we make a great mistake whenever we assume that we now know all there is to know about how processes work. Make more allowance in your calculations for the possibilities of pleasant surprises. We all make promises to ourselves. We say, 'I'm not going to let this kind of thing happen any more.' Or, 'I will change this behaviour pattern.' Even if we are successful, our lives don't automatically improve. It may be that we have chosen to modify character traits that are really more strengths than weaknesses.
 Be wary, of a decision made some while ago, under different circumstances. There is no point in sticking with what you have started, if what you have started is no longer worth sticking with.as an example of how we are learning to manipulate the shape of the universe, it is amazing. Be aware this- that it is possible, under certain circumstances, to change the very essence of something that might once have seemed unchangeable.How dare you even think about having your cake and eating it too? Why can't you learn to live with reality?' But if you can keep baking as fast as you can keep eating - or if, having eaten your cake, you can hold on to the memory of every morsel, you may well find ways to make the seemingly impossible, possible.
If you ever wonder where your next enemy is likely to come from, take a look at some of your closest friends. Few people have more power to frustrate us (and more motivation too) than the ones who are currently close to us. All it is ever going to take is a small deterioration in the relationship, until gradually, the trust gives way to mistrust. I'm not suggesting that such a possibility is about to present itself in your life. But you should be aware of certain sensitivities and tread carefully around delicate subjects. Is it better to have a thick skin and be oblivious to insults and accusations or to have a thin skin and be sensitive, even to the slightest hint of criticism?
 We miss out on a lot when we become too hard or too soft. We need to find a way to pass from one extreme of the emotional spectrum to the other, according to the needs of the moment. It is not some permanent choice to 'toughen up' or 'let yourself be pushed around' that you must make now. It is enough just to know what is going to be best.If you only ever look on the bright side of life, when will you ever recognise much by way of contrast? Where will be the subtle shifting shapes that sometimes show themselves only in shadows? We all need a little doom and gloom. It helps to keep life poignant and bitter-sweet. Or does it? It is amazing how many people will strive so hard to come up with seemingly good reasons for wallowing in negativity. Yet there is no need for you to do any of that right now - and no advantage in it either. Hang on tight to your hope.What if everything is exactly the way that we imagine it to be? What if it all means precisely what we think it means? Supposing our understanding of the world is the only appropriate one? We might gain a glorious sense of righteousness were this ever proved to be the reality but ultimately, it would be a pretty dull state of affairs. Where would the surprises come from? What about the amazing discoveries? Be open to a different perspective  it may be highly relevant and it could yet alter everything.How long is your to-do list? Does it contain the right items, in the right order? If you don't mind me looking over your shoulder for a moment, I'd like you to show me what you've got at Number 1. A-ha! I thought so. Well, that's no good is it? Let's cross it off and replace it with the following words: 'Get. Rid. Of. The. To-do. List.' There. That's the only thing that needs to be on your agenda. And I don't mean, 'get rid of it' by diligently working your way through it. It is time for some courageous abdication of responsibility.
 We have learned many things over the years. We have learned, for example, that it is not okay to smoke in restaurants or bars. We now know not to drink while driving and to avoid fatty foods. Once, we didn't know any of this. But now the world has changed. There must have been some people who could see all along just how wrong such behaviour was. You can probably identify with them as you now look at a set of standards that seem fine to everyone else but outrageous to you. In time, this will be put right. 
Most people, most of the time, do as they are told. And if nobody is there telling them to do anything? They do whatever they imagine they might be told to do. Humans are surprisingly compliant characters, as many an invading army has discovered to its advantage, throughout history. But every so often, worms turn - and even the most passive people suddenly stand up and start to fight for their rights. If you want to engineer change in a situation that most folk seem happy enough to accept, it may yet prove possible..There is nothing wrong with generosity of spirit. It is fine to make a choice based not so much on what you want as on what might most please someone else. I do hope that I haven't recently given any impression to the contrary. But at the same time I have been (and remain) keen to convey a warning against oversensitivity to social pressure. Just remember, it is fine to give whatever you feel inspired to give but not always so fine to give way wherever you feel that perhaps you ought to give way.