Do Books Read?

– Brandon Sanderson, Steelheart

Make sure people do not get up for a third is for me also about making sure if a conflict starts that you work towards ending it. There are many ways that you can end a conflict; make sure they don’t get up again is a very direct one. To handle the conflict in such a way that there is not a conflict anymore is in most cases a better solution. When that is not possible, because many conflicts can not be solved, make sure both you and the other party accepts the conflict you have and that this is something you need to work on. This reminded me of this quote by Carl Jung:

“The greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved but only outgrown.”

– Ian C. Esslemont, Orb Sceptre Throne

I both agree and disagree with this sentence. If you choose one thing then it is impossible to choose the other paths later because a path always changes. The result of a decision will always be different based on when we take it. It might be us that change when we ponder the question or the people who are waiting for your answer. So on a very literal/metaphysical level. You can never choose the other paths.

Most decisions we get stuck on, though, are rarely fatal or final. And by choosing one path, the other pats will change but not by much. Sometime it might take some extra time and cost a bit of money but most decisions can be changed.

It is usually better to do something then get stuck in indecision and let the possibilities pass you by.

– Sarah Fine, Sanctum

A few people I have met in life seem to have this ability. Everyone they meet seem to be in the center of their world. It feels like nothing else matters but you and they accept you for who you are. What you say, your thoughts and your feelings are all ok. In this space of acceptance, deep conversations and open discussions appear. And they bring real learning and amazing growth.

– Neil Gaiman, Ocean at the end of the Lane.

It is so easy to fall into the same foot steps every day. To do the same things. Some sort of habits or rituals for the day are good because it helps to focus our energy and intention for the day. Maybe a ritual for working out in the morning or evening. Meditation, running or for what you eat for breakfast. But other things, if we get stuck in them become walls that hinder us. Always eating the same food, going to the same cafe, watching the same type of movies or only reading books by the same type of authors. It is easy to fall into one of these traps and it might be hard to know the difference between a habit that gives you energy or one that hinders you. But it is good to check your assumptions once in a while.

– Joe Ducie, Knights Fall

This quote made me think a lot. It is so easy for me to give an answer to what my favorite story, music, film, or … is. But hopefully I have not read it yet. If I have read my favorite story of all time, that would mean that everything I read from now on would be worse. So I hope with all my heart that my favorite is still out there.

– Joseph Lallo, Bypass Gemini

Most systems and processes that companies and organizations put into place are about keeping the company on track and moving towards the goal. Sadly most plans and systems can not predict a changing world and changing circumstances. It might be more important at looking at what should be done when things don’t go as planned and you need to get out of a tough situation.

– Peter F. Hamilton, Great North Road

It is interesting that in many companies people are still talked about in the same way as machines or as resources. How you press a button on a machine usually does not matter. If you press it lightly or hard, the machine will start either way. But if you try to talk to a person your tone of voice and the words you use matter a lot for the end result.

– Steven Erikson

The most common question asked of me at the moment:

“So what will you do after you have finished your 6 month vacation?”

And my answer is almost always the same:

“I don’t know, that is what I’m trying to figure out”.

One thing I have figured out and that is that I have no idea what will happen when I return – what I will do or where I will live. I have a lot of thinking and feeling left before the new ideas will appear and then probably a lot of hard work to make them come true. I just hope that I will be surprised by them.

– Kevin Hearne, Hammered

One of the most difficult things in the world for me is to feel content in the present, yet striving for something new and better in the future. This balance between staying in the present, planning for the future and learning from the past is much more important than the work-life balance most people are so worried about.

(I think I should add that the above quote is by Oberon, who is a dog and an amazingly fun character in Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid series.)

– Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise man’s fear

It is often more important who we think we are than what we actually are. What we think we are will give our brain a focus and the confirmation bias in our mind will find the events in our lives that confirm our belief. So what do you think you are?