Tessa Mania

"A critical quality to develop in life is the willingness to try. You simply must find enough confidence to give it a go. The human mind is fabulous at learning. You will get better at whatever you practice. But before you can develop the skill to succeed, you must find the courage to attempt."

Architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray on thinking for yourself:

"To create, one must first question everything. Never adopt someone else's conclusion without putting it to the test of your own reasoning and imagination."

Source: Eileen Gray: Her Work and Her World

"The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence."

Source: The First and Last Freedom

What do I need to let go of this year to create space for what I really want?

"If you look for evidence that people are conspiring to hold you back and the world is working against you, then it will take you no time at all to find precisely that.

If you expect to encounter helpful people and experience a world that is working with you, then you find plenty of evidence to support that view as well.

The raw material for a sweet

"There is always more than one way to do something. Write down as many ways as you can think of to achieve your desired outcome. Then, rank them based on how much time they take, how much money they cost, and how effective you expect them to be. Choose the best."

"The beginning is mostly luck. The end is mostly choices."

What is in the way of what I want?

Can I come up with at least three different paths around it?