BRIGHT SPOTS FRIDAY!

I’m performing my second wedding ceremony this weekend! Many of you know Matty Skarz and his bride-to-be, Angel. Here’s to a celebration of laughter and love!

I’m honored to be the officiant on Saturday for someone who has helped me and accompanied me in my dive into Stoic philosophy and my quest for personal growth.

In order to help with last-minute wedding set-up and to inspire more readers from the faction of Nevermorons who perform the ole Facebook scroll to see how long these posts are, I’ll keep today’s short (like Matty).

I’ll simply share a few thoughts on how this friendship has both inspired me and made me better.

Be who you are always. You don’t have to be a chameleon. I’m really good at that…adapting to my audience. But sometimes that has gotten me into trouble, or regretful of my actions or words. Believe in yourself and be confident in who you are and what you represent. But balance that confidence with a dose of humility. Don’t be afraid to be unique. Whatever you choose to do with your life, be proud of the person you’ve become, even if that means accepting some ridicule. You want role models who won’t pretend to be someone they are not, and won’t be fake just to suit other people.

Hold yourself and other people accountable. Challenge yourself to write down the steps that you can take TODAY that will lead to accomplishing your goals. Don’t just have grand plans. Write them down and find someone who will call you out on each step. Don’t accept less than your best self. Don’t let your friends accept less than THEIR best selves. Speak up against misgivings or abuses. Life isn’t a spectator sport.

Find someone whose values and opinions you trust and LEAN HARD on them when you need to. Cato, one of the ancient Stoics, was someone who many aspired to emulate. When faced with difficult decisions, it became fashionable to ask, “What would Cato do?” If you can’t relate to the Stoics, I’m sure you can relate to The Office. Even Dwight Schrute, with his lack of social skills and common sense, once said, “Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘Would an idiot do that?’, and if they would, I do not do that thing…”

Enjoy your weekend my peeps! What is your Bright Spot this week?…