Never stop sculpting your own statue, until the divine virtue of splendor shines in you.
-Pierre Hadot
What virtues did you develop today? Our soul hears our thoughts and feels our actions.
Tag: #personaldevelopment
Location
Everywhere and at all times, it is up to you to rejoice piously at what is occurring at the present moment, to conduct yourself with justice towards the people who are present here and now.
-Marcus Aurelius
For how much of your day are you present? Be where you are and try to be your best.
Consume
There are four kinds of food that we consume every day. They are: edible food (what we put into our mouths to nourish our bodies), sensory food (what we smell, hear, taste, feel and touch), volition (the motivation and intention that fuels us) and consciousness (this includes our individual consciousness, the collective consciousness, and our environment.)
-Thich Nhat Hanh
What did you consume today? This week? This month? Taking control of what we consume, when we can, will lead to a happier and more focused life.
Dwell
We can aspire to be kind right in the moment, to relax and open our heart and mind to what is in front of us right in the moment. Now is the time. If there’s any possibility for enlightenment, it’s right now, not at some future time.
-Pema Chodron
Do you dwell on the future? Putting off the good things we can do right now can be just as risky as living in the past.
Value
Your person or your goods, which is worth more?
-Lao Tzu
Do you work on yourself as much as you work to earn money? Do the actions that earn you money also develop virtues? Earning money is not inherently problematic, not working to develop ourselves certainly is.
Stop and Start
Start where you are. You might be the most depressed person, the most addicted person in the world, the most jealous person in the world. You might think that there are no others on the planet who hate themselves as much as you do. All of that is a good place to start. Just where you are- that’s the place to start.
– Pema Chodron, The Pocket Pema Chodron
What stops you from starting? When we stop trying to be perfect we can start moving towards our ideal selves. There is no moment aside from the now so that is the best place to start because it could be the only place.
The Pocket Philosopher 