We are wired for safety, not success or happiness. Our lizard brains know that we must protect our “selves” (bodies) from harm. Our loved ones may, with the best of intentions, persuade us to stick with the safe path, in careers, relationships, hobbies, and interests, in order to stick with what seems to be tested and safe. Fortunately, we’ve evolved enough to optimize our lives to try to obtain the best of everything from every investment, the most important of which is time.

It’s impossible to have a view of the value of something without comparison. Is $5,000 expensive? For a house in Austin? No. For a pack of Juicyfruit gum? Probably. Make sure that whatever you’re evaluating is 1) of value to you — an even trade of money for what you want, and 2) compared to the right things.

Most English speakers use roughly 1,000 of the 250,000 English words in the dictionary. Knowing that a tiny fraction of words will immediately allow you to have functional fluency makes learning English less daunting. Here are a couple of other examples: Learning to play just four chords on the guitar or piano will allow you to play hundreds of songs Of the thousands of exercises and fitness routines, pushing, pulling, and squatting your body weight a few days per week will allow you to strengthen your body and gain muscle/lose fat faster.

RESPECTING INTROVERTS In her moving Ted Talk, Susan Cain outlines how social interactions by default tend to be structured by and for extroverts and why it’s important to respect and value the many introverts. A humble brag about my sister, who initiated new “normal” activities for elementary school children who felt left out at recess for not embracing sports as their mode of play. Now, groups of people can work on art, read, or do other activities of their choice, either in relative isolation or quietly within a group.

Sometimes needing a vacation means freedom from our daily habits and responsibilities. This happens more reliably when we change our location and environment. It’s also possible to recharge by taking short daily breaks to connect with friends, watch comedy, or dedicate “me time.” Essentially, do some things that are want-to’s and not have-to’s. I love to travel and will always want to do that. But my ultimate goal is to architect a life from which I don’t feel a need to escape or go on vacation.

I’m a huge Mark Manson fan, and as such am directly quoting him here: “It’s not people’s job to show you what’s interesting or great about themselves. It’s your job to find it. This is life, not a sales convention.” He goes on to say that curiosity is a cure for social anxiety, as it’s almost impossible to discover who others are while simultaneously worrying about what they think of us. My close friend Stuart tells his children to be INTERESTED in others rather than trying to BE interesting. This fosters great relationships. They’ll inevitably find out how interesting and impressive you are.

Our society praises talented people, but there’s an attribute even more valuable for making progress, personally, professionally, and as a society: an attitude of determination. As Paul Graham points out: “One sign that determination matters more than talent: there are lots of talented people who never achieve anything, but not that many determined people who don’t.”

Many wise sayings (as well as research) promote the importance of quality over quantity of friends, but we’re left to define the word “friend” in our own way. I’m grateful for the handful of non-relatives whose homes I have access to, who would trust me with their social security numbers, and whom I can trust with my insecurities or my life itself. Our lives should be noticeably better, mutually, because of our friendship than they would be otherwise.

There is a strong correlation between heavy social media use and loneliness. FOMO (fear of missing out) is real. Overusing social media leads to sacrificing genuine human connection, an essential ingredient for a gratifying life. Technology is helpful, miraculous even, in connecting us to those we may never otherwise connect…