Ben Whetstone

“I haven’t liked you since 2002,” he hissed during a recent argument over which airport security line was moving the fastest. This didn’t hurt me so much as confuse me. “What happened in 2002?” I asked.”
― David Sedaris, Calypso

“If you aren’t where you want to be, the problem is your choices.”
― M.J. DeMarco, The Millionaire Fastlane

“Asking big, brave questions is exactly what you need to do to become a professional mind-maker-upper.”
― Phil M. Jones, Exactly What to Say: For Real Estate Agents

“The foundation of courage is vulnerability—the ability to navigate uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. It takes courage to open ourselves up to joy. In fact, as I’ve written in other books, I believe joy is probably the most vulnerable emotion we experience. We’re afraid that if we allow ourselves to feel it, we’ll get blindsided by disaster or disappointment. That’s why in moments of real joy, many of us dress-rehearse tragedy. We see our child leave for the prom, and all we can think is “car crash.” We get excited about an upcoming vacation, and we start thinking “hurricane.” We try to beat vulnerability to the punch by imagining the worst or by feeling nothing in hopes that the “other shoe won’t drop.” I call it foreboding joy.”
― Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone