Back To The Paper!

It's day 256 of documenting 2025.

Happy Weekend ☺️ 

Between missed workouts, watching a movie and then typing late, I would say today didn't go so well...

And I'm totally responsible for it.

There's like this cycle....where the day starts off well, but doesn't end well.

It's all part of the stretch, right?

All this has taught me to know what my priorities are, and then shun the rest.

I'll try that on paper, tonight...

Have you ever wondered why some things you plan to do, eventually do go so well? 

Well, I understand it as God using that experience to tell you something...and that's exactly what happened today.

It wasn't really a slip-up, or a mishap...twas more like me avoiding what I know will help me, for some reason.

And the reason is the fact that I'm still hiding...who I truly am, who God has called me to be.

I'm showing only part...not all of it.

That's where problems begin.

I'm going back to the drawing board tonight...to see what needs to go out of the way for my roots to grow deeper.

It's a thought now....but it will be a decision, right after I'm done with publishing this post ✍🏼 

Without further ado...let's see today's highlights and then a bit of Meditations.

(It's not actually a bit! 😐)

365 Days With Self-discipline 

📌 On Taking a Real Decision

"A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. 

If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided."

Quote by Tony Robbins

Here’s a simple rule: don’t conclude that a decision has been made until you’ve taken a real-world action that reflects it.

Don’t fall victim to the erroneous belief that making a decision is merely saying some words in your head. 

The decision only becomes real in the moment you take a real-world action and can no longer easily back out by pretending that you were just “thinking” about making a decision.

I think this one is pretty clear...

Think, then act immediately.

No delay, or it becomes procrastination 😒

Moving on....we're diving into Book 6 of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

We're going well with this, right?

Meditations 

📌 Book 6

1. Nature is pliable, obedient. 

And the logos that governs it has no reason to do evil. It knows no evil, does none, and causes harm to nothing.

It dictates all beginnings and all endings.

2. Just that you do the right thing. 

The rest doesn’t matter.

Cold or warm.

Tired or well-rested.

Despised or honored.

Dying . . . or busy with other assignments.

Because dying, too, is one of our assignments in life. 

There as well: “to do what needs doing.”

3. Look inward. Don’t let the true nature or value of anything elude you.

4. Before long, all existing things will be transformed, to rise like smoke (assuming all things become one), or be dispersed in fragments.

5. The logos knows where it stands, and what it has to do, and what it

has to work with.

6. The best revenge is not to be like that.

7. To move from one unselfish action to another with God in mind.

Only there, delight and stillness.

8. The mind is that which is roused and directed by itself. 

It makes of itself what it chooses. 

It makes what it chooses of its own experience.

9. Everything is brought about by nature, not by anything beyond it, or within it, or apart from it.

Here's the interpretation:

1. Nature and the Divine Order: Nature follows a wise, purposeful order (called logos). It doesn’t do harm or evil; it simply follows the logic of life, guiding all beginnings and endings.

2. Focus on What Matters: Your job is to do what’s right, regardless of your circumstances; pain, comfort, praise, or even death. Each moment is a task to fulfill with integrity.

3. Self-Awareness: Pay close attention to your inner world. True understanding and value come from within, not appearances.

4. Impermanence: Everything changes. 

Eventually, all things dissolve; either merging together or scattering apart. Nothing lasts forever.

5. Wisdom of the Logos: The guiding principle (logos) knows its role, its path, and its tools. Like a wise mind, it works with what it has, toward a clear purpose.

6. Revenge Through Virtue: Don’t stoop to another’s wrongdoing. The best revenge is staying true to your higher self.

7. Unselfish Purpose: Live with intention, moving from one act of goodness to another, always keeping a higher purpose (or God) in mind.  

That’s where real peace lies.

8. Power of the Mind: Your mind is self-directed. It chooses how to respond, how to see things, and what it becomes.

9. Everything Belongs to Nature: Nothing lies outside nature’s plan. Everything that happens is part of its unfolding, not random or foreign.

I guess you understand it better now....like I do.

I would say that Marcus Aurelius observed and thought a lot...which is why his writings always have a lesson or a reminder.

Let me end with these words:

Sometimes, we may not understand what God is doing in our lives...but when we trust Him and obey His Words, we will never go far away from Him.

Thanks for reading 🎀 

If you would like to see more of my content, check out the main site, Documenting 2025.

See you in the next post 💜