July 21, 2021 by Brian Weiner No CommentsChanging The World One Thought At A Time., Lessons From The Mountain

We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment.

Forcing oneself to be disciplined at any regimen that is not our preferred choice is a skill that must be carefully honed.

When we look at someone whom we admire and inwardly covet their success, we are not inwardly coveting all of the personal sacrifices that they made in order that they might have that success in the first place. This includes all of the lost time with their friends, lover, children, family.

We see a success story standing like a shining beacon in the night glowing with luminance and splendor. It looks so sumptuous under those circumstances that it lures many of us into taking on choices we might not normally make in our lives.

As an entrepreneur who is marching daily to the hopes and expectation of a significant outcome, part of what I hoped to do in creating these musings is to leave a breadcrumb for another entrepreneur who has blindly pursued something only to find themselves way deep in in the canyons of uncertainty, fear and despair.

Pursuing any form of education requires the same personal discipline, focus and sacrifices. Often times, this leaves the participant in a continuous state of fear, anguish, trepidation and uncertainty about what their future holds. The fact that many students are becoming indentured servant’s as a result of the debt they take on in order to have that degree of knowledge adds even greater disappointment and fear to the equation, making it in many cases, untenable.

I gravitate to this particular aphorism because I use the fear of regret and disappointment as my fuel in moments when all I want to do is throw in the towel and concede. I weigh the misery of the discipline I am imposing upon myself against the projection of what it would feel like to concede and there is genuinely no alternative then, but to stick it out. Fortitude and determination come at a severe price. In most cases, it is such a large price to pay, we do not really take into consideration the entire ramifications until after we are well in our predetermined path.

I would say that it is one part self delusion and an equal part of making devout promises to ourselves that we are the only ones capable of delivering on. And in these moments of intense trepidation, the realization that we are the only ones who can solve it for ourselves, is the fuel that catapults us to greater heights. When you realize there is literally no one but you who will make these circumstances in your life change, then the choice crystalizes into an action and the action is the first step towards solving the internal crisis.

Writing this this morning gave me pause to wonder whether or not a Tibetian monk living in the mountains has the same quandaries when they have disconnected from all material things? Or are they still wrestling with the discipline to stay on the path they have chosen?

Happy Wednesday😊

Lessons From The Mountain: Changing the world, one thought at a time.

Lessons From The Mountain: Changing the world, one thought at a time.

Lessons From The Mountain: Changing the world, one thought at a time. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096LYB7PK/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_57Q71JXQVA48GAYXHMRX

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Written by Brian Weiner

When I was 5 years old, I discovered that the lemon tree in the backyard + dixie cups + water and sugar and I was in business. I have been hooked on that ever since. In 1979, I borrowed $14,000 to create a brand new product... photographic greeting cards with no text on the inside, called Paradise Photography. That was the start of The Illusion Factory. Since then, The Illusion Factory has been entrusted by all of the major studios and broadcasters with the advertising and marketing of over $7 billion in filmed, live, broadcast, gaming, AR, VR and regulated gaming forms of entertainment, generating more than $100 Billion in revenue and 265 awards for creativity and technology for our clients. When I took a break from film school at UCLA to move to Hawaii, my mother did not lecture me. Instead, she took 150 of her favorite aphorisms and in her beautiful calligraphy, wrote them artistically throughout a blank journal. That is the origin of the Lessons from the Mountain series. Since then, on my journeys to the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise, I have spent countless hours contemplating words of wisdom from the sages of all races, genders and political persuasions, constantly accumulating the thoughts to guide me on my life path. I hope you enjoy my books. Please let me know your thoughts, as I highly value your feedback!