This is how I feel about culture. We’re so surrounded by it that it’s impossible to see. Many things we think are true are really just our local culture. We can’t see it until we get outside of it.

What are the odds of winning the big lottery? Fifty million to one? Ah, but that’s if you’re being egocentric and thinking only of yourself! Someone always wins it. So what if you look past yourself and ask, “What are the odds that this rare thing will happen to someone?” Almost 100 percent. That’s a nice reminder when the odds seem impossible.

My friend was a brilliant conversationalist, one of the brightest minds I’ve met, but he never put his thoughts into writing. It’s extra-sad that his thoughts are gone, too.

It’s not that I hate people. The other best times in my life were with people. But it’s interesting how many highlights were just sitting in a room in that wonderful creative flow, free from the chatter of the world. No updates. No news. No pings. No chats. No surfng. Silence is a great canvas for your thoughts. That vacuum helps turn all of your

Comparing up versus comparing down: Your happiness depends on where you’re focusing. The metaphor is easy to understand, but hard to remember in regular life. If you catch yourself burning with envy or resentment, think like the bronze medalist, not the silver. Change your focus. Instead of comparing up to the next-higher situation, compare down to

Being smart means thinking things through. It means trying to fnd the real answer, not the easiest answer.

The solution is deliberate unlearning. 1. Doubt what I know. 2. Stop the habit of thinking I know it. 3. Require current proof that it’s still true today. Otherwise, let it go.

When life or a plan feels ultimately unsatisfying, I fnd it’s because I’ve forgotten to fnd the intersection of all three: • What makes me happy • What’s smart • What’s useful to others 88 sive.rs/hsu

The artist who’s into discipline If you expect criticism in advance and take pride in your unusual stance, you can bash on with a smile, being who you want to be. Then every time they say you’re wrong, that’s a sign you’re doing it right. sive.rs/wrong 15