GM 🍷

GM 🍷

"A man who possesses the intelligence of books and the wisdom of the streets is dangerous. He will always find a way to survive, so never underestimate him."

💀

I recall my first day of work in my youth. I sat down for lunch, and a friendly gentleman joined me shortly after. He was the boss. He pulled out a chair and, between bites, started asking questions. It was almost like a disguised interview. Among the questions, he wanted to know if I was interested in going to college. He mentioned that he had never attended college and owed his success to that fact. His brother, on the other hand, had graduated and was, at that moment, dirtying his hands in the lower ranks of the hierarchy.

It may sound like the usual motivational cliché or perhaps an attempt to persuade me not to pursue education so I’d remain flexible for work schedules. However, one thing I absorbed from that conversation stuck with me.

“My brother is smarter than I am,

but I’ve always been savvier.”

That never left my mind.

From that day forward, I wanted to see what would happen if I combined savvy and intelligence, and I can say:

Life experience will make you cunning. It will grant you sharpness.

But books will sanctify that experience, teaching you how to calibrate your firepower.

No tome will teach you how to develop street smarts. Many may attempt to guide you with examples and laws of power, but you’ll only grasp it when malice is staring you in the face, in the moment you try to outsmart someone and fail miserably. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face,” Tyson once said—a statement as relevant now as ever.

Be a quiet observer and an insatiable reader. Books will educate the barbarian within you, providing richness in vocabulary and elegance in discourse. You’ll begin to visualize ideas that were once invisible and find ways out of mazes that once seemed impossible.

Then, become a keen observer: watch the alleys, observe the corridors of your company, study human behavior, and never divulge what you’ve seen, for knowledge is power. Let intelligence work its chemistry on savvy, turning sharp iron into noble gold in perfect alchemy.

The cunning will have an advantage over the wise for a while, and the wise will surpass the cunning with time. But if you combine the two elements, no one will ever have the upper hand over you at any time.

Thank you for reading this far, my dear friend!

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Here’s a toast to our family!

GM 🍷

"Rash choices build a future of regrets."

🐎

Some decisions must withstand the test of tomorrow.

How does that work?

If you feel tired or confused when making a decision at the end of the day, trust that intuition. It's very likely you'll make the worst choice among the options.

And the next morning, you'll realize what you've done.

When tired, we always lean towards the easiest decision. However, convenience doesn't always mean it’s favorable.

For example, if you're hungry, you might order fast food. You could choose a meal resembling your usual dinner in nutrients, but you'd likely opt for something processed, high in sodium and fats.

"Once in a while, what’s the harm?" None, of course. Your money, your health. But be aware of what will follow.

The day after tomorrow, that decision repeats. Later, what was once an exception becomes a habit. Once a month turns into three times a week.

Where am I going with this? Imagine your neural pathways for decision-making as reins. The more logical, complicated decisions you make, requiring a balance between the right choice and convenience, the firmer those reins become, and the more control you’ll have in all aspects of your life. However, when you let life carry you without resistance, without exercising your decision-making ability—always leaving it to the last moment to pick from the worst options—the reins loosen, and you lose control one area at a time.

A once tight, strong rope now drags on the ground.

This is the constant tug-of-war between you and destiny. And you’re losing.

My father used to say: if something can’t wait for your decision, then it wasn’t meant for you.

We must fight with every conscious effort to reject within ourselves that weak and indecisive side, incapable of making a simple decision. Yet, when the strong are too tired to fight, the weak will try to take over. Never give them space under any circumstances. If you're unsure about making a big decision now, resolve it when the day breaks, and your mind will be clearer. And if someone tries to pressure or rush you into a decision, it’s because that choice wasn’t meant for you.

Wait until the next morning to see things in a new light. Let the strong side decide. And the weak side will grow quieter and quieter.

Thank you for reading this far, dear friend!

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"I cannot escape death, but I can escape the fear of it."

💀

"A man must not cling to life,

for then he will be a coward and will not escape.

He must not merely wait for death,

for then he will be a suicide and will not escape.

He must seek his life with a spirit of

furious indifference to it; he must desire life

like water and yet drink death like wine."

(G.K. Chesterton, *Orthodoxy*)

Thank you for reading this far, dear friend!

⠀

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⠀

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"One of the greatest indicators of maturity is when a man keeps silent about his achievements, bears his burdens with dignity, and lets his posture speak for itself."

📆

Where I come from, age is just a number.

It says nothing.

When I was young, I was warned:

avoid making deals with a boy pretending to be a man.

Boys boast about their achievements;

men remain silent about their sacrifices.

Boasting signals immaturity.

It’s your posture that honors your roots.

Thank you for reading this far, dear friend!

⠀

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⠀

A toast to our family!

GM 🍷

"Envy is born from comparison."

👁️

"Why do the people closest to us feel bothered when we start to succeed?"

Imagine the following example: two neighboring mothers who watched their children, the same age, grow up together. They went to the same school and faced similar challenges. At a certain point, one of the childhood friends begins to excel—finding a stable job, starting college, buying a car.

From that moment, the neighboring mother starts to think her own child has failed. Then come the criticisms and belittling remarks. Envy often comes from above and trickles down as resentment, creating rivalry among those who fail to understand what's really happening.

