Month: August 2017

Emotions are a choiceEmotions are a choice

amuro

Once dismiss the view you take, and you are out of danger. Who, then, is hindering such a dismissal?   – Marcus Aurelius, from Meditations 12:25 What if instead of saying ‘I’m

Why you do it: Handwriting and sending letters overseas like it’s 1997Why you do it: Handwriting and sending letters overseas like it’s 1997

Socrates said that an unexamined life is not worth living. And as is one without purpose. A purpose for everything we do. When’s the last time you handwrote a letter and

The philosophy of: The Mighty Boosh Moon (aka Noel Fielding)The philosophy of: The Mighty Boosh Moon (aka Noel Fielding)

moon

This is Noel Fielding as Vince Noir in the brilliant, mid-2000s British comedy, The Mighty Boosh. Is he the coolest character ever on the tellee? You decide… (I say yes)¹:

Who or what do you ACTUALLY need?Who or what do you ACTUALLY need?

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison. And even then, after the government had decided to let him out, he still tried to get more time (so people outside could

Everything is exactly as it should beEverything is exactly as it should be

Going through adversity? Good. Embrace it, pay close attention to it, how you feel during it, learn from it and it’ll make you tougher. Going through a favourable period? Also

Did Marcus Aurelius steal my idea (1800-1900 years ago)?Did Marcus Aurelius steal my idea (1800-1900 years ago)?

This is what my site’s about: And this is what Marcus wrote in Meditations (10:37): At every action, no matter by whom performed, make it a practice to ask yourself, ‘What is

The philosophy of: Sigur RósThe philosophy of: Sigur Rós

sigur

God damn it. This was going to be about how Sigur Rós can make any tiny, bullshit thing seem profound. But damn, this homeboy’s already on to it… If you

The philosophy of: Amuro NamieThe philosophy of: Amuro Namie

namie

I crap on about positivity a lot. But it’s not about thinking: ‘Wow, everything is wonderful I’m so happy, I’m so happy I’m so happy hey look everyone at how

One word changes everythingOne word changes everything

A friend wrote to me today telling me it’s been an ‘interesting’ time for me lately. Now, you don’t need to know what ‘interesting’ means in this case, but interesting is the

The difficult path’s the right oneThe difficult path’s the right one

If you find yourself thinking, ‘This is really hard…’ it’s a sign that you’re probably on the right track. Any progress, any learning, growth, improvement or mastery comes not as

The philosophy of: Some little girl at the local $2 shopThe philosophy of: Some little girl at the local $2 shop

There was a dad with his two kids browsing the toy aisle of the $2 shop at the local shopping centre yesterday. And when it was time to go, he

The philosophy of: Vanilla SkyThe philosophy of: Vanilla Sky

vanilla

The past doesn’t define you – it’s not who you are. And neither do your future plans, which are not only reliant on things out of your control, but are

Everything and everyone ever you know of is nothing more than a tiny pale blue dotEverything and everyone ever you know of is nothing more than a tiny pale blue dot

dot

If you drop your phone and the screen breaks, or you have to pay a late fee on your credit card repayment, your car breaks down, or you miss the

The philosophy of: William ShakespeareThe philosophy of: William Shakespeare

shakespeare

The aphoristic, short, sharp and punchy style of writing that makes so much of Shakespeare’s writing meaningful and powerful is something he shared with the Stoics, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca.

You are one of 7 billion nobodies (and somebodies)You are one of 7 billion nobodies (and somebodies)

Somebodies

Have you ever heard someone say this: ‘He’s a nobody’ ‘What’s she done with her life?’ ‘He’s no one. At least I’m someone.’ In Reality Bites,Winona Ryder’s character, Lalaina is

‘What if I did the opposite?’ [On: revenge for shitty acts]‘What if I did the opposite?’ [On: revenge for shitty acts]

revenge

To refrain from imitation is the best revenge. – Marcus Aurelius from Meditations If someone pisses you off, upsets you, even disappoints you, you have two options: 1. Do exactly the

The only news source you need is The Onion [+ my almost a year without the actual news]The only news source you need is The Onion [+ my almost a year without the actual news]

onion

The last time I actively turned on the news or sought it out consciously was about September last year (I was also turning it off whenever I heard it come

Murphy’s Law is more than just a dumbass thing some people say, it also perpetuates a loser mentalityMurphy’s Law is more than just a dumbass thing some people say, it also perpetuates a loser mentality

loser

Murphy’s Law is more than just some dumb thing some people say when shit doesn’t go their way (that needs to be eliminated from the vernacular, preferably brutally with a bullet).

The philosophy of: Patrick Dangerfield [Without the fuck-ups there’s no FUCK YEAH’s]The philosophy of: Patrick Dangerfield [Without the fuck-ups there’s no FUCK YEAH’s]

dangerfield

Patrick Dangerfield’s one of Geelong’s superstars, in the Australian Football League. And he’s a rare breed of not only player, captain, but also sportsman. He says that after a loss,