ONE
Healing a relationships starts with confession. It starts when the experience of someone who has been wronged gets validated.
TWO
You won’t solve everybody’s problems. You can always try to offer love with everything you’ve got.
THREE
Just be with people. Never use your stories, experiences, or wisdom to prop yourself up as anything special. Engage as an equal.
FOUR
Engage the people around you with excitement about how you can make their immediate lives just a little bit better.
FIVE
There are a lot of dangers in spreading yourself to thin, but there are a lot of strengths gained from being the sort of person who takes on a wide variety of interests. Being able to connect seemingly unrelated concepts is a useful skill.
SIX
Do something bold every day.
SEVEN
Be humble. Be excellent. Humility doesn’t equal mediocrity.
EIGHT
The need for belonging takes precedence over so many other needs. Find your community. Build it. Cultivate it. Offer others a place to be.
NINE
Great leaders apologize regularly.
TEN
When things in your care go wrong, take ownership of the situation. When they go right, think of who else you owe some credit to.
ELEVEN
Malaysian food just might be the most underrated cuisine.
TWELVE
People are drawn in by somebody who has a clearly articulated worldview- a guiding belief that informs everything they do.
THIRTEEN
Sustainability means loving those who will come after you.
FOURTEEN
Survivors make for the best advocates. They know what matters which creates the perspective to say the hard, right, necessary things while brushing off the drama that sometimes goes with it.
FIFTEEN
Do something every month that you’ll be very glad you did eight years from now.
SIXTEEN
Everyone is going through something tough we just can’t see.
SEVENTEEN
If you want to show the world what it looks like to love your neighbor, then it begins and ends with how you show up for your spouse.
EIGHTEEN
Let people know that you’re thrilled they exist.
NINETEEN
Don’t just do stuff cause it’s cool or for the status associated with doing it. Always proceed with purpose.
TWENTY
Hope enables us to see light in dark places. It takes eyes that have adjusted. It’s best seen by those on the ground. Those who will stand with the most vulnerable, even while nations turn their backs and close their gates. Those who continue to give generously to the most marginalized, while we show no signs of reducing our environmental damage that affects them the most. Those who believe that all this is worthwhile, even if it doesn’t always feel like a winning battle.
TWENTYONE
Travel is kind of like the opposite of watching the news. You’ll find that all around the world you can see people doing small things every day to make life better for the people around them. You’ll find a lot of willingness to help. If the news is your go-to way to “stay informed,” you’ll actually miss out on a lot of reality.
TWENTYTWO
Use small stories to point to global truths.
TWENTYTHREE
I used to think faith was expressed through beliefs and actions. I still do, but I think one other component is contemplation. Taking the time to reflect on the process is indispensable.
TWENTYFOUR
It’s the mid-week four mile runs that make the marathon possible.
TWENTYFIVE
You live at the intersection of interests, hobbies, passions, and experiences that side-by-side seem like a really odd combination. Embrace it and own it. That makes your true self come alive.
TWENTYSIX
Observe. Ask. Wait. Validate. Our world is noisy because nobody feels heard.
TWENTYSEVEN
Never underestimate the difference a simple good act can create.
TWENTYEIGHT
Stay in touch with people. Reach out to those you've lost touch with. Not doing so is one of the most common end-of-life regrets.
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