My six core values are: Acceptance of that which I cannot control. Connection to the present moment and other people. Commitment to my values, principles and goals. Honesty Justice Contribution
This is an Acceptance and Commitment therapy exercise, you can find it on page 3 here: https://www.actmindfully.com.au/upimages/complete_worksheets_for_The_Confidence_Gap.pdf There is one value that I really should have among my top six: Fitness: to maintain or improve my fitness; to look after my physical and mental health and wellbeing. I'm replacing commitment with fitness. NoFap for example, is part of improving my mental fitness. If I don't work on my physical and mental fitness, I won't have the strength to work on my other values. Commitment is of course the most important value, without commitment, all the other values are meaningless. But because of that, I can leave it out, since it is implicit in the values that I should commit to them.¨ Edit again: It's difficult prioritizing only six, but I think this should be a work in progress. If I make adjustments to my core values again I will write about it in my journal.
"At least it will make for a great story" also, "Sometimes the best adventures are the ones unplanned" Can't remember where I got it from a long time ago.
I have two mottos in my life 1) "Salvation lies within" 2) "Men cry not for themselves, but for their comrades"
What has been done is done. Only look back to learn from it. The future is changeble as it has been proven by your past. So live on and keep going
I'm glad I made this thread, it's nice to see everyone's take on motivation and way of life. Keep em' coming.
Here's a song that I always revisit, the lyrics keep my mind on the straight path of what's important in life. It's a song that can mean something to anyone.
Mine: If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.
"Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face." Job 23:17. I'm not Christian, but this quote resonates with me. I do enjoy some of the Bible's teachings, and I do believe in a higher power. Faith has been at my side before
'The weak die and the strong survive', it's pretty cringe and i would never let anyone know it in real life but it helped me a lot in self improvement since I like the simple idea of becoming stronger. The one i'm using now is simple and it is one word: 'soon' - I often say this to remind myself that I may not have the life I want now but soon enough it will be mine.
I actually did put it in my forum signature and it's been there for quite a while now; “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” - Lao Tzu At first it might seem that this quote is pointlessly stating obvious. But it's more than just that. What it is actually implying is that everything we do have consequence. Good or bad. This direction on which I'm at will lead me to where I am heading. So if I like the place where I am heading I should probably stay on this path, if I don't like it I should start heading in different direction. Basically it reminds me to stay mindful of what I do. To stop and think of whether this action or habit in long term will serve me or not, then judge whether I should change direction or not. Also it reminds me to let go and not be too much attached to the destination. Because the key word in this quote is "may". If we do something bad for us we MAY get lucky and not get where we're heading. And if we do something good for us we MAY get unlucky, and not get where we're heading. So just because you have a goal and planned path that leads you to it does not always mean you will succeed. But that is fine. It is not negative thing. Attachment is negative. Being rigid is negative. Letting go of outcome is good thing. Too much attachment and desire may cause suffering in long term. This is a what it is to walk the path of least resistance. One has a goal and one is taking steps to get there. But if they fail they do not ponder in their failure, they just get back up and keep going. Kinda like a flowing river; you can block it but it will always find a way to keep going. It doesn't stress when it's destination is blocked, it just keeps going somewhere else. That's how I want my life to be. In this western culture we glorify hard work, willpower and force. We idolize a man who has hewn a path through a mountain with hard work. And we look down upon a man who just walked around the easy way to get to the same place. I find this silly. Because for me it's about long term mindset. Hard things brake easy. It's just a question of how much force is needed. Soft and flexible things that bend instead of fighting back can endure more force being applied on them than rigid things. So that's kinda my idolized way of living life. So yea, there ya go, that's a long explanation for seemingly very dumb quote. ^^