the stuff of thought.

watch what you say.

words, for all their ineffectualness, form the framework of how we see the world. we use language to create our expectations, to guide our experiences. something changes in the telling, we can remake memories, we can loose detail or gain favor. we can frame our losses as wins and our bullshit excuses as valid reasons. all we have to do is tell ourselves over and over and over again. "can't" and "won't" are not the same thing, neither are "need" and "want". be honest. what do you need? what "can't" you do? say you won't. say you don't want to. take the responsibility. forget social nicety and be honest. if you look at a task as being impossible you wont be surprised if you fail. its ok to call things hard when they are but realize that the way you think shapes things. we constantly sort and compartmentalize our world. we fit things into boxes that we understand and are all too quick to truncate or mislabel out of fucking laziness or in an attempt to protect our ego. here is a question, what use is an ego that is so easily shattered? what kind of "self" isn't up to that kind of test? our sense of self is a tool. it can be a weapon. it is the root, the why and the how. so make it hard. keep a keen edge. wield it with the confidence that comes from a familiarity with its essence, and its limits. lies stick like rust and too much time in the dark can leave it brittle and ineffectual. test your metal. your temper. flex and grind, break and rebuild. these words are not accidents, and these tools are not for display. if they are beautiful it is because they are functional. useful. crafted deliberately - with a goal in mind. and they are for me as much as anyone who might be reading them.