When it comes to compliments, you accept them but you do not inhale.

Kudos is as ephemeral as a Facebook like. Congratulations acknowledge your existence and provide a dopamine boost. But they can also turn the ego into an enemy. Praise takes no responsibility for the passion and head work at play.

Like Darwin’s finches, we are always evolving. There is no constant, especially in a rapidly advancing world that imposes frequent variables.

Rather than seeking external validation, you should chase out your interests. Passion not only helps bring excitement to the job, but it also makes you antifragile — it’s impossible to beat someone who expects to keep going despite hosannas and hurdles.

“In the long run, we find what we expect. We shall be fortunate then if we expect great things.”

Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Hold the exhale for as long as you can. It is in breathing out, you protect against the toxins that try to get in. Just remember to pace yourself as you breathe.