Happy Sunday Friend!

Here is 1 quote I’m musing, 2 Ideas, 3 of my favorite things from the week, and 1 question. If you find it useful or interesting, please feel free to forward this along to some friends or others!

One Quote I’m Musing

“The first step: Don’t be anxious. Nature controls it all. And before long you’ll be no one, nowhere—like Hadrian, like Augustus.

The second step: Concentrate on what you have to do. Fix your eyes on it. Remind yourself that your task is to be a good human being; remind yourself what nature demands of people. Then do it, without hesitation, and speak the truth as you see it. But with kindness. With humility. Without hypocrisy.”

-Marcus Aurelius

I had a topic all planned (and penned) out for this week. Then logos had other plans; some impactful things happened that I have been involved in and my thoughts this week have swirled around the conversations I had.

Two friends’ immediate family members passed. A subordinate has one of their subordinates run into legal troubles that impacted our organization. And, today, another friend’s significant other is having a major surgery.

This is a lot for each of these people. It feels terrible to hear these things. It feels terrible to hear that we’re losing money in the stock markets, that we’ve put in 10, 15, or more years into an organization and we’re being let go, that we’re having to answer for the malignance of a subordinate or that our family won’t accept our lifestyle or the person we love.

We ask, “why is this happening to me?” or “Why is this person out to get me?” We may think someone’s actions imply they dislike us.

The thing is, once we change our perspective, we begin to realize that we aren’t the center of the universe’s grand play. Life isn’t happening to us, it’s happening, and it happens to involve us occasionally. It’s just happening. Like Zeno, fortune may want you to follow a path with less encumbrances.

Second quote for this week.

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own...”

-Epictetus

Another story, I lined up a couple mentorship sessions recently and both fell through. I started to wonder what I did wrong. But then I thought about the times where I had to reschedule a session with someone, when I missed an engagement. I hadn’t done it out of malice or a dislike of the person. I was just overcome by events. It happens.

That was all it took, and that weight was gone. Realizing that I’m just not that important in the grand scheme, nor were those sessions once in a lifetime deals.

Once we begin to identify what is in and out of our control, we can observe and accept. Which helps us along the way towards what Marcus Aurelius reminds us, which is to choose not to be hurt by something; then we cannot be hurt by it (unless it’s a projectile… then maybe just get out of the way?).

One last step we can take before I get off this soap box. We can also identify the good we can do in that moment. Control what we can control and realize that we have a task to be good human beings. Nature, fortune demands much of us, we should do it with kindness, humility, and without hypocrisy (more Marcus paraphrasing).

Two Ideas From Me

The impossible problem is likely more approachable from a different perspective. Zoom in, zoom out.
You will be hard-pressed to find your relationships healthier than your sense of self-worth.

Three Favorite Things From Others

“Slowing down enables you to act in a high quality way.
Kind rather than curt. Polished rather than sloppy.
It’s hard to be thoughtful when you’re in a rush.” - James Clear
“Instead of asking how many tasks you can tackle given your working hours, ask how many you can ditch given what you must do to excel.” - Morten T. Hansen | Great at Work
Mind Design Planner - It’s an analog task tracker with a walnut holder. I like having cards. The digital trackers have unlimited space for us to add an infinite amount of tasks that we’ll never get done. Using cards lets us pick our top three tasks for the day, then 3-5 “might do tasks”. Accomplishing these usually fills my day between the other tasks I have to react to that come up. It looks great on my desk, and it works great for me! | By Mind Design (on Amazon)

One Question

What am I holding on to that I need to let go of this year?

Shoot Me Your Feedback!

Which is your favorite? What else do you want to see or what should I eliminate? Any other suggestions? Just send a tweet to @erichaupt on Twitter and put #SundayMusings at the end so I can find it. Or, eric@erichaupt.com for long form email.

Have a wonderful week, Happy Christmas and Holidays!

I’ll see you Sunday.
-e