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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The goal-chasing game is a mindset that many of us get stuck in, where we continually focus on the destination rather than the journey.
Delayed gratification isn't a personality trait — it's a skill most people quit before they ever get to use. Every meaningful thing I've built, whether in the gym or as a founder, had the same shape: a long, dark tunnel between the effort and the result, where nothing visible is happening and every instinct tells you to turn back. The people who make it through aren't the ones with more talent or better ideas. They're the ones who learned to tell the voice of fear apart from the voice of their gut — and kept walking even when they couldn't see a thing.
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.