Paul Conti

I set out to do something and I'm doing it, right?

And what it brings with it absolutely includes being assailed.

There's no surprise there, right?

Because people who have anything good serve as lightning rods for envy.

So then, yes, there will be people who...

want to make up lies or whatever they want to do because you become a lightning rod for envy by having succeeded at the thing you set out to do about which you can feel a healthy pride and gratitude, right?

And then I think that kind of puts it in its place.

I mean, you're still going to make decisions about it, but it makes sense then.

Like you have a mechanism of understanding it that not only makes sense to you, but reflects the truth of what you actually have done and achieved and what's going on in the world around you.

You could do a lot with it.

It may not be easy, but there's a lot of plasticity and a lot of pliability there.

Across all ages.

Again, people are different and there may be idiosyncrasies of why one person is in a different place.

But as a general rule, I think the answer is absolutely yes.

I mean, people have evolved and I've worked with people who've really changed themselves and broadened their conception and understanding.

You know, they're in their 80s or, you know, I think we can do it at any stage of life.

And I would make a case for...

for intra-psychic, so not between people necessarily, but inside of oneself for the feeling of pride, and maybe if we call it self-esteem, let's say we call it self-esteem, or we could call it healthy pride, we could put either word to it, but if you think about what we're trying to avoid, say a sense of inadequacy, then it is good to sort of own what's ours.

we can put ourselves a little bit out of balance, either in terms of building up resentments or in terms of decreasing self-confidence, if we're not owning everything that's ours, right?

So a thought I would have about