1
00:00:00,363 --> 00:00:06,160
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American writer and 
philosopher who lived in the twentieth century.  

2
00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:11,360
Born in Russia, she moved to 
America when she was in her 20’s;  

3
00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:18,160
there she wrote several novels, some of the most 
famous being: The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.  

4
00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,280
Towards the end of her life, 
she focused more on philosophy,  

5
00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:28,640
founding the philosophy of Objectivism, 
the four main principles of which are:

6
00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:35,760
01. Objective reality, which is the reality 
that exists independently of consciousness, 

7
00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:39,760
02. Absolute reason, which means that the  

8
00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:43,840
guidance of facts far outweighs 
the guidance of faith or emotion, 

9
00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:50,640
03. Individualism, which means the 
proper moral purpose of one's life  

10
00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:57,040
is the pursuit of one's own happiness, and
04. Laissez-faire capitalism,  

11
00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:01,120
which is a system based on protecting 
human rights and property rights.

12
00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:08,080
Her main philosophical view is that knowledge can 
be acquired only through the process of reasoning  

13
00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:14,720
and she rejected religion and faith. She attacked 
many past philosophers, with the exception of  

14
00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:22,000
a few, like Aristotle and Thomas Acquinas. 
She was inspired by Nietzsche and John Locke  

15
00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:28,960
and she was against Immanuel Kant, whom she 
named “the most evil man in mankind's history”  

16
00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:33,280
because she thought his ethics opposed 
the self-interests of human beings.

17
00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:40,000
During her life, she was involved in many 
political movements and made connections  

18
00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:47,120
with journalists, economists, including the 
economist Ludwig von Mises, who referred to her as  

19
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:54,080
"the most courageous man in America", a 
compliment that pleased her because he said  

20
00:01:54,080 --> 00:02:01,040
"man" instead of "woman", implying that she was 
more courageous, had more guts than any man.  

21
00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:09,120
Through the Objectivism movement, her work became 
known more and more to the public and to help you  

22
00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:13,600
understand more about how you can pursue 
happiness through reason and courage,  

23
00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:18,160
how we can pursue truth and have 
fulfilling and productive lives,  

24
00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:23,600
here are 9 life lessons we can learn 
from the philosophy of Ayn Rand:

25
00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,120
01. Use reason in everything

26
00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:38,720
Ayn Rand says: “There are no evil thoughts 
except one; the refusal to think”.

27
00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:47,120
One of the main pillars of Objectivism is 
absolute reason, meaning that the guidance  

28
00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:55,200
of facts far outweighs the guidance of faith 
or emotion. For Rand, the objective reality  

29
00:02:55,200 --> 00:03:02,640
exists. Objective reality is a reality that 
exists independently of our minds like any  

30
00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:10,000
real thing existing in this world, the sun, the 
tree, a chair and we can understand it through our  

31
00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:17,840
capacity of reason over the facts we perceive. 
Reason is seen by Rand as a tool of survival:  

32
00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:25,280
without it, we cannot make sense of the 
external reality, our physical environment.

33
00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:32,720
Just wishing for something to happen is not 
enough, it does not bend according to our  

34
00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:40,480
wishes. Rather, we need to first perceive it, 
analyze it, and then decide how to act upon it.  

35
00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:48,320
However, there are still billions of people around 
the world who think that by practising special  

36
00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:56,160
prayers, special incantations, rituals, they can 
bend reality according to their wishes. If you  

37
00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:01,280
are the type of person who changes the side of the 
street just because you have seen a black cat in  

38
00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:07,440
front of you or if you avoid taking the airplane 
on Friday the 13th, then you might be one of them.

39
00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:13,520
Ayn Rand, through her philosophy of 
Objectivism, would advise you to stop  

40
00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:20,000
following such superstitions, but rather use 
your rational mind in deciding your actions,  

41
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:26,880
and when you do, you will realise that there is no 
proof that a black cat or that day that was 13th,  

42
00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:34,800
then the Friday brings bad luck. Following reason, 
rather than religion, superstitions and other  

43
00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:41,840
unfounded beliefs, would make your life simpler, 
more rooted in reality and more successful.

44
00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:46,560
02. Be selfish

45
00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:56,800
According to Rand: “Man—every man—is an end in 
himself, not a means to the ends of others.”

46
00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:02,720
For Ayn Rand, there is no contradiction 
between following your interests  

47
00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:09,440
and helping others. She even thought that when 
we are in love with someone, that love is selfish  

48
00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:15,920
and what we do out of love is based on our own 
selfishness. When you sacrifice something for  

49
00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:21,600
someone or when you compromise something for the 
sake of a relationship, or when you went through  

50
00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:28,320
a sort of suffering in order to gain something 
at the end, that is not sacrifice or suffering  

51
00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:34,880
as long as you take pleasure from doing 
that or from achieving the end goal. Thus,  

52
00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:43,200
in some way, we are selfish by our own nature, 
selfishness comes naturally, it is in our veins.

