In a letter from Seneca to his friend Lucilius, he writes: “It’s the height of madness to worry about being despised by the despicable.” One of the great causes of suffering is this maddening worry about what others think of us. I can go into its causes by pointing to…

“Whatever I am, that I want to understand.” — I recently came across a passage from Krishamurti’s Think On These Things that gave me pause. I rarely highlight entire paragraphs when I read, but this one was so poignant that I had to elevate it from the page and into my memory. Here it is: I am envious because…

It’s what you don’t see that matters the most — This is Stan. And this is his friend Creativity.

Our expectations of the world are truly perplexing — The strangest thing about reality is how un-strange it actually is. Let me explain. When Newton discovered the laws of gravity in the 17th century, this was a fundamental departure from the prevailing paradigm at the time. …

A step-by-step playbook for the skill of the future — My earliest childhood memory was stressful. I was about five years old, and it started with me waking up from an afternoon nap. Since I was a child with many needs, the first thing I did was ask for my mom.

Beat perfectionism by embracing this one simple concept — When I start on a new post, I’m off to the races. Words connect, the creative juices flow, and I’m able to get a lot done.

You can’t predict the countless benefits that await you on the other side — Life leaps come in varying distances. Some feel lofty and risky:

Learn the three rules of self-doubt to silence its voice for good — Of all the emotions I struggle with, the toughest is self-doubt. To give you an idea of our tenuous relationship, here are some of the questions self-doubt routinely asks me: “Hey, you. Yeah, you. Will your work ever be good enough?” “Do you really think you’ll be able to grow…

A wiser version of yourself is accessible whenever you need that person most — When I was in the eighth grade, I was invited to an awards ceremony that was like the Oscars for our junior high school. Each subject had nominees vying for one award, and I was nominated in three categories. I had never won any type of trophy in my life…