I don’t like being “mentally strong” but here’s a list, anyway

I’m not a big fan of the words “mentally strong.”
Mental strength or toughness can seem like brutishness, and pushing, and force, a lack of sensitivity, and other such things … or at least that’s what I tried to be when I thought of it. 
Instead, I’ve come to realise – to steal from the Chinese philosophers – you want to be like water.

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“I Should” versus committing to what you really want

Question:
“You said 100% commitment brings you things quickly and easily, right? I’m now thinking ‘I should give up sugar 100%’ but I don’t really want to live without it and am a big believer in moderation. Have I got hold of the complete wrong end of the stick? But where does doing things in moderation come in with doing everything 100%?”
And so I answered …

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Commitment and getting what you want in life without drama

98% committed to something seems pretty good. Right? Mostly committed is better than not, we think.
The fact is, you can’t be 98% committed. You can’t even be 99.999% committed. It’s like saying you’re 99.999% married, or 99.999% pregnant. You either are, or you aren’t.
Commitment works at 100%. Then everything is simple. It’s either a yes/no decision based on that.

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What you can learn from people at the end of their lives

Death can be inspiring. You see, people at the end of their lives often – not always, but indeed often – have a lot of insight into how they would live if they had their time again.

They have a clarity and perspective about what is truly important and what is merely urgent that many of us don’t have when we’re slap bang in the middle of the managed chaos of our to-do lists.

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The “P’s” and why patience is one of the most crucial skills you can acquire

Patience. Boring?

Perhaps … with the wrong attitude it is. But I’d say it’s more than just a virtue in life. It’s a necessity.

Why? Because things rarely unfold the way you want them to, do they? Because to become something, anything, it always takes time. Hence – unless you love being stressed and overwhelmed – the importance of patience.

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