It is crucial to devote attention to imagining the best case, too. It’s often more likely than the worst.

The capacity to align your actions with your values is central to acting with authenticity. It’s thinking through life’s choices in light of what you know matters most to you, despite social pressures to do otherwise. Developing this capacity is a lifelong journey. Obama devoted her senior year in college to exploring a social issue—one that also

We don’t all have the same type of leadership skills, so figure out what your leadership skill set is, and be true to that.”

These activities can help you overcome inhibitions, accomplish more, and feel better about the life you lead.

He told me that he sees the integration of his life occurring, not in specific moments of perfect balance, but rather in phases. The strands of his life weave together over the course of time—from boxing, to humanitarian work, to military service, to providing a means for healing by his fellow veterans. For Greitens, leadership is about harmony

Tierney’s story—and the lesson he wanted his listeners to take away—was that a fulfilling life does not consist of three separate serial phases in which you learn, then you earn, and then you serve.

It ignores the fact that “life” is actually the intersection and interaction of the four domains of life: work or school; home or family; community or society; and the private realm of mind, body, and spirit.

Refine them so that they measure results.

Greitens constructively applied the principle of taking small steps that are under your control as you progress toward a big, compelling goal; focusing on results while being creative about the means to achieve them.