To Live in Earnest in the Here and Now

Not Self-Affirmation— Self-Acceptance
Three things are needed at this point: “self acceptance,” “confidence in others,” and “contribution to others.”
The important thing is not what one is born with but
what use one makes of that equipment.
There is no need to go out of one’s way to be positive and affirm oneself. It’s not self-affirmation that we are concerned with, but self-acceptance.

Self-affirmation is making suggestions to oneself, such as “I can do it” or “I am strong,” even when something is simply beyond one’s ability. It is a notion that can bring about a superiority complex, and may even be termed a way of living in which one lies to oneself. With self-acceptance, on the other hand, if one cannot do something, one is simply accepting “one’s incapable self” as is and moving forward so that one can do whatever one can. It is not a way of lying to oneself. 
Kurt Vonnegut-God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.Slaughterhouse-Five
The Difference Between Trust and Confidence
It is doing without any set conditions whatsoever when believing in others. Even if one does not have sufficient objective grounds for trusting someone, one believes. One believes unconditionally without concerning oneself with such things as security. That is confidence.
It is precisely because one can gain the courage to enter into deeper relationships by having confidence in others that the joy of one’s interpersonal relations can grow,and one’s joy in life can grow, too.
The Essence of Work Is a Contribution to the Common Good
We are truly aware of our own worth only when we feel that our existence and behavior are beneficial to the community, that is to say, when one feels “I am of use to someone.” Do you remember this? In other words, contribution to others, rather than being about getting rid of the “I” and being of service to someone, is actually something one does in order to be truly aware of the worth of the “I.”
Dostoevsky-Money is coined freedom
Workaholism Is a Life-Lie
we think of this as a way of living that is lacking in “harmony of life.” It is a way of living in which one sees only a part of things but judges the whole.