A Zen Stoic, New York, NY (2026)

02/04/2026

Oftentimes, things start working out
when we stop replaying in
our mind all the ways it could fail.

In these situations, we might think
we are taking measures to prevent
pain, but we’re past way that phase,
and more in the ruminating zone.

Risks won’t disappear with a snap of fingers.
And yes, overcoming fear is a process.

But what’s more important is
that we stop feeding it.

Many things don’t fall apart
because they can’t work.
They fall apart because doubt
gets more attention than effort.

We often experience a healthy balance
between doubt and confidence.
And by fixating on every step, we actively
contribute in breaking this balance.

So, when we find ourselves stuck,
perhaps it’s a sign that we have to
let go of the need to predict a
flawless outcome.

Do the work.
Adjust as you go.

Sometimes things work out not
because we were 100% certain,
but because we didn’t let
every reason it wouldn’t, stop us from trying.

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02/01/2026

Here’s the broader text for context—Fihi Ma Fihi, Discourse 38:

Rumi said: Well, intention first exists in the
inner world before entering this world of form.
So if form does not matter, what is the purpose of
this world?

If you plant only the kernel of an
apricot stone, nothing will grow.
If you plant it with its husk, then it becomes a tree.

From this we know that form also has a function.
Yes, prayer is an inward matter:

“There is no prayer without
the heart being present.”
But it is still necessary to
bring the prayer into form.
With outward words,
genuflection, and prostration,
you gain benefit
and attain your desire.

The outer form of prayer is temporary, the
inner spirit never ends.
For the Spirit of the world
is an infinite ocean,
the body but a limited shore.

Therefore, continual prayer belongs only to the
spirit, but that inward prayer must manifest.
Until intention and form are wedded,
there are no children born.

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01/30/2026

……………………………
( )

01/29/2026

This needs context, otherwise it’s easy to misunderstand.

When Don Juan says “you felt too damn important,”
he’s not speaking about healthy self-worth.
He’s pointing to something else entirely.

He’s talking about a fragile, inflated ego,
the kind that needs control, certainty, and protection at all costs.
The kind that cannot tolerate vulnerability
without calling it weakness.

That kind of “importance” makes you heavy.
You cling to rigid identities.
You defend images.
You retreat the moment something threatens how you see yourself.

On the path of self-knowledge, that weight becomes a liability.

Because learning requires being wrong.
Growth requires exposure.
Strength requires passing through moments
where you don’t feel powerful, special, or in control...

A man or woman of knowledge must be light,
not careless, but flexible.
Able to move, adapt, let go.
Able to face uncertainty without armor.

This isn’t about losing respect for yourself.
It’s about loosening the grip of an ego
that confuses inflated/fragile ego,
or a fragile self-image with strength.

True inner strength doesn’t come
from protecting an image.
It comes from being able to walk forward
even when the image cracks.

The moment you stop carrying
the weight of “importance,”
you regain fluidity.
And with it, the capacity to actually learn.

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01/27/2026

If restlessness, fixations, envy,
and other shadows live in you,
they climbs with you whenever you go.

Surely, a change of scenery can lift our mood,
a hike can boost our health,
and it gives us space to breathe.
But if we expect mountain tops to be a magic cure,
we’ll likely be disappointed...

Oftentimes, what is mistaken as enlightenment,
is just escape in disguise.

The ego is clever.
When it can’t dominate through ambition,
it can disguise itself as transcendence.
All this just to avoid some uncomfortable truths...

Zen doesn’t remove you from life.
It brings you back into it.

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01/26/2026

Maybe it’s taking you longer
because you refused take some shortcuts
at any cost, even at the cost of humanity.

Because you didn’t hide the truth when it would’ve helped.
Didn’t aim to use people as stepping stones.
Didn’t twist yourself into something convenient just for profit or approval.

You chose to build without draining yourself.
To move slower, but with more authenticity.
To keep your name, your word, your conscience intact.

More often than not, that path isn't full of hype.
And perhaps the success of other's will push your envy buttons,
as it doesn’t reward you immediately.
But it does something quieter and more important
beneath the surface.

It lets you arrive without shame.
Without having to explain who you became to get there.

Some timelines are longer
because they’re honest.

And that’s not failure.
That’s integrity taking its time.

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01/25/2026

Accountability isn’t a skill you hand over.
It’s a mirror someone has to choose to look into.

For some, that mirror feels unbearable.
It threatens the stories they’ve told themselves.
The roles they hide behind.
The comfort of always having someone else to blame.

Growth demands friction.
It asks for discomfort, humility, and self-examination.
And not everyone wants that price.

So instead, they protect the illusion.
They rationalize.
They deflect.
They rewrite events until responsibility disappears.

And when faced with a choice,
to face themselves
or to lose a relationship...
many choose the latter.

Not necessarily because they don’t care.
But because facing themselves would
require becoming someone “new”, different...

Accountability changes you.
Avoidance crystalizes you
in a state that makes it hard to evolve,
learn faster, go deeper,
and nurture meaningful bonds.

