Reminders for myself

not JIFFing—judging, interpreting, fixing, or freezing

As I’ve gotten older, though, I’ve gradually come to the realization that...pain and hurt is a necessary part of life. If you think about it, it’s precisely because people are different from others that they’re able to create their own independent selves. Take me as an example. It’s precisely my ability to detect some aspects of a scene that other... See more

Around here I paused to explain this current piece to my wife, and she in turn paused to think about the navigation thing for a while before she agreed. I found myself referencing some events in our personal life and I was slightly surprised (in the ‘huh, oh... oh yeahhh’ sense ) where it led: the idea that you only get to the deepest heart of... See more

You don’t have to do things others do, or have things they have, at the expense of the deeper things you want. You really don’t. Almost everything is an option. You have full permission to ask yourself what really matters to you—whatever that is—and then optimize for that in all hard tradeoffs of life. You’re going to have to make some sacrifices... See more

The self is not something you can set out looking for; it reveals itself gradually through the choices you make.

I’ve never “felt ready” for the things that scared me—things that pushed me to grow in a direction that was true, meaningful, and worthwhile. Every time I’ve done something that came from a deep place within, something that felt out of reach, intimidating or risky, I always felt rather un-ready for it. But what I’ve leapt at before I felt ready has... See more