Do what you can for who you know

Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.

Living one day at a time

Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all life really means.

As hot possible

At sea level, water boils at 100 degrees C. It doesn’t matter how much more heat you use; steam is what you get. It turns out that water this hot makes lousy coffee. Tea too. And an amp turned up to 11 doesn’t sound that good. Just because we can send more emails, hustle a bit harder or run the machine until it is at capacity doesn’t mean we should.

Question your desires

Question your desires. Not all desires are created equal. The more primitive and externally validated a desire (like wealth, fame, or status), the more likely it is to trigger envy. Instead, focus on desires that are personal, creative, and inwardly motivated, goals like learning, growth, or mastery, where progress can only be measured by your own standards, not someone else’s.

Take care of yourself

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Whether you’re a parent, a friend, a teacher, or a leader, others rely on you. And you can’t pour from an empty cup. It’s not selfish to step back and recharge. It’s responsible. The best way to give your best to others is to make sure you’ve taken care of yourself first.

Bring your best self forward

Great relationships aren’t found, they’re built. Instead of seeking perfect puzzle-piece people, bring your best self forward and stay open. Trust a little. Try a little. Be generous first. The right people often reveal themselves not by how they appear, but by how they respond when you show up authentically.

Start from enough

To get what you want, learn to want less. Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy. You’ll always want more. But look around, what if what you have is already enough? The less you chase, the more you can enjoy. Start from enough, and you’ll feel like you’ve already arrived.

You’re already somewhere worth noticing

Wherever life takes you, pause and be present; you’re already somewhere worth noticing. Life moves pretty fast. You may not know why you sent that text, stayed in that city, or told that story, but all of it brought you here. And here matters. Stop running toward the next thing. Take stock. Reflect. Breathe. Wherever you go, there you are, so be there fully.

Life is full of paradoxes

Life is full of paradoxes- things that don’t seem to make sense, yet somehow feel true. When we stop trying to force life into neat boxes, we open ourselves to wonder, peace, and unexpected wisdom. Maybe both sides of a contradiction can be true. Maybe flaws are advantages in disguise. Paradoxes aren’t problems- they’re part of the design. Embrace the mystery, and you’ll find balance, perspective, and even joy in life’s delightful inconsistencies.

Good decisions often can lead to undesired outcomes

Good decisions often can lead to undesired outcomes. Good decisions are calculations based on what you know right now. If the world turns out differently than the data you had indicated, that’s not a bad decision. A bad decision isn’t based on available facts. It falls into traps like sunk costs or peer pressure. A bad decision is an error in judgment or skill. Good decision makers, when faced with the same options as you had, would not have done what you did.

Do what makes mornings exciting and nights peaceful

The entire self-help industry in one sentence: Do what makes mornings exciting and nights peaceful. Will this make me excited to wake up? Will this let me sleep in peace? Everything that fails both tests is noise.

Focus requires subtraction

Every choice is a brushstroke. No single stroke creates a masterpiece, but eventually the portrait emerges. Most people are too loyal to their distractions to ever meet their destiny. The courage isn't in taking on more, it's in cutting off everything that doesn't feed your goal. Focus requires subtraction.

You don’t have to be the loudest

Don’t give people having a bad day the power to ruin your day. You don’t have to be the loudest in the room. Just be the one everyone listens to when it goes quiet.

If you don’t do the small things well

If you don’t do the small things well, they’ll never trust you to do the big things. Remember that. Everything you do matters- act accordingly. You can always choose to be a victim or a victor, but you can never be both. Life gets a lot easier when you just accept that life isn’t always fair.

Each person carries an invisible backpack

Each person carries an invisible backpack full of unfinished tasks. These things can weigh on you, especially the ones that you feel like you should do but know you won't make time for. There are two ways to lighten the load: finish the task or let it go. Give yourself permission to stop worrying about the things you're never going to do. What's weighing down your backpack that needs to be released?

The Ability to Reset

A skill to master: The Ability to Reset, Fast. 

