Master It From Within

It's day 226 of documenting 2025.

Mid-week vibes 😎
What better way than a windy, not-so-hot afternoon and light at home?
Yeah....can't complain about that.

I watched a video yesterday, about how God sees us.
Which in most cases, is very different from how we see ourselves.
There are a few points that he made...that I should mention.

If you're still here, God is not yet done with you.
You have a unique purpose that can only be done by you....an assignment from God himself.
No matter what has happened in your life or how bad you think you have messed up, there's still hope for you.

And all these are true.
But sometimes, our thoughts...or even the people we know make us think otherwise with what they say.
It's always up to us to embrace our true identity by ignoring what everyone else says and living according to what God says.

Just felt like I should start with that...
On my end it's all good.
I'm still waiting on that admission, and word is out that it will be released by the end of this month.

Let's get into Highlights for today...and then we go a little further in the reflective writings from a Roman Emperor.
Hmm 🤔
Or should I just share a poem from my new collection?
Let's see how it goes...

365 Days With Self-discipline
📌 On Waiting to Be Saved

"No one saves us but ourselves.
No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."
Quote by Gautama Buddha

It’s easy to fall victim to the belief that you need to wait for someone or something to save you.

You won’t start a business unless you find an investor or a mentor. How about starting your business on a shoestring and learning along the way?

You won’t change your eating habits unless you find the right diet that was designed by a world-famous dietitian. How about eating more vegetables and fruits and eliminating unhealthy foods from your diet, one by one?

You won’t start exercising unless you find the right coach. How about putting on your sneakers and going for a walk or dropping to the ground and doing a few pushups?

You won’t start a long-term relationship unless the perfect, flawless person appears in your life. How about looking for a potential partner yourself, accepting that nobody is perfect, and committing to the other person as they are; with all of their positive traits and also their flaws?

Don’t wait to be saved. You yourself must walk your own path.
Use the resources offered by other people when you have access to them, but don’t use them as crutches.

Yep...as true as it can be
Only you can walk the walk to change your life. 

I saw something that relates to this. It said,
"Becoming the best version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes".
I couldn't agree more.

Meditations
📌 Book 5

14. The logos and its employment are forces sufficient for themselves
and for their works. They start from their own beginning, they proceed to the appointed end.
We call such activities “directed,” from the directness of their course.

15. Nothing pertains to human beings except what defines us as human.
No other things can be demanded of us. They aren’t proper to human nature, nor is it incomplete without them. It follows that they are not our goal, or what helps us reach it—the good.
If any of them were proper to us, it would be improper to disdain or resist it. Nor would we admire people who show themselves immune to it.

If the things themselves were good, it could hardly be good to give them up. But in reality the more we deny ourselves such things (and things like them)—or are deprived of them involuntarily, even—the better we become.

16. The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts. Color it with a run of thoughts like these:
i. Anywhere you can lead your life, you can lead a good one.
—Lives are led at court. . . .Then good ones can be.
ii. Things gravitate toward what they were intended for.

What things gravitate toward is their goal.
A thing’s goal is what benefits it—its good. A rational being’s good is unselfishness. What we were born for.
That’s nothing new. Remember? Lower things for the sake of higher ones, and higher ones for one another. Things that have consciousness are higher than
those that don’t. And those with the logos still higher.

17. It is crazy to want what is impossible. And impossible for the wicked not to do so.

18. Nothing happens to anyone that he can’t endure. The same thing happens to other people, and they weather it unharmed—out of sheer obliviousness or because they want to display “character.”
Is wisdom really so much weaker than ignorance and vanity?

PS. I'll share a poem from the collection tomorrow 😇
I can't say I completely understand these writings or what Marcus Aurelius was trying to say.
So, I got a little help with the interpretation. Here's the breakdown:

14."The logos and its employment are forces sufficient for themselves..."
Interpretation:
The logos (reason, divine rationality) is powerful in itself.
It doesn’t need external help to fulfill its purpose.

When we live by reason; clear thought, virtue, and intention...we follow a direct path. Like an arrow aimed with precision, a rational life knows its direction and stays on course.
 
Key lesson: Trust that rational, purposeful action is powerful and self-sufficient. Stay on your directed path.

15."Nothing pertains to human beings except what defines us as human..." 
Interpretation: 
Only what aligns with human nature; reason, virtue, justice, self-control, truly belongs to us.

External things like wealth, status, or pleasure aren’t part of what makes us human. Therefore, rejecting or losing them doesn’t diminish us; in fact, it may strengthen us.

Key lesson: The less we depend on external things, the more purely human (and virtuous) we become.

16."The things you think about determine the quality of your mind..."
Interpretation:
Your inner world shapes who you are. Think noble, selfless, purposeful thoughts; and your soul takes on that shape.

A good life is possible anywhere if guided by the right mindset. Rational beings should live for the higher good; not selfish gain, but in service to others and higher values. 

Key lesson: You become what you think. Elevate your thoughts to align with your true nature and purpose.

17. "It is crazy to want what is impossible. And impossible for the wicked not to do so."
Interpretation:
Desiring what can never be (immortality, complete control, universal praise) leads to frustration.
Yet, the wicked (those without wisdom or self-restraint) constantly chase these illusions. 

Key lesson: Wisdom lies in desiring what is real and attainable; like inner peace, virtue, and clarity.

18. "Nothing happens to anyone that he can’t endure..."
Interpretation: 
You’re stronger than your suffering. If others can endure it; whether they ignore the pain or use it to prove strength, so can you.
Wisdom should not be weaker than ignorance or pride.
 
Key lesson: Hardship is survivable. What matters is how you respond. Endurance with understanding is greater than endurance by ignorance.

I hope you understand the lessons now 😌
Lessons from Meditations may sometimes be hard to understand, but they're deep truths.

And my poetry collection, Lanterns For The Lost are based on some of these lessons.
I wrote it in soul-speak style...like the words are talking to you.
And there's a line to reflect on at the end of each poem, so you can think on your own actions and experiences.

Don't take my word for it, read it yourself and see if I'm right.
Download the book here for free.
And yes, thank you for reading 🎀

I'm Duon Ada.
I'm documenting 2025,
And I'll see you tomorrow.
Ciao 💕