Author: Travis
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On Getting Older and Living Unhurried
It is not the young man who should be considered fortunate but the old man who has lived well, because the young man in his prime wanders much by chance, vacillating in his beliefs, whilst the old man has docked in the harbour, having safeguarded his true happiness. Epicurus I wonder at times what old…
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Our Past Choices
At the outset, we should determine in what condition we wish to be, in what kind of pursuits, and whether in private or public life – a decisions the most difficult of all; for it is in early youth, when judgement is the weakest, that one chooses some mode of life with which he has…
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Becoming a Capable Dad: Getting Towards the Birth
In about 90 days I’ll be a father. How quickly time moved after we got the phone call that the blood test detected hCG levels. We are pregnant. We are having a baby. Whilst I knew we were pregnant, not much had actually changed for me. It wasn’t until we first saw the little one on…
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The challenge of focus: How to juggle the duties of life
Do you wonder if you are focusing on the right things or getting distracted by the wrong ones? Where should my focus be? It’s difficult in a busy and complex world. How can we avoid distraction? What should we focus on? Am I missing the things that I actually want to be part of? “Life…
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Holiday Bliss
It’s 7:00am. We’ve been up for two hours already, just like normal. Rising at 5:00am, we head out on our loop around the neighbourhood. It’s about eight kilometres. The sun is out but it’s not too hot yet. We walk through the various parks and bushland. Chatting away for some. Being with our thoughts for…
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Lessons from presenting Cicero’s On Duties
No part of life, whether in public or in private affairs, abroad or at home, in your personal conduct or your social relations, can be free from the claims of duty. It is in the observance of duty that lies all the honour of life. In its neglect, all of the shame. Cicero, On Duties…
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2023 Annual Review
How do I think about my 2023 Annual Review? Have you watched Wheel of Time season two yet? Major goals have been completed. The stage is set for something bigger and better. That was 2023. I’m writing this review whilst on vacation in Tweed Heads. We took a break and went to the Coast, where…
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What if we have everything?
It’s 7:45am. I’ve been up for a few hours already. Breakfast is my current favourite – yoghurt, muesli, fresh blueberries. It’s a day of rain. Not that it’s a bad thing. A nice backdrop to look outside the window whilst I ate. Coffee in hand, I headed upstairs and spent an hour working on a…
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Reflection on my big trip – 10 years later
Machu Picchu. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I leaned against the stone walls of the Sun Gate to catch my breath. We started the day at 3:30am. There was a cool breeze in the air to join the surrounding mist which covered the valley below. It had been a long, tiring…
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The emotion of ‘looking forward’
I experience a lot of positive emotions when I think about future plans. We have a great trip coming up. There’s fatherhood. I’m catching up with my cousin. With my interest in Stoicism, this led me to think about emotions and ‘looking forward’ to something. Can we? I believe so. For a Stoic, emotions are…