48

You're Not Struggling Alone

"If you have anyone you envy, look up to, or aspire towards, don’t fall into the trap of thinking they have it all figured out. That they’re completely happy with their work. That they think they’re good. They’re struggling with the same thoughts you are. Maybe they’re even more tortured by it. There’s always some bigger fish to compare yourself with."

10 Thing That Will Happen When You Get Jacked

"You will develop a relationship with pain/struggle, a relationship where you see that the right pain and struggle leads to results, so other things just don’t seem like that much of a challenge."

Where Does Ambition Come From?

"I guess it never occurred to me that I could sit and do nothing and just fucking love life and myself all the same! I thought it was normal to feel lower self esteem if you weren’t being productive or accomplishing in life."

"I now see how so much of this behavior was actually a strategy that I was unaware that I was even running. And that my feelings of confidence and happiness were propped up by conditionality. The true inner state was low self esteem and I thought if I was perfect in every way I could avoid facing it. The whole thing was like a house of cards which is why controlling my life and trying to be perfect was such an imperative."

How to Be Happier Without Really Trying

"Epicurus felt we should aim for satisfaction over success. Satisfaction can be reached; success is forever a moving target. Satisfaction is “enough”. You can get there after a good meal with friends or other Necessary pleasures. The people we call “successful” are often just those panting and straining on the Corrosive desire treadmill. We think they’re happier but that’s not necessarily the case."

"What we should look for in friends is trust and a shared idea of what matters in life. It’s not about what they can do for us; it’s about reliability. Friends need to be there for you."

"We secure ourselves against misfortune by surrounding ourselves with those who love us and will provide emotional and material support when life gets lousy. He felt memory and anticipation are great tools that can counteract pain, grief and boredom. We should reflect on past pleasures, savor current ones and anticipate future pleasure. And be grateful for everything you have."