Mind your mind

These signs caught my attention yesterday as I was leaving Kirstenbosch after enjoying a beautiful morning navigating the shade of Boekenhout Trail.

Acknowledgement of the work done by Siviwe. Do you agree that Siviwe will feel great being recognised in this way? And could even do that extra bit to make sure that the area remains worthy of recognition?

And that Siviwe will appreciate the sign asking people to keep their boots out of out of the bed?

Imagine that we had signs at the entrance to our minds telling the world that “This area is maintained by _________  (fill in your name) – and please keep your dirty boots out of it.” (To paraphrase a quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”)

We choose what enters our mind. What we read. What we watch. Who we associate with. What we think.

And what we keep out.

What can we control?

Epictetus, a Greek Stoic philosopher, argues that “we actually control very little. We don’t control what happens to us, we can’t control what the people around us say or do, and we can’t even fully control our own bodies, which get damaged and sick and ultimately die without regard for our preferences. The only thing that we really control is how we think about things, the judgements we make about things.”

We cannot blame our mindset and beliefs on anyone else. We cannot delegate our responsibility.

“This mind is maintained by me. “

Have a fun rest of your day!

Quote of the day

“Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day. The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.”
– Seneca

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