“If I don’t respond, will there be negative repercussions? Are they trying to make their problem my problem? Am I being baited into an argument? Is this distracting me from more important tasks? Sometimes the unnecessary stress in our life is our own doing, because we intentionally engage with the people or situations creating it. Although we often don’t mean to, we find ourselves instinctually catching the ball out of habit or obligation or because of our history with that person (ex-spouse, childhood friend, overbearing parent). You may not be able to control what another person says or does, but you can always control your response, or lack thereof, to it. If you don’t like drama, then don’t invite it in.”
― Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly
― Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly
“Yet if you want to go deeply into any subject, you need a lot of time, and in particular you need the privilege of wasting time. You need to experiment with unproductive paths, to explore dead ends, to make space for doubts and boredom, and to allow little seeds of insight to slowly grow and blossom. If you cannot afford to waste time - you will never find the truth.”
― 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
― 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
“Once you begin creating and enforcing boundaries, there’s something you need to know. Not everyone will like it. Some will even hate it. But they’ll still respect you for it.”
― The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More
― The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More
“Forgiveness is giving up all hope of a different past.”
― Finding Me
― Finding Me
“The more words you use, the less I want to listen and the less value your words have. But the fewer words you use, the more I want to pay attention and the more value each word holds. Each word has impact. When you flood the market of conversation with excessive words, you create a deficit of attention.”
― The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More
― The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More
Joyce’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Joyce’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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