Skip to main content

Keep the promises you make to yourself

We make promises to others we wouldn't think of breaking: our spouses, friends, our business partners our coworkers. Yet, we have no problems breaking the promises we make to ourselves. "I won't waste time on useless sites", "I'll stop procrastinating", "I'll do better", "I won't lose my temper", "I won't drink anymore", the list goes on and on. We let ourselves break those promises, even the same ones over and over. How much longer will we let this go on? We wouldn't tolerate this behavior from others, yet we do it to ourselves.  "Self-esteem is just the reputation that you have with yourself. You'll always know." - Naval Ravikant. No one else may not know but you always will. How many more promises are you going to keep breaking to yourself? Is this how you would treat your family and friends? Maybe this is the reason why you have doubts. You've encountered your own example of the many t...

Why People Are Negative

            It is easier to be negative because it is a lower level of energy. It takes more energy to be positive. It’s easier to find the bad things, the wrong things, the things that don’t work. It takes a lot more energy to create, build, praise and uphold than to critique what is already created. We’ve all been battered through life with bad things and it’s much easier to wallow in it than to pick yourself up. In order to pick yourself up, you have to realize that it’s on you, your effort, your energy. It’s easier to blame others, talk about others because it doesn’t force us to look in the mirror and realize the bad things might be our fault.
This isn’t to justify people being negative, it’s just an explanation. People naturally tend to take the path of least resistance. Least resistance is how our species evolved.
              Our biology has developed to conserve energy because we didn’t know when our next meal would be available. Evolution built into our DNA to conserve energy because it usually took a great deal of energy to get that next meal. If homo erectus on the plains was a manic that kept busy every waking minute doing his chores, he would have no energy left when it came time for the big hunt. It’s a survival mechanism.

              People who are positive take the energy and effort to be positive. When things are going badly, they do the work to make it better. For things to get better, you must get better. It’s easier to complain and blame others. It takes courage to look into yourself and take responsibility.  It takes effort to find the good in the middle of the bad. Those are the people to be admired and emulated. Negativity and negative people will always be around. Expend the extra energy and effort to find the positive and evolve from our ancestors.   
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Your Last Time

Seneca wrote a beautiful piece on the shortness of life. We all have our routines, our ways, responsibilities and tasks we must attend to. We have to get them done, we have to meet our obligations. We may even have good habits that took work to establish. When we do them without being thoughtful, we get into the routine and automated process of doing. We don't take the deliberate and purposeful way. What we need to make sure is that we never forget how short this life is.  When doing our tasks, routines and habits, remember that we may be doing them today for the last time. The people we encounter, from strangers to family, may be the last time we encounter them. This puts deep meaning in our lives. This puts all of our actions into perspective. Yes, we have to keep doing them. Yes we have to keep meeting our obligations and expectations. But the attitude we bring to them is completely different when we think that this may be it. This may be the last time. How much more meaningful,...
Read more

Funerals

I would rather that people visit and see me while I'm alive rather than they come to my funeral. I realize that the funeral is for the other people too but you wouldn't go unless that person passed away. Wouldn't it better to see them while they are still alive? To speak to them, to listen to them and to tell them everything you ever wanted to say while they are still alive - isn't that better than "visiting" them at their funeral? Of course you want to comfort the people that remain behind but is that the best time to visit the person who is no longer alive? Make the most of that person while you still have the chance. You'll only find regret for the person who died at the funeral. They would have much rather you had visited them while they were still alive. 
Read more

Possession

 You're scared of losing something you never had. It was never yours to begin with. Your possession was the illusion. We are only given. We attached and covet and ownership like it's a right. We only exist. When try to hold and take what is not ours, that is what causes the pain. Let it go and just be. That is all we can really do. 
Read more