53
00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,840
The problem is that we often act 
against our own interests and wishes.  

54
00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:54,960
Someone close to you might coerce 
you into something it is bad for you:  

55
00:05:54,960 --> 00:06:00,560
for example, your parent who pushes you to follow 
a career you don’t want, your spouse that forbids  

56
00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:06,240
you to meet certain friends because of jealousy, 
the boss who blackmails you into attending team  

57
00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:12,320
building meetings that you cannot afford to 
attend and so on. You might not experience any  

58
00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:17,520
pleasure in this as you have been persuaded 
to act like that, against your own wishes.

59
00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:23,440
Ayn Rand would advise you in this case 
to stop sacrificing yourself for others  

60
00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:28,960
if those activities are of no benefit for you, 
if you don’t feel any pleasure in doing them.  

61
00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,640
If you wish to follow a career of art, 
do not listen to your parents who try  

62
00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:39,840
to push you towards being a lawyer, if you enjoy 
spending time with your friends of opposite sex,  

63
00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:45,200
do not follow the wishes of your spouse, if 
you can’t afford those team buildings meetings,  

64
00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,840
don’t go and and maybe leave that company.  

65
00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:55,600
Act in your own interest and follow your 
wishes and what brings you pleasure in life.

66
00:06:57,840 --> 00:07:01,840
03. Follow your own values

67
00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:08,160
Rand teaches us that: “Value 
presupposes a standard,  

68
00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:12,720
a purpose and the necessity of 
action in the face of an alternative”

69
00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:20,160
Ayn Rand aimed to revolutionise the entire 
foundation of the Judeo-Christian morality  

70
00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:26,480
as she was against the policy of altruism, meaning 
acting in a way to promote someone else’s welfare,  

71
00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:33,920
even if it's at a risk or of cost to ourselves. 
Her entire philosophy was all for the so-called  

72
00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:40,560
rational selfishness. Being a rational selfish 
implies that your main duty should be towards  

73
00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:46,080
yourself, towards your own values and 
not to an external set of moral rules.  

74
00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:54,080
However, in Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism there 
is also room for the so-called inherent morality,  

75
00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:58,960
meaning the morality which is derived from 
the laws of the country or the community,  

76
00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:05,360
like allowing governmental interventions through 
a set of regulations to properly rule the society.

77
00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:12,000
The individuals act as moral units but they 
are bound to the governmental set of laws  

78
00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:18,480
and regulations as well. In other words, 
the duty of a man is to do what he wishes  

79
00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:25,360
as long as his wish does not depend 
primarily on other men. Therefore,  

80
00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:30,400
we should follow our own values and wishes as 
long as what we do does not limit the freedom  

81
00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,720
of others and is not in contradiction 
with the country’s laws and regulations.

82
00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:40,640
If you see a child falling down a well, 
you have no moral obligation to save them.  

83
00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:45,840
But if your inner moral code tells you that this 
is the right way to do it, then you must follow  

84
00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:51,920
your inner moral code. If you believe that it is 
not your business to save the child, then you are  

85
00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:57,520
not morally obliged in any way to save them, 
you should not be condemned if you do nothing.

86
00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:03,200
In the same way, if, for example, you 
have a principle that you should take  

87
00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:08,320
responsibility for your own mistakes at all 
times and you made a mistake in your work,  

88
00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:12,960
but your boss asked another person to correct 
your mistake because he knows you have too many  

89
00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:18,080
things on your plate, you should try to tell 
your boss that you want to do this, even if it  

90
00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:24,320
involves spending long hours or staying overnight 
in your office. Whatever your moral values are,  

91
00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:31,200
follow them in anything you do, even when it 
is not always in your immediate self interest.

92
00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,840
04. Don’t play the victim

93
00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:43,200
In the words of Rand: “Evil requires 
the sanction of the victim.”

94
00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:50,000
Usually, the tendency to play victim comes 
from the need to show how much we suffer  

95
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:57,200
in order to draw attention, love and sympathy. 
But for Rand, one must achieve one’s happiness  

96
00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:02,560
by ourselves - you cannot demand others 
to give up their lives to make you happy,  

97
00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:08,320
nor should one wish to sacrifice one’s self 
for the happiness of others. In Rand’s view,  

98
00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:14,640
it makes no sense to play victim, and beg for 
love or attention - to denigrate yourself in order  

99
00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:22,080
to gain sympathy or love from others. In this 
regard, having a positive attitude is important.

