What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0098

4851.  There is always something more that you can do . . . always.  There is always a way to get better.  You will never, ever, rest if you want to be the very best at what you do;

4852.  If you’re not doing what you should be doing, you’re literally wasting your life at this very moment;

4853.  Think of one thing you want to do tomorrow that you don’t have the courage to do.  You know what it is.  Go out and do it.  Just know that every moment that you don’t, a piece of life passes you forever and you will never get it back;

4854.  What “settling” really boils down to is fear.  Fear that you won’t find anyone better, fear that you’ll never find another girl like her;

4855.  If you want the best in life, you have to feel that you deserve the best in life;

4856.  It’s a lot easier to hear phone calls outside when you use earphones (especially when it’s windy);

4857.  In the White House garden, there’s a plant bed named after Thomas Jefferson with lettuce, Brussel sprouts, beets, kale and artichoke plants grown from seeds that have been passed down from plants Jefferson planted at Monticello;

4858.  Logic will take you from A to Z.  Imagination will get you everywhere;

4859.  If love and joy are what you want to give and receive then remember that you can’t give away what you don’t have, but you can change your life by changing what’s inside if you’re willing to go that extra mile;

4860.  Your thoughts create your reality because your thoughts determine how you respond to situations in your daily life.  Those responses are the energy you have inside of you to give away.  If you feel anger, it’s because you have anger energy in your body.  Like everything in our universe, your thoughts are a form of energy.  Everything that you feel and experience is the result of “attractor” energies.  This means that you get back what you put out into the world.  Thus, what you’ve attracted to you is what you have to give away to others;

4861.  Low energy attracts low energy.  Some of the low energy thoughts are anger, hate, shame, guilt and fear.  Not only do they weaken you, but they attract more of the same.  By changing your inner thoughts to the higher frequencies of love, harmony, kindness, peace and joy, you’ll attract more of the same and you’ll have those higher energies to give away.  These higher and faster frequencies that empower you will automatically nullify and dissipate the lower energies in the same way that the presence of light makes darkness disappear;

4862.  By becoming more loving toward yourself, you will attract more of the higher, faster energies and begin to change what’s inside of you.  In your thoughts, cultivate an inner voice and attitude that’s 100 percent of the time for you.  Imagine an aspect of yourself that only supports and loves you.  You might schedule a certain time of the day when that’s the only thought that you allow yourself to pay attention to.  Gradually, this attitude will extend to other people even if you can only do it for a minute or two.  You’ll begin to receive this energy back and ultimately be able to send thoughts of love and joy to everyone and everything in your world.  Notice when your thoughts drift into the lower energy of ridicule, hate or guilt, and change the thought at that very moment if at all possible.  If you’re unable to change the thought, then at least love yourself for what you did do – that is, for noticing;

4863.  Make a pact to remind yourself often of this secret of not being able to give away anything you don’t have.  Then work on your personal program of self-love, self-respect and self-empowerment, and create a huge inventory of what you wish to give away;

4864.  The universe responds with the same energy that we send out.  If you attract a lot of people who wish to take advantage of you, you need to consider what you’re doing to attract victimizers into your life.  If you run into anger a lot, explore the angry thoughts you have inside of you.  If your consciousness is a “Gimme!  Gimme!  Gimme!” energy, you’ll attract all manner of demanding energies into your life.  You know if this is true by the number of deadlines not being met, demanding bosses or customers you encounter, and the feeling of being a victim.  Send out “Gimme!  Gimme!  Gimme!” energy to the universe and it will do the same in return;

4865.  If what you give is self-respect and self-love, the universe will return the love and respect you’ve been radiating.  You can’t give away what you don’t have;

4866.  Not failing is the only way to really fail in life.  You don’t become successful without having a slew of failures in your tracks;

4867.  You aren’t going to magically become successful without trying . . . without taking action . . . and especially without failing a few times.  Because failure goes hand in hand with success.  So if you want something, don’t think about.  Don’t dream about it.  And don’t fantasize about it.  That won’t get you anywhere.  And neither will avoiding failure like the plague.  Instead, get out there right now and do something;

4868.  Write down what your motivation in life is.  Why do you want a girlfriend or want confidence, etc.?  Open up a blank page, or a note on your phone, or anything that you have next to you and just write as much as you can down.  Now(, this is the hard part), look at what you wrote.  Then distill it down to one word or one sentence.  Your phrase can be anything, but just think of one.  Then, take an index card or anything that is thicker than a regular piece of paper and write it down.  Then put it in your wallet, right next to one of your credit cards, preferably, the one you use the most.  The hope is that you’ll see it every so often and remind yourself to get off your ass and do something;

