Other people give their two cents: A conversation between two ideas

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Idea #1: Doubt
Idea #2: Trusting myself



Doubt says: I've learned so much about myself surely this pursuit should be feeling a little bit easier?

Trusting myself says: "Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work, but it's worth the effort."- Mr Rogers



Doubt:  These thought patterns and self judgements are getting reeeeally old.  Will they ever get evicted from inside my head?

Trusting myself: “To master the mind seems as difficult as to master the mighty winds.” - Bhagavad Gita



D: Although volunteering at the local nature preserve, maintaining home and children and health and marriage and friendships etc., donating my time to a local nonprofit, reading tons of books and learning new ideas, and supporting and encouraging events that give back to our community.....I can't seem to “find my purpose”.

T:  “Like a lion placed in a paper cage, human beings are generally most trapped by the illusions of their own mind.” -Steven Hayes




D: I should do/want/be more.

T: There is a foreign word with no English translation called "lagom". That's the Swedish term for "just enough", or "a fair share", or "a sufficient amount". It's as much a way of life in Sweden as it is a single word, an attitude that you don't need too much in life. Lagom carries the connotation of appropriateness, although not necessarily perfection.




D: Busy, busy mind. Always questioning.

T: Remember Aequanimitas; (Latin) calmness of mind, patience, tranquility. Aequanimitas represents an acceptance of whatever might result from a particular action, without the burden of anxious rumination and indecision.  “In full development  it has the nature of a divine gift, a blessing to the possessor, a comfort to all who come in contact with them.”- William Osler




D: I'm tired of working so hard at this.

T: “Do not mistake the pursuit of wisdom for an endless parade of sunshine and kittens.  Wisdom does not immediately produce stillness or clarity.  Quite the contrary.  It might even make things less clear—make them darker before the dawn.” - Ryan Holiday




D: Will this “searching” ever have an end?

T: “You might spend your whole life following your curiosity and have absolutely nothing to show for it at the end—except one thing.  You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you passed your entire existence in devotion to the noble human virtue of inquisitiveness.  And that should be more than enough for anyone to say that they have lived a rich and splendid life.”- Elizabeth Gilbert




D: Instead of sitting on the porch listening to music and watching the hummingbirds I should be “doing something.”

T: “There is nothing to feel guilty about for being idle.  It's not reckless.  It's an investment.  There is nourishment in pursuits that have no purpose – that IS their purpose.” - Ryan Holiday




D: What's wrong with me?

T: “I am not breaking...I am not broken...I am unfolding.” -Luca Fogale (the song “Unfolding”)



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