Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Do not seek outside yourself.” That’s the opening line of “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson. In the work itself it’s in Latin and in quotes; I don’t know why, and it’s not important right now. I finally…
Voting For Yourself (like you live in Chicago)
For a few months now, I’ve been using an app called “Randomly RemindMe.” I’ve set it up so that, up to 20 times a day, my phone will pop a message up containing a short,…
Obligatory New Year’s Day Post
Blah blah blah full of promise. Blah blah blah anything is possible. Blah blah blah you can do it! … No. Being jaded isn’t any more helpful than being unrealistic. It’s just as much of…
You *Can’t* Do Whatever You Set Your Mind To
This message is sponsored by Reality. You can’t do whatever you set your mind to. You don’t have “infinite potential”. You aren’t going to be successful at whatever you try. Can’t, Don’t, and Aren’t (Oh My!)…
Grow or Deteriorate
“When you are uncertain whether you should do something or not, just think whether doing it you will grow or deteriorate, and act accordingly.” — Theron Q. Dumont OK, so I know I’ve been on a…
Calluses of the Mind
Something else I’ve picked up from David Goggins, and another reason that we should follow the path of most resistance, is to build up “callus our mind”. Our bodies are amazing things, fragile as hell…
Bring It On!
That’s a Facebook post I made about a year and a half ago. Sometimes I’m wrong. It’s not that I’m going to join Goop or start trying every snake oil product that Dr. Oz shills…
Who The Fuck Are You?
“No, really, Lyman. Who the fuck are you to be writing this shit?” “What qualifies you to write about Stoicism, ACT, Mental Health, or any of the other bullshit that you spout.” I’m drawn to…
The Path of Most Resistance
I’m currently reading “Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds” by David Goggins. I’d seen the book floating around out there, but it didn’t interest me much. I thought it was just…
Six. Teen. Years.
So I’m reading Brian Johnson’s Philosopher’s Note on Pete Carroll this morning. I haven’t finished it yet. I was so struck by one of the early ideas in it that I had to jump on…