“When forced, as it seems, by circumstances into utter confusion, get a hold of yourself quickly. Don’t be locked out of the rhythm any longer than necessary. You’ll be able to keep the beat if you are constantly returning to it.”
MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.11
Life moves pretty fast, and sometimes it throws you a curveball that you’re not expecting. Out of nowhere, something happens — and then everything changes.
This unexpected event throws your plans out the window, and it breaks the rhythm that you had going. You find yourself off balance for a second. The key is in that “for a second” phrase.
It happens to everyone from time to time. We all have moments when we lose our focus, and it’s always okay. What is key is keeping the beat as best you can, and getting back to that rhythm. We have to get back on the horse as soon as possible. That’s the point of today’s entry in The Daily Stoic book.
When I get off rhythm
Every once in a while, I allow myself to “party down” and do a bunch of things I don’t ordinarily do — things that aren’t particularly healthy, nor conducive to the goals I’ve set for myself.
This past weekend was one of those times where I let myself go. I was visiting a friend who lives out of town, and we drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of junk food, and then stayed up late playing video games.
Well, no surprise — it threw my rhythm off. I lost a bit of focus, and lost sight of a few of my goals. But because I kept the beat, I was able to re-center myself and remind myself of what’s important to me.
I quickly got back in rhythm, and got my priorities back on track. Now I’m back at it, same as before!
No rest for the wicked 🙂
