3-2-1: On practice, the soap opera of your life, and the danger of choosing the easy path

Life is always progressing to the next stage. As you enter a new season, habits that previously served you well may need to be refreshed or adjusted. Which one of your current habits have you outgrown and is in need of a change?

Psychoanalyst James Hollis offers a harsh truth of life:

“After a lifetime of blaming others, it is exceedingly difficult for us to finally acknowledge that the only person who has consistently been in all the scenes of that long-running soap opera we call our life is us, and, as a necessary corollary, that we bear some large responsibility for how ... See more

“Be forgiving with your past self. What’s done is done. Take the lessons with you and release the guilt.

Be strict with your present self. Win the moment in front of you right now.

Be flexible with your future self. There are many paths to success. You don’t need life to be a certain way to live well.”

“Strangely, life gets harder when you try to make it easy.

• Exercising might be hard, but never moving makes life harder.


• Mastering your craft is hard, but having no skills is harder.


• Uncomfortable conversations are hard, but avoiding every conflict is harder.

Easy has a cost.”

“Whenever you are stuck searching for the optimal plan, remember:

Getting started changes everything.”

“Be forgiving with your past self. What’s done is done. Take the lessons with you and release the guilt.

Be strict with your present self. Win the moment in front of you right now.

Be flexible with your future self. There are many paths to success. You don’t need life to be a certain way to live well.”

“Strangely, life gets harder when you try to make it easy.

• Exercising might be hard, but never moving makes life harder.


• Mastering your craft is hard, but having no skills is harder.


• Uncomfortable conversations are hard, but avoiding every conflict is harder.

Easy has a cost.”