I got so many great takeaways from reading this book! It’s very much needed, especially during a time like this. I felt overwhelmed by fear at the height of this pandemic, but I’ve been aiming to stay positive, believe in humanity and be courageous.
Notable lines:
“Throughout your life, you’re going to cross paths with a lot of people eager to goad you into conflict or confrontation . . . not every action needs a reaction. Just because someone is demanding your attention doesn’t mean you have to give it, especially if that engagement seems emotionally charged. When you decide not to dignify an irrational communication with a response, it’s about preserving your personal dignity and mental clarity. Just because someone throws a ball at you doesn’t mean you have to catch it.”
“This mental strategy, however, isn’t solely for dealing with insults or slander. It’s just as effective when trying to handle people who constantly want your time and attention. Sometimes you simply don’t have it to give. Or giving it will distract you from things that are more important. When it comes to time allocation, it’s good to separate the signals from the noise. If everything in your life is important, then nothing is.”
“I have always opted in life to risk making the wrong decision rather than taking someone else’s advice and then blaming them if things went wrong. Because two things are bound to happen here: 1) you come to resent the person you listened to, and 2) you come to resent yourself for listening to them. There is nothing worse than looking at a parent or spouse or friend and thinking, I’m in this shitty situation because I listened to you.”
“At the end of the day, the person whose opinion matters the most is your own. When you come to this realization, you free yourself from caring so much about what others think of you. You may want someone’s respect, but you don’t need it . . . self-worth does not depend on the opinion of others . . . it is something you cultivate. It is something you prioritize and practice every single day . . . self-worth, magnificence even, comes from the small things we do every day to show that we value ourselves.”
“If you have the courage to take ownership of your own well-being, you will begin to see the world differently. You will begin to live differently. You will become rooted by your own strength and power in every situation, no matter how big or small. At the end of the day, the one person you should be able to fully rely upon to save you is you. You are the hero you’ve been waiting for. You are the hero the world has been waiting for.”