Be Nice.

Under stress, under fire, under deadlines – even when you may be justified to be rude, angry or righteous, still – be nice.

Because it’s better for others, yes. But more so, because in the short and long runs, it’s better for you.

People have long memories. 

Be nice. Especially when you don’t have to.

Plan your food supply

I’ve come to the conclusion that on most days if I do not meal prep and bring my lunch when I’m on the road, I’m probably going to eat junk and lose ground.

(Talking to myself here)

What’s easily available is not good. But if it’s in a little cooler on my passenger seat, it is good and couldn’t be more convenient. 

The real person you have to worry about…

“For the first time in human history, more people die from eating too much than from eating too little; more people die from old age than from infectious diseases; and more people commit suicide than are killed by soldiers, terrorists, and criminals combined. In the twenty-first century, the average human is far more likely to die from binging at McDonald’s than from drought, Ebola, or an al-Qaeda attack. Sugar is now more dangerous than gunpowder.” – Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus, a Brief History of Tomorrow.

I’m glad I mostly only have to worry about me.

The question is, can you win against yourself?

Take full responsibility

The first step to the life you want is to take full responsibility for who you are, what you are doing, and the results you are getting.

If you don’t, you are saying you are a victim – it’s not your fault.

And why would you try to change or get better if it is not your fault?

You have to take responsibility and take control of your own life.

Nobody will care more about your future than you.  Nobody.

This does not mean you don’t need others in your life. Of course you do. But you are in charge of you, and you can’t blame any of them for your life (anymore) if you want to grow, be in control of yourself and be fulfilled.

A sense of control over your life

People that do not feel they have a sense of control over their lives, are not happy campers.

This is why communism, socialism, dictatorships, jail, and overbearing parents or spouses do not yield happiness.

If we made bad choices in the past and our options are limited because of it, our sense of control goes down along with our happiness.

Paradoxically, if we do whatever we want today, it may be nice for a little while, but our options will erode, and our sense of control will go down.

If we make good choices, work hard and smart because it is in our interest and we want to, do smart things with our money, and maintain a reputation for helping others and being kind, our sense of control will grow along with our fulfillment and contentment.

Do you feel a sense of control?