Words matter. They shape your experience and, in turn, your life. The words you choose offer insights into your psyche and ideas. The ability to clearly understand and express yourself through language is a significant advantage. At everything.

To improve, the easiest way is to study opposite and adjacent words.

Looking adjacent, consider the difference between dreams, ambitions and goals... or the gulf between joy and satisfaction... or the picture painted by helped versus enabled.

Is the opposite of humility pride? Or is it arrogance? Turns out, it matters.

Your words matter.

Don't take them for granted. Use the thesaurus to make your mind -- and your ideas -- sharper.

Almost everything can be distilled into a system. Fashion is an intersection of social & visual & physical systems. Preparing food is the same. Your natural inclinations towards specific types of systems will draw you towards:

• Optimizing from a social standpoint, making fashion that changes other people's perception of you (your power, beauty, wealth, etc.).
• Optimizing from the visual system, making fashion that is artistic and beautiful.
• AND/OR Optimizing based on human physical needs, making fashion that keeps people warm, dry and healthy.

The outcomes of these systems look very different.

Identifying the systems you want to optimize for  -- and the systems you find motivating & interesting -- goes a long way towards achieving your goals.

Its miraculous how we manipulate our circumstances to fit our emotional state. I was reminded of this today while listening to a (great) podcast with Jerry Colonna and Rand Fiskin. Rand was sharing his struggles with depression and how, everything, no matter the content, became proof of just how screwed he was: "I was in Italy in an absolutely beautiful garden thinking to myself, FUCK, why can't I build something beautiful like this?" (paraphrased)

And it's true. So true.

When you're feeling up, it's easy to see setbacks as fun challenges or meaningful growth opportunities.

When you're feeling down, even the sun and the stars are out to get you.

Remember -- your circumstances are simply fuel for your current mindset. Meaning, things probably aren't as bad (or good) as they currently feel.

With limited resources comes choices. You have $1,500 to spend on yoga this year, do you go to the amazing and life changing week long retreat... OR do you get an unlimited yoga pass and go everyday?

You have 3 weeks of vacation, do you take 3-day weekends all summer... or blow it all in a 2 week fun fest?

Do you optimize your life around building the highest quality normal day... or around intensifying you peak experiences?