Just because you used a boat to cross a river, it doesn’t mean you should pick up the boat after you reached land, and carry it with you wherever you go.
Just like the boat, sometimes do the same with teachings or methods you’ve learned.
Author: Ken Thompson
A Herd of Cows Parable
A man had a herd of 250 cows and took great care looking after their welfare.
One day, however, a tiger ate one of them—and when the man noticed this, he thought, “I’ve lost one of my cows, and my herd is incomplete. What’s the point of having all these other cows?” And with that, the man drove all the cows off a cliff and to their death.
He is like a person who, after breaking just one precept of righteousness, thinks, “I’ve broken one, so I might as well abandon them all.”
Exclusive Interview with Mindful Ambition’s Patrick Buggy
Who is Patrick Buggy?
A coach, writer, and aspiring entrepreneur – creator of Mindful Ambition.
I learned more about Patrick via a Q&A interview. He has some great answers. Check it out below!
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Q1) I read your story in your About section, but was there a particular moment when your life shifted? Or was it the result of numerous experiences?
“I change in two ways: gradually and suddenly.
An INSIGHT can hit you in a moment. But transformational, last change tends to be an accumulation of gradual, incremental, step-by-step actions.
That’s how it’s been with my journey. There have been lots of insights that hit in an instant. But they don’t actually make a difference until they’re aggregated and compounded over time with consistent practice.
At Optimize, we talk about helping you go from Theory to Practice to Mastery.
An insight is the theory. It’s putting things into practice that has led me to feeling healthier, more energized, more confident, more connected, more on my path, etc.”
Q2) Out of all the mindful exercises you have written about, do you have a favorite and why?
“The one that’s going to help me conquer my next most-important challenge. 😉
The tool I use most often is my Daily Wins Checklist. The tool that’s helped me take the biggest leaps is Fear-Setting. For all goal-setting, it’s WOOP!
These days, I’m probably having the most fun with The Fear Game, helping me close the gap between hits of intuition of things I want to do, and actually doing them.”
Q3) Who comes to mind when you think of role models in your field? How have they influenced your life?
“I’m profoundly grateful that two of my biggest mentors, Brian Johnson and Michael Balchan, are now my teammates at Optimize.
I could go on for days about these two. Both are astonishingly radiant exemplars, truly embodying and practicing wisdom to live life at their best and change the world.
Optimize has played a massive role in my personal and professional growth in the last 5 years. All of that is thanks to Bri.
Michael is the one who first turned me on to Optimize. He was the first coach I ever hired, and has played a direct role in supporting my growth in countless other ways.”
Q4) What does success mean to you?
“Closing the gap between who you’re being and who you’re capable of being. Moment to moment.”
Q5) What do you like to do for fun?
“I love moving my body and being outdoors! Hiking, climbing, camping, sports, going to the beach, playing games with friends, etc.
I find deep, meaningful conversations to be super fun.
And…I’m also obsessed with Optimizing! I geek out hard on the subject matter of my work, and generally find work to be fun.”
Q6) What would you consider your greatest accomplishment? What else would you like to accomplish?
“My greatest accomplishments: every time I’ve made the decision to leave the safety of my comfort zone and the “approved path” to trust my intuition of what I really wanted.
What I want to accomplish: the same thing, repeated, to continue stepping into the next-best version of myself and giving my greatest gifts in service to others.
My biggest growth edge these days is all areas of building deeply meaningful, authentic, wholehearted relationships.”
Q7) What has been the most difficult part of your journey? Do you have a routine or specific exercises to help you overcome struggles?
“Most difficult = Loneliness and doubt when I hadn’t yet built any momentum in my business. I had no idea if forging my own path would work. I sometimes felt like I was crazy for trying. At one point, I had zero clients, went through a breakup, and my grandma died, all in the span of a couple weeks.
Every struggle requires a slightly different solution, but there are common frameworks and support structures that I apply in all of them:
1 – The Fundamentals. This is language we use at Optimize about how you’re managing your energy. How you’re sleeping, eating, moving, breathing, and meditating makes a HUGE difference in your ability to navigate challenges.
2 – What is it that I want? Beginning with the end in mind of the future vision. Orienting with that north-star. Then…
3 – How would I show up to this challenge if I were at my best? Getting clear on that. And then…
3 – Taking action. Taking small steps. That’s how we make progress.”
