“Despite having interviewed thousands of people, I still learn something new from each person I meet. Everyone has a unique expertise. The quickest way to find a person’s expertise is by learning their struggle. What they’ve battled. What they’ve carried with them the longest. Because it’s what they’ve thought about the most.”
Brandon Stanton, Humans (Page 278)
“If our shields are what separate us, it’s what’s behind them that brings us together: the struggles, the worries, the pain, the weakness. All the soft spots. The places we protect. These are the things that make us most relatable to others. These are the things that connect us—if only we allow them to be seen.”
Brandon Stanton, Humans (Page 25)
“It’s amazing how people transform when they realize you’re not a threat. They become much more relatable. More familiar. More recognizable. Big cities can feel so isolating because we rarely get past this point with people. Everyone is hiding behind their shield. They’re on guard at all times. At least until the end of the day, when they get back home, around people they love and trust, and suddenly become themselves again.”
Brandon Stanton, Humans (Page 24)
3 Reasons Why Bad Relationships Are More Harmful Than Good Relationships Are Beneficial
Excerpt: I see it time and time again where a “bad” relationship causes more harm than a “good” relationship causes benefit. The question is… why?
Read More »3 Reasons Why Bad Relationships Are More Harmful Than Good Relationships Are Beneficial
Iain Thomas Quote on Being Gifted and What That Really Means
“Being gifted doesn’t mean you’ve been given something. It means, you have something to give.”
Iain Thomas, I Wrote This For You
Beyond the Quote (344/365)
The question is, will you give it? Or, maybe better yet, do you even know what your gift is? My belief is that we all have a gift. And while you might hesitate at that thought and think to yourself, “Does he even know who he’s talking to? I’m the least gifted person I know”—I stand firmly in my position. Even if you think to yourself about how gifted and talented you already know you are—that isn’t exactly what I’m talking about—I’m talking about a specific gift.
Read More »Iain Thomas Quote on Being Gifted and What That Really MeansMaya Angelou Quote on Legacy and What People Most Remember About You
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
Beyond the Quote (326/365)
For as much as I work with quotes, you’d think I’d be better at remembering exactly what people said—I don’t. There are phrases, of course, that have stuck with me for one poignant or arbitrary reason or another, but I undoubtedly forget more than I remember. Heck, I can’t even quote myself for more than a few sentences! Think about the last time you tried to memorize a speech… how much of it could you memorize? Quoting is hard. People will (mostly) forget what you said.
Read More »Maya Angelou Quote on Legacy and What People Most Remember About YouWill Smith Quote from Collateral Beauty on How We’re Here to Connect.
“We’re here to connect. Love, time, death. Now these three things connect every single human being on earth. We long for love, we wish we had more time and we fear death.”
Howard Inlet (Will Smith), Collateral Beauty
Beyond the Quote (325/365)
If I take a piece of paper and I draw a line down the center of it, you might say that it’s divided. You might say there is a left side and a right side. But, a simple line doesn’t change the fact that the sides are still part of the paper. They are not suddenly separate entities unto themselves—they are still a part of a whole. If I rip the paper down that line, you might say that the paper is now divided for sure. But, even if you were to rip the paper 1,000 times, each piece is still united in its essence—that it’s paper. From one perspective, division; from the other perspective, unity—even in the face of division.
Read More »Will Smith Quote from Collateral Beauty on How We’re Here to Connect.“Meet people, mix with people, with as many people as possible, because each person expresses a different facet of God. Learn from people. Don’t be afraid, this existence is not your enemy. This existence mothers you, this existence is ready to support you in every possible way. Trust, and you will start feeling a new upsurge of energy in you. That energy is love. That energy wants to bless the whole existence, because in that energy one feels blessed. And when you feel blessed, what else can you do except bless the whole existence?”
Osho, Courage (Page 78)
“Imagine this: You’re single. Forever. The end. Now imagine this: You have no friends. Forever. The end. Many of us misinterpret our need for strong friendships as a need for a romantic relationship. This is an unhealthy way to go about life. Being single forever may suck to think about, but it’s not exactly the end of the world. You could still have a pretty bitchin’ life anyway. Plenty of people do. Plenty of people choose to remain single for the majority of their lives and don’t feel as though they’re missing out on much. We’ve all been single before. And many of us in committed relationships will someday be single again. But friendless for the rest of your life? Well, let’s just say that these are the things that suicides are made of. You can be happy without a partner. You cannot be happy without friends. Prioritize your friendships.”
