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52 Lessons from 2023: From Philosophy to Weight Lifting
In 2023, thought about thinking:
1) We can bend the world to our will more than we think. Yet most don’t even try. We tell ourselves self-defeating narratives too much. Can-do mindsets can take us far.
2) Happiness is training our minds to find the positive in any situation–no matter how unfortunate it might have turned out. It’s the psychological immune system. Used to get dismayed when hitting a red light while walking. Now, a red light is a chance to stretch my perpetually-stiff calves or think really hard at some topic for 30 seconds.
3) It’s a good sign when we cringe when seeing what we once did or once wrote. It’s a sign we grew.
4) We should write for the silly reader, not the snooty critic. It’s totally ok when some people don’t like us.
5) Even if we fall, we can keep dancing, keep learning, and keep cherishing the journey. There is no joy without sadness. Expected and unexpected come in pairs. They’re part of the same whole.
6) We waste so much mental energy in expressing our misery, so it’s better to use the time to find a way out of our mess instead of complaining. Like Ryan Holliday wrote, “The less energy we waste regretting the past or worrying about the future, the more energy we’ll have for what’s in front…
