How to Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong

by Elizabeth Day

There was a man called Gary who described himself as ‘spiritual’ and named The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho as his favourite book (I once interviewed Paulo Coelho and found him to be a monstrous egomaniac and about as spiritual as a broken kettle).

waste far too much time imagining why the other person is acting the way they are, rather than focusing on what we can do to make ourselves happy and meet our own needs.

We do not exist in a vacuum. We exist in rhythms and melodies that can be harmonious or jarring or syncopated, played in major or minor chords, but the music has to be heard to make an impact. Sound becomes sound by bouncing off other surfaces.