Regret a decision?

If you made a past choice which didn't work out - if you made the choice with all your knowledge at your disposal, it wasn't a foolish choice.

Big decision coming up?

Let your emotions subside before you decide

I can't afford to get tired

If that's the case,  maybe you can't afford not to? If your life has no room for things going on,  then your life is not healthy.

Why are things that seem simple so hard?

A simple summary of tasks doesn't make tasks simple.

S Phelps

Hard Work is Meaningless Unless...

Thomas Merton, "People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall."

Mental health score!

This is spoken not typed Justice any errors I apologize. What if we are able to have mental health as a scale of 1 to 10 just like a normal sickness so if you just use normal health you asked you rate yourself between 1-10 1 being I can't go to work I can't really live life because my health is preventing me from doing so and 10 is is perfect you're shooting a hand life's great everything so amazing so what if we did that same scale for mental health at 9:59 one not being able to work or function can be amazing wouldn't that help us come to a point where were categorising mental health most you need physical health kinda why it saying well if my physical health this is 50 so my mental health as a 5 is that still affecting the outcome meaning that you can only half can't sleep life then get out of bed and go to work and things like that so just like a physical problem or problems that you might have the mental health is for the lack of mental health is preventing you from doing the same kinds of things when you put the two together like that it takes away that vagueness of the mental health take the lack of understanding

Why you avoid your deep issues

Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.
- Michel de Montaigne 

It's very easy to forget why people try to forget things,  avoid,  deny,  refuse weighted importance, dismiss acknowledgement... It's hard work fixing something when you can just ignore it and hope it goes way...  Problems not related to our identity or sense of self often go away over time on their own,  however things that are intertwined with who we are or shaped what we are will never go away unless you take action that works (trying without a direction means nothing)

Before you judge someone for not 'fixing' their problem,  did you clean your room or your house when you said you would? Did you achieve your exercise goal or new year's resolution yet? 'fixing' or making something better is hard and it's a lot harder to clean a mind than it is to clean your house.

Two Lies Make A Truth

You sometimes have to lie to a really anxious person to calm them down, because anxiety lies to them about reality.

The Inequality of the Definition of Equality

There are two sorts of equality... 

Definition 1. Everyone is equal today. The same level of importance and opportunities.

Definition 2. Everyone wasn't equal yesterday so we will assist those people a little more today to truly balance the differences to eventually have equal opportunities.

An example of my own life.

I am a sound engineer.

Definition 1 says that I and anyone else have the equal opportunity to become that,  get the same wage when they do and be treated the same.
Definition 2 says, we need to make it easier for other people who have not had the history or opportunities in this field. I as a white male have history on my side which makes it easier for me today to be apart of that world and once I'm in that world I am perpetually accepted because there are others like me,  thus keeping the white male club strong.

The sound engineer example again.  I had a much easier time to get into it because my dad was in music...  It wasn't the same thing and I still worked very hard independently to get to where I got, but arguably without that slight advantage I may have never made it.  This is the same for white males...  Because they have been there before,  set the rules and benefited from perpetual cultures (a la the rich get richer).

So what definition 2 says it's not just about equality in the moment,  but the bigger picture of past present and future.  To put it another way... If you watch some sport towards the end of the game and the opposition to your team scores twice,  it would be fair to think your team is losing, only it's not,  your team is way ahead and they can afford to relax a bit and they still are way ahead on the score board.

If we are fighting about two different types of definitions of equality we will struggle to make progress.

The Cycle of Greed (rise and fall)

Greed.  Greed can be the builder and the destroyer.  Think of someone with a good idea,  works hard,  is resourceful, takes time to develop the product and idea,  finely tunes and ultimately becomes a success...  This success gives them  more money and options which is then used to build up more and then to build on top of that...  They becomes more successful than was ever planned...  Where is the peak? At some point,  they realise maybe you could make more by cutting costs,  speeding up processes,  floating the company,  bringing in outsiders to diversify and reach wider audiences... Now there's not just expectations but targets that an accountant,  a lawyer and a stock broker start to enforce,  you have a bad week...  Oh no,  profits are down,  cut something from the budget,  investigate what happened,  create safety nets but can't spend any more money...  Cut costs,  move funding from the original projects and departments to stop legal proceedings,  satisfy the spread sheets,  cut more staff,  get fewer to do more,  simple maths right? Bad reviews,  people are complaining,  customers are leaving,  loyalty is down,  skepticism is up...  Share prices fall...  Panic...  Cut more costs to keep profits up,  product suffers, quality people no longer want to work there or be associated with your brand...  Hopes of less skilled cheaper workers with expensive consultants/managements become the plan...  It turns from practice to pure theory and numbers on a page,  why is the company still failing. There are only so many excuses investors will accept,  they leave in droves,  debts are piling up,  sell and sack and ship to keep a float... It sinks with nothing left but the thoughts that inspired,  maintained and destroyed it.

Know where to start,  know where to stop. 

Knowledge, Motion, Action, Avoidance.

Aristotle said, “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” 

I wonder if we put too much emphasis on learning...  Sometimes...  I feel like some people study because it's an excuse to not take any real action...  It's like preparing for a meal,  buying the food but never cooking it...  At some point,  a good quality of your investment is wasted...  Maybe...  Sometimes you just gotta start doing it,  not prepare for it...  I don't think we really ever truly feel ready for big steps forward,  so stop waiting for the feeling

Even if know one reads this,  I need to hear this for myself...  Follow my own advice.

I learnt the difference between motion and action recently.  Motion is reading that book on health,  buying those running shoes,  getting that gun membership... Action is actually following that books advice,  running in those shoes and attending that gym. 
I'm the first to admit I usually put way to much into motion and not enough into action...  However I know many people that are reverse,  they put a lot of effort taking action only to find it was a waste of time and effort,  they can spend their whole lives working their ass off and not really have much to show for it.  To put it a simpler way...  They worked harder,  not smarter.

I guess the key like so many things, is balance.
I've been thinking of doing a blog for a while,  imagining the topics,  thinking of the benefits  like having a mental history for myself and being able to reflect etc but it's only me doing it that makes it a reality,  so maybe if in doubt go for action over motion... Maybe.

"Work beats talent when talent doesn't work"