Part 1:
Embrace the uncomfortable - everything worthwhile in life is won through surmounting the associated negative experience
The problem with happiness - the struggles that you overcome are important to creating and sustaining happiness
Life goals - ask yourself “what are you willing to struggler for?”
Embrace challenges and failures - “one day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful”
Be honest with yourself - ask yourself how you feel about the negative aspects of yourself. If you can honestly assess your negative values and work on improving them, you’re in a good spot.
Choose your values carefully - don’t compare yourself to others. Choosing your values comes down to priorities. What are the values that you prioritize above everything else and therefore influence your decision making more than anything else? Better values → better problems → better life
Part 2:
Take responsibility - taking ownership of your problems (NOT the same as taking fault) empowers you to solve them and make a positive change in your life
Don’t be so certain - certainty is the enemy of humility. Uncertainty is necessary for progress and growth
You’re not special - measure yourself in mundane ways. Give up on the grandiose ideas of yourself: that you’re uniquely intelligent, or talented, or good looking, or victimized in ways others couldn’t even imagine
Define your goals wisely - Traditional goals like graduating from college are limited in the amount of happiness they can generate. Rather, our proudest achievements come in the face of the greatest adversity.
Sustain the pain - embrace the pain you’ve chosen and savor it.
Just do it - Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it
Choose quality over quantity - there is increased freedom from commitment
Remember you’re going to die - reminding ourselves that life is finite helps us remove the superficial values that weigh us down