Q8) Have you found any similar struggles in people you’ve coached? How have you worked together on overcoming these?
“Hah! Yes.
It’s not often that we have a challenge that’s UNcommon. All of our struggles are shared, in a way.
Simply having that frame, that we aren’t alone in, or broken for, facing the challenge the facing is a HUGE place to start.
If we are unwilling to accept and love our current situation, and find some semblance of okayness and internal safety within it, we’ll never be able to make effective progress forward.”
Q9) What are 3 recommendations a struggling person can do to improve their life?
“1 – Dial in your Fundamentals. Sleep more. Eat nourishing foods. Move your body daily. Meditate every day. Breathe through your nose.
2 – Get support. Talk about your challenges with a trusted party.
3 – Treat it all like an experiment. Try things out. See if they work. Keep what helps, drop what doesn’t.”
Q10) What does your ideal life look like?
“I’m living it. 🙂
The thing is, life is all about change. So this is mostly a process-orientation, not an end state.
Energetically, I’m in the best shape of my life and feel like I’m making meaningful progress towards my health/movement/energy-oriented goals.
Work-wise, I’m living on purpose. Giving a wide range of my skills in service to the world. Growing as a result of constant challenges. And working with a team, and in an environment of powerful support.
Love-wise, I feel connected with a community of people who care about me and want me to be my best, that my most important relationships are deepening in authentic and meaningful ways, and that I’m strengthening my ability to forge new connections.
Put another way, my ideal life is feeling like I’m on my path, and that I’m showing up every day ready to take another step forward.”
Q11) If a magical genie gave you 3 wishes, what would you ask for?
“1 – To make it the norm for everyone in the world to meditate every day.
2 – For everyone in the world to understand how to regulate their nervous systems and process challenging emotions.
3 – More wishes? ;)”
Intro to Stoicism
Oxford Dictionary defines Stoicism as “an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge; the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason (also identified with Fate and Providence) that governs nature, and are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain.”
At its core, Stoicism is about trusting life as it is, not how we think it should be.
It’s about focusing on what’s in our control — our lives, and acting virtuously, not being pushed and pulled by our emotions.
Practicing Stoicism helps us see life objectively, giving us an understanding that we are not the center of the Universe — That the Universe is indifferent to our thoughts and feelings, and that that’s perfectly okay. This knowledge helps us live less selfishly and more cooperatively.
Stoicism has been practiced for thousands of years by numerous people. Other than Zeno, a few famous early practitioners of Stoicism were Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus, about 2,000 years ago. The modern day leader in Stoicism is Ryan Holiday, who gave me the opportunity to intern with him; a modern day apprenticeship. There were many events that led to this, it didn’t just happen, which you can read how it all came to be here on Thought Catalog.
During this time Holiday deepened my knowledge of Stoicism, inspiring me to apply these practices into my life — which doesn’t make someone perfect, it just makes us more Stoic, which you can decide if that’s good or bad.
I contemplated Stoic ideas before knowing they were Stoic ideas, thinking they were just far-out thoughts. Then, when reading Holiday’s book recommendations, I came across Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and devoured it. It was one of those books that I got pulled into and didn’t want to leave. I highly recommend reading the whole book, but here’s a link to some of Meditation’s main ideas for now.
Below are 4 fundamental Stoic principles you can begin practicing today:
1) Asking, “Is this within my control?”
—If yes, ask, “How can I act virtuously in this moment?”
—If not, ask, “How can I act virtuously in this moment?”
Most of life isn’t in our control, but our response is.
2) Sympatheia
—This is the idea that all things are connected and mutually interdependent.
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, in Meditations, wrote:
“The universe made rational creatures for the sake of each other, with an eye toward mutual benefit based on true value and never for harm.”
Here is a YouTube video speech given by Carl Sagan to view life from a perspective outside of yourself, thus, growing in the practice of Sympatheia.
3) Amor Fati
—The idea and practice of loving your fate.
—Things often don’t happen as we’d like them to happen, but we can learn to appreciate all that happens to us by practicing Amor Fati.
