"Your work will feel most fulfilling if you've spent some time figuring out your unique interests and talents and you go out there and get better and better at doing that stuff. And much more important than the work you do is how you behave with humans. Research proves you'll feel happiest -- during life and at its end -- if you find some small set of humans who know the real you and who love and support you no matter what, and whom you love and support in return." (8)
"But you can decide today that you want to let go of 'I need to be perfect' as your goal and replace it with 'I'm here to learn and grow.' And that's a strong start." (33)
"You're on an adventure now that bears no resemblance to childhood. You're fending. And it's time to cast aside simple platitudes like 'perfect!,' to engage in broader thinking, and to grow more comfortable with dwelling in the uncertain gray areas of life, of which there are multitudes. You're going to take steps forward, but also some steps backwards and even some steps sideways...Adulting is perpetual trial and error, all of which contributes to your growth. In fact, your bad experiences will teach you far more than the good ones." (34)
"Take this from Game of Thrones:
Jon Snow: 'I failed.'
Ser Davos: 'Good. Now go fail again.'" (37)
--Julie Lythcott-Haims, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2021).
