What is the value of free speech if we have nothing of value to say.

What purpose does freedom of religion service if we no longer believe in anything.

This quote is from his book Utopia for Realists, which I wrote about a couple of days ago. Something to think about when we stand for basic human rights. We keep fighting for them for various reasons, but do we add value to society with things we are saying, doing or believing? Or is most of it just for selfish reasons.

Life’s an adventure. If you are not choosing the adventurous path then you are not living.

Currently reading (listening) to Robert Iger’s book The Ride of a Lifetime and when making various career steps his now ex wife gave him this piece of advice. Other versions are often quoted like “do things that make you feel unconformable” or “push yourself out of your comfort zone”.

I feel this type of advice holds true to one of my sayings which loosely translate to: “never stay in a position long enough that you no longer can get out of it”.

Obstacles are opportunities

From the latest The Suicide Squad movie written and directed by James Gunn, one of the main characters Rick Flag wears a T-Shirt with this quote on it.

According to Gunn he follows this philosophy to overcome problems he has had in the past, one of course being his firing from Marvel Studios (he since has returned). His mantra has grown on me and I think it is a nice way of looking at problems you might face. It reminded me of a great manager I had, who always said: “You can come to me with any problem, but only if you have also thought about possible solutions.”

In life you either:

Know someone

Hire someone

Or be that someone

From a discussion my partner and I had. I am someone who either knows or learns how to do something. If I am not capable to do it, I will hire a professional to help. For example when you need help building a shed. I am not skilled enough to do it, so I would hire someone and save time and effort to do other things in the meanwhile. This could be relaxing, but it could also be working more hours so I can pay for the shed. Others however, rely more on their circle of friends, family or acquittances to get things done, which often result in an IOU.

The problem arises when you get stuck in life with things where help or support is harder to acquire. Say you are feeling depressed, burned out or having bad thoughts going through your head. Sure friends and family can listen to your story and might even have a good suggestion on how to proceed, but getting professional help should be the option the go for.

And when it comes to life in general? So far I’ve learned that no matter how many idols you have, how religious you are or how much support you are getting from your family and friends, it is you and you alone who can move the needle forward.

What is grief, if not love, persevering?

From episode 8 of the series WandaVision. Trying to console Wanda about the losses she had to endure, Vision tries to give words to what ‘grief’ might be to a person. In doing so he puts in words a feeling I’ve had difficulties formulating in the past.

For there is always light,
If only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it

From her poem titled “The Hill We Climb”, which she has bestowed upon us yesterday, during the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Words to live by, words to echo throughout the world. Never let darkness come over you, always look for the light and never ever give up.

You don’t have to find out you are dying to start living.

In the movie Clouds (Disney+), Zach mentions this quote a couple of times. My thoughts on the movie will be up some time later, but couldn’t resist posting this quote.

I often have conversations with friends and family about what makes them tick, what makes them happy and what steps to take to pursue it. Finding your bliss will often help in living a (fulfilled) life.

Life is not a competition, it’s a game. It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about all the fun we can have before it ends.

Whether it is the fights we are having in politics or about getting yourself out of bed every morning to go to work or school or trying to keep yourself save health-wise. Everything at times can feel like a fight. So it is good to – at times – take a step back and remember that enjoying life is just as important.