Title links have disappeared again. Oy. Regardless, this is a tale of getting back on your feet and trying new things no matter what, as well as the importance of community.

While Momofuku Ando was in military prison camp the first time, a fellow prisoner, who Ando befriended, was released. Ando asked him to contact another friend – a lieutenant in the Japanese Army – who eventually arranged for Ando’s release. If it wasn’t for those two friends, Ando would have likely died in prison.

Labels: a full life, economics

As Izzy reminds us, we are not our feelings, and we can dominate our feelings.

Labels: a full life, psychology

Bart Kwan style. Number one piece of advice, don't care what other people think. Amen brother.

Labels: a full life, education

It begins:

Nearly every problem you face is temporary.

But these temporary problems cause immediate pain. And we often let this pain drive our choices and actions.

So true.

Labels: a full life

I made it to the bottom of the ski hill shaken and wanting to go home. On the previous run I had fallen and it had shaken my confidence. I was afraid of getting injured. My thoughts had a field day as they worked overtime to develop highly specific versions of ridiculous skiing accidents that would injure me indefinitely. I remembered watching the P&G olympics commercial that featured little kids, unfazed by repeated failure, continuously getting up and trying again. Along with the gentle encouragement of their parents, they were inspired by their belief that eventually (no matter how many times they fell) they would succeed. When I watched this commercial with my boyfriend, I started to cry. “I’ve never even given myself the opportunity to fall.”

Take a chance.

Labels: a full life

Don't try to be perfect, just try to do it again and again, getting a little better each time.

It’s not just art studios where repetitions matter. Whenever you put in consistent work and learn from your mistakes, incredible progress is the result.

This is why I force myself to write a new article every Monday and Thursday. I can’t predict which articles will be useful, but I know that if I write two per week, then sometimes I’ll hit the bullseye.

Labels: a full life, work

70s Big gets into what it's all about.

Whether you realize it or not, your training and lifting means something. Are you experiencing an eternal struggle of personal growth and introspection? How will you respond in a moment in which all of the odds favor failure? Can you summon the courage and intensity to finish that pull or to stick the jerk? Or is your training a reminder that success comes with not only a price, but a slow, grinding process that leaves your sweat and blood behind you as you step towards your goal. Or is the end product what matters; that you stand at the top of the mountain and revile in the days, the hours, the minutes that it took for you to squat 405, or 500, or 600 and so on. Or is it a tool that improves your self confidence, letting you be more bold at work or with the opposite sex? Or is it something that effects your gender role and exhibits masculinity or a powerful woman?

Also includes some discussion of Camille Paglia, which is always excellent.

Labels: a full life, feminism, strength training

If you want to summarize the habits of successful people into one phrase, it’s this: successful people start before they feel ready.

I think this is important not only in business, but also in marriage. Even if "you're not ready", the act of doing makes it the case. If I was better at philosophy and linguistics, I'd probably use a word like "performative" here, but I don't think that's a word.

Labels: a full life

We cannot bring someone down unless we are first on the ground ourselves. We cannot lift someone up if we are not already up in spirits. Likewise, we speak badly of others when we feel badly of ourselves. And we speak kindly of others when we value ourselves.

A beautiful article. Our love must be self-giving, but we must have a self to give, which distinguishes it from codependency, a distinction I often struggle with.

Labels: a full life, love

So it's been a little over ten years since I started blogging on this silly blog. I've linked to hundreds of good articles, made thousands of bad arguments, lost track of my cobloggers (when's the last time Walder posted something anyway?), and in general had a pretty good time talking to no one in particular. I've also split off my technological interests into a sister blog, and will soon do the same with my new strength training interests.

This is also my 5000th post, inclusive of cobloggers. Sweet. I used to post more than once a day, so I guess post frequency is way down, and realistically I won't do much about that. I'm not so angry anymore. Most days I'm even happy for at least a quarter of the time. Amazing stuff. Let me leave you with this YouTube video about living a full life, as found on FYHL.  Also, probably the first video I've embedded on the blog.  Somehow appropriate for this post of milestones.

Labels: a full life, metablogging, personal

It's good for you physically, mentally, and spiritually! I particularly like walking through a problem with someone, instead of sitting face to face.

Labels: a full life, psychology

I will use a phrase from a strength training website - in both cases it's helpful to be a douche. For specific values of douche, of course.

Then one day he seemed to be ready to be serious about this. So I invited him to train with me. Notice: HE trained with ME - I didn't train with him. We trained on the days I choose, at the time I decided, and following MY program. And if he was 5 mins late I started without him. This is what I call being a douche.

As a result, I don't need to "convince" him that my way of training is better than that bodybuilding crap he used to do - he has seen it with his own eyes. And since he's now finally benching more weight than his friend doing bodybuilding routines, he's now hooked to this style of training.

So what does that have to do with religion? I guess, you really can't convince people that what you're doing is right or better or anything like that. You just have to do your thing, offer your assistance if they ask for it, and not really pay attention to anyone else. And if someone calls you a jerk, well, maybe you are being a jerk, so stop and reflect for a while. But maybe you're just marching to the beat of your own drum, in which case, march on.

Labels: a full life, religion

Inspiring! If I accomplished one of the eleven things that TR did, I think I would be happy.

In addition to all of these tangible accomplishments, Roosevelt infused vitality into every aspect of his life. He practically bounded from room to room, giving hearty handshakes, slapping backs, and grinning ear to ear. Even as he got involved in politics, he exercised regularly and took up boxing, tennis, hiking, rowing, polo, and horseback riding.

I'm working on my grin.

Labels: a full life, work

A fine essay, and a fine conclusion.

Regardless of why we have such a culture of advice-seeking, we should be conscious of its effects on us. When we are told that someone else has answers, we are de-incentivized from seeking out our own answers. Yet someone else does not always have answers, or at least the appropriate answers to questions that are unique to each of us. When we fall into the habit of relying on others, we become incapable of coming to our own conclusions.

This dude has read Montaigne, for sure.

Labels: a full life, quotes