When the Harry Potter books first came out, I refused to read them. I thought I was too cool to like what everyone else was raving about. I was wrong.

These days, I try to approach popular things with an open mind. I bet meditation will be life-changing for me once I get into the habit. The masses can’t be wrong about that one. If I don’t like it, I must be doing it wrong.

The same was true for working out and practicing gratitude. They changed how I feel and see the world on a daily basis.

Who am I to say that wearing barefoot shoes or reading 50 Shades of Grey isn’t for me? If something resonates with so many people, maybe I should at least be humble enough to acknowledge the possibility that I might like it too.

And what is life about, if not discovering and maximizing the things you truly enjoy?

I treat relationships, health, and hobbies like projects that demand effort, and whose success is my responsibility.

They become a perpetuum mobile of self-efficacy. The more I invest, the more control I feel over my life. This builds momentum. This flywheel can only be stopped by a lack of kindness toward myself.

To make this work, I see the things important to me as malleable, and I see myself as someone who can shape them.

Since everything, including myself, changes over time, this is a never-ending cycle of improvement. Hoping something will stay the same is a futile fight against entropy.

So I embrace entropy as a fundamental truth and consider everything important to me as a fun project I get to work on.

Making an effort is never wasted.