And that choice, quiet as it is,
can shape everything that follows.

—
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01/23/2026

More often than not,
the right choice is the one that meets resistance inside us.

And it can be difficult because
it asks us to give up something tempting.

Sometimes that temptation looks like a shortcut.
More money, faster superficial results, cheap wins,
at the cost of our principles,
our humanity,
our ability to look at ourselves in the mirror.

Yes, we could make money quickly by exploiting others,
by twisting the truth,
by numbing our conscience and calling it “strategy.”

Or we can move slower,
but with good will.
Build something honest.
Earn without draining the light in our soul...
Sleep without rehearsing excuses in our head.
(Provided we have a conscience...)

The same applies when dealing with injustice.
A wrong no one wants to address.
A situation where silence would be easier
and speaking up would make things awkward.

Doing nothing protects our comfort.
Doing the right thing risks it.

That’s why the body tightens.
That’s why the mind searches for justifications.
Because, the "harder" often threatens
the image we’re used to maintaining.

But difficulty isn’t always a warning sign.
Often, it’s the signal that your values are being tested.

Yes, the right thing doesn't always
bring immediate relief.
But it often brings alignment.
And over time, a kind of inner peace
that shortcuts can’t buy.

01/22/2026

Resentment doesn’t explode all at once.
It corrodes.

Quietly.
Slowly.
Often, out of sight.

Like rust in an engine,
it builds from what was never said,
never addressed,
never repaired while
it still wasn’t very costly…

On the surface,
things may still seem to go well.
Conversations continue.
Routines stay pretty much the same.

But underneath, damage is spreading.
Resentment forms when needs are ignored,
boundaries are crossed,
or compromises are made without honesty.

Left unchecked, it doesn’t stay small.
It crystalizes.
It leaks into tone, distance, indifference.
Until one day, the relationship breaks down
and no one remembers exactly when it started.

Maintenance matters.
Speak early.
Repair often,
even though it might not feel comfortable.
It’s often uncomfortable for the ego.

Clear what’s building before it becomes structural.

What we don’t address doesn’t disappear.
It builds up.
It can eat us from the inside,
and transform what once felt
as home, to something
that you see as intoxicating,
or worse, without life...

—
📌 In the book 📓8 𝙏𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙘 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙨
I break down the subtle dynamics that keep repeating,
so you can spot them early.

🔗 Available on Amazon ⬇️

https://amzn.to/3LyQ9BD

01/20/2026

𝙋𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖 𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖.
Through hardships to the stars.

Here I don't want to label struggle as romantic.
And definitely not define pain as noble on its own.
The thing is that life has a way of individuating us
through some resistances it places before us.

Oftentimes, the strength we admire in others
was not always chosen as a first option.
It was cultivated under pressure,
in moments that needed adaptation,
patience, courage, responsibility, restraint.

And the sooner we understand this,
the less we fight reality.
And the less we fight reality,
the less unnecessary stress we add to the load.

It can become a vicious cycle...
Excess resistance creates excess tension.
Excess tension floods the system.
When stress hormones run unchecked,
clarity fades, energy leaks, recovery slows.

But when hardship is met with understanding,
the nervous system steadies.
The body organizes itself.
The mind stops wasting energy on protest
and redirects it toward growth.

That’s when resilience develops faster.
That’s when virtues stop being only ideals
and become lived capacities.

And as we grow stronger inside,
we’re able to reach higher,
explore deeper
achieve more,
and give more without breaking entirely.

Surely, the path upward isn’t smooth.
But when walked with awareness,
it becomes sustainable.

—
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01/17/2026

Strength without understanding may turn reckless.
Knowledge without courage can stay unused in many occasions.

Fire forges you.
Knowledge tempers you.

Without the first, you may hesitate when it’s time to act.
Without the second, you will often fight without knowing why.

The balance matters.
Because the world doesn’t need more force without thought,
or more thought without backbone.

It needs people strong enough to act,
and wise enough to know what is worth fighting for.

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01/16/2026

You will stop at many branches,
sometimes to rest and gather your energy,
sometimes to enjoy the view,
and sometimes to connect with the ground,
and you can live without clinging to any of those branches.

Not because you are careless,
but because you are aligned with your nature.

You don't second-guess the sky.
You don't overthink the wind.
you move when it’s time to move.
Rest when it’s time to rest.
And trust the intelligence that lives deeper than thought.

When you are deeply attuned to yourself,
you don’t need constant reassurance,
external permission,
or someone else to tell you when to go.

You leave no heavy footprint behind
because you’re not dragging fear,
artificial identity, or regret with you.

You move.
And life moves with you.

PS: This description is more metaphoric than the ones
I usually write.
It's not without purpose.
I let you meditate with it.
The result will be something unique to your circumstances.
Something that can't be taught,
but lived...)

—
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A Zen Stoic

02/04/2026

02/01/2026

01/30/2026

01/29/2026

01/27/2026

01/26/2026

01/25/2026

01/23/2026

01/22/2026

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01/16/2026

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