4869.  It is impossible to be successful while secretly planning on failure;

4870.  If you want different outcomes, ask yourself different questions;

4871.  If you want something – and I mean really want something – then you need to do whatever it takes to make it happen.  No matter how impossible it seems.  No matter how much time it takes.  No matter how hard it is.  Block out the voices in the back of your head telling you it’s “too insane” and go for it anyway;

4872.  If effectiveness is doing the right things, efficiency is doing things right;

4873.  It doesn’t really make sense to measure ourselves in comparison with other immeasurable beings.  In fact, we are what we are; we are not how well we happen to perform at a given moment.  The grade on a report card may measure an ability in arithmetic, but it doesn’t measure the person’s value;

4874.  It is true that competition for many is merely an arena for venting aggression; it is taken as a proving ground for establishing who is stronger, tougher or smarter.  Each imagines that by beating the other s/he has in some way established her/his superiority over her/him, not just in a game, but as a woman/man.  What is seldom recognized is that the need to prove that you are better than someone else is based on insecurity and self-doubt.  Only to the extent that one is unsure about who and what s/he is does s/he need to prove herself/himself to herself/himself or to others;

4875.  The more challenging the obstacle s/he faces, the greater the opportunity for the surfer to discover and extend her/his true potential.  The potential may have always been within her/him, but until it is manifested in action, it remains a secret hidden from herself/himself.  The obstacles are a very necessary ingredient to this process of self-discovery;

4876.  Winning is overcoming obstacles to reach a goal, but the value in winning is only as great as the value of the goal reached.  Reaching the goal itself may not be as valuable as the experience that can come in making a supreme effort to overcome the obstacles involved.  The process can be more rewarding than the victory itself;

4877.  True competition is identical with true cooperation.  Each player tries her/his hardest to defeat the other, but in this use of competition it isn’t the other person we are defeating; it is simply a matter of overcoming the obstacles s/he presents.  In true competition, no person is defeated.  Both players benefit by their efforts to overcome the obstacles presented by the other;

4878.  When I’m concerned only about winning, I’m caring about something that I can’t wholly control.  Whether I win or lose the external game is a result of my opponent’s skill and effort as well as my own.  When one is emotionally attached to results that s/he can’t control, s/he tends to become anxious and then try too hard.  But one can control the effort s/he puts into winning.  One can always do the best s/he can at any given moment.  Since it is impossible to feel anxiety about an event that one can control, the mere awareness that you are using maximum effort to win each point will carry you past the problem of anxiety.  As a result, the energy which would otherwise have gone into the anxiety and its consequences can then be utilized in one’s effort to win the point.  In this way one’s chances of winning the outer game are maximized;

4879.  Learning to welcome obstacles in competition automatically increases one’s ability to find advantage in all the difficulties one meets in the course of one’s life.  Hence, every inner gain applies immediately and automatically to the full range of one’s activities;

4880.  One U.S. dollar is worth 1.34 Canadian dollars (in October of 2016);

4881.  Apparently, Canadians don’t differentiate condominiums from apartments;

4882.  If you’re a (Wayne) Gretzky fan or a(n ice) hockey fan in general, go to “Wayne Gretzky’s” (Gretzkys.com) in (downtown) Toronto(, Ontario), it’s like a museum (in there);

4883.  Appropriately, “Wayne Gretzky’s” is (located) at “99” Blue Jays Way;

4884.  Tim Hortons (TimHortons.com) is like a cross between Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts;

4885.  Tim Hortons chili is pretty good.  It’s better than Wendy’s (chili).  It might be my favorite fast food chili;

4886.  Tim Hortons is everywhere in Canada (. . . at least in London, Ontario);

4887.  With a few exceptions, you can only buy alcohol at L.C.B.O. in Ontario;

4888.  I can say I’ve ridden a mechanical bull;

4889.  Riding a mechanical bull (really) hurts your hands;

4890.  Apparently, riding a mechanical bull is all about grip strength;

4891.  I met Dale Hunter (the former captain and head coach of the Washington Capitals) at “The Bull & Barrel Urban Saloon” (London.BullAndBarrel.com) in London(, Ontario);

4892.  Apparently, you can be too drunk to ride a mechanical bull( . . . just ask Matilda);

4893.  Sara (Worth) has an Austrian background;

4894.  (You should) take your belt off when she’s not looking;

4895.  They provide complimentary refreshments (i.e., beverages & snacks) at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (i.e., Toronto Island Airport);

4896.  Porter Airlines (FlyPorter.com) provides complimentary beer, wine and snacks on their flights;

4897.  I (still) need to work on keeping my head up;

4898.  A high triglyceride count and low H.D.L. (i.e., high-density lipoprotein) is a sign of an increased risk of heart disease;

4899.  Don’t compare your backstage to everyone else’s front stage;

4900.  The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0097

4801.  The Swedish meatballs (with cream sauce, lingonberries and potato purée) at Restaurang Riche (Riche.se/en/) in Stockholm(, Sweden) are pretty tasty;

