Difficult Shit

Here’s a list of difficult (sometimes what feel like impossible) actions which ensure a happier life:

• Be a fantastic listener (in order to be a fantastic conversationalist). • Be patient when others are impatient. • Be kind to someone who is being an asshole. • Smile at someone who is stone-faced (for they need it the most). • Be interested in the world (with no motivation to seem interesting). • Do the right thing when no one is around (and tell no one). • When someone asks a stupid fucking question, answer it thoroughly. • When a child asks you something about the world, answer them with detail. • Take your work seriously, not yourself. • Cancel your online shopping cart of things you don’t need, and put that money in your savings account (you were willing to do away with that money, why not save it?). • Stop thinking about that thing you want to pursue and just fucking do it. • No matter the situation, even if you are completely and totally the victim, never see yourself as one. Never look for reasons or excuses as to why something unfortunate has happened to you.

We all struggle with this shit everyday. I certainly do. In the moment, this stuff truly feels like sprinting in a swamp. But in the long run, I have never regretted doing any one of these things.