Mark Manson
101 Thoughtful and Provoking Questions To Ask To Get To Know Someone
Excerpt: Looking for questions to ask to get to know someone? This list has you covered. Good for getting to know someone new or old, known or unknown, stranger or friend. Questions are the key to meaningful connection. Enjoy.
Read More »101 Thoughtful and Provoking Questions To Ask To Get To Know Someone
How Can We Create More Space In Our Lives For What’s REAL?
Excerpt: An exploration of what even IS real, why real tends NOT to be the default, and how “keeping it real” can lead to more connections and strength than the opposite.
Read More »How Can We Create More Space In Our Lives For What’s REAL?
Ethan Hawke Quote on Art and Why Human Creativity Matters
“Do you think human creativity matters? Well, most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about poetry, right? They have a life to live and they’re really not that concerned with Allen Ginsberg’s poems or anyone’s poems—until, their father dies; they go to a funeral; you lose a child; someone breaks your heart. And all of a sudden you’re desperate for making sense out of this life. ‘Has anybody felt this bad before? How did they come out of this cloud?’ Or the inverse—something great. You meet somebody and your heart explodes—you love them so much you can’t even see straight. You’re dizzy. ‘Did anybody feel like this before? What is happening to me?’ And that’s when art’s not a luxury—it’s actually sustenance. We need it.”
Ethan Hawke, TED
Beyond the Quote (276/365)
Has anybody felt as bad as you might be feeling? Yes. And worse. How did they come out of that cloud? They wrote about it. Talked about it. Created something with it. They expressed it. Connected with other people about it. And many of them left it there for people, like you, to find and possibly connect with, too. Have you found what they left for you? Or have you been distracted? Have you even tried to search or are you too busy not looking? Human creativity—art—is the sustenance we need to nourish our souls.
Read More »Ethan Hawke Quote on Art and Why Human Creativity Matters“There’s a thing that worries me sometimes when you talk about creativity because it can have this kind of feel that it’s just nice, or warm, or pleasant—it’s not. It’s vital. It’s the way we heal each other. In singing our song, in telling our story, in inviting you to say, ‘Hey, listen to me and I’ll listen to you,’ we’re starting a dialog. And when you do that this healing happens. And we come out of our corners. And we start to witness each other’s common humanity. We start to assert it. And when we do that? Really good things happen.”
Ethan Hawke, TED
On Social Media: “What If My Posts Are Causing Other People Pain? When Should I Share and When Shouldn’t I Share?”
“Social media is still an energy exchange… in case you were wondering why you’re exhausted all of the time.”
Unknown
Beyond the Quote (245/365)
When it comes to social media, what do we do if what we post causes other people pain? Assuming that’s not the intention, I find this to be a very valid concern when one of the main criticisms of social media use is the pain it can cause. The pain in seeing others in seemingly happy relationships. The pain in seeing people post exotic pictures from across the globe when you’re stuck at home. The pain in seeing distorted perceptions of beauty and then comparing it to yourself. The pain in seeing other people hit milestones that you haven’t even set as goals for yourself. The pain that comes from comparing highlight reels to your “normal” reels. Not wanting to contribute to any of that, the question that I find constantly stirring in my mind is, what moments to share and what moments to keep to myself?
Read More »On Social Media: “What If My Posts Are Causing Other People Pain? When Should I Share and When Shouldn’t I Share?”Drake Quote from Emotionless on Posting To Social Media and Trying To Impress People
“I know a girl whose one goal was to visit Rome/
Then she finally got to Rome/
And all she did was post pictures for people at home/
‘Cause all that mattered was impressin’ everybody she’s known”
Drake, Emotionless
Beyond the Quote (223/365)
Happiness is only real when shared. That’s the last thing that Chris McCandless wrote before he died in the movie, Into The Wild. (Warning: More spoilers ahead) Based on a true story, the main character, after getting accepted into Law School, decided he wanted to pursue an alternate path and donated all of his college money to charity, bought a cheap car, and drove out west in pursuit of a remote life in Alaska. He wanted to travel, explore, and live completely free from conformity.
Read More »Drake Quote from Emotionless on Posting To Social Media and Trying To Impress People