understand how priorities work.
here’s a hint: in life, you get to pick the small handful (you have very small hands, you know) of things that are important to you. then, you do whatever it takes - anything. actual ANYTHING - to make those things what you want them to be. that’s it. you get that. no more. no less. you can’t have everything, but you can have everything you can.
you don’t need to be The Best at Everything, but you need to be Good at Something. that will require work. be ready to put in the work. nothing feels better than doing things you’re good at.
except maybe finishing something you started. that feels good, too. so follow through. set goals every day. accomplish goals every day.
be kind. be so kind. remember when your mother taught you this? remember when Eliot Rosewater said so? still counts. no matter how many times you hear that it’s lame to be described as “nice,” people are going to call you nice. and you are going to like it. to you, this is one of the greatest compliments you will ever receive. mostly because, truly, it ain’t easy.
speaking of things that aren’t easy… sit up straight, smile, and get your hair out of your eyes. also? ask for help if you need it.
now, here are some easy things: read a lot. write a lot. laugh excessively. take a whole bunch of photos. feel pretty when you look pretty. acknowledge happiness and be grateful for it.
do things that are hard. do things that are easy. balance.
drink good liquor.
it’s going to make you feel like shit, so you might as well really enjoy it.
eat good food. also, eat Good Food.
and exercise. a lot. find the exercise you like and then do it until you get to the point where you almost don’t like it. remember to have good form! then stop. then take a short break. then do it again the next day (or at least the day after that).
take care of yourself. respect your body and everything around it.
go do.
pursue growth. take risks. eat the chicken face. grab adventure with both hands. cancel everything for the right opportunity. you will never regret it. but you might wonder about what could have been if you don’t take the chance.
there is a small group of people whose opinions matter to you. that group consists of the folks who will be there when you need help, whose lives are affected by yours. fuck everyone else’s opinions.
on that note… mind your own business.
there’s no reason to compare yourself to people. life is not a competition. life is just you versus you. and there’s no sense in complaining about actual everything. if you’re not sure if this is your business, ask yourself: will this really, truly, honestly effect me? if the answer is really no, then relax. mind your own business. if the answer is yes? do something about it.
yeah, do something about it.
stop complaining; that’s a waste of effort. do something about it.
is the problem too big? who cares. contribute. be part of something that is bigger than you are.
is the problem too small? then ignore it and consider yourself lucky. the road to inner peace is paved with insignificant shit that you selectively ignore until it falls off your back and you’re free to run - hard and fast and with good form - towards the good things.
always run hard and fast and with good form towards the good things.
*photo cred: bathroom at LES's Ngam
