I know I have said it before, but it has been true for years for me, and will remain always so I imagine.  I am an “eat the worms, spit out the germs” kinda guy.  In this context that means to me that what I find valuable I will hold on to.  Other stuff I discard.  It may be discarded forever, or it may be just for another time.  It is not for this time.
I listen out for things that impact me.  I can go ages, and nothing stands out while at other times heaps stand out to me.  That is what is happening right now.
What I heard that I really liked and find a real source of motivation is - we live life on schedules and often if we want something it means making the time.  Often what matters is not something that is a part of my schedule right now - so I make time for it.
Work is a schedule.  Ok I am retired now but for 40 odd years I turned up for work.  Mostly I felt like it.  I was into it.  At other times I did not feel like it, but I turned up anyway.  Either way I got paid.
We are getting a new kitchen and granny flat.  That activity was not a part of our regular schedule, but we wanted it and made time for it.  The granny flat or “cabin” in particular, we have dreams for.  But those dreams could never happen without changing our regular schedule and making time for its construction.
That one has been totally weird.  Merril ended up in hospital during the time and the builder also ended up in hospital and has had a few days off.
The lesson for me is some things that matter big time do not always go as thought.   But they are worth it if it is something we feel we want to do.  We know our dream also benefits others down the track.
The point for me is what I want and feel may be best for me is sometimes not what I am doing right now.  Yet I know it is important enough for me to make room in my schedule to do it.  I may mean getting rid of other things, but the other things are improved by what I do.  Or if they are lessoned or discarded, they may never have really mattered in the first place.
Being retired may mean my schedule is different to what it was, but for me it matters as much as it always has.

A friend of mine who was visiting from the US commented on the diversity of trees here.  They liked that.  I was reminded of that by an illustration I heard yesterday.  I really liked it. 
It also reminded me of the “Are you OK?” movement.  I hold that up as “an answer” rather than “the answer” to a problem.  My problem is that the ones who ask, “are you ok?” are likely to have been the ones who asked it anyway.  But I am a great believer in “just because something is flawed it should not be abandoned.”  Putting a good cause in people’s consciousness has gotta help.  Truth be known I would have been abandoned a long time ago if abandoning what is flawed were the case.
Anyway, thinking about such things was brought on by an illustration.  Apparently, Redwood trees in the US can grown up to 300 feet tall.  But a ranger said though they are so tall their roots go down only three feet.  Most other trees go as deep or deeper than they are high.  That is why in storms mostly they stand - because their strength comes from their deep roots.  Yet Redwood trees go only three foot down and remain standing.
The reason they stand lies in what the roots do.  They descend three foot, then they spread out and link up and become intertwined with other redwood trees - when the storm blows the wind is battling a forest rather than a tree.
The ranger said he could show Redwood trees that had died but remained standing.  All because the other trees would not let them go.
I love that.  I admire a fine specimen, but it is the crook and imperfect  that need attention most.  From the ads and magazines, it seems society would have us believe all is well with all.  Yet real life shows that is not the case.
Sometimes I need you and at other times you need me.  We are to support each other.  If I am feeling low or in need, you have my back.  You will not let me go.  And it works the other way too.
That is what I like about “Are you ok?”  No one need face a storm alone.  Storms need not uproot but can make stronger.  But I know I must admit I need you and you need me.  If we link up, then together we can. 
Are you ok?

Today is James Clear email day and I am doing something I have never done before.  Including everything in the email.  I am doing it as it feels everything is good advice to me.
Ok the use of the word fate in the last quote seems a bit fixed, as I feel at liberty to make choices.  I may not understand the mechanics of having a free will set against everything being pre-determined, but that does not stop me feeling I am at liberty to make choices.
It can be for me that it becomes too easy not to see the wood for the trees.  I cannot dispute compromising character is a slippery road, or the value of pursuing what is natural, or the value of training hard.  Nor can I dispute the existence and value of both good and bad news.  Nor do I want to dispute the last quote which talks about fate and the value of ever experience.  I have been big on finding good in bad.  Others ay it better than I but to me it is important as life is made up of both.
"You can lose yourself one small compromise at a time. You can transform yourself one small win at a time."
"You don't have to be good at everything, you just need to double down on what you're naturally suited for."
"Train hard and focus on what you can control."
2 Quotes From Others
Scientist Donella Meadows on being proactive, yet positive:
"There is too much bad news to justify complacency. There is too much good news to justify despair."  Source: Thinking in Systems​​​
Writer and professor Joseph Campbell on loving your fate:
"Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called "the love of your fate."
Whatever your fate is, whatever happens, you say, "This is what I need." It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment — not discouragement — you will find the strength is there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!
Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes."
Source: Reflections on the Art of Living (edited lightly for clarity), Hat tip to Dylan O'Sullivan.
I like to read and pray to start the day.  I consistently read one source and read others more randomly.  Starting early is good for me but no matter when it happens, a good start is good for me.