Mental, Emotional, and Moral Courage
Wednesday Wisdoms for June 12, 2024
Welcome to Wednesday Wisdom, our 3x3 Newsletter where I distill worldly advice for better living with 3 quotes, 3 observations, and 3 questions.
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Mental Courage
🤨 Quote
“How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened.”
Thomas Jefferson
Source: Thomas Jefferson — His Essential Wisdom
Observation 🧐
One of the loudest voices we hear at any given time is our own. The self-talk we hold within our minds determines how we not only take in the world but also how we approach it.
Like Jefferson, Seneca before him wrote that we fear more in our imagination that in reality.
The interesting paradox here is the idea of premeditatio malorum which is the exercise of anticipating what could go wrong and therefore mentally prepare for it ahead of time.
The difference in approach here is in how one looks to the future. When we allow our imaginations to run away from us, we naturally allow fears to grow. But when we can ground the imagination with a purpose, with the ability to imagine events failing so we can become comfortable with them and anticipate their arrival, then we no longer allow the imagination to control us but rather, put its powers to our own use.
We rid ourselves of fear by giving it a purpose to serve—preparing us—and therefore demand it be of use to us.
🤔 Question
Think about a time when you allowed your imagination to run away from you. Did it assist you in living a better life or hinder it? What can you do today to wrangle your imagination and bend it to your will to prepare you for the future?
Emotional Courage
🤨 Quote
“Asking for help is a superpower anyone can have but only some people use. It is brave to ask for help. Asking for help is the first step toward finding a mentor. Mentors can help us change our lives if we let them.”
Alexi Pappas
Source: Bravey
Observation 🧐
In Western cultures of today, there is great focus on the individual. Life as we know it is often discussed from the perspective of independence. The myth of the self-made man, for example, takes this model into overdrive.
But the truth is, we’re all in need of assistance. There is no such thing as a self-made individual, we’re all built from others and stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.
Just as athletes at all levels have coaches who they lean on to help them perfect their performance and gather a better understanding of themselves, we too need assistance in every day life.
But we hold ourselves back from accepting help, or reaching out for help, when we buy into the myth of independence. Rather than flourish, we flip our wings. Yes, we need independence and the ability to take care of ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we cannot lean on others for guidance, for advice, for mentoring.
Others have walked the paths we too will walk, it is to our benefit to ask them their experience along the way.
🤔 Question
If you were given the opportunity to meet your dream mentor in life, what would you ask them and how would this impact how you pursue goals within your life?
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We explore wisdom from Ralph Waldo Emerson for our final Wednesday Wisdom this week.