One solution is to avoid making any single aspect of your identity an overwhelming portion of who you are. In the words of investor Paul Graham, “kee… - James Clear

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Engraved portrait of James Clear, facing left

One solution is to avoid making any single aspect of your identity an overwhelming portion of who you are. In the words of investor Paul Graham, “keep your identity small.” The more you let a single belief define you, the less capable you are of adapting when life challenges you. If you tie everything up in being the point guard or the partner at the firm or whatever else, then the loss of that facet of your life will wreck you. If you’re a vegan and then develop a health condition that forces you to change your diet, you’ll have an identity crisis on your hands. When you cling too tightly to one identity, you become brittle. Lose that one thing and you lose yourself.

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About James Clear

James Clear (born 1986) is an American writer and public speaker known for Self-improvement.

Biography information from Wikiquote · Portrait adapted from Wikimedia Commons, James Clear (CC BY-SA)

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Additional quotes by James Clear

We spend a lot of time talking about everything we have to do.

You have to finish 10 things at work. You have to exercise today. You have to cook dinner for your family.

Now, change one word in each sentence. You don't "have" to. You "get" to.

You get to finish 10 things at work. You get to exercise today. You get to cook dinner for your family.

The right perspective transforms your burdens into opportunities.

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Some people get addicted to chain-smoking their problems. They spend all day going from sorrow to sorrow. It doesn't have to be that way. You can live each day going from joy to joy—like a sunflower that turns to face the sun as it moves across the sky. It's not about having a problem-free life, but about focusing on the light. Sunflowers still have shadows, but they are always behind them.

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