Using Your Time Wisely

The Improvement of Spare Moments
From Pushing to the Front, 1894
By Orrison Swett Marden

Found in The Art of Manliness - Manvotionals: Timeless Wisdom and Advice on Living the 7 Manly Virtues. By Brett and Kate McKay.  HOW Books, 2011.  272 pages.  Quote: p 87-90.

The Improvement of Spare Moments, Part 1
By Orrison Swett Marden, 1894


"On the floor of the gold-working room, in the United States Mint in Philadelphia, there is a wooden lattice-work which is taken up when the floor is swept, and the fine particles of gold-dust, thousands of dollars' worth yearly, are thus saved.  So every successful man has a kind of network to catch "the raspings and parings of existence, those leavings of days and wee bits of hours" which most people sweep into the waste of life.  He who hoards and turns into account all odd minutes, half hours, unexpected holidays, gaps between times, and chasms of waiting for unpunctual persons, achieves results which astonish those who have not mastered this most valuable secret.  

The days come to us like friends in disguise, bringing priceless gifts from an unseen hand; but if you do not use them, they are borne silently away, never to return.  Each successive morning new gifts are brought, but if we failed to accept those that were brought yesterday and the day before, we become less and less about to turn them in account, until the ability to appreciate and utilize them is exhausted.  Wisely was it said that lost wealth may be regained by industry and economy, lost knowledge by study, lost health by temperance and medicine, but lost time is gone forever.  

"Oh, it's only five minutes or ten minutes till meal-time: there's not time to do anything now," is one of the commonest expressions heard in the family.  But what monuments have been built up by poor boys with no chance, out of broken fragments of time which many of us throw away!  The very hours you have wasted, if improved, might have insured your success.  

The author of "Paradise Lost" was a teacher, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Secretary of the Lord Protector, and had to write his sublime poetry whenever he could snatch a few minutes from a busy life.  John Stuart Mill did much of his best work as a writer while a clerk in the East India House.  Galileo was a surgeon, yet to the improvement of his spare moments the world owes some of its greatest discoveries."  

Ikigai: A Reason for Living

"A Reason for Living":  Ikigai

Ikigai "entails actions of devoting oneself to pursuits one enjoys and is associated with feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment."
-  Michiko Kumano

Secrets to a Long and Happy Life

1.  Stay active and don't retire
2.  Leave urgency behind and adopt a slower pace of life.
3.  Only eat until you are 80 per cent full.
4.  Surround yourself with good friends.
5.  Get in shape through daily, gentle exercise.
6.  Smile and acknowledge people around you.
7.  Reconnect with nature
8.  Give thanks to anything that brightens our day and makes us feel alive.
9.  Live in the moment.
10.  Follow your Ikigai.  

-  Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles,  Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, 2017.

Advice from Wise Persons: How to Live the Good Life

Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

Meditations for a Better Life

 “Meditations for a Better Life:

1. Get the self-monitoring habit

2. Question your thinking

3. Remind yourself that "it's a cup"

4. Don't get hung up on status and reputation

5. Radiate goodwill

6. Don't be too optimistic

7. Think about death (but not too much)

8. Consider the bigger picture

9. Use common sense

10. Be quiet"

- Antonia Macaro, More Than Happiness: Buddhist and Stoic Wisdom for a Secular Age, 2018.

Greek Ideas about Living a Good Life

 Ten Golden Rules for Living the Good Life

  
“1. Examine life, engage life with vengeance; always search for new pleasures and new destines to reach with your mind.
 2.  Worry only about the things that are in your control, the things that can be influenced and changed by your actions, not about the things that are beyond your capacity to direct or alter. 
 3.  Treasure Friendship, the reciprocal attachment that fills the need for affiliation. Friendship cannot be acquired in the market place, but must be nurtured and treasured in relations imbued with trust and amity. 
 4.  Experience True Pleasure. Avoid shallow and transient pleasures. Keep your life simple. Seek calming pleasures that contribute to peace of mind. True pleasure is disciplined and restrained. 
 5.  Master Yourself. Resist any external force that might delimit thought and action; stop deceiving yourself, believing only what is personally useful and convenient; complete liberty necessitates a struggle within, a battle to subdue negative psychological and spiritual forces that preclude a healthy existence; self mastery requires ruthless cador. 
 6.  Avoid Excess. Live life in harmony and balance. Avoid excesses. Even good things, pursued or attained without moderation, can become a source of misery and suffering. 
 7.  Be a Responsible Human Being. Approach yourself with honesty and thoroughness; maintain a kind of spiritual hygiene; stop the blame-shifting for your errors and shortcomings. 
 8.  Don’t Be a Prosperous Fool. Prosperity by itself, is not a cure-all against an ill-led life, and may be a source of dangerous foolishness. Money is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the good life, for happiness and wisdom. 
 9.  Don’t Do Evil to Others. Evildoing is a dangerous habit, a kind of reflex too quickly resorted to and too easily justified that has a lasting and damaging effect upon the quest for the good life. Harming others claims two victims—the receiver of the harm, and the victimizer, the one who does harm. 
 10.  Kindness towards others tends to be rewarded. Kindness to others is a good habit that supports and reinforces the quest for the good life. Helping others bestows a sense of satisfaction that has two beneficiaries—the beneficiary, the receiver of the help, and the benefactor, the one who provides the help.” 