100
00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:29,680
When we play victim, we emphasize the negative 
parts, on how bad others treat us or ignore us  

101
00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:36,080
and we do not do enough to change the situation. 
What we expect from others influences how others  

102
00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:42,000
respond to us. So, when we play the victim, we 
give the other person the permission to continue  

103
00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:48,480
their bad behavior over us. For example, if you 
believe that your colleagues at work don’t treat  

104
00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:54,320
you fairly, that they don’t invite you to lunch or 
to parties after work, you might feel yourself a  

105
00:10:54,320 --> 00:11:02,080
victim, ignored, not appreciated. If you choose to 
play the victim, you will become more quiet, more  

106
00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:09,200
isolated, full of resentment towards others, not 
willing to engage anymore in their conversations.

107
00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:15,840
By contrast, if you stop playing the victim, you 
will go straight to them, ask them what their  

108
00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:23,280
plans are for today and if you can join them. 
If they say yes, very well and if they say no,  

109
00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:29,360
you just have to smile and find better colleagues, 
maybe from other departments with whom you can  

110
00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:35,280
spend the breaks or create better bonds. Do 
not stay stuck in a role given by others,  

111
00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:41,840
do not offer the permission to anyone to 
make you feel isolated or feel like a victim.

112
00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,720
05. Develop your self-esteem

113
00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:54,160
Rand considers that: “Nothing is more 
important in the world than self-esteem.”

114
00:11:55,520 --> 00:12:01,120
According to Rand, the level of self esteem can 
be correlated to the amount of joy one seeks to  

115
00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:07,680
experience because this search for joy reveals 
how much that person feels worthy of being happy,  

116
00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:15,040
alive, and free. For Rand, the more we use 
reason in life, the more self esteem we can have.  

117
00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:21,680
When we have a system of values and principles 
according to which we can make rational decisions  

118
00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:24,640
and we do not go with the 
flow wherever the wind blows,  

119
00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:31,360
we can finally learn to appreciate ourselves 
more, to set healthy boundaries, proper goals for  

120
00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:38,960
ourselves and for our growth, and finally then, 
we can develop a higher sense of self-esteem.

121
00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:47,840
We often become overwhelmed, stressed out by small 
things, be it at work or in our personal lives.  

122
00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:52,960
The reason for being stressed and unhappy 
is usually the fact that we don’t have  

123
00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:58,560
clear and rational goals or we don’t follow them 
because we don’t see ourselves as worthy of them.  

124
00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:04,000
When you do not have the courage to fight for 
what you want to achieve in life, you will lose  

125
00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:09,600
your self-esteem and you will get trapped 
in fake relationships, careers, and dreams.

126
00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:15,200
For example, imagine that you always wanted 
to be a manager in a large corporation,  

127
00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:21,680
but you do not feel worthy of such a job, 
you have very little self esteem. In order  

128
00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:27,520
to increase your self-esteem, you should first 
try building your confidence on rational grounds,  

129
00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:34,960
by analyzing your skills first, what you really 
are able to do. Then, there are few other things  

130
00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:40,640
you can do, like exercising more control over your 
negative thoughts by taking more care of yourself,  

131
00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:47,840
by surrounding yourself with positive people, 
and accepting yourself for who you are.

132
00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:53,840
Then, when you are confident enough, you will 
have the guts to say what you are capable of  

133
00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,600
and you will better convince your 
boss that you deserve a promotion.  

134
00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:03,760
Once you have the right mindset, and 
a rational plan, based on reason,  

135
00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:10,800
you will see how your self esteem increases and 
you will go more confident towards your goal.

136
00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,840
06. Be honest

137
00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:23,520
To quote Rand: “There are no white lies, 
there is only the blackest of destruction,  

138
00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,520
and a white lie is the blackest of all..”

139
00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:35,280
Honesty is one of the highest virtues in the 
philosophy of objectivism which we should try  

140
00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:42,480
to incorporate in life. Rand defined honesty 
as the recognition of the fact that you cannot  

141
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:48,000
fake existence. And this recognition 
can be expressed in thought and speech.  

142
00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:55,440
We should not lie to others by speaking 
or hiding important information. Also,  

143
00:14:55,440 --> 00:15:02,000
we should not lie to ourselves. To lie, in 
any form, means to sell ourselves short.

144
00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:07,600
To avoid lying shouldn’t be because you 
are afraid of punishment in the afterlife.  

