“
Learning from the success and failure of others is the fastest way to get smarter and wiser without a lot of pain.
”
”
Tren Griffin (Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor (Columbia Business School Publishing))
“
God, how he loved Søren. Loved him. Loved him like a father, like a brother, like a friend and a lover…and loved him like the enemy that forced him to be stronger, smarter, wiser, braver. Søren had become everything to him….
”
”
Tiffany Reisz (The Prince (The Original Sinners, #3))
“
You had hoped that smarter creatures would be wiser ones.
”
”
Peter Watts (Blindsight (Firefall, #1))
“
It's the presence of others who are smarter, kinder, wiser, and different from you that enables you to evolve. Those are the people to surround yourself with at all times.
”
”
Adam Braun (The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change)
“
Kazi of Brightmist...you are the love I didn't know I needed.
You are the hand pulling me through the wilderness,
The sun warming my face.
You make me stronger, smarter, wiser.
You are the compass that makes me a better man.
With you by my side, no challenge will be too great.
I vow to honor you, Kazi, and do all I can to be worthy of your love.
I will never stumble in my devotion to you, and I vow to keep you safe always.
My family is now your family, and your family, mine.
You have not stolen my heart, but I give it freely,
And in the presence of these witnesses, I take you to be my wife."
He squeezed my hand. His brown eyes danced, just as they had the first time he spoke those vows to me. It was my turn now. I took a deep breath. Were any words enough? But I said the ones closest to my heart, the ones I had said in the wilderness and repeated almost daily when I lay in a dark cell, uncertain where he was but needing to believe I would see him again.
"I love you, Jase Ballenger, and I will for all my days. You have brought me fullness where there was only hunger,
You have given me a universe of stars and stories,
Where there was emptiness.
You've unlocked a part of me I was afraid to believe in,
And made the magic of wish stalks come true.
I vow to care for you, to protect you and everything that is yours.
Your home is now my home, your family, my family.
I will stand by you as a partner in all things.
With you by my side, I will never lack for joy.
I know life is full of twists and turns, and sometimes loss, but whatever paths we go down, I want every step to be with you.
I want to grow old with you, Jase.
Every one of my tomorrows is yours,
And in the presence of these witnesses, I take you to be my husband.
”
”
Mary E. Pearson (Vow of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #2))
“
Pain might make you stronger or smarter for the next time around, but learning to heal that pain makes you wiser for the rest of your life.
”
”
Emily Maroutian (Thirty: A Collection of Personal Quotes, Advice, and Lessons)
“
A wise woman protects her kids. A wiser woman hangs out with police officers, retired FBI agents and private investigators.
”
”
Shannon L. Alder
“
Pushing our self past our boundaries of limitation and extreme, sometimes to something that knocks off our comfort zone, it creates new neuro pathways with our brain, we become smarter, wiser, more clarity, our life becomes more fulfilling. Only because we have a totally new experience. We get a new brain with that. Neuroplasticity
”
”
Angie karan
“
WILL’S RULES FOR LIVING #13: READ BOOKS TO GET SMARTER. READ PEOPLE TO BECOME WISER.
”
”
Mark Frost (Rogue (Paladin Prophecy #3))
“
do not be misled by expert bravado or by an expert’s own sense of how he or she is doing. Evidence is a much better guide than an impressive self-presentation.
”
”
Cass R. Sunstein (Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter)
“
Use fear to become braver, pain to become stronger, trials to become wiser, and misfortune to become better.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
Everyone made stupid mistakes, no matter what their age. The key was growing from the experience, becoming wiser and smarter.
”
”
Debbie Macomber (Cottage by the Sea)
“
We live and learn, change and grow. Older, but not always wiser. Stronger but not necessarily smarter. Life is a dance of steps taken forward and backwards, time spent standing still, and twirling in circles as we follow our own shadows.
”
”
A.J. Compton (The Counting-Downers)
“
Economists suggest that we should assess the value of decisions in terms of two considerations: the costs of decisions and the costs of errors.
”
”
Cass R. Sunstein (Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter)
“
Janis believed that groups are especially likely to suffer from groupthink if they are cohesive, have highly directive leadership, and are insulated from experts.
