Brain Food #686
When you need to change yourself
Thoughts of the day
No matter how hard we want some things to change, the only thing we are always in control of, and what we can indeed change, is our attitude towards them. This is one of the basic principles behind Stoic philosophy: distinguishing between what you cannot and can control, and focusing your energies on the latter.
This will also require, to an extent, an amount of internal change, whether that is a change in perspective, a change in attitudes, or a change in behaviours.
As Leo Tolstoy said, "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
And so, when faced with situations that may be unpleasant and beyond our control, we can start asking ourselves questions: What is it that I am truly wanting to change? What do I need to change? How much should I change? Much of life is about identifying when you need to, or can, change a situation, and when you need to change yourself.
Today is also the anniversary of the date on which the Blue Marble photo was taken, the first image of the Earth from space.
Sometimes, we need a bit of a distance to see things more clearly. More on this tomorrow.
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