Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Refining your desires

Value arises from effort, not from desire alone. Desire helps you understand what has meaning, but it is neither the source of meaning nor the fulfillment of value.

Desires have great power and also much variety. Like every other powerful force, any particular desire can be highly beneficial or can lead to disastrous results.

The desires that push you to bring real, lasting value to life are the ones that align with your long-term goals. While every desire involves feeling good in some way, it’s essential to identify which desires will lead to a sense of goodness that endures.

Before you put energy into chasing a desire, put some time and thought into refining that desire. Seek to understand the desire behind the desire, and the even deeper desire behind that.

Do you really desire a bag of potato chips? Or is that actually a superficial indication of a deeper desire for more nutritious nourishment?

Every day you are motivated by your desires. So it pays to invest yourself in understanding where they come from, and where they’re likely to take you.

— Ralph Marston

Spark of hope       What you don't know

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