One good question about self-esteem is this: can you love yourself even if people in your life think you are average in your achievements? High achievers defiantly say no. They need to prove something to other people every day. What they don’t realize is that proving themselves to others is just a cover story. The real work they are avoiding is to figure out why they can convince others of their worth but are never able to convince themselves.

Rule #17: Live for stories, not perfection

The process, and never the outcome. There are many adages that advocate how focus on the outcome always leads to unhappiness. It seems like the challenge is how do you maintain to be competitive (with yourself) and still be light hearted?

I have a similar story to share. At some point in my career, I switched from "career progression" to "adventure creation" mode. I optimize to be and work with people that will let me write stories in my life.

The erstwhile career focused part of me sometimes rears their head. However, they always quiet down when I regale them with a fun story that I learned along the way.