Inner Excellence

Overall

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Notes

Part 1: everyone needs inner strength

The mindset that produces revolutionary change

A person’s true worth is measured by what they pursue. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

– Marcus Aurelius

The deepest root of fear is self-centredness: self-centred thinking leads to excessive self-consciousness and over-analysis, and ends in self-negation. The greatest obstacles you meet in life are arrogance and self-negation, both products of self-centredness.

The reading that over-analysis is a major axis of self-centred thinking struck me.

Causing others pain or harm comes from a deficit of resources such as love, joy, and peace.

There is always something to learn from every situation and every person you meet in life.

The greatest challenge is governing your own ego.

A life of genuine freedom

Success must be something that merely follows.

– Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

The best moments always come from a clear mind and an unattached heart.

By the author’s account, an unattached heart means being free of attachment to what you cannot control.

According to Maslow’s research, these people [Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein] knew themselves well, formed deep connections with others, and combined a strong curiosity to solve problems with the capability to act on it.

Cling to what you cannot control and you are bound to suffer a constant sense of deficiency. You cannot escape the fear that however hard you try, you will not get what you want. Self-centred worry and self-consciousness about others scatter your energy and disperse your strength.

Part 3: the six steps to strengthening inner strength

Step 5: how to maintain equanimity

If you have just started something, the most important thing is not to chase perfection. Chase speed. Put it out into the world, even if it is a mess.

– Nolan Bushnell