”
”
Cass R. Sunstein (Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter)
“
Typically therapists are several steps ahead of our patients—not because we’re smarter or wiser but because we have the vantage point of being outside their lives. I’ll say to a patient who has bought the ring but can’t seem to find the right time to propose to his girlfriend, “I don’t think you’re sure you want to marry her,” and he’ll say, “What? Of course I am! I’m doing it this weekend!” And then he goes home and doesn’t propose, because the weather was bad and he wanted to do it at the beach. We’ll have the same dialogue for weeks, until one day he’ll come back and say, “Maybe I don’t want to marry her.” Many people who say, “No, that’s not me,” find themselves a week or a month or a year later saying, “Yeah, actually, that’s me.
”
”
Lori Gottlieb (Maybe You Should Talk to Someone)
“
Look first for someone both smarter and wiser than you are. After locating him (or her), ask him not to flaunt his superiority so that you may enjoy acclaim for the many accomplishments that sprang from his thoughts and advice. Seek a partner who will never second-guess you nor sulk when you make expensive mistakes. Look also for a generous soul who will put up his own money and work for peanuts. Finally, join with someone who will constantly add to the fun as you travel a long road together.
”
”
Charles T. Munger (Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger)
“
One of the questions that has haunted you: Would knowing have made you dumber or smarter? If, one day, a milky portal had opened up in your bedroom and an older version of yourself had stepped out and told you what you know now, would you have listened? You like to think so, but you’d probably be lying; you didn’t listen to any of your smarter, wiser friends when they confessed they were worried about you, so why on earth would you listen to a version of yourself who wrecked her way out of a time orifice like a newborn?
”
”
Carmen Maria Machado (In the Dream House)
“
Kids say the number one reason they don't read more is that they can't find books they like. We need to find those books. The more kids read, the better readers they become. Reading makes us smarter and wiser, gives us a sense of accomplishment, builds confidence, and stimulates creativity.
”
”
-J. Kelly
“
To become stronger than your opponents,
learn more than them.
To become happier than your opponents,
love more than them.
To become greater than your opponents,
learn and love more than them.
If you are smarter than your enemies,
you are steps ahead of them.
If you are wiser than your enemies,
you are miles ahead of them.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
Bad thinking leads people to believe first and ask questions later—if ever.
”
”
Guy P. Harrison (Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser (Think, #2))
“
There is no smarter professor than life, and no wiser sage than experience.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
I’m stronger because I has to be, I’m smarter because of my mistakes, happier because of the sadness I’ve known, and now wiser because I learned.
”
”
Ege Avcı
“
Critical thinking is the indispensable skill for smart living in modern society, and skepticism is the essential posture for the fully awake twenty-first-century human being.
”
”
Guy P. Harrison (Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser (Think, #2))
“
Admitting that their child is, or can be, more educated than them is the closest most parents are willing to get to admitting that their child is, or can be, smarter or wiser than them.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
Reverence for those wiser, older, and smarter than you. Appreciation for those kinder, gentler, and nicer than you. And utmost worship for those who could fucking annihilate you without a single thought. Grasping
”
”
Pepper Winters (Pennies (Dollar, #1))
“
If we are stretching to live wiser and not just smarter, we will aspire to learn what love means, how it arises and deepens, how it withers and revives, what it looks like as a private good but also a common good. I long to make this word echo differently in hearts and ears—not less complicated, but differently so. Love as muscular, resilient. Love as social—not just about how we are intimately, but how we are together, in public. I want to aspire to a carnal practical love—eros become civic, not sexual and yet passionate, full-bodied. Because it is the best of which we are capable, loving is also supremely exacting, not always but again and again. Love is something we only master in moments.
”
”
Krista Tippett (Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living)
“
One of the questions that has haunted you: Would knowing have made you dumber or smarter? If, one day, a milky portal had opened up in your bedroom and an older version of yourself had stepped out and told you what you know now, would you have listened? You like to think so, but you'd probably be lying, you didn't listen to any of your smarter, wiser friends when they confessed they were worried about you, so why on earth would you listen to a version of yourself who wrecked her way out of a time orifice like a newborn?
