Choose the local vs. global balance that works for you (being useful to your immediate, local community vs. the world).
Your actions show you what you actually want. React to this in 2 ways:
Stop lying to yourself and admit your real priorities
Start doing what you say you want to do, and see if it’s really true
Success comes from doing, not declaring.
Speak in the present tense only about what you’re actually currently doing. Let go of past identities.
Whatever you decide, optimize for that goal, and be willing to let go of the others
My take: if you have more than X (X == 2, 3, idk) priorities, then none of them are priorities at all. ‘cause ya simply can’t focus on everything all at once
If you expect criticism in advance and take pride in your stance (however unusual it may be), you can bash on with a smile, being who you want to be.
Look around at existing ideas in the world. You can imitate them and still offer something unique.
Old opinions shouldn’t define who we are in the future. Because they can change at any moment due to whatever experiences you go through.
Public comments are just feedback on something you made; they are not a reflection of who you are as a person.
Character is a result of your little choices and little actions. How you do anything is how you do everything.
Both a present-focused future-focused mindsets are necessary. A present-focus helps you enjoy life, but a future-focus helps you stay disciplined.
Small actions change your self-identity.
My take: It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. For instance, you take the first step and start exercising, you convince yourself you are someone who exercises, which further encourages you to exercise the next day, and the day after that.
Saying no
Refuse almost everything. Do almost nothing. But the things you do, do them all the way
If you’re not feeling “Hell yeah, that would be awesome!” about something, say no. It’s an easier decision.
Art is useless; it’s just for me — I’m playing music for its own sake and loving it.
Your first reaction is usually outdated
When you’re less impulsive and more deliberate like this, it can be a little inconvenient for other people, but that’s OK. Someone asks you a question. You don’t need to answer. You can say, “I don’t know,” and take your time to answer after thinking
Even the toughest of us have delicate motivation. When you notice that something is affecting your drive, find a way to adjust your environment, even if that’s a little inconvenient for others.
Personal change needs some space to happen (you can’t say yes to everything)
Before you start something, think of the ways it could end. Sometimes the smart choice is to say no to the whole game.
The solitary socialite: I love people one-on-one
How to get out of a bad state of mind
Ask myself what’s wrong in this very second. Am I in physical pain or danger? No. I’ve got mental pain, but that’s just me imagining things or remembering things. None of it is real.
Observe now. Act later. Avoid acting when feeling cloudy.
Raise standards. Say no to anything less than great
Raising the bar not only gives me a huge feeling of self-worth but also empties my time. Empty time helps me think clearly, because there’s more time to process and reflect
Focus on my goal
Do all the necessary stuff
When everyday responsibilities are done, my mind is less distracted
Making things happen
The system is designed so anyone can keep up. If you’re more driven than most people, you can do way more than anyone expects
”Half of my effort wasn’t effort at all, but just unnecessary stress that made me feel like I was doing my best”
Take it easy. Focus your efforts/energy/attention where they matter.
Silence is a great canvas for your thoughts
Be disconnected, focus, do deep work
Some people think they need expensive equipment to start a new hobby, certain clothes to look the part, or for everything to be just right. But resourceful people know they don’t.
Change your focus. Instead of comparing up to the next higher situation, compare down to the next-lower one.
You need to be more grateful for what you’ve got, for how much worse it could have been, and how nice it is to have anything at all. Ambition versus gratitude. Comparing up versus comparing down
Do you have a list of conditions you need to have met before you do something? Try changing the requirements (A and B) from and to “or.”
Reduce the activation energy required for you to take action
There are always more than two options. Open your mind to them.
Early in your career, the best strategy is to say yes to everything. The more things you try, and the more people you meet, the better. Each one might lead to your lucky break. Then when something is extra-rewarding, it’s time to switch strategies. Focus all of your energy on this one thing.
Think long-term; don’t be paralyzed by the abundance of options
Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years
Changing Perspective
To assume you’re below average is to admit you’re still learning. You focus on what you need to improve
Embrace radical responsibility
Now you’re the person who made things happen, made a mistake, and can learn from it. Now you’re in control and there’s nothing to complain about.
I like to think that everything is a coincidence. Life feels more amazing to me if it has no meaning. No secret agenda. Beautifully random.
😌
The excitement was in finding them, not keeping them
We’re clearly bad judges of our creations. We should just put them out there and let the world decide. Are you holding back something that seems too obvious to share?
Three things to consider when making life-size decisions
What makes you happy
What’s smart — meaning long-term good for you
What’s useful to others
Don’t expect your job to fulfill all your emotional needs. Don’t taint something you love with the need to make money from it. Don’t try to make your job your whole life. Don’t try to make your art your sole income. Let each be what it is, and put in the extra effort to balance the two
When picking a job
Be smart, and choose something that pays well with a solid future
Inversion: what do you hate not doing?
When starting a business
Prove a real demand
Don’t announce anything. Don’t choose a name. Don’t make a website or an app. Don’t build a system. You need to be free to completely change or ditch your idea.
Fixing faulty thinking
Deliberate unlearning:
Doubt what I know.
Stop the habit of thinking I know it.
Require current proof that it’s still true today. Otherwise, let it go.
Most successful people I know have a narrow focus, protect themselves against time-wasters, say no to almost everything, and have let go of old limiting beliefs.
Look instead at what to remove.
Smart people don’t think others are stupid: being stupid means avoiding thinking by jumping to conclusions
What matters is what I get out of their work, not the person who made it.
We think the differences between our group and another group are greater than they are.
To get smarter, you need to get surprised, think in new ways, and deeply understand different perspectives.
To make a change, you have to be extreme. Go all the way in the other direction.
Nothing has inherent meaning. We just choose to project meaning onto things.
tbh freeing in a sense
Saying yes
It’s overwhelming to feel so in awe of the people who seem to do it naturally. I’m just a beginner. It may take me another fifteen years, but I’m determined.
Judge a goal by how well it changes your actions in the present moment.
Inspiration
Nothing is truly inspiring unless you apply it to your work. (“work” meaning your life’s output, whether creative, business, or personal). In other words, your work, itself, is the inspiration.
Inspiration is not receiving information. Inspiration is applying what you’ve received.
For every bit of inspiration you take in, use it and amplify it by applying it to your work.
You grow by doing what scares you.
Notice what excites you and what scares you on a small moment-to-moment level.