Have a bad moment? Feel it, and reset

Have bad feedback? Feel it, and reset

If you can contain a bad moment for 10 minutes and not let it consume your day, mood, and productivity, it will change your life. Reset!

We're all just pretending

Everyone should experience bankruptcy at least once, so they realize they can always make money again at any age. No one has life figured out. We're all just pretending. Now you know. The solution to all money problems is to make more money. Expense management won't help.

Your brain is primal

Your brain is primal. It doesn’t care about anything but keeping you alive. This is why meaningful hobbies or goals matter so much. If you leave your brain to its own devices, it will only focus on the fear of the unknown.

Actively do not tolerate insecure thoughts

We all have insecure thoughts, no matter how seemingly confident we are on the outside. The difference is how willing we are to turn towards these thoughts, rather than to turn away back to what is more relevant for you. Make an agreement with yourself, right now, that you will no longer tolerate thoughts that bring you down.

Division stems from a lack of understanding

Division stems from a lack of understanding. That’s not to say we can’t do stupid or bad things. However, when we lack understanding, we struggle to be compassionate, and this can make us sour-faced and prone to anger. So ask questions. Why are they the way they are? The more you know, the more you’ll find a natural love rise up.

Collect hero origin stories

Everyone who irritates you is the hero of their own story. You gotta find it. That insufferable colleague? They might be the first in their family to graduate. That slow cashier? Maybe they’re working three jobs. Perhaps you just have to make it up in your head. You design how you respond. Everyone can be a hero in some form.

Remember your mistakes

Next time you’re about to fuss about someone else’s choices, just think back real quick to the dumb decisions you made in your life. Humans aren’t without flaws, and neither are you.

We behave based not on our realities

We behave based not on our realities, but on our thoughts. This applies to you too. You did things you regretted, but that felt totally the right thing to do at the time because of your thinking. It’s a great way to forgive yourself and others, and uncover the warmth of compassion you have for everyone.

Ask for things

Ask for things. Ask for things that seem unreasonable to ensure your intuitions about what's reasonable are accurate (of course, try not to be a jerk in the process). If you're only asking for things you get, you're not aiming high enough.

It’s tough to be very lazy

It’s tough to be very lazy. It takes a lot of imagination to do nothing and you have to be sufficiently self-confident not to have a bad conscience. You have to have a taste for life, so that every minute is complete in itself and so you don’t have to keep saying ‘I’ve done this or that.’ You need strong nerves to do nothing. Being lazy also means that other people’s opinions don’t matter. Nor does the idea of always having to prove yourself.

Yours or Someone Else?

Very few people really have their own opinion. Very often, their opinion is just the opinion of someone else. Perfectly prepared, warmed up, and served medium well. I'm not above this, and I'd argue not many people are. All our opinions are shaped by other people's opinions. It's how this all works. The question is just, how many opinions do I require to shape mine?

The courage to ask

What if the only thing standing between you and the life you want is the courage to ask? Identify one thing you truly wish for an opportunity, connection, or resource—and ask for it today, even if you're afraid of hearing “no.”

The past is a teacher

Don't let your worst moments become your story. The past is a teacher, not a judge. Your next move matters more than your last mistake.

You control your inputs

You control your inputs, but you're ultimately judged for your outcomes. Inputs that fail to produce desired outcomes should be adjusted, not repeated. The trick is in the time horizons. In the short term, it's perfectly reasonable for inputs and outcomes to be dislocated- meaning you won't always see a direct reward for your efforts. But in the long term, inputs and outcomes should converge. If they don't, you may need to adjust your inputs.

Happiness releases you from self

You’re never so centered on yourself as when you’re depressed. You’re never more ready to forget yourself than when you're happy. Happiness releases you from self. It is suffering and pain and misery and depression that tie you to the self. Look how conscious you are of your tooth when you have a toothache. When you don’t have a toothache, you’re not even aware you have a tooth, or that you have a head, for that matter, when you don’t have a headache.