”
”
Carmen Maria Machado (In the Dream House)
“
Evolution is the long blur, a constant and living flow of branching relationships. One thing is always connected to another and another. Having no regard for our love of labels and organization, life rolls on as a continual stream of organic matter. The important thing about the origin of the human brain is not pinpointing some specific time, event, or fossil to declare a beginning in order to satisfy our desire for order. What matters is that we understand the process from which it emerged and how deeply rooted the modern human brain is to its past.
”
”
Guy P. Harrison (Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser (Think, #2))
“
Our evolution depends on our memory. If we keep forgetting the mistakes of the past, only to keep repeating them, then we will never change. Humanity will never move forward, spiritually or morally, to become superior beings. We must apply the wisdom of our forefathers and the lessons gained from their experiences to today's decision-making. We should be intellectually smarter, not the opposite. We should be wiser, not the opposite. It is time for us to really examine and understand why certain causes in the past have produced major negative effects. This is the only way we can prevent repeating the same mistakes in our present and future. It is the only way we will evolve.
”
”
Suzy Kassem (Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem)
“
they were now their own unavoidable experiment, and were making themselves into many things they had never been before: augmented, multi-sexed, and most importantly, very long-lived, the oldest at that point being around two hundred years old. But not one whit wiser, or even more intelligent. Sad but true: individual intelligence probably peaked in the Upper Paleolithic, and we have been self-domesticated creatures ever since, dogs when we had been wolves. But also, despite that individual diminuation, finding ways to accumulate knowledge and power, compiling records, also techniques, practices, sciences
possibly smarter therefore as a species than as individuals, but prone to insanity either way...
”
”
Kim Stanley Robinson
“
among the young, a portent of the world’s future. Hate crimes, violence against women, and the victimization of children are all in long-term decline, as is the exploitation of children for their labor. As people are getting healthier, richer, safer, and freer, they are also becoming more literate, knowledgeable, and smarter. Early in the 19th century, 12 percent of the world could read and write; today 83 percent can. Literacy and the education it enables will soon be universal, for girls as well as boys. The schooling, together with health and wealth, are literally making us smarter—by thirty IQ points, or two standard deviations above our ancestors. People are putting their longer, healthier, safer, freer, richer, and wiser lives to good use. Americans work 22 fewer hours a week than they used to, have three weeks of paid vacation, lose 43 fewer hours to housework, and spend just a third of their paycheck on necessities rather than five-eighths. They are using their leisure and disposable income to travel, spend time with their children, connect with loved ones, and sample the world’s cuisine, knowledge, and culture. As a result of these gifts, people worldwide have become happier. Even Americans, who take their good fortune for granted, are “pretty happy” or happier, and the younger generations are becoming less unhappy, lonely, depressed, drug-addicted, and suicidal. As societies have become healthier, wealthier, freer, happier, and better educated, they have set their sights on the most pressing global challenges. They have emitted fewer pollutants, cleared fewer forests, spilled less oil,
”
”
Steven Pinker (Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress)
“
Kazi of Brightmist...you are the love I didn't know I needed.
You are the hand pulling me through the wilderness,
The sun warming my face.
You make me stronger, smarter, wiser.
You are the compass that makes me a better man.
With you by my side, no challenge will be too great.
I vow to honor you, Kazi, and do all I can to be worthy of your love.
I will never stumble in my devotion to you, and I vow to keep you safe always.
My family is now your family, and your family, mine.
You have not stolen my heart, but I give it freely,
And in the presence of these witnesses, I take you to be my wife."
He squeezed my hand. His brown eyes danced, just as they had the first time he spoke those vows to me. It was my turn now. I took a deep breath. Were any words enough? But I said the ones closest to my heart, the ones I had said in the wilderness and repeated almost daily when I lay in a dark cell, uncertain where he was but needing to believe I would see him again.
"I love you, Jase Ballenger, and I will for all my days. You have brought me fullness where there was only hunger,
You have given me a universe of stars and stories,
Where there was emptiness.
You've unlocked a part of me I was afraid to believe in,
And made the magic of wish stalks come true.
I vow to care for you, to protect you and everything that is yours.
Your home is now my home, your family, my family.
I will stand by you as a partner in all things.
With you by my side, I will never lack for joy.
I know life is full of twists and turns, and sometimes loss, but whatever paths we go down, I want every step to be with you.