We all have that cousin who became more successful than us and, to some extent, is held up as an example by the family. But we don’t hate them. Because even though they grew up under the same fiery sky as us, we understand that, at some point, they made different decisions, dedicated themselves to another path, met new people, and found their own calling.

You’re not late. Success has individual conditions that make its timing relative.

That’s why every problem is born from comparison.

Thank you for reading this far, dear friend!

⠀

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A toast to our family!

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"If you can't yet be an example of results, be an example of consistency."

🪓

“Why do some people, even when trying so hard, fail to achieve results?”

Because effort alone is not enough.

It doesn't matter how hard you strike a tree with an axe; if you only hit it once, it won't fall.

People often approach change with too much eagerness.

At 3 a.m., they suddenly decide to completely transform their lives or expect the “new me” to appear on January 1st.

Motivated by emotional decisions, they take on so many plans that their physical and mental energy can't keep up. This leads to the lack of the most important ingredient in the formula: consistency.

Everyone needs to learn to manage their strength, to work intelligently, so that striking the tree becomes a daily duty, not an unsustainable burst of five swings that exhaust your energy and keep you from ever returning to the task.

Strike your goals.

Every. Single. Day.

Thank you for reading this far, my dear friend!

⠀

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Here's to our family!

GM 🍷

GM 🍷

👀

"Sometimes, having no support at all is all the motivation you need."

🔥

What is the worst thing you've ever heard in life?

“You’ll never be anyone.”

“I’m ashamed that you’re my child.”

“You’ll die alone.”

From a teacher. From a parent. From an ex-spouse.

No other words sting as deeply as those we expected to be encouraging; and if we were already on the ground, how specific is that feeling of discovering there’s a level below the basement.

But it’s indignation that fuels the dynamo of our fury. We rise, changed — and if there are thorns in our feet, we want to leap to the stars.

In light of this, no other motivation has greater effectiveness in us than the memory of the wrongs we’ve suffered. And if for many years we got out of bed determined to prove them wrong, after contradicting all those curses, we rest in the joy of our ascension. Grateful, not for their contrary encouragements, but for never doubting ourselves.

Thank you for reading this far, dear friend!

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A toast to our family!

#MasculineFrame

GM 🍷

GM 🍷

"Rarely does anyone know the names of even a third of their eight paternal and maternal great-grandparents. In just a few generations, your name too will be forgotten, and your memory will turn to dust. So, do what must be done. Do not worry about the opinions of others. Soon, no one will remember."

🫂

Ascolta bene!

In the ideological twilight of the ancient streets of Sicily, where a man's name is both his honor and his curse, the truth about the fleeting nature of human memory intertwines with the legacy of those who once founded a world apart.

Those who achieved great deeds and those who accomplished nothing are equally forgotten by the new generation wandering through the Brancaccio district of Palermo.

Likewise, in your ordinary life, few remember the names of their own great-grandparents, and the same will happen to you in the generations to come. A man’s memory can fade like smoke unless he leaves an indelible mark on his world.

The ancient Sicilians understood that true power does not lie in the remembrance of names but in the influence we leave behind. In life, as in the stateless Sicilian societies, actions speak louder than words.

History is written by those who act, not by those who merely talk. A man must do what needs to be done without fearing the validation of his ego or the opinions of others. Both good and evil are quickly forgotten by others.

Those who leave a mark are the ones who act with courage and determination, regardless of what others might think or say. A man’s legacy is measured by his decisions and actions, not by his popularity or acceptance.

Always remember that true greatness comes from the ability to act according to your own principles and values, even in the face of opposition and oblivion.

Thank you for reading this far, dear friend!

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Cheers to our family!

"Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."

💀

General Philopoemen, even in times of peace, never stopped thinking about war strategies.

It is said that, while walking through the countryside with friends, he would often stop and ask them:

“If the enemies were on that hill and we were here with our armies, who would have the advantage? How could we engage them while maintaining our formation? If we wanted to retreat, how would we do it? If they were to retreat, how would we pursue them?”

Thus, he would consider all possible scenarios of a battle in that situation. He listened carefully to the opinions of other commanders and shared his own, supporting them with reasoning and examples.

When leading his armies, Philopoemen never encountered a challenge he hadn’t already anticipated or a problem for which he didn’t have a predetermined solution.

According to Seneca: “What is quite unexpected is more crushing in its effect, and the unexpected magnifies the weight of a disaster.”

This is why there’s a Stoic exercise called *Premeditatio Malorum*: “The premeditation of evils,” which involves reflecting on what might happen in the future, deciding what actions should be taken, and considering the worst possible outcomes. It’s about preparing for all of this, thereby reducing anxiety and avoiding being caught off guard by anything that might occur.

“This is one reason to ensure nothing surprises us,” Seneca continued. “We should project our thoughts forward at every moment and consider all possible outcomes, rather than merely following the normal course of events. [...] Every aspect of human experience should be present in our minds.”

The wise man does not view this act of negative visualization as pessimistic, but rather as a feature of his confident optimism: “I am ready to face whatever happens and to do the necessary work now to ensure it doesn’t happen.”

This will make him a more decisive and less anxious person because, as the philosopher concluded: “If you don’t want a man to falter when a crisis arrives, train him before it does.”

Thank you for reading this far, dear friend!

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Cheers to our family!

bellissimo