“All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” These words feel like they were crafted specifically for our modern world. We don’t want to sit with our thoughts. Because doing so might lead to us questioning their weaknesses, or worse, their origins.

Humans’ superpower is the ability to tell stories. Stories help us to make sense of an uncertain world. Stories are not facts; they exist to prompt questions. The ability to question and update our own uncomfortable stories is the key to building resilience.

Happiness might just be hiding behind that choice. The relationship between choice and control steers our life's direction. And much of this balance lies in what we're willing to let go of, and let exist outside of our control.

Our inclination to be distracted has kept us alive for millennia. But today's technology turns this useful trait against us by becoming "super-stimuli". We can't defeat the power of super-stimuli, but we can remove it. This is a fight worth walking away from.

A world of texting and instant messaging means we can avoid the unpredictability and messiness of phone calls. We can outsource the expression of emotions to GIFs and emojis. We can reduce uncertainty. But life is unpredictable, messy and uncertain. And that's a reality we can't ignore.

How do we maintain confidence in who we are when faced with moments of difficulty? Confidence is not about shouting affirmations into a mirror. It's about having an undeniable stack of proof that we are who we say we are.

The ‘When This, Then That’ cycle is a cruel one. When I achieve X, then I'll feel Y. It's always tempting, but only momentarily fulfilling. So how do we break it? We must learn to want what you already have.

Life is a compendium of feelings, thoughts and experiences. And that means stepping outside of our selves, in order to be better understand our self. Even when it’s not easy to do so.

The awkward truth, is that it's a natural desire. But one we need to learn to tame in the modern era. Because wanting more is actually our embedded quest to attain status. Status is a core human need, but knowing how to achieve has never been more confusing than it is today.