It's very easy to confuse confident motion with being productive - and they're not the same thing. Productive to me means measurable outcomes that apply to my most important to-dos that positively affect my life. That's it.

Think big and don't listen to people who tell you it can't be done. Life's too short to think small.

People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.

Language learning deserves special mention. It is, bar none, the best thing you can do to hone clear thinking.

Learn to be difficult when it counts

I'll repeat something you might consider tattooing on your forehead: What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.

Remember—boredom is the enemy, not some abstract "failure.