“Your independent will alone cannot effectively discipline you against your center”.
– Habit 3: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”
I am (again) re-reading key sections of the book. I always get something new. This gets a longer explanation in the book, but paraphrasing it means if your core (your values, principles, etc.) is toxic then you cannot override that with will power to make consistent wise decisions and live a peaceful life.
It’s about time management and specifically how you classify importance and plan where your time is spent. Your core (values, principles) dictate how you classify importance and thus where your time is spent. A lot of us oscillate between Q4 (Crisis mode) and Q4(retreat, disassociate). A healthier and more productive method would be to park in Q2: planning and doing maintenance/prevention work that will prevent most Q4 (Crisis) from ever happening.
Also (from my Stoics book) a quote from John D. Rockefeller:
“A man’s wealth must be determined by the relation of his desires and expenditures to his income. If he feels rich on $10 and has everything he desires, he really is rich.”
Everything above basic necessities (food, shelter, etc.) is matters of degree on the hedonistic treadmill. I think I do pretty well…live modestly, below means, and I think I’m fairly content. But it’s an important concept to keep aware of, I could so easily see it creeping in once you have access to money. You need to manage your desires (which drive your expenditures) by managing your core. A core that must be managed by Q2 maintenance work, you can’t live like shit then expect to “will power” yourself into a wise person. Otherwise you live a Q4/Q1 life, your desires/expenditures driving up and up till they meet or even exceed (thanks credit) your income. Your level of income only determines how soon it happens.
Anyway – those were just my musings this morning.