I want to grow old with you, Jase.
Every one of my tomorrows is yours,
And in the presence of these witnesses, I take you to be my husband.
”
”
Mary E Pearson (Mary E Pearson 2 Books Collection Set (Dance of Thieves, Vow of Thieves))
“
Fighter"
[Spoken:]
After all that you put me through,
You think I'd despise you,
But in the end I wanna thank you,
'Cause you've made me that much stronger
Well I thought I knew you, thinkin' that you were true
Guess I, I couldn't trust called your bluff time is up
'Cause I've had enough
You were there by my side, always down for the ride
But your joy ride just came down in flames 'cause your greed sold me out in shame
After all of the stealing and cheating you probably think that I hold resentment for you
But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong
'Cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do, I wouldn't know
Just how capable I am to pull through
So I wanna say thank you
'Cause it
[Chorus:]
Makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter
Never saw it coming, all of your backstabbing
Just so you could cash in on a good thing before I'd realize your game
I heard you're going round playing the victim now
But don't even begin feeling I'm the one to blame
'Cause you dug your own grave
After all of the fights and the lies 'cause you're wanting to haunt me
But that won't work anymore, no more,
It's over
'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture
I wouldn't know how to be this way now and never back down
So I wanna say thank you
'Cause it
[Chorus]
How could this man I thought I knew
Turn out to be unjust so cruel
Could only see the good in you
Pretend not to see the truth
You tried to hide your lies, disguise yourself
Through living in denial
But in the end you'll see
YOU-WON'T-STOP-ME
I am a fighter and I
I ain't gonna stop
There is no turning back
I've had enough
[Chorus]
You thought I would forget
But I remembered
'Cause I remembered
I remembered
You thought I would forget
I remembered
'Cause I remembered
I remembered
”
”
Christina Aguilera
“
We'll learn more about how the brain operates, how matter works, and what fills up empty space. But even if we evolve into a smarter, wiser species in possession of a truckload of new scientific knowledge, we will still have
no access to ultimate answers. When a smart person finally admits that some mysteries can't be solved, she can relax and rejoice. When you honor what you know to be true, that nobody knows the ultimate answers, that there
is a difference between what is not yet known and what can't be known, that guesses don't really count, and that easy answers like sitting on a mat or walking in nature may soothe you but answer nothing, then you can leave
mysticism behind. Then you are ready for the answer: that you are obliged to take charge of the project of your life.
”
”
Eric Maisel (Why Smart People Hurt: A Guide for the Bright, the Sensitive, and the Creative)
“
28. Experts Should Be On Tap, Not On Top
This is another piece of advice from Winston Churchill (he was a fountain of great one-liners):
Experts should be on tap, not on top.
I have made the mistake all too often in the past of taking experts’ advice as gold, as the only ‘right’ option. It has often been against my instinct, and it has all too frequently landed me in trouble.
To let yourself be guided purely by experts is always a recipe for disaster.
So-called experts might know their field, but they don’t always know the whole picture of what’s right. Especially for you.
I know some very wealthy people who don’t even live where they want to because their accountant told them they could pay less tax if they bought a home in Monaco. It is as if their accountant has more of a say over their lives than their kids or partners do - and that is always a ‘false’ economy.
Experts are experts because they specialize in one small part of a field. A leader’s job is to see beyond that, to see the whole picture and then to make a considered decision. The expert advice should be there to serve you: to be ‘on tap’, when you need it, but not as your only option.
So when you need guidance, ‘listen’ to all the experts, assemble the knowledge in your head, sleep on it, trust your instinct (more of that later!), then make an informed, not hasty decision.
By the way, the only thing worse than making a bad decision? Making no decision! So many people fail to get ahead because they can’t decide. They dither.
It is natural. We all get fearful of making a bad decision - but really that is back to being scared of failing, and we know how to deal with that now, don’t we?
Failing is OK. A bad decision is better than no decision.
So learn to make decisions - informed, good decisions, based on good advice, but not dictated solely by the advisors. Trust your instincts, and commit to your decision.
And if it proves wrong, then learn from the error, have the humility to acknowledge it, then move on - wiser and smarter.
And remember, like so many things, the more you practice making decisions, the better you will become at making good decisions.
