The hero is valorous because he stands up to every threat directed against his values. Heroism requires value conflict.

Remember that stress doesn't come from what's going on in your life. It comes from your thoughts about what's going on in your life.

If you're successful and stressed out, you're succeeding in spite of your stress, not because of it.

During the financial crisis, I worked with hundreds of executives who struggled as a result of their thoughts about job security. When their beliefs changed, so did their emotional experience - and they were then able to focus on the task at hand more effectively.

Some people are so used to experiencing stress that they don't remember what life was like without it.

Even in this secular country, the threat posed by religious fundamentalists is never very far away. Every major religious text exhorts the same principles - that of unyielding obedience to a supernatural being, and renunciation of the intellect and personal aspirations.

You might think that shifting your thoughts is as easy as setting your mind to it. But stressful thoughts aren't held in place through choice or will power. They're held in place through perceived truth value.