Here is a link to an ancient proverb, telling us a story that shows us how when we think something “bad” has happened, it can be good in disguise, and when we think something “good” has happened, it can be bad in disguise. It’s one of my favorite stories and has broadened my way of thinking.
Nietzsche is quoted saying, “my formula for greatness in a human being is Amor Fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it, but love it.”
Epictetus, born a slave, said: “Demand not that things happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do, and you will go on well.”
4) Memento Mori
—Remember you will die.
—This idea scares some people, but it inspires Stoics.
“If everything is ephemeral, what does matter? Right now matters. Being a good person and doing the right thing right now, that’s what matters and that’s what was important to the Stoics. Be humble and honest and aware.”
Ryan Holiday
We all know we are going to die one day, but it is a subject rarely talked about. We’d rather ignore the fact of death instead of embrace it, so it ends up scaring the hell out of us. Let’s start discussing the topic of death. Let’s let it inspire us to live life wholly, focusing on what’s important, keeping in mind we won’t live forever, and that’s okay.
Here are some inspiring Memento Mori related quotes:
“Every third thought shall be my grave.”
William Shakespeare
“People who are excited by posthumous fame forget that the people who remember them will soon die too. And those after them in turn. Until their memory, passes from one to another like a candle flame, gutters and goes out.”
Marcus Aurelius
“So this is how a thoughtful person should await death: not with indifference, not with impatience, not with disdain, but simply viewing it as one of the things that happens to us. Now you anticipate the child’s emergence from its mother’s womb; that’s how you should await the hour when your soul will emerge from its compartment.”
Marcus Aurelius
“Stop whatever you’re doing for a moment and ask yourself: Am I afraid of death because I won’t be able to do this anymore?”
Marcus Aurelius
“To practice death is to practice freedom. A man who has learned how to die has unlearned how to be a slave.”
Michel de Montaigne
“Of all the footprints, that of the elephant is supreme. Similarly, of all mindfulness meditation, that on death is supreme.”
Buddha
These are just a few Stoic principles you can begin practicing today. I recommend checking out dailystoic.com for more articles on Stoicism, reminders to:
Act virtuously.
Trust the unknown.
Love your fate.
Remember death.
“If” Inspirational Poem by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
5 20th Century Books That Can Transform Your Mind
1–T.N.T. IT ROCKS THE EARTH by Claude Bristol
“Compare yourself to the gears of your automobile. In reverse place all fears, worries, troubles, aches, and pains. And when things goes wrong simply put on the brakes. Idle your engine until you can clearly see the road ahead.”
2–As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
“All that a man achieves, and all that he fails to achieve, is the direct result of his own thoughts.”
3–Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
“Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.”
4–The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”
5–The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
“Look at things not as they are, but as they can be. Visualization adds value to everything. A big thinker always visualizes what can be done in the future. He isn’t stuck with the present.”
Change Your Life By Changing Your Thoughts
You have the power to change your life by changing your thinking.
Is it easy?
No, here’s Goethe:
“Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.”
It may be one of the most difficult things to do, but it can be done.
Da Vinci, Einstein, Buddha, Jesus, Shakespeare, Bruce Lee, and countless others have spoken on this truth.
You have the power, but it requires responsibility:
“You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think. The truth is that you are responsible for what you think, because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think.”
― Marianne Williamson
You may have heard “with great power comes great responsibility” but looking at the state of the world we can all see this isn’t true.
What’s true is that great responsibility leads to great power, which begins with taking responsibility for your thoughts. Da Vinci defined this truth as “Science”.
Your world won’t change until you change your thinking.
How?
Begin by thinking about your ideal life.
What does it look like?
What’s your financial situation?
How are your relationships?
What’s your living situation like?
How is your health?
Visualizing your ideal life plants seeds into your subconscious mind, which when repeated begins to manifest in the physical world.
When a thought arises that doesn’t have to do with your ideal life, change it. This is humankind’s superpower, “giving birth to evolution” Einstein said.
Disciplining your thoughts is a practice. The more you work on it, the stronger your mind becomes, the more in control of your life you become.
The path of your best life awaits you, what are you waiting for?
Get to it.
29 Power of Your Subconscious Mind Quotes from Joseph Murphy
1— “Identify yourself with your aim in life, and do not permit any person, place, or thing to deflect you from your inner sense of peace, tranquility, and radiant health.”
