Rooted in Stillness

Do not take the highs or lows of a day personally. Accept accolades without pride and shrug off ridicule with little or no regard. What is a promotion to you? It is the same as slander—the opinion of someone else. Neither defines you as a person. Your behavior, your response to each, is what gives your character its definition.

So, whether you are put in the spotlight of praise or pushed down into the alley of disregard, respond equally to both. Be like a deeply rooted oak tree in a storm—unmoved—and as still as the most peaceful mountain pond in the spring. Be quiet, be still, and be rooted in yourself alone.