Daily Encouragement: Quotes From my Buddhist Mentor
A daily dose of wisdom
It is not how you compare to others that is important, but rather how you compare to who you were yesterday. If you’ve advanced even one step, then you’ve achieved something great.
— Daisaku Ikeda (from Quotations by Daisaku Ikeda)
Bits of wisdom (combined with a Covid addled brain and half-wit humor) that I can glean from contemplating this quote:
It’s an error to compare apples and oranges. To each his own …. fruit.
The “Keep Up With the Jones” Olympics starts next week. Competition is fierce. Are you gonna let your neighbor beat you?
Seriously. I think the best athletes in the world work to beat their own best times more than they think about what other competitors are doing. Although they are inspired by the successes of others and see what’s possible, they know that believing in themselves is crucial to their success.
The important thing is to challenge ourselves to do a little more toward accomplishing our respective missions. One more step isn’t that hard, is it?
On my first day as a carpenter's helper for a construction company building the West Seattle Bridge, I was 50 feet up attached by a safety harness. My co-worker says to me as I’m timidly crawling along on the narrow platform: “You know what to do if you fall right?”
I said, “What?”
He says, “Just before you hit the ground, you jump as high as you can.”
How I survived that day took guts ….and a little levity.
Keep the faith.
