Apparently, most of us have a default level of happiness. No matter what our station is in life, we are all slightly dissatisfied. Slightly. Life is just never quite good enough, even when it really is. This default happiness level readjusts depending on your circumstances. Even if something significant happens…

The optimal state of being is not to feel good all the time but to feel appropriately good or bad given your current circumstances. — What Is Extraversion? Extraversion breaks down into the following two fundamental aspects: assertiveness and enthusiasm. Those high in assertiveness are the take-charge types. The so-called natural-born leaders. The game-changing alphas. (A valuable trait for a pilot, I might add.)

It goes a long way to determining who you are, the choices you make, and how well you do in life. — The Story of Personality Theory Some 80-plus years ago researchers embarked on one of the longest (and most boring) projects in human psychology. It started with the idea that people are born with different character traits that remain relatively stable throughout one’s lifetime. They called this idea personality.

The trick is to specialise at what you are but practise what you aren’t. — You can think of personality as the lens through which we view the world. It functions by filtering the world so we only pay attention to certain things that influence the way we think, feel, and act. Part of what colours our lens has to do with the environment in…

You can only fight your nature for so long before it catches up with you. — We’re all looking for that Goldilocks position in life. That ultimate purpose specifically suited to our own unique talents and values. Of course, we want to maximise our potential to do the most possible good. This is why many of us have this gnawing sense that the job we’re in…

Perhaps it’s better the devil you don’t know? — Beware fear disguised as optimism. “There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, ‘Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,’ and an optimist who says, ‘Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine any way.’ Either way, nothing happens.” — YVON CHOUINARD Most of us don’t call fear out for what it…

We never arrive at an absolute truth. Instead, we only ever become a little less wrong. — If you think back to the Middle Ages and compare what we know now to what we thought we knew then, you’ll probably conclude that we weren’t terribly bright. Of course, we now know that the sun doesn’t revolve around the earth, that sperm doesn’t contain tiny people, and that…

What do you do when war comes knocking down your door? — “War would end if the dead could return.” — Stanley Baldwin. Just imagine you wake up the following morning to the sound of bombs exploding and artillery firing. The enemy has invaded. You didn’t think it would ever happen, but there you are. Suddenly you’ve been thrown back into the…

Here’s an exercise that might help. — I haven’t been myself lately. The unrelenting madness at work over the past couple of years has taken a toll. I decided I needed some time to clear the storm clouds that had gathered inside my mind. I realised I’d been too close to everything at work. So, I called…