"You say you love what you do. Where’s your proof?" ❤️

Inspirational | From James Baldwin 

#onhisbirthdaytoday ❤️

To W. B. Yeats, as with Chinua Achebe, Societies, aka ‘Things’ Fall Apart not only because of external pressures, but also because of internal conflicts. Okonkwo the protagonist of Things Fall Apart is a sample case in point!

Same with Baldwin’s characters as well. 

James Baldwin - American Essayist, Novelist and Playwright of high renown, makes his characters face - both internal conflicts and external obstacles - something that make his characters three-dimensional, and much more memorable for all his readers.

Again, as Baldwin himself says,

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced”.

A lovely inspirational quote ain’t it?

Yes! Nothing can be changed until it is faced!

Well, I would like to connect this lovely quote with a book I’m reading at present.

The book is titled, Discipline is Destiny, and it’s by Ryan Holiday.

For newbie readers to our blog, you may want to read our past post on Ryan Holiday’s Discipline is Destiny HERE.

So yes! Coming back,

There are these lovely lines where Ryan says,

Each of us is in a battle with our physical form. First, to master it and bring it to its full potential.

The body, you must understand, is a metaphor.

It’s a training ground, a proving ground for the mind and the soul.

You say you love what you do.

Where’s your proof?

What kind of streak do you have to show for it?

Most of us don’t have millions of fans watching.

Or millions of dollars incentivizing us.

We don’t have a coach or a trainer monitoring daily progress.

This actually makes our jobs, our lives harder - because we have to be our own manager, our own master.

We’re responsible for our own conditioning. We have to monitor our own intake, decide our own standards.

The truly dedicated are harder on themselves than any outside person could ever be!

Trueproves to a tee, Baldwin’s quote on facing our daily responsibilities, our daily challenges, and our daily battles fearlessly!

That’s because, as Ryan rightfully points out,

We don’t have a coach or a trainer monitoring daily progress.

We’re responsible for our own conditioning.

We have to monitor our own intake, decide our own standards!

How true, ain’t it?

From the blurb to Ryan’s book titled, Discipline is Destiny

PS: For more on James Baldwin, you may want to look up our past blog post HERE.