You’ll never have a 100 per cent gold strike rate, but some people get pretty darned close, and if you study their habits I bet you will see some clear patterns in their decision-making.
So, listen to the experts, keep them on tap, but know your own mind, know your own heart - and let these lead you to the right choices to keep you on top.
”
”
Bear Grylls (A Survival Guide for Life: How to Achieve Your Goals, Thrive in Adversity, and Grow in Character)
“
60. Don’t Dwell On Mistakes
Mistakes are for learning from, not dwelling on. If you muck something up, spend a few minutes working out why, learn the lesson, then move swiftly on.
Dwelling on mistakes, endlessly replaying scenes in your head, only makes them grow.
So the next time you find yourself lying in bed at night, cursing your stupidity or foolishness, it’s worth reminding yourself that, in all probability, the mistake isn’t that big a deal to anyone else. Too often we can be our own hardest critic and worst enemy. Let it go and don’t waste more energy on regrets than you need to.
Look objectively. Learn humbly. Smile positively. Then move on, wiser and smarter than before.
There’s a very good reason why you made a mistake: you’re human! We all make them from time to time. Which is why we should also be understanding and forgiving when someone else makes one.
Ever heard the phrase ‘When you’re in a hole, stop digging’? It’s the same with mistakes. Don’t give the mistake more power than it warrants by squandering precious time worrying about it.
Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.
Oh, and if you want to be really smart, then learn from the mistakes that other people make, so as to avoid the pain yourself. (A newspaper is a good place to start, and it is one of the few benefits of reading them!)
”
”
Bear Grylls (A Survival Guide for Life: How to Achieve Your Goals, Thrive in Adversity, and Grow in Character)
“
A fish is smarter than you in water.
A bird is cleverer than you in air.
A lion is nimbler than you on land.
An owl is wiser than you at night.
A fox is shrewder than you in the day.
A rooster is savvier than you in the morning.
A worm is wylier than you in soil.
A snake is subtler than you in grass.
A monkey is slicker than you in trees.
A bat is sharper than you at dusk.
A hyena is craftier than you at dawn.
A dove is keener than you at midday.
A seed is adepter than you in earth.
A wolf is slyer than you in forests.
A tiger is deadlier than you in jungles.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
You didn’t miss out on your only shot at success. That negative experience will now lead to positive experiences in the future because it has made you smarter and more prepared for the future. You’re now wiser, more experienced, and one step closer to the inevitable success you’ve prepared yourself for.
”
”
Darrin Donnelly (Relentless Optimism: How a Commitment to Positive Thinking Changes Everything (Sports for the Soul Book 3))
“
Live, learn, grow, move forward. Do you. Don't complain, just get smarter, wiser, better.
”
”
Germany Kent
“
Do we have human rights or our rights are limited by those who think they have power over us. Those who think they are richer than us. Those who think they are smarter or wiser than us. Those who think they are more educated or more qualified than us and by those who think they are better than us.
”
”
D.J. Kyos
“
The simple person who applies the Word of God is often wiser than the smarter person who doesn’t know or apply the Word of God.
”
”
Thor Ramsey (The Most Encouraging Book on Hell Ever)
“
And I’m sorry that I expected your amazing magic to make you smarter and wiser and more able to work with this difficult head of mine. That was silly and wrong.” Her words had come full circle. “You couldn’t possibly do that—you don’t know what it is to live in my head. But I do.”
”
”
Debora Geary (A Different Witch (A Modern Witch, #5))
“
moment hundreds of times in her head. Rethink each step and imagine it differently. Wonder which options would have been wiser, smarter. Wish that it had occurred to her to stop and think before destroying the only thing that really mattered to her—Gia’s love. But hindsight is a vicious thing. It mocks you with what should have been done. Teases with how things could still be. When left with ashes, you wonder how you could have prevented the fire. But introspection is not Marin’s friend.
”
”
Sejal Badani (Trail of Broken Wings)
“
Humility is simply this: you are no better, smarter, wiser, prettier, richer than the pebble skipped along the surface of a pond. Everything is as significant as you.
”
”
E. Rodriguez y Nogueras
“
The reality is that we’re all guilty of thinking we know it all, and we’d all learn more if we could set that attitude aside. As smart or successful as we may be, there is always someone who is smarter, more successful, and wiser than us. Emerson put it well: “Every man I meet is my master in some point, and in that I learn of him.
