As you pursue your dreams in any field, there are times when you begin to doubt your talents.
Because in each field, those with shining talents are bound to stand out.
If you define talent as a single, fixed, unchanging mass, you will end up comparing yourself to others around you.
Mental distress arises and anxiety arises.
So, shouldn't we look at the scope and spectrum of the word talent more broadly?
Before judging yourself by whether you have talent or not.

---From "Should I give up on my dreams because I have no talent?"

The moment you focus on a small task with a devout mind, that moment of stillness brings peace of mind.
Most of the times when I've been lazy and lethargic, it's because I've forgotten the importance of those little moments.
Apathy often comes when you want to achieve something great but are afraid of failure.
I felt confused by the thought that it would be difficult to achieve the results I had hoped for, and I also felt helpless as I lost the direction of my life.
After organizing my thoughts, I realized that there was a key to bringing the direction of my life back to me.

---From "How to Deal with Apathy as a Lazy Perfectionist"

Looking back at Rousseau's story, we can see that the artist built his own world, contrary to what others thought.
The evaluation of others constantly tests me.
This testing ground is not a space where I have the initiative.
If you can't completely free yourself from this space, if you're swayed by even the slightest criticism from others, one way is to create a new testing ground where you take the initiative.

---From "How to avoid being swayed by others' evaluations"

Looking at Lautrec's self-portrait, I think about self-esteem.
Let go of the distorted lenses that reduce or enlarge reality, and look at and accept reality as it is.
Isn't this something we should do before we exaggerate the slogan "Love me" or fall into self-loathing?
(Omitted) After realizing this fact, I started focusing on ‘building realistic expectations’ rather than ‘raising self-esteem.’
I felt better after letting go of the obsession that I must be unique, special, and valuable in the world.

---From "How to Live in a World That Promotes Self-Esteem"

What happens when we label something we are born with as a 'bad trait' and hide behind it?
When I spend time and energy hating my temperament, I have less energy left over for the things I want to do.
Sometimes, we use our negative temperament as an excuse to avoid taking on new challenges.
Because my mind and actions are not natural, I sometimes get tired easily.
Since I can't live as myself, it's hard to feel happiness as myself.
So, it would be good to consider the merits of being born this way at least once.
It takes practice to interpret your innate temperament in a positive way.

---From "Can I Change My Innate Self?"

Looking at Duchamp's work, you realize how important a question mark (?) that comes after critical thinking is, rather than an exclamation mark (!) that accepts and admires something without thinking.
Surprisingly, many people accept without much criticism the logic of those who are considered mainstream or possess intellectual authority.
A similar situation repeats itself in the private realm of personal taste.
There seems to be a stereotype in our society about what tastes are appropriate for a certain age group.
There is a mindset that you should like certain types of music depending on your age, such as in your teens, twenties, or thirties, and that you should pursue music that is considered more mature and serious as you age.
Are the stereotypes that growing older necessarily comes with "maturity" and "seriousness," and the prejudice that a certain age group must like a certain culture to be considered normal, justifiable ways of thinking?
---From "Are there different levels of taste?"

Even in an intimate relationship, one cannot become completely one.
For example, spouses who meet as adults are bound to have different temperaments, tastes, and upbringings.
The same goes for the relationship between parents and children.
Parents may have grown up in their own unique era and background, but their children grew up in a different environment.
Even siblings who grew up together under the same parents are bound to have different ways of thinking and attitudes toward life due to their different birth order and temperaments.
We often forget this fact and invade each other's territories, hoping that your heart and mine will be the same.
This results in giving and receiving hurt.

---From "The Illusion of Perfect Human Relationships"

Diego's "The Flower Girl" makes us think about the responsibility and suffering that humans must bear in life.
There is no way for others to easily judge that weight.
The lives of others, whom we envy, are scenes we see rarely from afar.
It's easy to think of our own lives as shabby, just as we think of other people's lives as flower songs.
Feelings of inferiority and self-loathing are bound to follow.
It is dangerous to judge someone's life from a distance.

---From "The fact that there is no one for whom life is a playground"

Looking at Larsson's paintings, I realize:
That while childhood experiences may crumple one end of your life, they don't completely destroy it.
It won't be a mess that's beyond recovery.
There will be countless trials and failures, and it will require painful efforts, but there will always be an option that overcomes them.
It is relatively easy to choose cynicism, ridicule, inferiority complex, and projection of hurt.
But instead of this option, you can also choose words like love, warmth, warmth or happiness.

---From "If you want to turn wounds into love"

It is clear that 'sacrifice' is a beautiful word.
However, sacrifices that are not made voluntarily but are made at the unilateral request of one party only leave the sacrificer with resentment later on.
If one party must constantly give something to the other to maintain the relationship, it is not an intimate relationship, but rather an exploitative relationship.
If you ever feel resentment creeping into your relationship, it's time to take a look at your relationship balance sheet.

---From "Why a Balance Sheet is Needed in Human Relationships"

The eyes of the weary people in Hodler's work contain emptiness.
Where does emptiness come from?
It often comes when you lose your clear direction in life.
It is important to set a specific goal and move forward to achieve it.
But as we run towards our destination, we sometimes make mistakes.
I narrow my vision and whip myself like a horse running with both eyes covered.
This is the moment when progress toward a goal degenerates into blind running.

---From "How to Prevent Passion from Turning into Burnout"