The Blog
Insight and Inspiration for Living Your Legacy
It’s in looking back and reflecting that a life journey is sorted and makes sense. Marcus Aurelius knew this. Marcus Aurelius was the last of what is known as the Roman Empire's Good Emperors. Meditations is a printed collection of what remains from Marcus' private journals.
What Is Creativity?
Cr...
"The thing ordained for you – teach yourself to be at one with those. And the people who share them with you – treat them with love. With real love." – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Fate
Fate is who you are and where you're at now. You can't change what brought you to this moment.
But if you a...
You are, of course, sufficient just as you are. At the same time, you recognize that you have undeveloped potential and unfulfilled promise. What's keeping you from stepping into possibility and a better you?
If you had to choose one primary obstacle from the list below, what would it be?
- My sit ...
What does it take to make a difference?
It helps if you’ve considered the Ancient Greek aphorism, “Know thyself."
You also need to see things as they are. What’s within your control? What’s not?
Most things are not within your control, but some are within your ability to influence. There are alwa...
"What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him." - Viktor Frankl
Work worth doing is fraught. There will be delays, obstacles, misfortune, and failure.Â
No amount of learning, preparation, or practice can prepare you for h...
When someone is celebrating an achievement or sharing a moment of joy, the signals sent are clear and easy to read.
When someone is anxious, angry, fearful, or suffering, the signals they send can be conflated, confusing, and conflicted.
When confronted or engaging with someone who's in anguish, i...
"Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.56
When your time on earth is done, who will remember you? How will you be remembered? What will you be remembered for?Â
Too often we treat legacy like a social m...
"We carry our fate with us - and it carries us." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 3.4
Some people have a really hard time with the idea of fate. What's so upsetting about the idea that everything is happening as it was intended?
I think many don't like the idea that Providence* is in charge because ...
"One’s ultimate aim is to do all in one’s power to shoot straight, and the same applies with our ultimate goal." - Cicero
What is the goal of the archer who steps onto the field, notches her arrow, draws it back, and takes aim at the target?
Most assume that the goal of the archer is to hit th...
I was initially introduced to the concept of sonder by Seth Godin.
Sonder is defined as that moment when you realize that everyone around you has an internal life as rich and as conflicted as yours.
Sonder brings to mind the Stoic practice of not judging others too harshly when they speak igno...
I think stoicism is stupid.
To be clear, what I mean is ordinary English usage, lowercase "s" stoicism, is a pretty poor strategy for cultivating happiness while creating a life worth living.
Meaningful living and work, without question, involves challenges, misfortunes, and invitations for shame ...
Many ancient philosophical and religious traditions speak to the importance of virtue. The ancient Cynics said it was all that was required to live "the good life." The Stoics said it was "sufficient." As a kid, I learned the Catechism of the Catholic Church which instructed that a firm disposition ...
