Sunday Reflections - 6.22.25
A weekly newsletter of quotes and insights to inspire personal and professional growth.
Insights + Quotes
I. Brianna Wiest on the responsibility that comes with achievement:
We often think of big achievements as a "get out of life easier" card. They rarely are that. In fact, the opposite tends to happen. They level us up, force us into greater responsibilities, to think more deeply about big issues, to question ourselves and what we previously knew to be true.
Big achievements actually pressure us to become increasingly better versions of ourselves. This is a net positive for our lives but can be just as uncomfortable as struggling was, if not more so.
Source: The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest
II. Dee Hock on seeing challenges as opportunities, instead of complaining about them:
The wise make great use of adversity. The foolish whine about it.
III. Bill Belichick on getting better every day:
After winning five super bowls, Bill Belichick was asked,
"With all you have accomplished in your coaching career, what is left that you still want to accomplish?"
He answered, "I'd like to go out and have a good practice today."
People who do great things don't think about doing great things. They just win the day, then do it again tomorrow.
Source: Charles Miller
IV. David Foster Wallace on freedom:
The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day.
Source: This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace
V. Dr. Becky Kennedy on the lessons of resilience:
Building resilience is about developing the capacity to tolerate distress, to stay in and with a tough, challenging moment, to find our footing and our goodness even when we don’t have confirmation of achievement or pending success.
Resilience building happens in the space before a “win” arrives, which is why it can feel so hard to access. But that’s also why it’s so worthwhile. The longer we learn to tolerate the challenges of learning, the more we maximize the likelihood of reaching our goals.”
Source: Good Inside: A Guide To Becoming The Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy
Thanks for reading! If you found any of these insights valuable, please share your thoughts in the comments, or share with someone you think would benefit from the newsletter.
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Have a great week!
-Ben