”
”
Ryan Holiday (The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living)
“
You need to have strong faith in the next draft, that you will be a little smarter and wiser by the time this draft is finished and your only responsibility is to get there. In a way, the draft you write now is a gift to the future version of you.
”
”
Scott Berkun (The Dance of the Possible: the mostly honest completely irreverent guide to creativity)
“
It's the presence of others who are smarter, kinder, wiser, and different from you that enables you to evolve.
”
”
Adam Braun (The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change)
“
Who were these people who are so much wiser, so much smarter than Luc Montagnier?” asks Harry Rubin, the dean of American retrovirology. “He became an outlaw as soon as he started saying that HIV might not be the only cause of AIDS.167
”
”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health)
“
Since I was about twenty-five, nothing changed, except I got smarter and wiser and things have an effect on you. But I never thought I was any older, really. It was just a very long twenty-five!
”
”
Lemmy Kilmister (White Line Fever: Lemmy: The Autobiography)
“
In postmodernism, human knowledge seemed to double at great rates, but it’s impossible to continue at that rate. It’s one thing to double one’s knowledge from two to four, or four to eight. It’s another to double from a trillion! Nevertheless, the “size” of our current bank of knowledge is extensive and overwhelming. It’s reasonable to suggest that humanity accumulated more knowledge in the last decade than in all recorded history combined. Take a moment to ponder that piece of information. What does it say to you? How does it affect Western Society, Western Christianity, and Western spirituality? How does it affect you? In turn, we must ask if we have become any smarter or wiser. What do you think?
”
”
David John Robson (Postmodern Spirituality in the Age of Entitlement)
“
Is originality overrated? Instead of struggling to innovate, should most of us focus our energy on replicating what smarter and wiser people have already figured out?
”
”
William P. Green (Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life)
“
This storm will pass. Although it has tested your strength, foundations, and roots, you will arise stronger, wiser, and smarter. The best is yet to come.
”
”
Charles F. Glassman
“
Pause and remember: Every single event in your life, especially the difficult lessons, have made you smarter, stronger and wiser than you were yesterday.
”
”
Jenni Young
“
This storm will pass. Although, it has tested our strength, our foundations, our roots, we will arise stronger, wiser, and smarter. The best is yet to come.
”
”
Charles F Glassman
“
I’ve recently heard that 2020 is the start of a new cycle, a new decade, a new era. If that’s so, then a lot of ‘cleansing’ is especially in order. If you have abandonment, trust, co-dependency issues, heal them. If you are the type to be overly sensitive and have a habit of overthinking 10 000 improbable scenarios instead of having resolve, quit. Get out of your head; don’t you know what they say about it? It’s the Devil’s Workshop in there.
Quit sublimating your insecurities, inner fears and projecting those outside. Quit blaming, hurting yourself. You are not a victim. You are a survivor-You came a long way and you are precious so, treasure yourself. Also…quit buying the bullshit of so-called well-wishers. Bottom feeding vultures are always on guard circling around waiting to suck lives out. If you are in toxic relationships that are weighing down on you, be the bigger and smarter person. Be wiser. Those who know their worth know better. You don’t deserve to be gas lighted.
If you have objectives to achieve, be diligent and patient. Work in ways where Success comes to you with a Bang for the World to shudder a little whenever they hear your name. Out of sheer respect of course. Cheers.
”
”
N,I
“
I walked into a hotel & after going the menu, I ordered some food.
After about 20mins a group of guys walked in & ordered theirs. To my dismay, these folks got served first.
I even overhead one of them bragging about how he's connected to everyone in the hotel.
Unable to take it anymore, I called the waiter.
He calmly told me, "Urs is a special order, being prepared by the chief chef himself".
Theirs orders were prepared hurriedly by novices because the top chefs are busy with yours.
I calmed down & waited patiently.
Shortly after, my meal was served by 6 waiters.
Unknown to me, the owner (who happened to be a long lost friend) saw me when I entered and decided to surprise me.
She changed my simple meal to a five-star meal.
The party at the other table were shocked.
Such is life !
