Patricia Mou

Note that seeking happiness as an end might be counterproductive. Many people report that constantly checking to see if they are happy actually decreases their happiness - a report that fits with the research on "flow." It may be better to seek some of the above goals as ends, and happiness will be a side-effect.

Often, there’s a desire to cling onto how we thought life should go, sometimes until it outweighs the reality of how it is going — what makes us happy, versus what we feel should; what is truly stimulating or fulfilling, versus what we’ve been told should be chased and sacrificed for. A question I ponder is: How do we untether ourselves from the... See more

Members of a tribe expect to benefit from investing into the tribe - and they might decide to leave if those benefits never manifest - but it matters little to them when and how exactly they receive that benefit.

2. Comfort with Discomfort.  Discomfort leads to growth. It is an absolute necessity.  If you train yourself to accept and embrace discomfort, you will always have an edge.

Live, work, and learn elegantly: I advocate for that which is elegantly designed, built, created— whether it's a clever turn of phrase, a well-written segment of code, a skillfully pared down piece of furniture, or a delightful UX element that precisely meets user needs. And in all aspects of my life and work, I do things well and elegantly.

Do the work.  That's all the productivity advice you need, and the only useful productivity advice you're ever going to get.

3. Simplify Where Others Complicate.

I believe that extolling the pursuit of happiness was a toxic stupidity entirely unworthy of my greatest American hero, Thomas Jefferson. Indeed, it is a poison that sickens our culture more wretchedly every nanosecond. I wish he'd never said it.It produces a monstrous, insatiable hunger inside our national psyche that encourages us ever more... See more

Instead of looking for a cause to devote your life to, you might try to become someone who is useful and level-headed in a crisis, who is well connected and makes friends easily, or who regularly has good ideas.