-   By M. A. Soupious and Panos Mourdoukoutas, The Ten Golden Rules: Ancient Wisdom from the Greek Philosophers on Living the Good Life, 2009. 

Remember to ...

 

George Carlin (1937-2008) was an American comedian and social critic who became popular in the 1970's and 1980's.  His second wife died early in 2008, and George followed her, dying in July 2008 of heart failure.  He did is last comedy routine in Las Vegas a week before he died.  

Here is one short essay by George Carlin:  

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

And always remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by those moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Dao De Jing, Chapter 8

Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu
Chapter 8

"The seer flows like water
Lying low along the way
Nourishing whatever comes
To be held on display

The seer keeps to simple ways
And therefore is content
When joy or sorrow manifests
To give complete assent

If you can clearly be yourself

And never rise to interfere
Everyone will cherish you
And always hold you dear"
-  Translated by Jim Clatfelder, 2000, Chapter 8

"A person with superior goodness (shan) is like water,
Water is good in benefiting (li) all beings,
Without contending (cheng) with any.
Situated in places shunned (o) by many others,
Thereby it is near (chi) Tao.
(Such a person's) dwelling is the good earth,
(His/her) mind (hsin) is the good deep water (yuan),
(His/her) associates are good kind people (jen),
(His/her) speech shows good trust (hsin),
(His/her) governing is the good order,
(His/her) projects (shih) are carried out by good talents (neng),
(His/her) activities (tung) are good in timing.
Because he does not contend (pu cheng) with any,
He commits no wrong."
-  Translated by Ellen Marie Chen, 1989, Chapter 8

"The highest good is like water.
Water give life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In daily life, be competent.
In action, be aware of the time and the season.
No fight: No blame."
-  Translated by Gai-fu Feng and Jane English, 1989, Chapter 8 

"The highest goodness that we know has water for its type,

It benefits all things, yet ever flows

To the spot which men disdain, the gutter and the plain,

And so is near the Tao, its archetype.

A residence is excellent according to its place,

A heart for eddies passion never knows,

Generosity for kindness, words for faithfulness,

A government for order, business for its gain,

And movements for their timeliness and grace.

As the man of excellence does not quarrel for his place,

There are none to find fault with him for the places which remain."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 8

"Perfect excellence is like gentle water.
Gentle water benefits all things and yet it does not struggle.
Do away with what all people hate.
Thus this is approaching Dao.
Give to what is of perfect personnel.
Stay in a perfect place,
think in a perfect way,
cooperate with perfect people,
speak perfect truth,
govern in perfect order,
work for perfect potentiality,
move when the time is perfect.
Because of non-struggle, therefore, there is no blame."
-  Translated by Tang Zi-Chang, Chapter 8

上善若水.
水善利萬物而不爭.
處衆人之所惡.
故幾於道.
居善地心善淵.
與善仁.
言善信.
正善治.
事善能.
動善時.
夫唯不爭, 故無尤.-  Chinese characters, Chapter 8, Tao Te Ching 

 shang shan ruo shui.
 shui shan li wan wu er bu zheng.
 chu zhong ren zhi suo wu.
 gu ji yu dao.
 ju shan di xin shan yuan.
 yu shan ren.
 yan shan xin.
 zheng shan zhi.
 shi shan neng.
 dong shan shi.
 fu wei bu zheng, gu wu you.
 -  Pinyin Romanization, Chapter 8, Daodejing
  

