Scientists have discovered that the more we resist temptation, think deeply, or focus intensely, the better we become at doing - Brad Stulberg

Victor Frankl: By declaring that man is responsible and must actualize the potential meaning of his life, I wish to stress that the true meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or his own psyche, as though it were a closed system. I have termed this constitutive characteristic "the self-transcendence of human existence." It denotes the fact that being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself — be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself — by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love — the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself. What is called self-actualization is not an attainable aim at all, for the simple reason that the more one would strive for it, the more he would miss it. In other words, self-actualization is possible only as a side-effect of self-transcendence.

Wise hope and wise action ask that you accept and see a situation clearly for what it is, and then, with the hopeful attitude necessary, say, Well, this is what is happening now, so I will focus on what I can control, try not to obsess over what I can't, and do the best I can. I've faced other challenges and other seasons of doubt and despair, and I've come out the other side.

Those who are most focused on reaching some external barometer of success are often the same people who struggle most to enjoy it.