We should all aspire to be good people. But we shouldn’t waste our time trying to prove it to others. As Paulo Coelho says, “Be a good person, but don’t waste your time trying to prove it.”
Life is too short to spend our time trying to convince others of our goodness. We should simply focus on being the best we can be. That’s it.
“Be a good person, but don’t waste your time trying to prove it.” – Paulo Coelho
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For as long as I can remember, I've been told to focus on one thing. At 47, after launching more than 20 businesses since 1998, I finally realized the truth: my inability to specialize wasn't a weakness—it was my superpower. While specialists become fragile when their industry changes, I built redundancy. Multiple pillars of expertise that let me pivot, adapt, and survive when markets disappeared overnight. If you've spent your life jumping between interests and feeling guilty about it, stop apologizing. You're not a dilettante. You're building an M-shaped mind.
I used to believe that pushing harder—controlling every detail, reacting fast, fighting outcomes—was the way to get what I wanted in life. But over time, I’ve learned that anger doesn’t change reality, it just drains you. Life moves like a river, with its own current, and the more you resist it, the harder things become. This post is a reminder to myself to stop fighting, let go of the need to control, and trust the flow instead. Peace comes not from force, but from learning to steer with the current—not against it.
Walking through rainy London streets, my wife told me about Haldun Dormen—one of Turkey's most beloved thespians who just passed away at 98. When he was young, he wrote to his father about his dream of becoming an actor. His father's reply contained just one sentence that shaped everything: "Whatever you want to do, do it. But do it in the best way you can." Permission paired with a standard. Freedom paired with excellence. It's the advice I want to carry forward to my own children.