4802.  I can say I’ve had Swedish meatballs in Sweden;

4803.  Unlike in the U.S., a woman counts as a person entering a club in Sweden;

4804.  Most Swedes are unwilling to pay a cover (charge) to get into a club;

4805.  Apparently, the Swedish dating model is (to) have sex a couple of times, find out if you like each other and then go out on a date;

4806.  Apparently, Wednesday is considered “little Saturday” in Sweden;

4807.  (Some) Swedish women can get self-conscious if they’re drinking and you’re not;

4808.  There’s complimentary tailoring if you get your jeans at NK Denim (NK.se/Stockholm/Avdelningar/NK-Denim/);

4809.  A cashless society has got to be rough on panhandlers;

4810.  The Max Grilled chicken salad at Max Burger (Max.se) is (actually) pretty tasty;

4811.  In Sweden, you can only buy liquor at Systembolaget;

4812.  In Sweden, they only sell beer by the can or bottle.  There aren’t any six-packs or cases;

4813.  Liquor is (quite) expensive in Sweden;

4814.  Don’t let me arounds docks when I’ve been drinking;

4815.  It’s not a good idea to shotgun beers after helping to polish off a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red (Label);

4816.  What do you do after taking swigs of Johnnie Walker Red (Label), shotgunning beers and passing out at a lake house in Sweden?  The answer is: Shower, get dressed and go to the club (specifically Café Opera in Stockholm, Sweden);

4817.  Apparently, I’m Ian’s guardian angel;

4818.  The “Insane” (i.e., vertical spinning coaster) is probably the best ride in Gröna Lund (GronaLund.com/en/);

4819.  The “Lustiga Huset” (i.e., walk through fun house) in Gröna Lund is really fun.  Some of the stuff they have in there, you couldn’t get away with it in the U.S.;

4820.  A poached egg is just a soft-boiled egg without the shell;

4821.  I can say I’ve drank from a Midas bottle of champagne;

4822.  Swedish snus is (really) potent;

4823.  Apparently, it’s come full circle. . . . I helped get Andrew laid;

4824.  Mister French (MrFrench.se/en/) is a nice place to get drinks and/or eat in Gamla stan (i.e., “The Old Town”) in Stockholm(, Sweden);

4825.  Self-actualized people never place anything into their imaginations that they don’t want to harden into an objective fact;

4826.  Apparently, (as a U.S. citizen,) the U.S. government doesn’t limit how long you can stay/travel out of the country;

4827.  In Sweden, the traffic lights turn from red to yellow (for a split second) before they turn (to) green;

4828.  I’ll always have fond memories of Stockholm(, Sweden);

4829.  Apparently, you can get your VAT/GST taxes back from purchases made abroad at stores associated with Global Blue (GlobalBlue.com).  (It could save you up to 19 percent);

4830.  Steven (Agarwal) said I seem calmer;

4831.  Flavor Flav can play the bass;

4832.  Apparently, Flavor Flav is against racism and separatism;

4833.  Beluga vodka is very smooth.  When it’s chilled, it’s (almost) like drinking water;

4834.  Steven (Agarwal) said I don’t have any problems talking to women;

4835.  Luisa said I seem happier and that I smile more;

4836.  If you are depressed, you are living in the past.  If you are anxious, you are living in the future.  If you are at peace, you are living in the present;

4837.  The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up;

4838.  Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer;

4839.  The sun is always shining someplace;

4840.  The definition of evil is unfriendliness;

4841.  The more we help others, the more we help ourselves;

4842.  What you are thinking about you are becoming;

4843.  When you’re right, nobody remembers.  When you’re wrong, nobody forgets;

4844.  Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.  Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power;

4845.  You can’t grow as a person unless you experience adversity.  Just like you can’t get big muscles without first tearing them up at the gym, you can’t have a strong psyche without experiencing psychological and emotional pain;

4846.  Face the pain.  Embrace the challenge.  Go where you’ve never been before.  Do what’s uncomfortable.  This is what a master does.  This is what a king does;

4847.  Not only does pain provide a direct avenue for growth and development, it also gives us the contrast that makes pleasure enjoyable;

4848.  Write down three of the most emotionally jarring experiences you’ve had in your life.  Write down three reasons to be thankful for each experience and three ways each experience made you a better person;

4849.  Allow yourself to scream and cry whenever you face a difficult emotion.  Challenge yourself to be as present as you can during the experience.  The expression of pain is cathartic.  It’s something each of us needs;

4850.  Make a statement of gratitude every time you face a challenging or uncomfortable situation in your life.  It can be directed to yourself, to reality, the universe, existence or God.  It doesn’t matter.  Just make a point to say “thank you,” in some way.  Start doing it even if you have to force it through your teeth at first.  Over time, it will become more and more natural.  In this way, you’ll train yourself to embrace challenges;