From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
But when it comes to claims like 'pets alleviate depression,' there's really no solid evidence. In fact, the findings so far are pretty ambiguous. And in one study that found no significant overall effect, cat owners were actually more depressed than the control group.
What failure really means is that you are trying to live life, and the fact that you fail means that you are trying. As soon as you try to avoid failure, you are facing the wrong direction.
I looked at these people as hecklers... as a comedian, that's what you do. You rebound heckling with comedy. I had to think of funny, witty ways to make them look foolish for giving the abuse. The way I did that (and still do it today) is to retweet or screenshot what they said, however vile, extreme or unpleasant – and think of something to say back which defuses it, disarms them, and makes them look stupid.
Most accomplished individuals who continue to work well into their later years seldom wake up thinking solely about the day's earnings. Instead, their motivation lies in pursuing a passion, dedicating their lives to something they genuinely love. For them, money becomes more of a metric—a way to keep score.
Grief is perhaps the most universal human experience—live long enough, and you will grieve. When I see grief in another, whether a friend or a perceived adversary, what do I choose to do? In moments of shared grief, we find ourselves reflecting each other; your grief mirrors mine.
There's nothing more important in life than knowing who you are, the path that you are on and its final end. Who are you? What is your purpose in life? What is the path to living that purpose? Those three things are so critical to know.
Seneca elucidates how a tree needs exposure to wind stressors to grow strong and establish deep roots. Without such stressors, it becomes brittle and can break off easily. I argue that a crucial aspect of excelling at the game of life is to expose oneself to stressors that, hopefully, won't be fatal. As the saying goes, 'what does not kill you makes you stronger.'
Bystander effect isn't necessarily due to a lack of willingness or ability to make a difference. Rather, the real challenge stems from feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the issues we're passionate about. They're vast, and against them, we often feel insignificant.
As a leader, you also realise that calm is contagious. It doesn't matter how you feel inside, if you can portray calm- your people will be calm.
You have to know who you are, be open-minded, and be ready to collaborate. You have to have thick-skin and be prepared to get your idea ripped apart.
Polarisation presents as a spectrum where people go from disagreeing with each other, to disliking each other and eventually to dehumanising each other. We know that the most important thing it takes to prevent dehumanisation is systemic, regular face to face interaction with the people that might otherwise be dehumanised.
We have to honour all parts of ourselves; and the wellness, social-media, and culture of the modern world has encouraged us to be this faux-perfect… a virtuous, pure version of ourselves. Everyone has dark thoughts and demons… we can't suppress that and ignore it. If we do, we'll never heal.