Self-mastery Nº100
100 lessons
I didn’t know when this time would come, but I was sure looking forward to it.
For many years, all I felt was indifference when it came to celebrating milestones. Half of me wanted to go celebrate them. The other half couldn’t care less. But now I firmly believe in stapling the checkpoints you reach in life—otherwise, you forget them too quickly.
It’s almost three years since I started this. All I wanted was to share what I learned and love to study with everyone. And now, it feels weird (and incredibly lucky) to say there are hundreds of you reading each week. Thank you. So, to mark my 100th entry, here are 100 lessons I learned in those three years.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
To get what you want, deserve what you want.
Acquire wisdom as your duty.
Think through problems forward and backwards.
Be reliable, or it doesn’t matter what your virtues are.
Learn the big multidisciplinary ideas of the world.
Avoid intense ideologies.
Do the work to have an opinion of your own.
Your success is where you’re most intensely interested.
Your most important decision is to be in a good mood.
Live on your terms
Now and then, celebrate for no reason at all.
Put on your favourite music and dance to yourself.
Don’t fear sadness. It sits right next to love.
Treat your body like a house you must live in for 80 years.
Never raise your voice at someone else. It won’t help you.
Do one good deed every day that you don’t tell anyone about.
Time doesn’t heal everything when it comes to relationships.
Don’t delay difficult conversations.
Find things that make your eyes light up
Remember, your track record for making it through the bad days is perfect.
If something has a minor issue, repair it. Minor becomes major over time.
Do not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
No one has ever argued their way to happiness.
Master letting things go.
You may occasionally disappoint others, but never disappoint yourself.
Never let a good friendship or opportunity atrophy. Make the effort.
Give everyone a second chance, but never a third.
The “good old days” are happening right now.
Enjoy the sunny and rainy days.
Regret from inaction is always more painful than regret from action.
It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.
When in doubt, love. The world needs more of it.
Looking presentable is a matter of self-respect.
When you’re feeling down, smile at yourself in the mirror for a minute.
Travel as much as you can, and collect one token from every trip.
If something’s bothering you, ask whether it will matter in one month. If not, let it go.
Stop trying to change people who don’t want to be changed.
You may win the argument, but if you lose the friend, what is the point?
Stubborn pride is the downfall of many men and women.
Do one thing that challenges your mind every day. Treat it like daily “exercise”.
Allow yourself to fail. You will hate it, but it’s so important.
If it’s not working, but your gut says to work harder. First, ask if there’s an easier way.
There’s nothing wrong with shedding old relationships as you grow and change.
No amount of money is worth trading for your peace of mind.
Keep things simple; you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Smile and say good morning to strangers on the street.
Laugh loudly and unapologetically whenever you feel like it.
Life is too short. But it is also long.
Believe in what you do more than anything, but understand when to change.
Bloom where you’re planted.
Avoiding stupidity is easier than trying to be brilliant.
Don’t hide your true opinions to conform to what’s socially acceptable.
Don’t desire what other people want just because you don’t know what you want.
People who are similar are more likely to fight than people who are different.
Society is good at training talent but terrible at cultivating genius.
Competition is for losers.
The best ideas can come from things so well-known that they aren’t well-seen.
Switch off all unimportant notifications.
Things that don’t make sense are great learning opportunities.
Guide your attention wisely
Don’t waste your time repeating easy tasks at the expense of what’s important.
When a measure becomes the target, it ceases to become a good measure.
Simple, clear purposes and principles give rise to complex and intelligent behaviour.
Parkinson’s Law: set your deadlines accordingly.
Don’t stop believing in yourself or the world. It’s a better place than you think.
The more specific your goal, the more opportunities you’ll create for yourself.
A little stress wakes you up, but a lot of it is bad for you. Carefully try low doses.
Hold yourself to a higher standard than you hold others to.
Horseshoe theory: extreme opposites tend to look the same.
Change starts away from the spotlight, and then it moves to the centre.
The internet rewards people who are unique; find your style and run with it.
Mainstream ideas are often adopted as they’re popular, not because they’re good.
The circle of competence: be clear about what you know and don’t know.
If you want to be lucky, look for opportunities with big upsides and low downsides
The medium of communication is often more powerful than what is being said.
Abundance is not always a good thing, and limits are not always a bad thing
The key to hospitality is to delight your guests with an unexpected gift.
If it’s not pulling you, let go.
Intuition ≠ execution.
The more you try, the luckier you get.
Making sense in your head is easier when you write it out.
Clarity is better than looking clever.
Time doesn’t wait for you to stop complaining.
If you never question things, your life becomes limited by other people’s imaginations.
All information should belong to everybody all the time.
Consistency is proficiency
Mood follows action
You can rewrite your story. It is yours, after all.
Don’t overlook dividends.
Focus on planning over having plans.
Be intentional with your learning.
Sure, being humble is nice. But if you don’t ask, you won’t receive.
Write online, and don’t stop.
Evidence is the rightful crown of confidence.
Trust in yourself to manifest your desires.
Set boundaries, and don’t make exceptions.
Do things that make you feel young. Over and over again.
Systems shape who you are and shift your identity.
Laugh at yourself.