How to be Centered, Strong, and Supple
Are you too strong?
Too set in your ways?
Or perhaps, are you too flexible?
Maybe too yielding?
No worries.
You can be strong yet supple.
You just have to find the middle road.
Where is Your Center?
Marcus Aurelius strives for the middle ground in his Meditations:
“From Apollonius: Independence and unvarying reliability, and to pay attention to nothing, no matter how fleetingly, except the logos. And to be the same in all circumstances – intense pain, the loss of a child, chronic illness. And to see clearly, from his example, that a man can show both strength and flexibility… His patience in teaching. And to have seen someone who clearly viewed his expertise and ability as a teacher as the humblest of virtues… And to have learned how to accept favors from friends without losing your self-respect or appearing ungrateful.” – Meditations, I.8
Here you see the importance of being strong yet supple.
Of remaining centered.
On the one hand, you need to take can a stand and stick to your values.
By the same token, you can’t be rigid because you always have something to learn.
And, even strong people need help sometimes. They shouldn’t be too proud to accept it.
Staying Calm Amidst the Storm
People often say, “keep your eye on the prize and you won’t fail.”
And, “that which does not bend, breaks.”
All true. But what else do we need to know?
- Integrity lies in consistency. There are good times, and bad times; times of joy, and times of sorrow. If we can take each one in stride, we won’t get carried away with extreme emotions.
- We have much to offer our friends. We can be anchors for them amidst the raging storms of life. We have learned much from experience, and can help them get through the same experiences.
- We also need our friends. They may have learned things we need to know. Friendship is a give-and-take with both parties complementing the strengths and weaknesses of the other.
A Centered Approach to Finance
Financial management is a lifelong process.
And we don’t finally just “get it.”
There is always more to learn as the field changes, and as our life circumstances change.
We need to stay the course, yet redirect as needed.
How to Chart Your Own Course
Life in general – and the world of finance in particular – contain many ups and downs.
If you can stay calm and centered, you can still chart the course that is right for you.
What about you? Are you able to stay strong, yet remain supple?