No need to shop for a better you, or to work overtime to make bigger promises.

Keeping the promises we've already made is sufficient.

It's too late now.

If you're the moderator of a panel and you want to rush through one more question...

Or if you're the speaker and you need to race through three more slides...

Or if you're a writer or designer and want to add just one more idea...

Or if you're the teacher and there's just one more concept to talk about even though the bell's about to ring.

Too late.

End with a pause.

End with confidence and calm and yes, please respect your audience enough to not expect that cramming is going to help us or you.

No one, not once in the history of timers, has ever said, "I'm really glad that they went over by thirty seconds, huffing and puffing and begging for attention. That was the best part, and I respect them for cramming it all in."

At some point, you'll need to make a deal with yourself.

What is this career for? What are the boundaries? What are you keeping score of, maximizing, improving? Who do you serve?

Once you make this pact, don't break it without a great deal of serious thought.

You might say you're seeking to create freedom and joy. But then, incrementally, you find yourself trading freedom for money, for status or for approval from strangers...

Or you might sign up to build leverage and wealth. Which is fine, except when you blink in the face of the huge opportunity you've worked hard for.

We know you can't have everything. No one can. So, what's it for?

The best time to make a pact is right now. And the worst time to re-visit this pact is when there's a lot of short-term pressure.

HT to Chip Conley for the concept.

Even an Olympic athlete is going to do poorly on Jupiter. The gravity is two and half times greater, which means you're just not going to jump very well.

On the other hand, our moon gives you a huge advantage... You weigh less than 30 pounds.

It's a mistake to judge your effort or your form in either setting. It's not, "I jumped poorly on Jupiter and because of my poor form, I only went three feet." Instead, it's more like, "I jumped on Jupiter and I went three feet."

There were two events: the jump and the result.

Best idea: Don't pole vault on Jupiter. Do it on the moon if you need a good score.

Second best idea: If you're stuck on Jupiter, give yourself some slack instead of crawling away in shame.