Motivation Quote R. W. Emerson

Merrychrissmith

“Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

R. W. Emerson is a literary hero of mine. I just re-read this quote and it gives meaning to starting a new day, everyday.

And an apocryphal tale, a bit long but like the message

Two Buddhist/Zen monks are walking in the woods, from one monastery to another. On their way they come across a stream where a young lady is trying to cross and is struggling to keep her very nice dress from getting dirty. One of the monks sees this, and picks her up and carries her to the other side. Only part way through does he remember that this is a horrendous break of that monastic order's chastity rules. The other monk is appalled. His friend has just broken a fundamental tenet of their way of life.

After this they continue on and a couple of hours later, the second monk can't take it anymore. He is furious while the other is calm. He finally rages, "shame on you, why did you pick up that woman?!" The first monk says to him with a smile, "my friend, I put that woman down over two hours ago. Why are you still carrying her with you?"

The first guy made a mistake and then moved on, it helped him continue about his day in relative calm. The one who ruminated longer only agitated himself about something that has already happened and can't be changed.

edited for spelling and grammer