What I’ve been reading:
Desire for Life: The Practitioner's Introduction to Morita Therapy by Brian Ogawa
This one is probably not a surprise for those of you who read my content on a daily basis and have seen how often I’ve been mentioning Morita Therapy (MT) recently.
Desire for Life is a book intended for mental health professionals who would like to incorporate Morita Therapy into their professional practice. However, it’s still a great introductory book if you’re just a regular person interested in an approach to anxiety-based disorders that’s much different from what the Western individual is used to.
For a brief overview of some of its core ideas, read this essay I wrote on Constructive Living, a mental health approach inspired by MT.
Why I’m fascinated with MT and intent on studying it further:
While learning about it, I was given a framework for what I’ve already done to get myself out of the biggest rut of my life. If you asked me how I overcame that dark, confusing, and exhausting period of my life, I would have a lot to say. But one large part of that story would be that I crawled out of it. However, I know that “grit your teeth and get on with your life” is not the best advice. This is where Morita steps in. It explained to me things that I was doing intuitively to get myself out of that rut. There is some method to crawling out, getting up to walk, and starting to run. A method that I want to share with as many people as possible.
The waitlist of for the Sisyphus Society is open.
If you want to become a part of a community where we aim to lead action-oriented lives and have weekly discussions to exchange interesting ideas and support each other, join the waitlist here.
What I’ve been listening to:
Guy Ritchie “You must be the master of your own kingdom.”
I watched this clip 4-5 years ago and always remembered it as one of the most interesting or insightful moments from the Joe Rogan podcast.
Why haven’t I rewatched it multiple times since then, considering I have a habit of rewatching and rereading valuable resources? I don’t know.
But know that I have, it became mandatory for me to rewatch this clip every month or two.
It goes to prove that storytelling is the ultimate source of human wisdom. As a storyteller, Guy Ritchie does a better job explaining authenticity, taking ownership, and self-agency in 15 minutes than the vast majority of pop-psychology and self-help authors do in a whole book.
What I’ve been thinking about:
It’s impossible to be grateful and have a bad relationship with life at the same time.
But it’s possible to be cynical and convince yourself that you have nothing to be grateful for.
Or maybe it’s not just cynicism. Maybe it’s also laziness, because gratitude requires you to remind yourself over and over again of all the things you shouldn’t take for granted.
Gratitude is not a spontaneous feeling. It’s a matter of choice, consistency, and effort.
Thank you for reading.
Join the Sisyphus Society waitlist.
Free Resources:
My free ebook: The Lost Art of Reading
Paid Resources:
The Art of Showing Up: A Clear and Practical Method for Mastering Consistency
The Gold Pill: Timeless Ideas for a Life Worth Living
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