2-Minute Pep Talks

2-Minute Pep Talks is a collection of 67  jolts of inspiration for more hope, comfort, and love in any situation, providing more than two months of daily encouragement in short bursts, free from the usual self-help rah-rah and instead focused on delivering soothing, calm but empowering messages to rekindle your inner spirit.

One day, a teacher brought a $100 bill to her class. She showed it around and asked them: “How much is this worth?” “$100,” the class replied unanimously. She crumpled up the bill, then held it up in her hand. “And now?” The class was a bit confused. “Umm, still $100?”

The teacher threw the bill on the ground. “And now?” One student said: “Well, it’s still worth $100.” Finally, she stomped on the bill several times. “What’s it worth now?” The students were shocked at their teacher’s behavior, but they agreed: “It’s still $100!”

At that point, the teacher broke into a big smile. “Good!” she said. “Remember this lesson—and not just when it comes to money: Whatever happens in this life, however people treat you, you are as valuable today as you were yesterday, and you will be just as valuable tomorrow and every day thereafter. Your circumstances may change, but your value will not.”

It’s easy to let life beat you into submission. To believe the constant feedback that “you’re not good enough.” In the Comfort part of the book, I wrote that “it takes courage to get up, straighten yourself, and say: ‘I’m still a $100 bill. My worth is still the same.'” But as long as you remember your worth, “everyone who truly needs to know already does.”

That’s the lesson of the $100 bill. I hope you, just like the class, will never forget it.

Sooner or later, we all learn that life’s not fair—but what if that’s actually one of the best things about it? Let’s imagine you run a Youtube channel. You post video after video, week after week. One day, your views skyrocket. Finally! Your monthly views more than double. Hooray! Way to earn this success! But two months later, your views drop 50%. Ouch! Why did your views drop but not those of others? No fair!! Do you see the pattern? You want the zig but not the zag. All of us do. We wish for stability when things are going well and complain when fortune turns against us. But actually, “by wishing for stability, we also wish life would limit our potential.” Volatility is an all-in deal: You can’t get the chance for your views to double without the chance for your views to halve. “In the grand scheme of things, there is no way to eliminate…