My father used to say, “Never get too happy, never get too sad, because you’ll be surprised at how fast things change.”

I have a daughter now, and perhaps one of biggest joys is watching her discover her ability to walk, grab, throw, and fall. You can sense the energy at these times, the power, the excitement for life.

“Holy shiiiiiiiiit look at this giant book I’m about to pick up and walk with!”

And then, thud. The book drops on her foot. The tears begin! The pace at which she goes from invincible to reality, is a remarkable thing to watch. It says so much about who we are as people, our earliest experiences, and how we learn to live through emotions and the space around us. No, not literally a book falling on our foot, but the pace of overconfidence to total despair.

So my point is rather simple: there’s an art to learning how to balance the pendulum of highs and lows that we experience, the swings from invincibility to fragility, from overconfidence to lack-thereof. This is a one of the few instances whereby I’ll actually use the buzzword “life hack” for. If you can master your composure amidst these swings, you have achieved a true life hack.

Never get too happy, never get too sad.

There’s no exact science or methodology for mastering this skill, but being aware of it is a start. So that’s why I wrote this post. To put it down on paper. To one day teach it.

People may pass away, but their lessons, their energy, live forever.