"The best way to life is to be like water
For water benefits all things and goes against none of them
It provides for all people and even cleanses those places a man is loath to go
In this way it is just like Tao
Live in accordance with the nature of things
Build your house on solid ground
Keep your mind still
When giving, be kind
When speaking, be truthful
When ruling, be just
When working, be one-pointed
When acting, remember, timing is everything
One who lives in accordance with nature does not go against the way of things
He moves in harmony with the present moment always knowing the truth of just what to do"
-  Translated by Johathan Star, 2001, Chapter 8 

"The highest form of goodness is like water.
Water knows how to benefit all things without striving with them.
It stays in places loathed by all men.
Therefore, it comes near the Tao.
In choosing your dwelling, know how to keep to  the ground.
In cultivating your mind, know how to dive in  the hidden deeps.
In dealing with others, know how to be gentle and kind.
In speaking, know how to keep your words.
In governing, know how to maintain order.
In transacting business, know how to be efficient.
In making a move, know how to choose the right  moment.
If you do not strive with others,
You will be free from blame."
-  Translated by John C. H. Wu, 1961, Chapter 8 

"El hombre de bondad superior es como el agua.
 El agua en su quietud favorece a todas las cosas,
 ocupa el lugar despreciado por los hombres,
 y así está cerca del dao.
 Su lugar es favorable;
 su corazón, sereno;
 su don, del agrado del cielo;
 su palabra, leal;
 su gobierno, en orden;
 en sus empresas, capaz;
 sus movimientos, oportunos.
 Sólo la falta de quietud
 impide la superación."
 -  Translated by Juan Ignacio Preciado, 1978, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 8  

"Heavenly Love is like water.
Water blesses all things,
It does not hurt them.
It loves the lowly place that men dislike,
Therefore it comes very near to Tao.
The Master loves to dwell upon the earth.
In his heart he loves Infinity,
In his benevolence he loves giving,
In his words he loves sincerity,
In his government he loves peace,
In his business affairs he loves ability,
In his movements he loves punctuality.
The Master, indeed, does not fight,
Therefore his Inner Life increases."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 8 

"Highest good is like water.
Because water excels in benefiting the myriad creatures
    without contending with them and settles where none would like to be,
    it comes close to the way.
In a home it is the site that matters;
In quality of mind it is depth that matters;
In an ally it is benevolence that matters;
In speech it is good faith that matters;
In government it is order that matters;
In affairs it is ability that matters;
In action it is timeliness that matters.
It is because it does not contend that it is never at fault."

-  Translated by D. C. Lau, 1963, Chapter 8  

"The highest excellence is like that of water.
 The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying,
 Without striving to the contrary, the low place which all men dislike.
 Hence its way is near to that of the Tao.
 The excellence of a residence is in the suitability of the place;
 That of the mind is in abysmal stillness;
 That of associations is in their being with the virtuous;
 That of government is in its securing good order;
 That of the conduct of affairs is in its ability; and,
 That of the initiation of any movement is in its timeliness.
 And when one with the highest excellence does not wrangle about his low position,
 No one finds fault with him."

 -  Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 8

"The foremost goodness is like water.
Water is good at benefiting all living things,
even though there are arguments about how it could reside
in places that most people hate.
In that way it is very close to being like Dao.
It is good at residing in the earth; the mind sees that goodness as bottomless.
It is good at giving through nature; words express that goodness with sincerity.
It is good at showing the right course of governing.
It is good at enabling all work to be completed;
through motion goodness adjusts to the time.
Well then, there is really no reason for arguments.
Because there is nothing that is at fault."

-  Translated by Nina Correa, 2005, Chapter 8 

Daodejing 81 Website 

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes 25 or more different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 or more Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.

Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization. 

An electronic Concordance for all 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching is provided.

Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter. 


Chapter 8, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Concordance for the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Daodejing 81 Website

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Getting the Life You Want

Happiness Activities

1.  Expressing Gratitude
2.  Cultivating Optimism
3.  Avoiding Over-Thinking and Social Comparisons
4.  Practicing Acts of Kindness
5.  Nurturing Social Relationships
6.  Developing Strategies for Coping
7.  Learning to Forgive
8.  Increasing Flow Expectations
9.  Savoring Life's Joys
10.  Committing to Your Goals
11.  Practicing Spirituality
12.  Taking Care of Your Body (Psychological Methods)
13.  Taking Care of Your Body (Physical Activity)
14.  Taking Care of Your Body (Acting Like a Happy Person)
15.  The Hows Behind Sustainable Happiness: Positive Emotions,
       Optimal Timing and Variety, Social Support, Motivation, Effort,
       Commitment, and Habit.  

