These Three Truths

Over the past several years, I have paid more attention to the practicality of living a simpler life. A life uncluttered by most of the chaos people fill their lives with, leaving space for what truly matters. A life that isn’t constant busyness, worrying and stress, but instead contemplation, creation, and connection with people and projects we love.

The truth is, other animals make their livings by simply living, but as human beings we often associate “making a living” with working like crazy in the most hectic ways imaginable – filling nearly every waking minute of our lives with something that must be done. The busier we are and the more drama there is to chat about (online and offline) at the end of each day, the more “full” life seems… at least for a little while… until we crash and shatter ourselves.

I’ve distilled these truths into three easy-to-digest quotations for you, in hopes that you may find value in them today...

1. Frustration and stress come from the way you respond, not the way life is. Adjust your attitude, and the frustration and stress is gone. Remember this. Even if you have a good reason to be angry and resentful, don’t. Channel your energy into thoughts and actions that actually benefit your life.

2. The mind is your battleground. It’s the place where the greatest conflict resides. It’s where half of the things you thought were going to happen, never did. But if you allow these thoughts to dwell in your mind, they will succeed in robbing you of peace, joy, and ultimately your life. You will think yourself into a nervous breakdown, into depression, and into defeat. Because you are what you think. And you can’t change anything if you can’t change your thinking.

A beautiful day, and thus a beautiful life, always begins with a beautiful mindset. When you awake each morning, take a second to think about what a privilege it is to simply be alive and healthy. Breathe onto the bathroom mirror, just to see how amazing your breath looks. The moment you start acting like life is a blessing, I assure you it will start to feel like one.

3. The last six letters in the word “attraction” are “action.” If you want to attract positive changes into your life, you can’t only work on your internal world (your knowledge) – you must also take action (do something with your knowledge). And remember, you can’t lift 1,000 pounds all at once, but you can easily lift one pound 1,000 times. In repetition, your little actions have great power. You become highly skilled at whatever you do again and again. Every day offers you the opportunity to develop a ritual of success, regardless of how you personally define success.