When you failed in what you did then you, or others, might think that you did the wrong thing. What we do and how we do it is our own choice but the world is so complex that not everything can be overseen upfront. Furthermore, other people take decisions that can have a major impact on what you did, affecting your desired results significantly. The consequences of your actions are the result of principles. The fact an individual's behavior is not always predictable is also a principle just as natural laws. Nonetheless, we can observe the consequences and then adjust our actions so that we still get the results we are after. In any case, accept all consequences, it is too late to undo anyway. Learn from the experience and change for the better. No one ever achieved great results without failing.

“Don’t do to others what you would not do to yourself” is referred to as the golden rule. It sounds basic but it seems hard to apply. Teasing at school or at work is an example. Teasing can escalate into fights and even wars. It is so common to lift oneself up by pushing down someone else, which often works contrary. How far you can go in imposing an opinion is not so difficult, just look at yourself when you would be in the shoes of the other. The art of life is to find the right balance. Giving someone feedback that might be painful is not always bad, it can open someone’s eyes. Asking for help from another person can be perfectly fine. In a complementary team someone else could do the things you are not good at. In any case be reasonable, judge by reflecting on yourself.

We all have our own perception of the world around us and act based on what we think is right. Our behavior is determined by what we believe, regardless of the real reality. We see this for example in religions, where strong believes can even lead to severe wars. It is good to be aware that other people see things differently, even in your own family or among friends. Therefore, it is so important to listen, to try to understand the other from his or her frame of reference. Understanding doesn't mean that you agree with the other's point of view. Sometimes new information can change our view completely, this is called a paradigm shift. History shows that scientific evidence has changed the world profoundly. How far you can go in conveying your own believe to others will be subject for the quote of next week.

Yesterday evening there were nodes and antinodes in the clouds. That brought me to the following inside. Usually, I post an inspirational quote for self-improvement. For some people this is all nonsense, their motto is simply “go to work”. And actually, they are right. The main reason for self-improvement is to make good things happen, to make a valuable contribution. We should not improve ourselves purely for the sake of self-improvement. Only when we apply what we learned things can change for the better and that gives us fulfillment and happiness. Try to improve yourself whenever you can and then go to work and apply. Never heard about Comb-Filters? Aha, a new learning opportunity!

It takes a lot of effort to achieve a remarkable goal and get the results you are looking for. No great achievement comes for free. Therefore, the things you do should be congruent such that all your efforts build on each other. Sometimes very small details in the beginning can have a significant impact later in the process. The impact of an arbitrary choice that seems not to matter might have serious consequences. The way to avoid unnecessary mistakes and inefficiency is to have a clear picture in mind and to write it down, so you can refer to it later. Create a vision and think things over as good as you can. No one knows what the future will bring but knowing what you want is so useful to see opportunities and take the right decisions in the moment of choice.

Whatever you have done yesterday, how important and great it was, it is history now. When wonderful things happened is it nice to look back and enjoy the achievements. The knowledge and experience you gained should be used to build up on further, it can never be a reason to justify that you contributed enough and become passive. It is perfectly fine to hold other people responsible for their tasks but don’t forget to look at yourself as well. Today, there are new tasks to do, assignments that can build up on what you have achieved yesterday. The more you do, the better you become and that is beneficial for everyone around you, including yourself. Learn from the past and improve yourself in the future, from now on your most important task is always in the future.

During our working life we contribute for a significant part through our job. This is not only to make money but also to be respected by others and that your life makes sense. One of the human needs is to be valuable, to contribute to something that matters. Realize that work is not the only thing that matters, other activities, family and friends are just as important. When we retire, we do not contribute through work and in addition our social life might change as well. It is not seldom that retired people feel useless since they think they lost their purpose in living. In fact, elderly have great things to offer. Only elderly have experiences from the past to help younger people that have opportunities in the future. Regardless of age, we should never stop doing meaningful projects.

In some countries an employee cannot easily be laid off. Besides all the good things, the risk is that the employee is less eager to personal and professional development. Always ask yourself; Why am I on the pay roll? Over the years, the content of your job will change. New tools will show up, new methodologies, supplies and customer change. Are you still the right person for the job? Despite the security of a permanent contract, lay off can definitely happen for whatever reason. If so, what then? The only security you really have is your own ability to earn money for a living. Realize that after school development doesn’t stop. The better you become, the more you are respected and the more self-confidence you build up. Most important, you feel secure by yourself, not because of a permanent contract.

A question that keeps many people busy is, what more will be invented? A more accurate question would be, in which order new things will be invented. People are by nature curious and will always strive to further improve welfare. However, inventions are not necessarily good for all people. For example the atomic bomb, who's welfare does that serve? The real limit is physics, not economics. If people want it, then it is a matter of time before the economics apply. New discoveries will open new possibilities that we cannot even imagine to date. Do you believe in fully autonomous cars? Well, is there a fundamental physical limitation? It seems not, so it will happen but nobody knows exactly when. The only uncertainty in evolution is "when", not "if".

Assume that everything you want is available to you at anytime, there is no need to do anything. How would you feel after awhile? Happiness is the byproduct of an achievement or experience. How valuable an achievement is depends on how much effort we have to put in it. One can literally say, we have to put value in it to make it valuable. That is why the pain of hard working can be so satisfying. Fulfillment due to an experience is often through love. Same principle applies here, we have to invest in a relationship in order to strengthen it. When bad things happen, such as an illness, it can deepen a relation. Nonetheless, adversity should always be avoided but is unavoidable. Luckily, every hurdle we overcome, relations we built and creations made contribute to our happiness.