When I was in my final semester of my final year of university, I just about lost it. I had just had enough of the educational system, of being poor and hungry, and of being an extraneous member of society. I was becoming miserable, and letting myself sink into a mire of sticky black badness.

A professor who noticed my decline (and cared) gave me this quote, printed on a card with a photo of light streaming brightly through a window into a dark room:

“The soul is dyed the colour of its thoughts. Day by day, what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny – it is the light that guides your way.”

-Heraclitus

I still keep this quote with me, posted up beside me at any work station I happen to be working at. It helps me to remember that if I want to be a good person, (or a happy person, or a fulfilled person) I have to act like one, everyday. It’s that simple.

Thank you, Byron Johnston. That card has made a world of difference to me.