“If we only wanted to be happy, it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, and that is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are.”
— Montesquieu; French Judge and Philosopher

Comparison is the thief of joy. It often happens that we are perfectly happy and we only “realize“ that we are unhappy when we compare ourselves to others.

But comparison is a never ending negative game. It’s impossible to know how happy another person truly is. Even if they are very happy, who cares? You’re living your life so you only experience your own happiness.

Decide what makes you happy and enjoy it within yourself without worrying about what others have.

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”
― Stephen Hawking, Scientist

This is the Dunning–Kruger effect. People who know very little about a subject tend to be overconfident that they know a lot. This leads to them making big mistakes and missing out on learning more. On the flip side, people who know a lot see the vast landscape of their subject and thus understand that it’s impossible to know it all.

It’s best to keep a student’s mindset. There is always more to learn and you can always improve. Having an open mind is the first step to growing and becoming a more knowledgeable person.

“Whoever walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.”
— Solomon; Second King of Israel

This is the ancient version of “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.“ The people you spend time with influence you both mentally and emotionally. The more time you spend with them, the stronger the influence.

Be conscious of who you spend your time with. Make it with people who are on the same or an even better path than you. That is the way of building a great life.