583. Philosophy and Wisdom

Remember Why you are studying Philosophy. Philosophy is defined as the Love of  Wisdom. You are studying to be Wise. Make sure that every day you grow a little wiser. To do this is to ensure that your life is not wasted. A wise man will always be bigger than his problems. To a wise man, problems are simply situations that require his attention. Because of who you are as a man, by definition you are far greater than any situation. Keep learning and growing so that you will always be greater than any problem.


Do not set out to cause yourself problems; always try to circumvent them where you can. Problems are inevitable. There will always be problems. Learn to be bigger than the problems.


It can be very useful to re-frame (re-name) the word "Problem" as "Challenge" or "Situation Requiring My Attention" (SRMA) . This re-framing puts a distance between you and the event and gives you a better perspective on it. This also robs the word of its power to obstruct you. So long as you see something as a problem, then you have to wrestle with it. When you call it a challenge then you simply rise to meet and defeat it. A thing called a problem keeps you stuck, called a challenge, the same thing makes you take action. Seek the company of problem solvers and learn their techniques.

483. Wisdom and Problems

Remember that no matter what happens or whatever challenges arise, if you are wise, it is never a problem. The wise man never has problems, merely situations that require his attention.

318. Being a Warrior

Warriors see everything as a challenge or an opportunity, ordinary men see things as a belling or a curse. Which view gives you more power ?

285. Mastery and the Rough Zone

Everyone applies their knowledge daily and so should you. We don't always have enough knowledge, practice or skill to be perfect. We will often encounter rough patches. Only by getting into these rough zones and getting out again do we learn and grow and thereby achieve mastery. Embrace, therefore, the rough patches. This is more than simply "taking the rough with the smooth". It is pro-actively and consciously taking on the challenges and learning, always learning from them.

In this regard, a good discipline is to commit to practicing at least one difficut thing each day.

When you find yourself in a rough situation you must do 3 things. First find out how you got there and learn how to never make that mistake again. Second, figure out how to get out of the situation and what you need to do. Then do it !