[Conceal intentions with false sincerity]

Espouse a belief in honesty and forthrightness as important social values.

Do this as publicly as possible.

Emphasize your position by occasionally divulging some heartfelt thought - though only one that is meaningless or irrelevant.

The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

[Great courtiers] are magnets of pleasure — people want to be around them because they know how to please, yet they neither fawn nor humiliate themselves.

Appearing better than others is always dangerous,

but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses.

Envy creates silent enemies.

Accept that there will be people who will surpass you in some way, and that you may envy them.

But make that feeling a way of pushing yourself to equal or surpass them someday.

Let envy turn inward and it poisons the soul; expel it outward & it can move you to greater heights.

To some people the notion of consciously playing power games — no matter how indirect — seems evil, asocial, a relic of the past.

They believe they can opt out of the game by behaving in ways that have nothing to do with power.

Investing in stocks, startups, crypto, real estate, and whatever else can create a lot of wealth.

That's great.

But truly achieving happiness and success in life starts with one thing:

Investing in yourself 🧵

Our lives often get more hectic the more successful we become.

And it gets more difficult to justify taking the time and energy to invest in ourselves.

Instead we just focus on short term gains in our careers, often at the expense of ourselves.

This is a mistake.

I attribute a lot of my success to continuously making sure I am my best self.

But to do that well, you need to focus.

These are the categories I invest in:
1. Education
2. Physical Health
3. Mental Health
4. Relationships

If I get these things right, I know I am doing well.

1/ Education

For me, learning is about doing. That's why I prioritize having strong mentors.

Investing in your education means paying for experiences, trying new things or skills.

This investment should be in something that will have an impact, not just in knowing more stuff.

2/ Health

Health is finding a way to stay fit as your life style changes over time.

I don't do the same workouts I did in college or even the same ones I did before I had my boys.

If you don't invest in a health routine that matches your lifestyle, it's doomed to fail.

While he considers you weak and inferior,

and takes no precautions against you,

you are using the time to catch up and surpass him.

This soft, permeable form of invasion is often the best,

for the enemy has nothing to react against, prepare for, or resist.

For not many men, the proverb says, can love a friend who fortune
prospers without feeling envy;

and about the envious brain, cold poison clings and doubles all the pain life brings him.

His own woundings he must nurse, and feels another's gladness like a curse.

-Aeschylus

Never expose the sweat and labor behind your poise.

Some think such exposure will demonstrate their diligence and honesty, but it actually just makes them look weaker — as if anyone who practiced and worked at it could do what they had done.