The Rad Stoic #002

The time that leads to mastery is dependent on the intensity of our focus.
-- Robert Greene, Mastery

Leave other people's mistakes where they lie. (Rad FYI: I spelled 'mistakes' wrong when taking my notes!')
-- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

If it is time for you to die, leave willingly -- as you would to accomplish anything that can be done with grace and honor.
-- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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Rad Take:

Words in the text: Focus. Intensity. Mistakes. Time. Honor.
Words that emerge in my thoughts: Patience. Acceptance. Peace. Effort.

What we choose to do with our time always comes with an opportunity cost. To minimize that cost, you must maximize your focus on what you have chosen to do. You can't go back and change your mind and get that time back. But even with a vast amount of focus, it will take a long, long time to achieve mastery and expertise.

And it will come with many mistakes. You take a second to look back on things you did 6 months or a year ago. Many times, you think of ways you could have done things better. That just proves that you have learned - even if that wasn't intentional learning. Just learning through what life has presented to you.

And since you have made your share of mistakes, don't be surprised when you come upon a mistake (or many) from those around you. Don't be surprised. Which means 'expect mistakes'. If you expect them, then you are prepared when they come to fruition. Then you will not be critical of the person that made the mistake. Then you will not look down upon the person or judge the person or berate the person or talk about them behind their back. It will be something that you knew was coming and you helped move towards a combined goal without missing a beat.

And the temporary nature of life, events, time is just that - temporary. Everything ends. If you know that things won't last forever, then do what you are doing now with a focus and intensity because you know you won't get this time back - there will be a moment when you wish you were going through the tough times you might be going through now. Where a crying baby and dirty diaper are 'the good ol' days' when the kids were still in the house. Where working late or on a Sunday is better than not working at all. Where doing laps before practice is better than being in a hospital. But if you find yourself in dire straits, be thankful for the people that care about you and the experiences you have had. Don't be surprised that you have found your end as you knew it would happen at some point.