Chapter 107
Rolling with Life's Punches
1.Where is that common-sense of yours? Where that deftness in examining things? That greatness of soul? Have you come to be tormented by a trifle? Your slaves regarded your absorption in business as an opportunity for them to run away. Well, if your friends deceived you (for by all means let them have the name which we mistakenly bestowed upon them, and so call them, that they may incur more shame by not being such friends)—if your friends, I repeat, deceived you, all your affairs would lack something; as it is, you merely lack men who damaged your own…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Build Your Collision Map
Pick one area of your life where you're hoping everything goes smoothly - work, relationships, health, finances. Create a 'collision map' by listing 3-5 realistic problems that could happen. Then for each potential problem, write one sentence about how you'd handle it with dignity intact.
Consider:
- •This isn't about being negative - it's about being prepared like a good driver who knows accidents happen
- •Focus on problems you could reasonably face, not extreme disasters
- •Your 'handling strategy' should preserve your self-respect and values
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you were blindsided by something that, looking back, you probably should have seen coming. How would mental preparation have changed your response?
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