If someone looked at how you spent your time

If someone looked at how you spent your time over the last year, would what they see as your priorities match what you see as your priorities?

If there are no great opportunities

If there are no great opportunities, you are supposed to fill your time with average ones. And when your time is filled with average opportunities, there is no room for exceptional ones.

Some people are very fear-driven

We often think of people working for things, but they often work against things. They work against poverty. They work against their upbringing. They work against some of these things just as much as they’re working for them. Some people are very fear-driven. We talk about fear as being very negative, but it also can be very positive.

It’s tempting to imagine we have less power

If you don’t realize that you have power, you might not be able to exercise it. The power to speak up, to participate, to invent, to lead, to encourage, to vote, to connect, to organize, to march, to write, to say ‘no’ or to say ‘yes’. It’s tempting to imagine we have less power than we do. It lets us off the hook. For now.

The ability to decide your attitude

In life, even when faced with the loss of everything, there's a fundamental freedom that endures: the ability to decide your attitude and chart your course in any given situation. No matter the circumstances, the power to choose your perspective and determine your own path remains intact.

How you want to spend your days

We buy back our time not only with the money we spend but also with the opportunities we decline. The more clearly you know how you want to spend your days, the easier it becomes to say no to the requests that steal your hours.

Think in decades and act in days

If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures.

There is a connection between freedom and self-confidence

There is a connection between freedom and self-confidence: When you are kept from expressing your deepest needs and wishes, you lose trust in their validity and in your own judgment. You survive by finding out the rules and following them, thus hiding what you really want. You make it your purpose in life to please others rather than to affirm yourself.

Different perspectives reveal different solutions

Oddly, things get better when you accept the worst-case outcome and focus on improving it. Worrying about what might happen comes at the expense of improving the outcome.

You’re only as good as you’re willing to be bad

You’re only as good as you’re willing to be bad. The fact that you’re not going to be good at something or that you’re going to fail at something- that’s OK. Because you’re never going to get good unless you’re willing to be bad.

When things don’t go the way we hope

When things don’t go the way we hope, one alternative is to look hard at the system that caused the problem. Another productive strategy is to figure out what to do with what we get, instead of seeking to find the villain that’s causing our problem.

Save more money than you think you need

Put aside extra money than you think you'll use. Life can bring surprises, and what you want in the future might cost more. Having peace of mind about money in the future is more valuable than what you might want to buy now.

Don’t worry so much about the end of the journey

If you can’t find a spot to stand, it’s hard to get to where you hope to go. We know that taking a course, going for a walk, or asking for help might move us forward, so we work hard to avoid those things. If the desire to stay stuck is strong, we’ll do anything we can to avoid offering purchases to ourselves or to anyone else who is trying to help. Don’t worry so much about the end of the journey. The focus at the beginning is simply to make a step possible.

Everyone wants to be connected

But we hesitate to be the connector. Everyone wants to be trusted, but we hesitate to trust. And everyone wants to be respected, but we often fail to offer our respect. What an opportunity.

Moving forward helps a lot

When someone makes a mistake, forgive them. When someone wrongs you, move on. When someone slights you, let it go. When someone tells you they didn’t mean it, believe them. When someone tries to pull you down, let them go. Moving forward helps a lot and doesn’t cost a thing.

Be the one who keeps things light-hearted

Be the one who keeps things light-hearted, no matter the situation. Understand that no matter how different or weird you think you are, your ideas have value and will be appreciated by many people.

Lean into your dark side

Lean into your dark side more often by being willing to express yourself in ways that most people might shy away from. Physically relax the body, especially when you feel stressed, and you will be closer to your true self.

Be unapologetically you

Be unapologetically you while making sure you lift others around you and don't come across as arrogant. Develop the skill of being less fazed by things that trigger you.

Cherish your Front Row People

Close your eyes, you're dead (sorry!). Imagine you're at your own funeral. People are walking in, crying, hugging each other. Everyone sits down. Who's in the front row? Those are the people that really matter. What are you doing today to cherish them?

Foreign Prison Friends

One of the main goals of life is to have a few friends who you can reliably count on to break you out of a foreign prison if it comes down to it. At a minimum, you need a friend who would figure out how to call the relevant high-ranking authorities to make it happen.

The push to prove someone wrong

Someone believing in you may promote consistency, but someone betting against you will always spark intensity. There's nothing like the push to prove someone wrong. It will always light an intense fire in your life.

There is no such thing as the "right moment"

There is no such thing as the "right moment" for a big decision. Getting married, Having a kid, taking that professional risk, moving to a new place—these are all big, scary decisions. The best you can hope for is to do the work to make the leap of faith as comfortable as possible. But after that, you just need to open the door, jump out of the plane, and trust that you packed the parachute tight.

Cringe at your former self

You should always cringe at your former self. If you look back at yourself from a year ago and you don't cringe at your output, habits, behaviors, or actions, you should be worried. That "cringe" sensation is a sign of your growth. It should always exist.

Freedom is the real goal

The ability to do what you want, with who you want, when you want is what everyone prizes above all else. Conflating money and freedom is the mistake that people seem to make. Money is a tool that can be used to gain freedom, but more often, it becomes a tool that keeps us running for more.

Your environment creates your entire reality

Someone is either holding you back or powering you forward, there is no in-between. Your environment creates your entire reality. Surround yourself with people who are constantly talking about the past, you'll be stuck in it. Surround yourself with people thinking big about the future, you'll build a beautiful one. Build a tribe that encourages you to think bigger. Get rid of the boat anchors holding you back and watch your entire life change in a year.

Focus on pointing your compass

No one knows what they want to be when they grow up. It’s comforting as a young person to know that you aren’t really supposed to “figure it out” when it comes to your future. Just focus on pointing your compass in the right direction, embracing curiosity, and getting around great people. If you do that, good things will happen.

You get to choose your hard

Life is hard, but fortunately, you get to choose your hard. It's hard to build deep, meaningful relationships. It's also hard to live on the surface with everyone. It's hard to build the body you want. It's also hard to see your body atrophy from lack of use. It's hard to build a life of purpose. It's also hard to live without one. Choose your hard.

Set those goals based on actions

If you set a goal based on something you can’t work toward, then you’re setting yourself up for a quest with no ending. You might feel like a failure, unnecessarily so — because you chose a goal that’s disconnected from everything you can achieve. If you want to set real, meaningful goals, then set those goals based on actions — and not based on outcomes.

Be Present

In our digital age, genuine presence is rare. Be the person who listens, engages, and truly connects. Relationships are a two-way street. Offer support and be open to receiving it. Together, we're stronger.

Your Ally in the Journey

Focus on nurturing deep, meaningful relationships. A few strong allies are better than a legion of acquaintances. Social media can be a great tool to connect with like-minded people. Most misuse this tool. Don't act like the normies. Level up your life by leveling up your network.

When you’re young

When you’re young, you believe that there will be many people with whom you’ll connect with deeply. Later in life, you come to realize that it only happens a few times. A few moments, frozen in genuine beauty, where you look at someone and you know, from a place deep within yourself, that they are going to mean something to you, that they are rare.

Everyone has a form of social anxiety

We’re all worried, to varying degrees, about how we’re coming across to others. It’s a silent thread that keeps us from doing things that harm our societal organism. It’s normal to feel fear in the face of potential rejection. Even extroverts can be shy. In fact, extroverts can be the most socially insecure of all. The best we can do is nurture the vital habit of letting go of this concern as best we can.