The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want  By Sonja Lyubomirsky.  New York, Penguin Books, 2008.  Index, extensive notes, appendix, 366 pages.  ISBN: 978-1594201486.  Ms. Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at the University of California at Riverside, and a leader in the field of positive psychology.  

Professor Lyubomirsky analyzes what determines happiness.  Her research indicates that "happiness" is determined approximately 50% by our internal biological "Set Point", 10% by our circumstances in life, and 40% by our intentional activity.  Her explanations and suggestions are clear, reasonable, and grounded in psychological research.  Gaining effective use of our intentional activities is the focus of this book.  "This much happiness - up to 40% - is within your power to change."  

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Virtues and a Good Life

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks

Pleasure

Reading

Epicureanism

Six Adult Life Tasks

Adult Life Tasks:

Identity
Intimacy
Career Consolidation
Generativity
Keeper of the Meaning
Integrity

- By George E. Vaillant, M.D.. Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development, 2002. 

Erick Erikson in the 1940's contended that adult development passes through the four stages of "Identity vs. Identity Diffusion," "Intimacy vs. Isolation," "Generativity vs. Stagnation," and "Integrity vs. Despair."

Hypertext Documents by Mike Garofalo:

Aging Well  

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Opportunities as We Age

"Aging is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength."
-  Betty Friedan

"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years.  We grow old by deserting our ideals.  Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."
-  Samuel Ullman

Aging Well 

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

How to Live a Better Life

12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson


Stand up straight with your shoulders back
Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
Make friends with people who want the best for you
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
Tell the truth – or, at least, don't lie
Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't
Be precise in your speech
Do not bother children when they are skateboarding
Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos  
By Jordan B. Peterson
Random House, 2018, 409 pages.

How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

Cultivating the Dao

Nine Ways of Cultivating the Tao

Cultivating Harmony
Cultivating the Spirit
Cultivating the Energy
Cultivating Right Action
Cultivating Contentment
Cultivating Simplicity
Cultivating Clarity
Cultivating Humility
Cultivating Softness"

-  Eva Wong, Being Taoist: Wisdom for Living a Balanced Life, 2015,
      pp. 105-115

How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons

Ten Golden Rules

Ten Golden Rules for Living the Good Life

  
“1. Examine life, engage life with vengeance; always search for new pleasures and new destines to reach with your mind.

 2.  Worry only about the things that are in your control, the things that can be influenced and changed by your actions, not about the things that are beyond your capacity to direct or alter.  

 3.  Treasure Friendship, the reciprocal attachment that fills the need for affiliation. Friendship cannot be acquired in the market place, but must be nurtured and treasured in relations imbued with trust and amity.  

 4.  Experience True Pleasure. Avoid shallow and transient pleasures. Keep your life simple. Seek calming pleasures that contribute to peace of mind. True pleasure is disciplined and restrained.  

 5.  Master Yourself. Resist any external force that might delimit thought and action; stop deceiving yourself, believing only what is personally useful and convenient; complete liberty necessitates a struggle within, a battle to subdue negative psychological and spiritual forces that preclude a healthy existence; self mastery requires ruthless cador.  

 6.  Avoid Excess. Live life in harmony and balance. Avoid excesses. Even good things, pursued or attained without moderation, can become a source of misery and suffering.  

 7.  Be a Responsible Human Being. Approach yourself with honesty and thoroughness; maintain a kind of spiritual hygiene; stop the blame-shifting for your errors and shortcomings.  

 8.  Don’t Be a Prosperous Fool. Prosperity by itself, is not a cure-all against an ill-led life, and may be a source of dangerous foolishness. Money is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the good life, for happiness and wisdom.  

 9.  Don’t Do Evil to Others. Evildoing is a dangerous habit, a kind of reflex too quickly resorted to and too easily justified that has a lasting and damaging effect upon the quest for the good life. Harming others claims two victims—the receiver of the harm, and the victimizer, the one who does harm.  

 10.  Kindness towards others tends to be rewarded. Kindness to others is a good habit that supports and reinforces the quest for the good life. Helping others bestows a sense of satisfaction that has two beneficiaries—the beneficiary, the receiver of the help, and the benefactor, the one who provides the help.” 

-   By M. A. Soupious and Panos Mourdoukoutas, The Ten Golden Rules: Ancient Wisdom from the Greek Philosophers on Living the Good Life, 2009. 

Epicureanism

How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons

Hedonism, Utilitarianism