Some mental notes I’ve been formulating for myself—set down so they carry more weight than thoughts whizzing around my brain. No particular order.
Learn to let go
Get lost in the pursuit of excellence without fixating on where it leads. Find joy in the flow; no one is born with a destination. Remember, excellence is not a choice. Incremental progress is acceptable as long as it's in service of one's ethos.
Be a relentless learner
You don’t need immediate application. Identifying as a learner shifts your mentality and compounds future skill. Serendipity shows up when you tinker. An afternoon of action can spark outsized joy. (Example: my q-cli-neovimplugin experiment: https://github.com/sriram-mv/q-cli-neovim)
Zero ego
Don’t boast about humility. Embody it. Live it.
Define your goals
Define goals; don’t be bound by them. Wander, but stay directionally aligned.
Radiate calm
Relax. Look around. Make a call. —Jocko Willink
Calm comes from being fully comfortable as yourself. There is only one you, and the identity evolves.