Experiencing lasting joy

Individuals who pursue their passions as side-gigs and gradually ramp up are much more successful in the long run. 

This is because there’s less pressure, so you can take more risks. 

People with that “Go Big or Go Home” attitude tend to end up home. They get injured or burn out from doing too much, too fast, too soon. 

• Evaluate and reflect. Regularly write down where you are right now, and if you are happy with your current level of satisfaction.
• Define your dreams and goals. What do you want? Schedule some quiet “dream time” and think about what really thrills you. Then prioritise those dreams.
• Make your goals S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive)
• Have accountability. Find someone to hold you accountable to your goals.

“Success means finding happiness in your work and life, in the here and the now.”

Remove the fairy tale, magical thinking from your life, and accept who you are and where you stand. Recognize your circumstances as they are and take appropriate action.

True success means feeling content with the unfolding of your life. It's finding happiness in your work and life in the present time and being great all the time.

Interestingly, not always trying so hard to be great is the path to getting better.

To make sustainable progress, you don't have to be consistently great; it's about being great at being consistent.

The good aspects of being perfect are intrinsic motivation, extreme focus, ambitious goals, strong work ethic and high personal standards. They are also highly coachable.

Elite performers are often perfectionists as their activity requires error-free performance.

"“Looking for perfection is the only way to motivate yourself.”

It implies acknowledging and respecting the sacredness and uniqueness of each kind of person. Self-Actualization also necessitates full access to information, full knowledge of the truth, and being able to choose without fear or social pressure.

The one thing left out of this theory is social psychology, as all the needs of a human being cannot be understood in isolation and social conditions are also necessary for personal growth.

It involves advancing a cause greater and beyond the self, experiencing a drastic shift in perspective, beyond the confines of the self through the highest level of experience.

Self-transcenders have a completely selfless value system and are leaning towards serving humanity, with an eventual goal of transcending their ego.

Psychology agrees that the key to good living is to find meaning. For Nietzsche, those who do great things suffer greatly. Those who do small things suffer trivially.

Herein lies the paradox of happiness. Activities directly focused to increase pleasure are unlikely to have a high payoff. Happiness is a side effect.

The pursuit matters just as much as the goal.
Consider why you're pursuing your goal and how the journey to achieve it will help you grow as a person.

People often give up on their resolutions because they set unattainable goals.

Try to set a goal that you can reasonably achieve within one year. If it is challenging to complete it in your set timeframe, you might become overwhelmed and give up. If the goal will take more than one year, try and set a benchmark for what you'd like to accomplish in a year.

• Intimacy: Emotional closeness, communication, feeling that no one knows you better or has your back more strongly than your mate.
• Thrill: Excitement, attraction, adventure.
• Sensuality: The entire spectrum from kissing goodnight to holding hands, from making tender love to raw passion.

Most mornings, commit to spending five minutes with your partner. Think of a relationship intention, then share it. "Today, I intend to be careful with my tone of voice when I feel impatient."

Commit spending two minutes at the end of the day reviewing your progress and ways to improve it.

Resilience is most times associated with being tough. But that’s not gonna get you very far with feelings. Don't try to be invulnerable. Aim for flexibility instead.

You cannot avoid or resist all pain in life. But you can learn to live with your discomfort better.

We have trouble dealing with feelings because the usual problem-solving rules don't really apply to them.

When faced with a problem, we can always avoid it or deny it. But attempting to resist negative feelings won’t work. Any attempt at suppression only amplifies them. We must go from avoidance to acceptance.