Remember this: mood states have no underlying substance. They're ephemeral. Phantoms of the mind. Their presence does not automatically indicate significance. The sooner you can begin to appreciate this, the sooner you'll regain a sense of agency and control with respect to your emotions and your behaviors.

The longer you ignore what scares you, the stronger and more distorted the narrative becomes. Avoidance is a slow form of self-betrayal. Seneca understood this deeply. He recognized that fearing hardship is often worse than facing it. His solution? Don’t just analyze your fears — expose yourself to them.

Growth is not an act of willpower alone—it’s the moment you see with new eyes, clear away illusion, and decide, day after day, to turn struggle into a source of power.

If your attention is somewhere else, your capacity to lead, respond, or decide is gone with it. You are either present, or you are absent. There is no in-between.

Confront your circumstances. Leverage them. Avoid the trap of escapism. Regardless of your future plans, you have to start where you are.