1. “To see the right and not to do is cowardice” – Confucius
On Courage:
This one is pretty self explanatory. I think it serves as a good reminder to hold ourselves accountable in our days when we are presented with an opportunity to do what is right.
Especially when we have nothing personally at stake, we easily rationalize that we don’t need to intervene. For example, seeing someone on the side of the road with a flat tire. Aside from maybe a guilty conscience, you’re not likely to experience any direct repercussions from continuing to drive past them and not lend a helping hand.
It’s easy to convince ourselves that someone else will likely stop to help (bystander effect), or you worry you might not know how to help, or you worry you might make things worse; these thought patterns create some sort of friction in your head that make it easy to justify not stopping to assist.
You wouldn’t be having those thoughts if you didn’t inherently know that someone needed help though. We let our ego, our pride, our fears, or our personal convenience get in the way when we know the right thing to do.
Step up to the plate and be the assistance that other people need. You have no idea how far your actions can go. Have empathy and realize that if you were in their position (struggling as they are) that you would hope that someone would be there for you too.
Do what is right, or at least offer to do what you know is right. You can keep a clear conscience when you know you’ve done all you can, regardless of whether the right thing was difficult or inconvenient.
2. “The point is once you know what you want, you must be prepared to sacrifice everything to get it” – Oishi Yoshio
On Sacrifice:
This is another idea that is much easier said than done. Sacrifice is such a difficult thing, and you never realize what hold things have on you until you’re forced to let them go.
If you’ve established a vision for your life, or have decided on something you really want, you must realize it will come at some cost. It doesn’t always have to be a significant cost, but know it’s going to cost some possible combination of: time, money, leisure, comfort, pain, sleep, effort, stress, etc. Once you determine what it will cost to obtain the things you desire, you have to be willing to pay the price now.
You have to understand that you have to change things in your life if you want your life to change. It may be difficult to give up things you enjoy (certain foods, leisurely activities, comfort zone, etc), but if you make the CHOICE that the thing you’re pursuing is more important, then the proper price has to be paid. I struggle with this one because it’s easy to fall into comfort and old habits, but you have to get real with yourself and prioritize what’s truly important.
It may test your will power, determination, and discipline, but YOU DECIDE the path you wish to take. Your life is in your own hands, so realize you have to do what it takes to move yourself forward (it’s not always easy and it’s not always comfortable, but that’s something we just have to come to terms with).
3. “How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it” -Marcus Aurelius
On Controlling Your Emotions:
It may not seem like it in the moment, but it’s so much easier to maintain composure than it is to do damage control if you let yourself outburst. In general, we tend to have over-exaggerated responses in the midst of anger.
It’s not easy to put your negative emotions and pride aside sometimes, but you can’t let yourself act on a whim just because you feel a certain way. For example, when upset with a spouse/partner, the conversation and aftermath are much smoother if you let them know you’re frustrated and need some space to cool off, rather than jumping to telling them that you hate them; those comments linger FAR after the emotions of that moment pass.
You can’t take back actions or words, so make sure you don’t do/say something you don’t mean or that you’ll regret later. Learn to control your emotions and critically think before you act. Again, this is easier said than done, but this is part of being an emotionally intelligent adult.