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The following was originally written on May 29, 2005. The great master and "philosophizer" Bruce Lee once said, "I am the cause of my own ignorance." This remains one of the best quotes I've ever heard, not only because Bruce Lee is the man, but because it is one of the truest qoutes I've ever heard. Each man has complete control over his own mind and body (given you don't have any detrimental psychological or physical illnesses). Then why doesn't every man or woman able have the physique or goals they wish? Because somewhere along the way they allowed themselves to be swayed by their own minds. They listened to the side of them that likes being in the comfort zone they've come to love, the side that requires no pressure because if you don't try to be great, there can be no failure. Well to me, a person trying something and actually working at it and failing, is ten times greater than the guy standing there watching, saying to himself, ...

Lately, the idea of becoming efficient in all aspects of life has dominated my thoughts. Performing each action with the path of least resistance, getting the most out of the least; those are the ideas that have me hooked. When conversing with a good friend about this topic, however, I came to the realization that I don't want to be "all about efficiency." I don't want it to dominate my thoughts on all aspects in life, and when a feeling doesn't match a thought, we have a problem, so I sought out to find out why. The thing is that as humans, we are purposeful creatures. Everything we do, enjoy, dislike, is for a reason, whether we know it or not, whether it be an active choice or something inherited. So even efficiency itself has a purpose. We use tools for a reason, we try to make more money for a reason, we try to make things easier for a reason. I think the reason is simple: We become efficient in some aspects of our lives so we can take on the big or seemingly...

The following was originally written on May 25, 2005. "Most do not fully see this truth that life is difficult. Instead they moan more or less incessantly, noisily or subtly, about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy. They voice their belief, noisily or subtly, that their difficulties represent a unique kind of affliction that should not be and that has somehow been especially visited upon them, or else upon their families, their tribe, their class, their nation, their race or even their species, and not upon others." -- Dr. M. Scott Peck I was sitting in class the other day, when our teacher started to give us information on scholarship oppurtunities. Now I usually don't listen to these but one particularly grabbed my attention. The contributors called for the students interested to write a paper or essay on the hardships they've faced. They wanted to pick students whom...

The following was originally written on July 22, 2005. Everyone makes mistakes. But only a chosen few are able to understand and grow from them. All the rest? ...It's not there fault. The weather was bad. They weren't feeling very well. Their too busy coming up with a justification or excuse for their faults. Why is this? Nobody wants to be uncomfortable, but this happens often in our lives. We have to make tough decisions. A mistake is only another step to your goal, albeit a higher and tougher step, but you move on, learn and grow. Only most people are willing to shift the blame onto something else. It wasn't there fault. But the problem is they're just denying themselves a greater learning experience. Something which can help them to become a greater person. So you made a mistake. Big deal. Only fools dwell on the mistakes of others. Introspect on your own life and tell me if you've been the person to shift the blame on others or the hero who realizes his ow...

The following was originally written on June 13, 2005. I look around all the time and see people that have stopped growing. And when I use the word "growing," I don't mean physically. They reached a point to where they no longer need to learn anything, see anything, or do anything different than what they're used to. In short, they've become content. They've fallen into a comfort zone that provides everything they need. I have fallen into this zone before and it was the worst time of my life. Everyday was the same. There were no challenges, no obstacles that I had to face. I almost just seemed to float through the day as if it were a dream. I had an emptiness inside that wouldn't and couldn't be satisfied. That's when I decided it. I would refuse to be content with myself, my abilities, and my character. I look around and see zombies. People that would go to their grave the same person they were today. But I won't have that. I intend to g...

"The centipede was happy quite, until the toad in fun Said "Pray tell which leg goes after which ?" And worked her mind to such a pitch She lay distracted in the ditch Considering how to run." Next time your walking down the sidewalk, think deeply about the motion of your walk. You'll quickly find yourself carrying out this small task with the utmost of awkwardness. You won't be able to remember how you normally walk. This isn't exclusive to walking either. Many activities fail to go our way when we think too deeply and try to override our reflex, our natural flow. Many times the greatest sports stars play best when they are in "the zone." Their actions are thoughtless, they act with extreme efficiency without any hesitation. In many cases, an artist's best work will come about when they just put their pencil to the paper and start drawing. Even writer's block occurs when they are desperately searching for an idea, trying to fo...