Sunlight

George Leonard on how mastery is nothing but a series of plateaus with brief spurts of progress:

“The most important lessons here — especially for young people — is that even if you’re shooting for the stars, you’re going to spend most of your time on a plateau. That’s where the deepest, most lasting learning takes place, so you might as well enjoy... See more

People who loved me kept me alive. By telling them that I wanted to die and describing to them the reality of that pain, they took more and better care of me. In suicidal despair, the best resource is an attentive, capable, and generous person. In my case, my wife, mother, and sister helped me meet my needs: they ensured I didn't hurt myself; they

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Iwakan is one of my favorite Japanese phrases. It consists of three Chinese characters, 違 ( i , meaning difference, deviation), 和 ( wa , meaning harmony, peace) and 感 ( kan , meaning feeling, sense), that together form a single word that loosely translates as a ‘sense of disharmony’. In daily interactions, I use the term casually when something... See more

To survive the deeds of the powerful, we must first understand our needs. Once named precisely, we can work more effectively to meet them. When you feel yourself enthralled by anxiety and fear, it is good to remember your needs. Then, if you can meet them, try to meet the needs of those you love. If you meet those and still have capacity, try to

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