Who to become

On a day to day basis you should think about who you want to become, and what actions you can take to get there.

This doesn’t mean thinking about your career (though that is important) but on a more personal level. Think about the type of person you want to become, and how you can achieve that with your actions today.

This is how you focus on the future by working in the present.

gloom

twin candles reflect
against a rain speckled pane
vainly fighting gloom

This too shall pass

“This too shall pass” is a phrase that we tend to equate with bad things in our life.

You lost your job. This too shall pass.

Your child made a bad choice. This too shall pass.

Your loved one is sick. This too will pass.

But the phrase doesn’t just apply to bad things. It applies to all things.

Eventually all things will pass.

On top of the world because of a promotion. This too shall pass.

Feeling great because you had a stellar workout. This too shall pass.

All things pass, so basing your happiness on the things that pass will only lead to sorrow.

Acknowledge and cherish the moments, across the range from good to bad, and accept them. Then choose happiness, no matter the circumstance.

billboard

billboard battered and
torn, layers upon layers
from past to present

Heroes

We are all the heroes in our own stories. We feel like a protagonist that the world is conspiring against.

And so does everyone else.

But the reality is that the world doesn’t really care about us. It doesn’t have it out for us. As far as the world is concerned, each of us is little more than an NPC.

So remember when something bad happens to you, its not that he world is out to get you. It’s that the world just doesn’t care. That makes it easier to move on.

shackle

rusty shackle thrown
a haphazard discarding
now a lonesome frame