There’s an old Chinese proverb that I love:
“He who blames others has a long way to go on his journey. He who blames himself is halfway there. He who blames no one has arrived.”
the universe will softly tell you that something isn’t a good fit for you. people, places, ideologies, careers, social circles. It will gradually turn up the volume until you hear it. eventually, if you still continue to refuse to listen it will violently remove you.
Major cheat code for life: Always assume things will work out, then do the work to make it true. It’s a mindset of active optimism. Earned faith. It creates a quiet confidence that allows you to tolerate the uncertainty of life better than anything else.
Nobody is ahead of you. Your are in a different race. It's just you. Alone. With your thoughts, ideas, philosophy, your gift, your idiosyncrasies. And the only thing that matters is what you do with what you have.
I work on myself because I understand that I am responsible for where I end up. Not for everything that happened to me, but for every response, every habit, and every decision I made after it. That distinction is everything. Blame is easy. Ownership is what actually changes your life.
Uncommon advice:
If you don't know what to pursue in life right now, pursue yourself.
Pursue becoming the healthiest, happiest, most healed, most present, most confident version of yourself. Then the right path will reveal itself.
The older I get, the more I understand why people disappear into gardening baking, reading, and long walks. Not because life got boring. Because peace became valuable.
Be delusionally optimistic about your future. You mind will try to stop you. Give you all kinds of reasons why you will fail. It's not the truth. It's fear. Fear of uncertainty. Do not fight it. Just ignore it. Believe that anything is possible. Your belief is the spark that keeps you moving forward.