The Philosopher's Journal

Wisdom for the journey. Think well, live better.

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“Be honest with yourself.”
— David Goggins

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A life without boundaries is a life governed by others.

Guard your core values fiercely. Set hard boundaries around them and let anyone who cannot respect them self select another path.

Live more authentically and more peacefully.

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You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.

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“We generate fears when we sit. We overcome them by action.” —Dr. Henry Link

Stop ruminating, dreaming up doom scenarios, or fretting about a dark and uncertain future.

Get up. Learn. Think. Try. Do. Build. Create. Ship. Contribute.

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@davidwwilson @PaulMcneilJr 🎯

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How much time and life force is wasted curating false images of ourselves?The perfect life on social media? The stories we tell?

What shifts when we notice where we’re exhausting energy protecting an image of ourselves instead of inhabiting the person we already are?

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"Freedom is not procured by fullest enjoyment, but by controlling desire." — Epictetus.

We chase endless pleasures. Freedom arrives when we know which desires deserve our energy. The goal isn't in getting every desire, it's in wanting what matters.

Think well > live better.

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"The value is never a premium on the past. It's always a discount to the future." — Peter Thiel

Past accomplishments are great.

Now, what are you doing or building today that will truly help others and yourself in future?

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Audentes fortuna iuvat.

And yet, the unexamined life is not worth living.

Seek the golden mean.

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Maintain total indifference toward the opinions of others. To seek approval from fools is to hand the keys of your sanctuary to a madman.

Observe the chaos and frantic, self-centered striving of idiotic egomaniacs with a cold, objective eye, while never stepping into their play.

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The knowing-doing gap confounds us. The Greeks’ called it akrasia. Paul lamented to the Romans, “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”

Use pre-commitment and if/then intentions. Pause at the moment of impulse.

Think well > live better

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“Anger and the sorrow it produces are far more harmful than the things which make us angry.”

— Marcus Aurelius

Such a seductive and slippery slope. Move on.

Think well > live better

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Secret to Happiness

Per Charlie Munger:
1) Less envy
2) Less resentment
3) Live below means
4) Stay cheerful in trials
5) Deal w/ reliable people
6) Do your job

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"The unexamined life is not worth living"

Here's what's often missed: Socrates does not want you navel-gazing.

Instead, you must identify what you actually believe (and why) vs inherited assumptions.

Question everything, then commit fully.

Think well > live better

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“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
— Marcus Aurelius

Stop caring what others think. You only empower them and weaken yourself.

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Aesop tells of a farmer who finds a nearly frozen snake. He nurses it to back to health. Once revived, the viper bites the farmer. As he lays dying the farmer asks “Why did you bite me?” The snake replies, “You knew I was a viper when you picked me up.”

Many such cases.

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“Your time is limited. Don't waste it living someone else's life and don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” —Steve Jobs

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"Ego stops greatness. I call it edging greatness out (EGO)." — Rick Pitino

"Ego really gets you to where you think you've arrived. You think you know it all. You stop learning. You stop listening."

Never stop humbly listening and learning and growing.

Think well > live better

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Are we parroting back the tropes from our tribes and communities? Or, are we forming our opinions based on new and objective data?

Think well > live better

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We treat optimization, clarity, and certainty as virtues. But they’re often traps? Growth doesn't live in the familiar. It lives in the friction of uncertainty we resist. As the AI tsunami arrives, make extra room for disruption, change, and innovation.

Think well > live better