FINDING THE RIGHT MENTORS

“We like to say that we don’t get to choose our parents, that they were given by chance—yet wecan truly choose whose children we’d like to be.”

—SENECA, ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE, 15.3a

We are fortunate enough that some of the greatest men and women in history have recorded theirwisdom (and folly) in books and journals. Many others have had their lives chronicled by a carefulbiographer—from Plutarch to Boswell to Robert Caro. The literature available at your average libraryamounts to millions of pages and thousands of years of knowledge, insight, and experience.

Maybe your parents were poor role models, or you lacked a great mentor. Yet if we choose to, we caneasily access the wisdom of those who came before us—those whom we aspire to be like.


We not only owe it to ourselves to seek out this hard-won knowledge, we owe it to the people whotook the time to record their experiences to try to carry on the traditions and follow their examples—to bethe promising children of these noble parents.

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Every Recorded Battle Since 2500 BC

Europe has been through alot

BRICK BY BORING BRICK

“You must build up your life action by action, and be content if each one achieves its goal as faras possible—and no one can keep you from this. But there will be some external obstacle!Perhaps, but no obstacle to acting with justice, self-control, and wisdom. But what if some otherarea of my action is thwarted? Well, gladly accept the obstacle for what it is and shift youratention to what is given, and another action will imediately take its place, one that beter fitsthe life you are building.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.32

Elite athletes in collegiate and professional sports increasingly follow a philosophy known as “TheProcess.” It’s a philosophy created by University of Alabama coach Nick Saban, who taught hisplayers to ignore the big picture—important games, wining championships, the opponent’s enormouslead—and focus instead on doing the absolutely smallest things well—practicing with full efort, finishinga specific play, converting on a single possession. A season lasts months, a game lasts hours, catching upmight be four touchdowns away, but a single play is only a few seconds. And games and seasons areconstituted by seconds.


If teams follow The Process, they tend to win. They overcome obstacles and eventually make theirway to the top without ever having focused on the obstacles directly. If you follow The Process in yourlife—assembling the right actions in the right order, one right after another—you too will do well. Notonly that, you will be beter equipped to make quick work of the obstacles along that path. You’ll be toobusy puting one foot in front of the next to even notice the obstacles were there.

It’s one of five carbonized loaves recently found at the Topraktepe archaeological site, once the ancient city of Eirenopolis.

I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success – Nikola Tesla

SOLVE PROBLEMS EARLY

“There is no vice which lacks a defense, none that at the outset isn’t modest and easily intervened—but after this the trouble spreads widely. If you allow it to get started you won’t be able tocontrol when it stops. Every emotion is at first weak. Later it rouses itself and gathers strength as it moves along—it’s easier to slow it down than to supplant it.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 106.2b–3a

Rivers,” Publilius Syrus reminds us with an epigram, “are easiest to cross at their source.” That’swhat Seneca means too. The raging waters and deadly currents of bad habits, ill discipline,chaos, and dysfunction—somewhere they began as no more than just a slight trickle. Somewhere they area placid lake or pond, even a bubbling underground spring.

Which would you rather do—nearly drown in a dangerous crossing in a few weeks or cross now while it’s still easy? It’s up to you.

Woww
Slow down

Someone said I don't need repentance to go to Bahir Dar. More than the claim of the people who made this nonsense I'm pissed at the people who can't differentiate Garden of Eden and Paradise just because the Amharic name is close doesn't mean they are the same bruv.

Why ur company is so small

YOU CAN DO IT

“If you find something very dificult to achieve yourself, don’t imagine it impossible—foranything possible and proper for another person can be achieved as easily by you.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.19

There are two kinds of people in this world. The first looks at others who have accomplished thingsand thinks: Why them? Why not me? The other looks at those same people and thinks: If they can doit, why can’t I?One is zero-sum and jealous (if you win, I lose). The other is non-zero-sum (there’s plenty to goaround) and sees the success of others as an inspiration.

Which atitude will propel you onward and upward? Which will drive you to biterness and despair?Who will you be?

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Be very careful who you let onto your ship.

Many men will try to sink it if they can’t be the captain.

Tate

JUST DON’T MAKE THINGS WORSE“

How much more harmful are the consequences of anger and grief than the circumstances thataroused them in us!”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.18.8

The first rule of holes, goes the adage, is that “if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” This might be the most violated piece of common sense wisdom in the world. Because what most of us do when something happens, goes wrong, or is inflicted on us is make it worse—first, by getting angry or feeling aggrieved, and next, by flailing around before we have much in the way of a plan.

Today, give yourself the most simple and doable of tasks: just don’t make stuff worse. Whatever happens, don’t add angry or negative emotions to the equation. Don’t react for the sake of reacting. Leave it as it is. Stop digging. Then plan your way out.

Shabbat shalom

Happy Ethiopian Soldiers day y'all