PART 1 Expressions
1. He was nonchalant about the whole thing, drawing whatever amused him in that moment
nonchalant: [ˈnɒnʃələnt] behaving calmly and not seeming interested in anything or worried about anything 漠不关心的，不感兴趣的
"Has he got a girlfriend?" Jill asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
He smiled nonchalantly.
nonchalance: (n.)
2. Another large share of it comes from overbearing or critical parents who don’t let their kids screw up on their own often enough, and instead punish them for trying anything new or not preordained.
overbearing: always trying to control other people without considering their wishes or feelings SYN domineering 专横的；控制欲过强的
a bossy overbearing wife
overbear: (v.) to defeat someone or sth 压服（通常用被动式）be overborn by/ be overborne by
She is independent-minded enough not to be easily overborne by her husband.
3. And then we have all the mass media that constantly expose us to stellar success after success, while not showing us the thousands of hours of dull practice and tedium that were required to achieve that success.
stellar: 1. relating to the stars; 2. extremely good
McKellen gave a stellar performance.
3. go stellar: informal., if a pop band, actor etc goes stellar, they become very popular and famous
There's a stand-up comedian, and my sources tell me he is about to go stellar.
4. Our most radical changes in perspective often happen at the tail end of our worst moments.
the end tail of sth: the last part of an event, situation, or period of time
5. Their goal is to get back to “feeling good” again as quickly as possible, even if that means substances or deluding themselves or returning to their shitty values.
delude sb: deceive sb
I was angry with him for trying to delude me.
delude sb/yourself into doing sth
It is easy to delude yourself into believing you're in love.
delusion: (n.) a false belief about yourself or the situation you are in
He is under the delusion that I am going to cheat him.
delusions of grandeur: the belief that you are much more important or powerful than you really are
6. I was responsible for teaching myself web design, Internet marketing, search engine optimization, and other esoteric topics.
esoteric: [ˌesəˈterɪk] known and understood by only a few people who have special knowledge about sth 深奥的；机密的
the esoteric world of scientific supercomputing
7. That “something” can be the smallest viable action toward something else. It can be anything.
viable: 1. a viable idea, plan, or method can work successfully 切实可行的；
viable alternative/ proposition/ option etc
The committee came forward with one viable solution.
Will a hotel here be financially viable?
2. able to continue to live or develop into a living thing 可存活的 eg. viable seeds
viability 生存能力
the long-term economic viability of the company
the viability of the newspaper
PART 2 Sentences
Improvement at anything is based on thousands of tiny failures, and the magnitude of your success is based on how many times you’ve failed at something. If someone is better than you at something, then it’s likely because she has failed at it more than you have. If someone is worse than you, it’s likely because he hasn’t been through all of the painful learning experiences you have.
We can be truly successful only at something we’re willing to fail at. If we’re unwilling to fail, then we’re unwilling to succeed.
Just as one must suffer physical pain to build stronger bone and muscle, one must suffer emotional pain to develop greater emotional resilience, a stronger sense of self, increased compassion, and a generally happier life.
Don’t just sit there. Do something. The answers will follow.
Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it.
If you lack the motivation to make an important change in your life, do something—anything, really—and then harness the reaction to that action as a way to begin motivating yourself.