SHOWS WITHOUT FACES: Dead Ringers (2023) — S01EP01

I heard breathing but I couldn’t get any air. Valves shut in me, first behind my eyes, then in my throat, then in my chest, then in my stomach. This is what happens when the body anticipates a wound. It steels itself. A pliable mind twists vainly to avoid logic, all judgments, all conclusions, if only for a few seconds longer.

Stephanie Danler, Sweetbitter

If you've ever seen a toddler throw a tantrum, you've seen what the emotion default can do with someone who hasn't learned self-control. What's truly frightening is that some adults are only marginally better than a toddler at fending it off. These are people who lack self-control and are routinely carried away by their emotions. A large part of achieving success is having the self-control to do what needs to be done, regardless of whether you feel like doing it in the moment. Emotional intensity is far less important in the long run than disciplined consistency. Inspiration and excitement might get you going, but persistence and routine are what keep you going until you reach your goals. Anyone can maintain excitement for a few minutes, but the longer a project takes, the fewer the people who can maintain their excitement for it. The most successful people have the self-control to keep going anyway. It's not always exciting, but they still show up.

— Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish

The whole family is here.

challenge, repeat, rewire

challenge, repeat, rewire

challenge, repeat, rewire

challenge, repeat, rewire

challenge, repeat, rewire

Gillian Anderson as Stella Gibson, ‘The Fall’ S3

I know that trust is impossible with other people, but mostly with yourself because nobody taught you how.

Stephanie Danler, Sweetbitter

Laetitia Casta | © Dominique Issermann

The path to being exceptional begins when you decide to be responsible for your actions no matter the situation. Exceptional people know they can't change the hand they've been dealt, and they don't waste time wishing for a better one. They focus instead of how they're going to play the cards they have to achieve the best result. They don't hide behind others. The best people rise to the challenge, whatever it is. They choose to live up to their best self-image instead of surrendering to their defaults. One of the most common mistakes people make is bargaining with how the world should work instead of accepting how it does work. Anytime you find yourself or your colleagues complaining "that's not right," or "that's not fair," or "it shouldn't be that way," you're bargaining, not accepting. You want the world to work in a way that it doesn't. Failing to accept how the world really works puts your time and energy toward proving how right you are. When the desired results don't materialize, it's easy to blame circumstances or others. I call this the wrong side of right. You're focused on your ego, not the outcome. Solutions appear when you stop bargaining and start accepting the reality of your situation. That's because focusing on your next move, rather than how you got here in the first place, opens you up to a lot of possibilities. When you put outcome over ego, you get better results.

— Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish

the first rule of tragedy is to have fun and be yourself. the second is to think about the themes forever and ever

JODIE COMER as VILLANELLE Killing Eve (2018)

“Nothing you do is ever embarrassing. You’re not a girl.”

Stephanie Danler, Sweetbitter

Artwork by Vincent Giarrano