Donkey
If hard work leads to success, the donkey would own the farm.
- Old rural saying
Who's left
The cowards never started, and the weak died along the way. That leaves us, ladies and gentlemen.
- Phil Knight
Risk
If you don't risk anything, you risk even more.
-Erica Jong
You Are Enough
“Tibetan Buddhist texts liken this type of addictive behavior to ‘licking honey off a razor.’ The initial sensation may be sweet, but the underlying effect is quite damaging. Seeking satisfaction in others or in external objects or events reinforces a deep and often unacknowledged belief that we, as we are, are not entirely complete; that we need something beyond ourselves in order to experience a sense of wholeness or security or stability.”
— Joyful Wisdom by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Happiness
There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
Options
“Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side because it is fake.”
- Betty Rocker
Decisions
Observe people wherever you will and you will notice that those who cannot make up their minds are neither popular nor successful.
- N. Hill
Direction
“You only need to know the direction, not the destination. The direction is enough to make the next choice.”
— James Clear
Act
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer the negative elements in your life, don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy!”
— Dale Carnegie
Doubts
Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.
Karate
Every black belt is a white belt who didn’t quit.
Adversity
A calm sea does not produce a skilled sailor.
Value Prop
A lot less people would buy a lottery ticket if the rule was “pick a number between 1 and 300 million. If you guess right, you win.”
Movement
Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
- Mike Dooley
Usefulness
One of my favorite stories of this kind is the local apiarist (beekeeper) in my neighborhood. He told me that the first seven years of him keeping bees he never had more than a couple of jars for himself. Even though he had gotten into it with the idea of selling honey, he found that he neighbors were so hostile to the idea of having bees around that he had to walk around the neighborhood after every harvest and hand out jars of honey. Hundreds of kilos every year was given away. Over time the neighbors figured out that the bees were not dangerous and that this man was not abusing their neighborhood but actually making it a better place. More people started keeping flowers in their gardens and eventually the man could start selling his produce rather than giving it away.
This story illustrates a point that everyone from your grandmother to Tahitian islanders, to the hardcore Neo-reactionary thinkers can agree on: be worthy. To be part of something you must first be of use to it. A community is only as strong as the effort put into it by its members. You must have something to offer. This is as true in urban beekeeping as in modern courtship.
Learn a skill, master a craft, teach something: learn, create, pass on.
@wrathofgnon
Choices
You can have anything you want, but not everything you want.
Choose wisely.
Giving
This is Daisuke Inoue, the inventor of karaoke.
He did not patent the machine because he wanted to "teach the world to sing." He earned nothing from the billion dollar industry his invention has spawned and has no regrets.
Photo is of him and the very first karaoke machine ever made.