Be the poet of your life’s song. Laurence Boldt, Zen and the Art of Making a Living
Making the music of your life is a lot easier with a samurai mind notebook.
When I first started teaching up in the South Bronx, I started to notice that some of my students had notebooks where they worked out their rhymes. They treated these notebooks with a heck of a lot more care than the work I was giving them, but I respect that.
To create, shape, and save your words means that you get to create your vision, create your own song. To keep a notebook is to create your samurai sword. To review it regularly is to polish it with love.
I just hit a patch of inspirational material that has been overdue for a six month review. At the time I was reading Zen and the Art of Making a Living and copied the best ideas and quotations. One more time I got to hear William James say, “Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.”
The Samurai Mind Notebook is a way to do what James is asking. By taking time to write ideas and inspirations into your little notebook and gently review them, you systematize on-going cultivating. It’s like you are leaving little treats or positive “bombs” to challenge or steer you in the future.
I’m also coming across little bits of music theory in my notebook. Lately, I’ve made a conscious decision to give less attention to music, but coming across these snippets in my samurai mind notebook is challenging that decision in a fun way. I know that the holiday sale at jamplay.com is happening again, and I just might pull out the guitar and the five minutes a day to make it part of my song.
There are no obligations with a samurai mind notebook. If reviews aren’t interesting to you, you can gloss over them and call it a success. But every now and then elements and ideas pop up that want to be part of your life’s song. Review. Trust your joy. Play your life’s song.