145
00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:12,000
Rand did not believe in an 
afterlife and, through soul,  

146
00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:17,200
she understood the human spirit capable 
of enjoying life here, on planet Earth.  

147
00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:26,080
This human spirit must be protected as it is 
so easy to lose ourselves, to sell ourselves  

148
00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:31,680
through lying, to sell our long-term 
happiness, for small temporary gains.  

149
00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:39,920
We need to live our lives by following certain 
moral principles, like being honest, not stealing,  

150
00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:46,400
not engaging in activities that can harm other 
people and so on. We might agree that this  

151
00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:53,760
is a good thing, but in practice, the situation is 
much more complex as emotions play a major role in  

152
00:15:53,760 --> 00:16:00,880
our lives. Hence we should first be careful 
how we listen and follow our own emotions.

153
00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:08,320
As Rand said, our emotions are programmed 
by the way we reason, and sometimes,  

154
00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:15,680
the way we reason is faulty. Therefore, we 
need to analyse often the way we reason,  

155
00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:22,400
the way we think. According to Rand, through 
reasoning, we need to reach the conclusion that  

156
00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:29,600
to be honest is one of the highest virtues no 
matter the situation. Even telling white lies  

157
00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:37,840
is extremely damaging. In fact, as Rand said, 
the white lies are indeed the blackest of all.

158
00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:45,520
A white lie is a lie about a small or unimportant 
matter that someone tells to avoid hurting another  

159
00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:51,440
person. For example, when a friend invites 
you to a party and, instead of saying you are  

160
00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:56,240
not in the mood for a party, you say that you 
have some kind of physical pain or feel ill.  

161
00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:02,240
You might think that such a lie cannot make a big 
difference, but then, the next time you meet that  

162
00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:08,400
friend, something will change, you will feel a 
bit guilty deep inside yourself, you will need to  

163
00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:15,840
reply to further questions regarding the imaginary 
disease, you become a slave of your own lie.

164
00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:22,320
It would have been much better if you were honest, 
saying that you really do not feel in the right  

165
00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:27,360
mood, that you would be a bad company and that 
you would prefer to spend your evening alone,  

166
00:17:27,360 --> 00:17:33,760
reading a book. Thus, your friend would understand 
you more and next time you meet him, instead of  

167
00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:39,200
asking you about your imaginary disease, he will 
engage in a conversation about your favorite book  

168
00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:44,640
and your friendship will become stronger. 
Be honest and your life will become simpler,  

169
00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,880
more authentic and the relationships 
with other people will improve.

170
00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:54,240
07. Earn your money honourably

171
00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:59,280
Rand posits: “The man who damns money  

172
00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:04,720
has obtained it dishonorably; the 
man who respects it has earned it.”

173
00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:11,360
Ayn Rand viewed capitalism as the only 
political-economic system compatible with  

174
00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:17,280
her philosophy because it is the only system based 
on respect for human beings as ends in themselves,  

175
00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:23,360
not as means. She advocated for a minimal state,  

176
00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:28,720
but a state powerful enough to protect individual 
rights, including the rights of property.

177
00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:35,360
However, no matter the political system, Rand 
identified 2 types of people in this world:  

178
00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:43,200
consumers and producers in her book “Atlas 
Shrugged”. Most of the people belong to the first  

179
00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:50,800
type, they enjoy the fruits of the civilization 
built by the second type, the producers. Examples  

180
00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:57,440
of producers are the inventors, the engineers, 
the entrepreneurs, anybody who creates something  

181
00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:03,040
that all the world can benefit from. Without 
them, the progress of our civilization would  

182
00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:09,840
have been much slower if at all.They are like 
Atlas, carrying the world upon their shoulders.

183
00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:17,120
No matter if you are a producer or consumer, Rand 
believed that the most important thing is that  

184
00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:23,360
everyone should earn their money in an honorable 
way as we all need to give our moral respect  

185
00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:28,800
to a society which was built across so many 
generations, through the producers’ efforts.  

186
00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:35,440
According to Rand, the best test to see if 
someone has earned their money in an honorable way  

187
00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:41,440
is to watch the way they spend their money. 
Somebody who put value, work, and effort into  

188
00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:47,200
acquiring money would treat money with respect, 
they would not spend it in a careless way.

189
00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:54,080
When we see a young man in his brand new car, 
spending his money on luxury brands for his  

190
00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:59,360
clothes and his phones, we often automatically 
think his parents must have a lot of money  

191
00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:05,280
or that he gained that money by some strange 
luck or maybe he got rich overnight due to  

192
00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:09,440
good stock market choices or may be doing 
some illegal business with his friends.  