2— “Do not let others do your thinking for you. Choose your own thoughts and make your own decisions.”
3—“Your mental attitude, i.e., the way you think, feel, and believe determines your destiny.”
4— “Every cell, nerve, tissue, and muscle of my lungs are now being made whole, pure, and perfect. My whole body is being restored to health and harmony.”
5— “The suggestions of others in themselves have absolutely no power whatever over you except the power that you give them through your own thoughts. You have to give your mental consent; you have to entertain the thought. Then, it becomes your thought, and you do the thinking. Remember, you have the capacity to choose. Choose life! Choose love! Choose health!”
6— “Once you understand that you do not have to accept them, choices open up for you.”
7—“Choose to believe that something good can happen and is happening now. Your greatest power is your capacity to choose. Choose happiness and abundance.”
8—“Busy your mind with the concepts of harmony, health, peace, and good will, and wonders will happen in your life.”
9—“Never finish a negative statement; reverse it immediately, and wonders will happen in your life.”
10—“The way to get rid of darkness is with light; the way to overcome cold is with heat; the way to overcome the negative thought is to substitute the good thought. Affirm the good, and the bad will vanish.”
11—“As you sow in your subconscious mind, so shall you reap in your body and environment.”
He brings up Bible verses:
12—“Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. MARK 11:23.”
13—“Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. MATT. 21:22”
14—“You must choose happiness. Happiness is a habit. It is a good habit to ponder often on Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report..”
15— “All of us have our own inner fears, beliefs, opinions. These inner assumptions rule and govern our lives. A suggestion has no power in and of itself. Its power arises from the fact that you accept it mentally.”
16— “Every thought is a cause, and every condition is an effect.”
17— “You grow old when you lose interest in life, when you cease to dream, to hunger after new truths, and to search for new worlds to conquer. When your mind is open to new ideas, new interests, and when you raise the curtain and let in the sunshine and inspiration of new truths of life and the universe, you will be young and vital.”
18— “The American philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, said, ‘Man is what he thinks all day long.’”
19— “As a man thinks, feels, and believes, so is the condition of his mind, body, and circumstances.”
20— “The process of all healing is a definite, positive, mental attitude, an inner attitude, or a way of thinking, called faith. Healing is due to a confident expectancy, which acts as a powerful suggestion to the subconscious mind releasing its healing potency.”
21—“Though invisible, its forces are mighty. Within your subconscious mind you will find the solution for every problem, and the cause.”
22—“Remember, you are spiritually recharged during sleep, and adequate sleep is essential to produce joy and vitality in life.”
23—“Know that in your deeper mind are Infinite Intelligence and Infinite Power.”
24—“Your mental attitude, i.e., the way you think, feel, and believe determines your destiny.”
25— “Over ninety percent of your mental life is subconscious. If you fail to make use of this marvelous power, you condemn yourself to live within very narrow limits.”
26—“Look at your fears; hold them up to the light of reason. Learn to laugh at your fears. That is the best medicine. Nothing can disturb you but your own thought.”
27— “If you have indulged in fear, worry, and other destructive forms of thinking, the remedy is to recognize the omnipotence of your subconscious mind and decree freedom, happiness, and perfect health. Your subconscious mind, being creative and one with your divine source, will proceed to create the freedom and happiness, which you have earnestly decreed.”
28— “Remember, it is the world within, namely, your thoughts, feelings, and imagery that makes your world without.”
29—“Just keep your conscious mind busy with expectation of the best.”
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Use Imagination to Create Your Life
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”
— Einstein
Einstein said imagination is the preview of life’s coming attractions, and imagination comes from within.
Our minds generate imagination, but are we doing the generating?
We are.
Our thoughts are shaping our future.
“Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.”
— Buddha
So how do you begin training your thoughts?
Begin by thinking about the life you want.
Check out this 3-Step Process to learn more!
Sending Thoughts&Love Your Way.
Intro to A Panda’s Journey
The word “panda” originates from the Sanskrit word paṇḍita meaning ‘learned, wise’.
A Panda’s Journey incorporates Spirit & Mind with Quantum Physics to reveal the power within you.
The power within us all.
The power of realizing you are in control of your destiny.
With Ken Thompson 