Saturday, July 25, 2015

Some Random Original Quotes


Years before I wrote my first Axiom I would occasionally jot down my thoughts whenever possible. It was, and still is, my way of figuring things out in the world. What started out as tiny fragments written incoherently in a journal eventually turned into the Axioms I later wrote about. 

I went back recently to look at a time about 12 years ago when I was finishing my undergraduate degree and starting graduate school. It was a time of immense self-discovery and learning for me. 

Below are some of the interesting quotes I wrote down ten years ago:

"Happiness means you don't own an alarm clock."

"People work hardest when the challenge is the greatest."

"Great people lead by example, not words."

"Words are meaningless illusions cast by the soul."

"If you call out to God in a time of need, does that mean he doesn’t care? Or does it mean he cares too much?"

"Two men are wealthy. One is admired, and the other is despised. Why is this?"

"Sometimes it is better to be lucky than smart."

"Nothingness is the greatest pain we face. Even God cannot stand to be alone."

"Adversity helps bring about happiness and satisfaction."

"Man is mortal and immortal. All of his actions should bear this in mind."

"True fulfillment can only be reached for and sometimes touched, but never held permanently."

"People are never satisfied unless they are satisfied with being unsatisfied."

"Finding million dollar ideas is not the problem. It's executing them."

"You will never get big-time results if you are a small-time thinker."

"Being poor is a choice, just as being rich is. Poor choices + poor mindset + poor time management will always = poor results."

"The rule of scarcity: If people read my works when I’m alive they might be amused. If they read them 100 years from now they might think I’m a genius."
   

Friday, July 10, 2015

Axiom 64: Know When to Cut Your Loses


"Stay committed to your decision, but stay flexible in your approach." -Tony Robbins

You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened... or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on.” -Tupac Shakur

Oftentimes knowing when it is time to cut your loses and move on is the hardest decision you'll ever make. It can be the determining factor in your success or utter failure.

But if you're pursuing a goal in life and you're not sure if it is going to work out or not how do you know when to give up?

About ten years ago I graduated from graduate school in Dallas. It was a long time goal of mine to move to Los Angeles and work in entertainment PR. I had already made many sacrifices to make this goal a reality. This included years of college, both undergraduate and graduate, flying to LA to go to networking events, and saving a six month nest egg to live on once I made the move.

Then in January of 2006 I made move. I packed up all my belonging and drove for three days to West Hollywood. I setup shop and the reality quickly set in. As I walked through the neighborhood the reality of the situation weighed hard on me.

My standard of living would never be as good here as it was in Dallas. I would be working twice as many hours for half the pay. In 20 years the best I could hope for would probably be a very modest house and a very long work week.

So I reached a crossroads. 

Should I stay in LA and continue a dream that I have worked very hard for, or go back to Dallas and start over?

I packed up and moved back to Dallas. My decision was made by answering one simple question: Will the probable end result be worth the effort? The answer was no.

If you are in a similar situation I urge you to ask yourself the same question.

When I moved back to Dallas I was lost for a year or so as I started over in figuring out what I wanted from life. Looking back though, choosing to cut my loses and move back from LA was the best decision I ever made.