a better person. It may not change your situation immediately. It may not change someone else. But it likely will make you a better person. And that’s a really big reason to do it.

You’re sort of never complete. There’s always a part of you that needs more work. So we’re all a work in progress. But that can’t become an excuse.

Start with humility.  Read and listen to quality materials.  Listen much more than you speak.  Watch successful, wise people.  Be disciplined. 

The world doesn’t really need more opinions. And usually your family and friends aren’t looking for your opinion. But what is needed is your care. Your empathy. Maybe your opinion will be worth more once you’ve given the time, care and attention.

I went for a run this week and started way too fast. It made the end of my run not very enjoyable. But had I paced myself better I would have enjoyed the whole run. Maybe pace more than anything prevents burnout.

Personally, I’m okay with someone challenging the rules, if they have a good reason to do so. But unless you have a good reason not to, just follow the rules. They’re generally there so you don’t hurt yourself or other people. Most rules aren’t intended to be oppressive, they’re generally there for the betterment of society.

One thing I’ve noticed the older I’ve got is I know my limits better. And I know which ones I can push and which ones I shouldn’t push. Some limits need to be pushed and some need to be respected. And knowing the difference allows you to keep growing without making as many mistakes. (In theory anyway :)

The measuring stick you use on other people will inevitably be what is used on you. Don't use a measuring stick on others that you aren't willing to be measured against yourself.

If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable. - Seneca the Younger If you don’t have any direction or goals, it doesn’t matter what resources you have.  Your aim will set your direction. And you will find the resources to get there.

The reality you create in your own head matters more than the reality that happens all around you. Because sometimes people make up their own reality and completely ignore the reality around them. Usually it’s in a negative context. There’s things like victim mentalities that can cripple people. But things wouldn’t have to be so rough  if the victim mentality hasn’t been made a reality.

I’ve learned that blurting our the first thing that comes to mind is usually a mistake. Taking an extra half second to think about what I’m gonna say saves a lot of silly things being said.

There seems to be two overall categories of talk. 1. What is 2. What can be You need to know “what is” but “what can be” is where the magic is and provides a much more interesting and productive conversation.

You have to work harder to even stay the same. So if you’re gonna work harder, work a lot harder and get better. If you keep doing the exact same exercise, you're gonna peak, then decline. So to stay the same you have to work harder. Same goes for life. You slow down or let your guard down for a moment and you get into trouble.

A good decision most often feels like work. A bad decision most often feels like a shortcut.