There is no best way to go, but there is a worst way: to follow.

These were my take-aways from today’s issue or Charlotte’s Stretch Letter:.

Many sources of dopamine promise happiness but deliver stress and regret. Think of any unhealthy craving. But cutting out those cravings isn’t a “dopamine detox.” It’s more like “dopamine fasting,” because the craving remains — you have just decided not to act on it.

Some wisdom from @chargrysolle on willpower:. Dopamine is not a happiness-hormone. It’s a desire-hormone. Dopamine released when we expect happiness, not when we obtain it. Your brain promises happiness to motivate you to do something, but there’s no guarantee of happiness.

My little-league baseball coach repeated this maxim every practice and printed it on t-shirts:. Feedback is a gift. It might be the greatest lesson I learned from playing sports. The more receptive you are to feedback, the more you'll learn and the better you'll perform.

And for a perfect argument for the merits of this versatile and essential punctuation mark, check out @culturaltutor’s thread on the semicolon.

Just kidding! The semicolon is my second-favorite punctuation mark (behind the hyphen). For a satirical summary of the Internet’s best writing advice, check out the only listicle I’ve ever written: “10 (Ir)refutable Laws of Online Writing.”.

Don’t use semicolons, they’re confusing. If you think you might need a semicolon, just use a comma. No one cares about comma splices. And no one knows what a semicolon means. So, just use a comma instead of a semicolon, no one will notice, I promise.

We humans have these infinite concepts of what could be, yet we are stuck in the finite concrete of reality.

In this new paradigm of independent publishing, there are no more gatekeepers. Everyone is free to share whatever they want with the whole world. But what we’ve lost with the gatekeepers are editorial standards. Now you and me — the consumers —must be the arbiters of quality.

Be an intellectual nomad; don't dwell in dogma.

The dark side of gratitude is complacency. The dark side of ambition is dissatisfaction.

When in your life have you felt strong feminine energy? How would you feel if tonight you danced with the Moon incarnate?.

Your first draft generates a bunch of potentially related ideas — like a pile of building blocks on the floor. During revision, you sift through those ideas and make them click together like Lego bricks.

I dream because I am human. I am human because I dream.

Relationships are meant to supplement your individuality, not supplant it.

If you want your argument to be *convincing*, your reader must agree that each of your claims have sufficient evidence.

When writing essays, you can generally think of there being two types of ideas: claims and evidence. If you want your argument to be cohesive and clear, your reader must know — for each idea — whether it is a new claim or evidence for a claim.

Give your reader credit for their ability to think. Give yourself credit for your ability to get them thinking.

RT @GarrettKincaid: Everything is impermanent — every pain and pleasure, each agony and ecstasy, all grief and glory. This too shall pass….

Three (overly simplified) rules for effective facilitation: . 1. Be the first to share. 2. Ask thoughtful questions that are provocative but not prescriptive or accusatory. 3. Otherwise, shut up and listen.