on life

the real competitive advantage in life is internal approval. you cannot compete with someone who is secure with who they are, what they want, and what they bring

Nix twitter.com

On taking action…It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.

James Clear • Masters of Habit: Rituals, Lessons, and Quotes from Marcus Aurelius

The way to greater confidence is not to reassure ourselves of our own dignity; it’s to come to peace with our inevitable ridiculousness

— Alain de Botton in ‘On Confidence’

Think of life as an opportunity to create and give.

Waiting for nothing, that is what kills the heart of a man, isn’t it? Now the people are waiting for something.

Gregory David Roberts • Shantaram: A Novel

But what if your purpose is simply to build a good life? To raise kind children. To cook a little better each year. To read a few excellent books. To notice the seasons. To build meaningful relationships. To help others. To give time - and money if you can - to causes you care about.

Pamela Clapp • Why the French Don’t Obsess Over Purpose

"Caring about everything is a disaster.

Caring about nothing is also a disaster.

Nurture the small pocket of things that truly matter to you."

3-2-1: On magic bullets, how to handle criticism, and what to let go of this year

It is easy to tell how you are doing in life. When you go outside, how beautiful is the ﬂower? That is how you know.

– Brianna Wiest

On cosmic insignificance:

We are not at the centre of anything, thankfully. We are minuscule bundles of evanescent matter on an infinitesimal corner of a boundless universe. We don't count one bit in the grander scheme ~ that should be a liberation. We should gain relief from the thought of the kindly indifference of spatial infinity, an eternity