193
00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:15,120
On the contrary, when we see somebody who is 
apparently wealthy, yet they are still careful  

194
00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:19,840
with the way they spend their money, we tend 
to assume that that person gained their wealth  

195
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:27,440
through hard work and commitment. Ayn Rand advises 
us to try to earn our money in an honorable way,  

196
00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:33,840
to work for companies and projects that we can be 
proud of, to pay our taxes, and be good citizens.  

197
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,840
There are success stories of 
people who became rich overnight,  

198
00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:42,640
but these are rare and many of these people 
lose their money as fast as they earned it.  

199
00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:48,320
It is better to build your sources of income 
instead of following get-rich-quick schemes.  

200
00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:54,880
Earn your money honorably and you will 
live an honorable life you can be proud of.

201
00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:01,840
08. Never give up

202
00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:10,240
Rand advises us: “Don't ever give up what 
you want in life. The struggle is worth it.”

203
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:17,120
Growing up in Russia, Rand lived through 
the Russian Revolution and her family  

204
00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:24,800
faced the tragic consequences of it. She was born 
into a bourgeois Jewish family in St. Petersburg  

205
00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:29,680
and, because of the revolution, 
which happened when she was only 12,  

206
00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:34,880
her father's business was confiscated, and 
the family fled to the Crimean Peninsula.

207
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:41,520
The troubles didn’t end there, she faced 
difficulties later when she was in the  

208
00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:47,520
process of graduating from university because 
she was from a bourgeois family; however, she  

209
00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:54,320
did eventually graduate, after which she emigrated 
to the United States. These troublesome events of  

210
00:21:54,320 --> 00:22:01,360
her early life made her tougher, more courageous 
to confront difficulties as she understood that we  

211
00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:08,800
all have a hero inside us who is able to overcome 
any difficulty, we just have to trust that we  

212
00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:15,280
can reach the world we desire through our own 
efforts, as she did when she landed in the USA.

213
00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:22,800
Like Ayn Rand, we should also trust our inner 
hero and trust that we will be able to overcome  

214
00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:28,480
the difficulties in our life. If you are 
confronted with a terrible situation in  

215
00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:34,720
your life - for example, you lose your job and you 
cannot pay your rent anymore. You are afraid you  

216
00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:39,840
will be evacuated any time and will be forced 
to ask friends to accommodate you for a while.  

217
00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:45,440
Do not let yourself be overwhelmed by these 
thoughts, constantly worrying that you will  

218
00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:51,920
end up sleeping on the streets. Do not give up 
on the fight, apply to as many jobs as possible  

219
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:58,000
and limit the time you have to focus on negative 
thoughts. Instead of consuming your energy  

220
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:04,480
on depressing thoughts and panicking, think of 
this moment as a test that you need to pass, see  

221
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:11,600
yourself as a hero facing monsters. By changing 
the way you see yourself and the situation,  

222
00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:18,240
you will become more energetic and, crucially, 
more effective in overcoming your challenges.

223
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,200
09. Always Keep growing

224
00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,240
In our final quote from Ayn Rand for this video,  

225
00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:36,480
she says: “What greater wealth is there than 
to own your life and to spend it on growing?”

226
00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:42,320
According to Rand, everyone needs a philosophy  

227
00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:46,880
and is guided by at least an implicit one 
about which they might not even be aware of.  

228
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:54,240
In order to avoid suffering in this constantly 
changing world, we need to constantly evolve,  

229
00:23:54,240 --> 00:24:00,160
learn more about the right principles to conduct 
our lives, and upgrade our guidance system.

230
00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:07,200
If your job involves a lot of routine and 
repetition and you feel you are not advancing in  

231
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:12,800
life, you might try a different approach towards 
life. Start something new, that can refresh your  

232
00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:20,640
spirit, learn new things. You can always enroll 
in an online university and pick a course that  

233
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:28,000
interests you. You can also read self-development 
books, autobiographies of successful people,  

234
00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:34,320
watch televised or online debates on important 
issues, or learn new skills that can help you  

235
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:41,440
succeed in life.You can also pick topics of self 
development or even philosophy to reshape the way  

236
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:49,360
you see the world and yourself. These are only a 
few ideas which can help you grow both in personal  

237
00:24:49,360 --> 00:24:56,480
and in professional life. We need to continue 
to grow in order to keep our mind and spirit  

238
00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:04,400
fresh and healthy, and to feel that every 
day we are growing into better human beings.

239
00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:10,880
If you enjoyed this video, please make sure to 
check out our full philosophies for life playlist  

240
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:16,160
and for more videos to help you find success and 
happiness using ancient philosophical wisdom,  

241
00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:24,800
don’t forget to subscribe. 
Thanks so much for watching.