Don't Sell Yourself Too Cheaply

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Am I getting value out of what I’m doing. I like to think I’m getting the best. I had a moment today where I got that sense I had a lot going on. I’d rather have more going on than not enough. The problem is that I feel like I’m exhausted before I really am. I think everything I’m doing is of value it just is a sense of being warn out before actually being warn out. I took off this week from work to recharge. I had planned to play video games the entire time to recharge. That hasn’t happened. I’m working on a presentation for next week. I’m giving a presentation Thursday. As of last week I have to run downtown for something. Not ideal. Then again playing video games for the entire day isn’t exactly using my time wisely.

Spendthrifts of Time

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Time is our most valuable asset. Property, status, and money can all be lost and reattained. Time is not something I have a lot of. This is why I’ve stopped worrying about what’s on the news or social media. It started feeling like a waste of time. At points I would just mindlessly scroll. The stuff I did find didn’t provide me a lot of value. At one point it got so bad that I started getting headaches. As I begun cutting out social media and other forms of time wasters my headaches went away.

I still do video games and watch TV shows and pursue other things. Those all provide me some sort of value that social media never did. I have put more time into other pursuits that maximize value like spending time with the family and reading so that I can relax and improve.

Don't Hide From Your Feelings

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

This is something I’ve learned studying stoicism. It’s the point of meditation. To self-reflect and address emotions instead of distracting myself or running away from them. It’s a bit of a balance because dealing with emotions can feel like trying to change them. Frustration on the golf course is dangerous. It can lead from one bad shot to the next. Which is why I try to move on from what already happened. That might seem like I’m running away. We can control how we feel. We can accept the frustration, take a deep breath, and move on.

The Cards We're Dealt

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

This month seems to be a bit of a downer for the stoic book. Each passage is about death. How if we knew it was coming we’d change. I feel like I think about it a lot. For myself. For people around me. I wonder how I would react or how people would do without me. I’ve tried to live a life where my family can move on without me. They may even be in a better place from a financial standpoint.

Succession planning is another one of those things. Who takes over if this person leaves. Often people use, “getting hit by a bus.” That knowledge for the role and responsibilities is instantly gone. How do we account for that. The information security field also has the anticipation mindset of what happens if something goes horribly long. Maybe that’s why I’m comfortable with what happens and knowing that I or others will move on.

The Sword Dangles Over You

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

There’s a clear them this month. I am mortal. At some point I will reach the end. I’ve never struggled with this nor do I desire to live forever. Movies like Saving Private Ryan and Braveheart came out in my teams. Both deal with war and death. Some will make it through these events. Other will not. I’ve accepted that I’m probably not one of those guys on Omaha beach who make it only to sand. This helps me stay grounded in life. I don’t have grand plans to become famous or aspire to great things. I’m happy with where I am and what I can do to pass on a small legacy.