The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down

I have been reading The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim during the later part of my recovery.

On nights when my body was tired but my mind somehow became awake again, reading a few pages on my Kindle often helped me settle down.

Sometimes, though, the book did the opposite. I would find something that made me stop and think:

I want to remember this when normal life returns.

I may never come back and read the whole book again. So this post is simply a place to keep the parts that mattered to me during this unusually slow period of my life.

These are the highlights I want to carry back into my busy life.

When Life Disappoints, Rest a Moment

“The world will keep turning even without you. Let go of the idea that your way is the only way, that you are the only one who can make it happen.”

Befriend Your Emotions

“In the chambers of our heart, we have two tenants living side by side: Adolf Hitler and Mother Teresa. When we are overcome by insecurity and fears, we feel the inner workings of Hitler. When we are in touch with love and connections, we hear the gentle voice of Mother Teresa.”

When People Admire or Respect You

“When people who don’t know you well admire you, they are seeing their projected illusions, not your real self. In contrast, when people who know you well respect you, it is probably because you deserve it.”

When You Are Feeling Low

“Everything in this universe is evanescent. Because it is evanescent, it is also precious. Spend this precious moment wisely and beautifully.”

Temper Your Eagerness

“Getting the job done well is more important than one’s feelings of doing a good job.”

“It is important that you work hard, but don’t be enamored of the feeling of working hard. If you are drunk on that feeling, then you care less about the actual work than about how you appear to others to be working hard.”

Being Right Isn’t Important. Being Happy Together Is.

“Trying to convince someone to adopt our view is largely the work of our ego. Even if we turn out to be right, our ego knows no satisfaction and seeks new arguments to engage in.”

Choose Happiness, Not Success, as Your Life Goal

“What happens after you achieve success? What do you do after proving that they were wrong? If you want to truly succeed, don’t use anyone else’s yardstick.”

Maintaining a Good Relationship

“The art of maintaining a good relationship can be compared to sitting by a fireplace. If we sit too close for too long, we become hot and possibly burn. If we sit too far away, we cannot feel the warmth.”