Practice ’not knowing’ to distance yourself from ‘fiery enthusiasms’ and cultivate self-doubt and intellectual humility, especially regarding strongly held views, to counteract absolute certainty and foster openness.
During frenetic or stressful events, take a quick moment to stop, take a couple of breaths, and recenter yourself; this helps prevent feeling overwhelmed and wisely navigate challenges.
Question the assumptions behind your preferred solutions and consider what if you are wrong; this develops conceptual agility and prepares you for unexpected outcomes, leading to more robust decisions.
In your communication, include provisional language (e.g., ‘perhaps,’ ‘it seems’) to reflect intellectual humility and an understanding of impermanence; this practice changes your thinking and improves interpersonal communication by acknowledging uncertainty.
Look for an ‘Aristotelian mean’ or ‘golden spot’ in your efforts, avoiding disengagement (holding too loosely) or fanatical zeal (gripping too tightly), to effectively achieve goals without destructive intensity or passive failure.
Cultivate passion as an energy for doing good things, but be careful not to let it slip into fanatical zeal, which becomes destructive rather than constructive; approach decisions with thoughtfulness and prudence.
Recognize that true compassion sometimes requires sternness, setting boundaries, or being forceful; this means delivering ‘hard truths’ or saying no when necessary, as a betrayal of compassion if not done.
To ensure the long-term success and staying power of your initiatives, engage with and seek buy-in from those with differing views; compromise and collaboration lead to policies that ‘stick’ better than those driven by fever-pitch intensity.
Have a clear idea of your personal ethical boundaries and know when to ‘walk’ (resign or disengage) from a situation; this helps maintain integrity and avoids compromising your values.
When encountering good ideas that are marred by problematic or ‘insane’ elements, work to remove those elements to advance the core good idea; this facilitates progress rather than rejecting the idea entirely.
Ensure your actions, especially forceful ones, are motivated by compassion; this means considering that ‘wrathful, forceful action’ can be appropriate if it stems from a compassionate heart.
Recognize that not making a decision is itself a form of decision-making; this encourages self-awareness and humility in decision-making, even when redirection is needed.