iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

“A simple rule for life that rarely fails: Optimize for enthusiasm. Make as many choices as you can that leave you feeling energetic and interested. Pay attention to when you have the urge to pursue or participate in something and do more of it.” - James Clear

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

“The average annual tuition at a public college is 40x as expensive as it was in 1963. Since 1983, tuition has risen 2x as fast as medical costs and about 4x faster than home and gas prices. No other industry has weaponized its pricing power like higher ed.”

open.substack.com

Higher Ed’s Existential Crisis

We’re all wondering if AI will destroy college — but is it already gone?

001

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

“37% of Americans say that their biggest regret in life is something that they didn’t do. Twenty-five percent say it’s something they did do.” - Mia Silverio

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

“A tiny piece of advice that changed my life: Stop assuming people know how you feel, tell them instead. Tell them when you’re proud. Tell them when you missed them. Tell them when you’re angry or stressed. When in doubt, just tell them.” - Mark Manson

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

“Your job, throughout your entire life, is to disappoint as many people as it takes to avoid disappointing yourself.” - Glennon Doyle

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"A good heuristic when making a big decision: would choosing this make me feel more alive?" - Isabel (isabelunraveled.com)

010

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." - Ursula K. Le Guin

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived, or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?" - Hunter S. Thompson

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"How to see opportunities others miss: 1) Study a totally different field, then return to the original problem. Apply insights from other domains. 2) Invert the problem. Try to achieve the opposite. 3) Find ways to engage with hyper-creative people. Their thinking will rub off." - James Clear

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"Life can be terrible. And beautiful. Sometimes on the very same day. Gratitude doesn’t require us to decide that everything is good. It simply helps us notice that something good is here, too." - Kate Bowler

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

"The poor man is called a socialist if he believes that the wealth of the rich should be divided among the poor, but the rich man is called a financier if he devises a plan by which the pittance of the poor can be converted to his use." - William Jennings Bryan

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

"When it starts to get tough, you show up, you help — and if you can add a little joy while you are doing it, that's even better." - Michael J. Fox

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

“We are all connected. The way you choose to live ripples into the future. Your decisions today can be a blessing or a curse for your descendants. Strive to live in such a way that the world will gain from your time here.” - James Clear

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

“Love, money, and fame don’t change you, they amplify who you already are. The generous get more generous. The insecure get more insecure. The undisciplined fly off the rails. Whatever your dream is, know it won’t fix your life for you. It will only multiply what’s already there.” - Mark Manson

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

“It takes roughly 50 hours of time together to move from mere acquaintance to casual friend, 90 hours to go from that stage to simple ‘friend’ status and more than 200 hours before you can consider someone your close friend.”

news.ku.edu

Study reveals hours it takes to make a friend

The latest news and information for the University of Kansas.

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

“There is no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.” - Ralph Smart

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"I train like I've never won, and I compete like I've never lost." - Eileen Gu

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"You can't start last week, but you can start now. Stop dwelling on what you should have done or ruminating on the mistakes you made. Channel that energy into the next good choice. You have today and you can try again." - James Clear

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

“The world is not designed to give you a good life. It's designed to distract you from building one.” - Matty Fusaro

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

“You only get one life and you’re going to burn the days either way, so the real question is: What excites you and interests you? What makes you feel curious and alive, perhaps even joyful? What is so ‘worth it’ that you're not worried about the tradeoffs, the hard work, the hassle?” - James Clear

010

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

“Long-term thinking changes short-term actions. Spend a little time today doing things that will benefit you in ten years.” - James Clear

010

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

“Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.” - Thomas Merton

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

"Human suffering must never become just another piece of content." - Mo Gawdat

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

“Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” - Maya Angelou

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

“When you fight something, you're tied to it forever. As long as you're fighting it, you are giving it power. You give it as much power as you are using to fight it.” - Anthony de Mello

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

“Beware those who claim to know the mind of God and who are prepared to use force, if necessary, to make others conform. Beware those who cannot tell God's will from their own.” - Barbara Brown Taylor

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

"The hardest seasons of life can force you to confront questions that comfort allows you to avoid: What really matters? Who do you love? What are you living for? Ask people when meaning became clearest in their lives, and they will often tell you about their hardest years." - Arthur Brooks

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

"The soul is shy. It won’t show up in a crowd; it wants the quiet safety of solitude." - Parker Palmer

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

“Ambition becomes a superpower when you stop expecting achievement to satisfy you and learn to love the pursuit itself.” - Shane Parrish

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

“While thus employed in doing nothing, I receive a constant stream of telegrams from my unconscious, and these become the raw material for my advertisements. But more is required: hard work, an open mind, and ungovernable curiosity.” - David Ogilvy

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

“It’s hard to see what you’re not looking for and it’s easy to see what you’re looking for.” - Shane Parrish

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

"The skill of deep thinking will likely become rarer and rarer in a world where much of the population uses AI to avoid writing. It will also become more and more important." - Rose Horowitch

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

"Without laughter, the rough and rocky places on the path might be too painful to bear. Humor not only lightens your load, it also broadens your perspective. To be deadly serious is to suffer tunnel vision. To be able to laugh at yourself clears the vision." - George Leonard

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

“You describe power as though it were a prize to be won. I experience it as a responsibility to be passed on. That is why I reject the idea of a dynasty. Dynasties exist to preserve privileges. We work to preserve craftsmanship.” - Bernard Arnault

010

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

“Reliable people don't just keep promises, they remove uncertainty from other people’s lives. If you're reliable, I don't need a backup plan.” - Shane Parrish

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

“Large, sweeping changes often sound good in theory, but the faster you try to change your life, the more likely you are to backslide. Real change is inch by inch. Go out and win the next five minutes.” - James Clear

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

“People will come to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.” - Neil Postman

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

“No one’s really that great. You know who’s great? The people that just put tremendous amount of hours into it. It’s a game of tonnage.” - Jerry Seinfeld

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

“When you meet someone new, don't ask: What do you do? It limits what people share about themselves to a job description. Instead, try: What do you love to do? It ignites curiosity and invites people to express their distinctive interests.” - Adam Grant

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

“I cannot remember the books that I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

"One of the biggest mistakes we make in our stories is confusing our circumstances with our thoughts about those circumstances." - Jim Murphy

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

"You cannot be sure that you are right unless you understand the arguments against your views better than your opponents do." - Milton Friedman

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

"There are two types of talent: the natural talent you're born with and the chosen talent you earn with your mindset, choices, and work. Natural talent is overrated. Chosen talent is underrated." - Shane Parrish

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters.” - Epictetus

010

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

"This day will never come again and anyone who fails to eat and drink and taste and smell it will never have it offered to them again in all eternity. The sun will never shine as it does today." - Hermann Hesse

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

"Everyone wants better results. Skill precedes results. Practice precedes skill. Attitude precedes practice. It's the willingness to try (and keep trying) that leads to ability." - James Clear

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

"You wouldn't invite someone into your home who made you feel terrible every single day. You would, at some point, stop opening the door. Your feed is your home. You get to decide who walks in."

time.com

This 1 Question Will Change How You Use Your Phone

"Curate your digital space like a sacred space," writes Michael Becka, an author and former Zen monk.

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

“The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” - James Baldwin

000

Tom Ward @tomward.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

“Sometimes habits and patterns belong to who you were, not who you are trying to be. If you'd like something better, then a routine you are comfortable with may have to die.” - James Clear

000