For me, the ultimate aim of self-improvement is to be able to direct as much energy as we can outwards – to other people and worthy projects.

There are infinite quotidian human experiences ripe for interpreting: putting off housework, caring about who I sit next to at a dinner party, struggling to get dressed. They stack up every day. I’m particularly fond of using them to draw ungenerous conclusions: I’m shallow, selfish, lazy, dishonest. I’ve trained myself away from defending my goodn... See more

To say it outright, even the most talented person in the world won’t do well here if they don’t have an interest in helping other people grow and succeed. The question you will be held most accountable for isn’t “how have you gotten better” it's “how did you make someone else better?” Better yet, how have you made the collective, the team, better?