Stoic Agilist - Reflections
In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice.
"Men seek for seclusion in the wilderness, by the seashore, or in the mountains – a dream you have cherished only too fondly yourself. But such fancies are wholly unworthy of a philosopher, since at any moment you can choose to retire within yourself. Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul; above all, he who possesses resources in himself, which he need only contemplate to secure immediate ease of mind – the ease that is but another word for a well-ordered spirit. Avail yourself often, then, of this retirement, and so continually renew yourself." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.3
I've been heads-down this past month working on several projects that require considerable time, not the least of which is preparing of a week-long cello workshop happening soon. Sadly, not enough time for writing beyond the Daily Pages. Lot's of time for reading, though, and lots of ideas poured into the draft bin. Until I can be re-united with my writing desk, there are a few early articles on the Stoic Agilist that may be of interest...
Deliberate Practice and Coding - When I wrote this, I was still in the thick of coaching Agile and my focus was on things technical. In this post I compared learning to code to learning to play the cello. The tables have turned now and I can confirm the same lessons apply to developing a deliberate practice when learning a musical instrument.
Good Intentions, Bad Results - I wrote this over three years ago when we were barely starting to emerge from the pandemic inspired lock-down. Knowing what we know about the decisions made by those with whom we entrusted our health and well-being, this seems just as true today, only more so.
As we move into the most insane and absurd election cycle of my lifetime (so far), this set of posts may help keep the heebie-jebbies at bay:
If you have any questions, need anything clarified, or have something else on your mind, please send a DM or email me directly.
Photo by Luke Richardson on Unsplash