Some people are ahead of you, eating now, laughing at you, talking about how they are smarter, wiser and better than you, how they are well connected, blessed, have money and are enjoying life.
You are waiting tirelessly wondering why its taking so long to breakthrough, you endured mockery and humiliation.
Don't you worry!
Yours is a special meal. It takes time to prepare.
Wait and relax.
”
”
Nitya Prakash
“
Distinguish yourself
I mentioned Daniel in the previous chapter. The scripture says he had an excellent spirit. As a teenager, he was brought out of Judah into Babylon. The king had all these young men in training and the best of them--the smartest, strongest, and most talented--would be chosen as the next leaders.
They had a certain diet for them to eat and certain programs for them to follow. But Daniel had made a vow to God to always honor Him. The Babylonians worshiped idols. Daniel was respectful, but he wouldn’t eat the king’s fancy foods. He didn’t just go along with what everyone else was doing. He made the more excellent choice.
Daniel 6:3 says, “Daniel so distinguished himself by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to put him over the whole kingdom.” Notice it doesn’t say: “God distinguished him and he got promoted.” It says Daniel distinguished himself. The message translation says, “Daniel completely outclassed the others.”
That’s what happens when, number one, you honor God and, number two, you have an excellent spirit. You don’t compromise. You don’t just go with the flow and do what everyone else is doing.
Even if everyone else is late, everyone else cuts corners, and everyone else is undisciplined, you should do as Daniel did and go the extra mile. Make the choice to be excellent.
The scripture goes on to say Daniel was ten times smarter than the other young men. He had incredible wisdom and understanding. He could interpret dreams and visions. When you have an excellent spirit, God will give you unprecedented favor, creativity, and ideas so that, like Daniel, you will stand out in the crowd. In humility, you will outclass those who don’t honor God.
My question is: Are you distinguishing yourself and not waiting for God to do it? Are you going the extra mile? Are you doing more than you have to? Are you improving your skills?
Examine your life. We all have areas in which we can strive for excellence, whether it’s how we treat people, how we present ourselves, or how we develop our skills. Don’t let something small keep you from the big things God wants to do. You are called to be a cut above. You have excellence on the inside. It’s who you are. Now do your part and be disciplined to bring out your excellence.
If you’ll have this spirit of excellence, God will breathe in your direction and cause you to stand out. You’ll look up and be more creative, more skilled, more talented, and wiser with more ideas. I believe and declare that like Daniel, you will outperform, you will outclass, and you will outshine, and God will promote you and set you in a place of honor. You can, you will.
”
”
Joel Osteen (You Can You Will: 8 Undeniable Qualities of a Winner)
“
you’re still so naive, child,“ the man said to her. "you can’t expect people to be like those in fairy tales. they only seek their best interests.”
she shook her head.“i know evil exists in people. it exists in you and me too, you know. but how can you see the goodness in others if all you expect are the worst?”
the man sighed, as if disappointed in her. “it’s safer that way, you foolish child. sometimes your expectations will kill you. sometimes hope will be the very thing that crushes your spirit instead of lifting it, do you understand?”
they sat in silence for awhile, and the man thought the girl had been swayed at last.
“but sir, i’ve lived both being hopeful, and being afraid of pain that i shut myself out. between you and me, i’d rather live to give chances than to burn them. i choose hope.”
the man sighed again, this time lifting his brow. “is that so?”
she nodded. “people will never be good, will never have the chance to be good until you give them hope to be better, and faith that they’ll get better. walls and guards have never change the world, sir. all it did is grow more fear. at least if my hope fails me, if my faith is proven wrong, i learned. and hopefully, i get smarter. i will choose something that makes me wiser instead of hateful, sir. always.
”
”
Aumirah
“
It is occasionally wiser to imitate the court jester, who plays the fool but knows he is smarter than the king.
”
”
Robert Greene (The 48 Laws of Power)
“
Reverence for those wiser, older, and smarter than you. Appreciation for those kinder, gentler, and nicer than you. And utmost worship for those who could fucking annihilate you without a single thought.
”
”
Pepper Winters (Pennies (Dollar, #1))
“
Envision yourself a few years from now being smarter, wiser, stronger, happier, healthier, and wealthier.
”
”
Germany Kent