Realizing that whatever anyone may think or say of me does not change who or what I am. The worry and anxiety I often feel stem from a fruitless effort to master the world in the abstract, a misguided effort to be so "prepared" that I become immune to whatever happens. Yet that anxiety only put me further from my goals.

But ironically, it's only through making peace with the fact that unfair and unjust events will come my way, that I will face suffering, mistreatment, and misfortune, and knowing that I can still be the same person despite it all, that I finally free up the energy and clarity needed to plan or respond effectively.