Jumpstart Your Dream Life

Lessons from Voltaire on Finding Purpose in Life

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Few philosophers have made so great an impact on French philosophy as Voltaire. Born in 1694, Francois-Marie Arouet spent his early years in Paris, France. He was educated in the classics by Jesuits at the College Louis-le-Grand.

After finishing school, he wanted to become a writer. His father, though, wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer. To appease him, Arouet pretended to pursue law while he wrote.

Arouet became popular amongst his peers for his satire and wit. Unfortunately, these same attributes soon landed him in hot water. After mocking the government, he was imprisoned in the Bastille for nearly a year. When he was released, he decided to adopt the name “Voltaire”.

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How to Succeed When You’re Behind

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At only 19 years old, S.E. Hinton’s first novel The Outsiders was an instant success.

She began writing the story in high school. Her story was based off two rival gangs at school: the Greasers and the Socs. Hinton’s book sought to understand “the other side” by portraying life from the Greasers’ working-class perspective.

Her novel was published in 1967. At the time, she was a freshman attending university in her hometown, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Before she left her teenage years, Hinton became a household name.

Since then, the book has sold tens of millions of copies. It has become required reading in many high schools. Of all the novels that Hinton has written, The Outsiders remains the most popular.

But today is not about S.E. Hinton.

Today is about the slow growth.

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Empty Your Cup: A Zen Proverb on Accepting Feedback

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There is a famous proverb about a teacup. Although there are multiple versions, here is my favorite one:

Once upon a time, there was a wise Zen master. People traveled from far away to seek his help. In return, he would teach them and show them the way to enlightenment.

On this particular day, a scholar came to visit the master for advice. “I have come to ask you to teach me about Zen,” the scholar said.

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Stop Thinking Big, Start Thinking Different

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From an early age, we’re taught to aim for the best – whether it involves the schools, companies, or people we associate with.

But what if “the best” isn’t what we need?

What if, by surrounding ourselves with “prestigious” people, places, and institutions, we’re actually sabotaging our growth?

Let me explain.

Painters in a Parisian Café

It was 1860s Paris. The city was taking the art world by storm. In a café, five artists met to talk.

The young painters – Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille – convened at the Café Guerbois. As usual, they discussed art, life, and philosophy under the guidance of the older Édouard Manet.

Right now though, they needed to talk business. Specifically, the business of getting into the Salon.

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4 Ways You Can Use Failure To Your Advantage

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It seems like we have two options in life: succeed or fail. Get what you worked for and you’re a success. Fall short of that, and you’re a failure. We think about these two outcomes as if they were binary.

But maybe it’s time we rethink failure. That is, how we can use failure to provide advantages that we might not gain otherwise.

Here are four of the most important ways.

1. Use the emotions from failure to become stronger

Failure seems to imply that nothing is gained. Hours of work and energy have been put into an endeavor, but the output is zero. At least, that’s what it looks like from the outside.

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3 Quick Things You Can Do To Boost Your Confidence

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When it comes to boosting people’s confidence, we hear the same pieces of advice all the time:

  • “Be strong.”
  • “Believe in yourself!”
  • “Just think positive.”

The problem with these phrases is that they assume people can simply build up courage on their own to achieve their goals. It makes us think that if we just put in the effort and try hard enough, we can become confident.

A lot of the times, we can’t.

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The Intelligence Threshold: Why You Don’t Need to Be The Smartest to Be The Best

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What does it take to be successful?

Is it a matter of being the “best and the brightest”?

We hear this term thrown around so often today that it seems as though intelligence is the gatekeeper to opportunities.

This idea that inborn smarts and talent are the great divider causes us to hold certain beliefs about our world.

If we see someone performing better than ourselves, we’re quick to assume that the person must be smarter or naturally more talented. And when this happens, it creates an excuse for us to give up on our goals.

For example, have you ever thought to yourself…

  • “Wow, it’s amazing what that person accomplished. I could never do that.” [I’m not smart enough.]
  • “I really want to do that, but…” [I’m not talented enough.]
  • “How does that person stay in such good shape?” [I’m just not built like that.]

Notice how there’s the self-limiting belief at the end of each of these examples?

We might not consciously think those words – after all, it would be painful to admit these things – but it’s there, hidden underneath what we tell ourselves. This negative train of thought then justifies our inaction.

Now, we can agree that people aren’t born on equal footing. Some of us are probably have a better ability to grasp certain skills naturally. But do you need to be a genius to be successful in a field?

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