On becoming

If you want a recipe for unhappiness, spend your time accumulating a lot of money and let your health and relationships deteriorate.

I believe “what effect do you want to have on people” is one of the most important questions we should ask when we are making something. Life isn't just a series of problems to be solved but experiences to be had.

If I were to add up all the “lost” years of my life when I studied, worked on, or invested in things that didn’t end up directly contributing to the handful of life-changing turning points, it wouldn’t just be a few lost years. It would be “lost” decades. But here’s the kicker: No one cares!

We all invest our time, efforts, and money into the pursui... See more

you have to have a big reason to care about your life in its totality. Constructing the good life is an individual affair. Personal peace is not delivered via prescription. For me, marriage was this focusing event. For you, it can be anything. What really matters is that you are willing to do the hard work of being more.

“I think about decisions in three ways: hats, haircuts, and tattoos.

Most decisions are like hats. Try one and if you don’t like it, put it back and try another. The cost of a mistake is low, so move quickly and try a bunch of hats.

Some decisions are like haircuts. You can fix a bad one, but it won’t be quick and you might feel foolish for awhile. T... See more

Be kind, even if you are right

Try softer, not harder, to change someone's mind.

To be lost is to be human

Feeling lost is a fundamental part of the human experience, a feeling that traces back to the dawn of history.