No expectations, but high standards. In place of expectations, have high standards. Your high standards will remind you that you can handle anything, and that's way more valuable than having high expectations for outcomes.

You can be the person who doesn't play games when everyone else says that's how it should be. You can be the person who does something different when everyone else says, “No that’s not the way it’s always been.”

Sometimes a happy life isn’t always about more or better. It's about different or simpler.

A pattern does not define WHO you are. A pattern defines what you’ve experienced.

You’re only “unrealistic” for someone who wants to keep you on their same level. You’re only “difficult” for someone who’s always used to getting their way. You’re only “stubborn” for someone who wants your standards to be negotiable. You’re only “dramatic” for someone who is uncomfortable with honesty.

You should be proud of who you are no matter how much work you still have to do. You should be proud of yourself for how far you've come.

I’m talking about nurturing a powerful sense of personal pride.

Sometimes people misunderstand you because they’re only committed to seeing you through the lens of their own reality.

If your honesty, your eagerness, or your vulnerability makes someone think you're desperate and that’s a turn off for them, you just dodged a major bullet.