To agree with someone means to hold the same belief as them. But when you’re listening to someone (intellectuals, pundits, reviewers, etc.), how much of what they’re saying do you actually agree with, and how much are you intaking as new belief and not even thinking about whether you agree or not? 

This can usually happen when you’ve determined in the past that you agree with a person on some things, and then you’ve made a mental leap towards seeing them as a general source of truth. But it’s a dangerous game. The fact that a person has some right beliefs about one thing doesn’t mean they will have quality beliefs about another.

It’s unwise to consider people as sources of truth. It’s best to 1) make yourself conscious of who you’re seeing as that and 2) get rid of that idea from your mind. Stop mindlessly consuming content from your perceived authoritative sources, assuming that you don’t need to be skeptical of what they’re saying. Don’t let your guard down. Question what you’re hearing.

Allow yourself to be inconsistent in the level of truth you’re speaking from.

It’s okay. Allow yourself to be multifaceted. Have the space in your mind to hold multiple different perspectives at once. I think having this ability to hold contradictory perspectives and see the truth in each is a mark of high intellect.

And don’t be ashamed of expressing them both, even if something you’re sharing today contradicts what you shared yesterday. Don’t worry about judgment from others and wear your openmindedness proudly.

(But also, dedicate time to reconciling perspectives in your mind. Be aware of what the contrast is and which perspective is higher consciousness. This develops further wisdom and greater judgment.)

Sometimes your close people will notice strength in you that you yourself didn’t see before.

It’s a gift to have people around you who are attentive, perceptive and caring. Shoutout to my sister! I love you.

Consider leaving relationships in which you’re unseen, unheard and unappreciated. It’s a drain that isn’t worth your time.

Often times we advise people things we’d like to internalize ourselves. We think that something is true and that we should be that. But maybe it’s not true. You don’t know until you actually embody it.

You can have misguided ideas about what’s true and insist on internalizing something false and stupid. And then also go and advise that to others. You can have truthful ideas as well, of course – but the main point is that you can’t know their truth until you live them out.

It’s best to stick to Reality. What are you actually doing? Does it work? Have you confirmed it? You can base your advice reliably on that.

Different people are most clear-headed and productive at different times during the day. I get that.

But there’s something powerful about doing your most meaningful work first thing in the morning. Before you go to your day job, for example. It’s great when you know for the rest of the day that your purpose work is done for now. And you’re excited to go to sleep and wake up early to get it done the next day.

Whatever feels most significant to you, doing it early in the day is probably best. It’s been really inspiring me lately.

Question what you hear and read, especially from sources you trust and like. It’s easy to “question” something when you don’t agree with it from the start.

People/sources are always a mixed bag. Even if you agree with half of what a source is saying, take notice of the other half. Don’t just ignore it and read or watch for “the good stuff”. Pay attention to specific points you disagree with and make a note of them in your mind.

When reading a book, for a long time I just underlined what resonated with me and put exclamation marks next to it. Now, I also put question marks next to what I’m not sure of or plainly disagree with. It’s good practice to be skeptical when you intake information, even if you like the source.