[froderick]

The surest way to get depressed is to worry about what everybody else is doing, and compare yourself to them.

My recommendation is to fill your mind——every waking moment——with ideas, plans, hopes that inspire you, that you want to chase whether anyone else ever sees or knows or appreciates. Things you’d chase on a desert island or the middle of Manhattan.

Then find people you can share them with, that can magnify what you love.

Occasionally you might find yourself tempted to make value judgements about what happens. Don’t do it. Things aren’t good or bad, wonderful or a waste. They just are. You can’t choose the thoughts that intrude, but you can choose how you respond to them. Practice choosing to respond by being in the moment, and making the moment be about pursuing something you love.

Most people I know are controlled by ideology. Imagined imperatives handed down from ancestors and influencers. Their loves take a back seat or remain undiscovered and they get old with regrets. What I propose is the opposite. Let the philosophies and values of the day burn. They can't offer you anything you can’t offer yourself. Make the things you love eclipse everything else around you. You only live once. This is your chance to be free.

Best of luck.