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Slowing down doesn’t mean accomplishing less; it means cutting out counterproductive distractions and the perception of being rushed.
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But where to go and what to do? There is no one right answer to either. Use the following questions and resources to brainstorm: What makes you most angry about the state of the world? What are you most afraid of for the next generation, whether you have children or not? What makes you happiest in your life? How can you help others have the same?
4. Revisit and reset dreamlines. Following the mini-retirement, revisit the dreamlines set in Definition and reset them as needed. The following questions will help: What are you good at? What could you be the best at? What makes you happy? What excites you? What makes you feel accomplished and good about yourself? What are you most proud of having accomplished in your life? Can you repeat this or further develop it? What do you enjoy sharing or experiencing with other people?
Recapturing
back.
If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake. —FRANK WILCZEK, 2004 Nobel Prize winner in physics
Ho imparato che niente e impossibile, e anche che quasi niente e facile … (I’ve learned that nothing is impossible, and that almost nothing is easy …) —ARTICOLO 31 (Italian rap group), “Un Urlo”
1. Losing sight of dreams and falling into work for work’s sake (W4W) Please reread the introduction and next chapter of this book whenever you feel yourself falling into this trap. Everyone does it, but many get stuck and never get out.
Give them if-then rules for solving all but the largest problems.
Life is too short to waste, but it is also too long to be a pessimist or nihilist.
Doubts are no more than a signal for action of some type. When in doubt or overwhelmed, take a break and 80/20 both business and personal activities and relationships.
but do not live your life alone. Happiness shared in the form of friendships and love is happiness multiplied.
There is nothing the busy man is less busied with than living; there is nothing harder to learn.
For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something … almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. —STEVE JOBS, college
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IF YOU’RE CONFUSED about life, you’re not alone. There are almost seven billion of us. This isn’t a problem, of course, once you realize that life is neither a problem to be solved nor a game to be won. If you are too intent on making the pieces of a nonexistent puzzle fit, you miss out on all the real fun. The heaviness of success-chasing can be replaced with a serendipitous lightness when you recognize that the only rules and limits are those we set for ourselves.
So be bold and don’t worry about what people think. They don’t do it that often anyway.
When you run so fast to get somewhere You miss half the fun of getting there.
Life
Once you realize that you can turn off the noise without the world ending, you’re liberated in a way that few people ever know.
Be focused on work or focused on something else, never in-between.
Time without attention is worthless, so value attention over time.
What is the one goal, if completed, that could change everything? What is the most urgent thing right now that you feel you “must” or “should” do? Can you let the urgent “fail”—even for a day—to get to the next milestone for your potential life-changing tasks? What’s been on your to-do list the longest? Start it first thing in the morning and don’t allow interruptions or lunch until you finish.
You don’t have to recoup losses the same way you lose them.
One of the most universal causes of self-doubt and depression: trying to impress people you don’t like. Stressing to impress is fine, but do it for the right people—those you want to emulate.
Adversity doesn’t build character; it reveals it. Related: Money doesn’t change you; it reveals who you are when you no longer have to be nice.
It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matters is how many people do. If you have a strong informed opinion, don’t keep it to yourself. Try to help people and make the world a better place. If you strive to do anything remotely interesting, just expect a small percentage of the population to always find a way to take it personally. F*ck ’em. There are no statues erected to critics.
A good question to revisit whenever overwhelmed: Are you having a breakdown or a breakthrough?
is necessary for not only productivity but appreciation.
Too many choices = less or no productivity Too many choices = less or no appreciation Too many choices = sense of overwhelm
PROFITABILITY OFTEN REQUIRES better rules and speed, not more time. The financial goal of a start-up should be simple: profit in the least time with the least effort. Not more customers, not more revenue, not more offices or more employees. More profit.
What Gets Measured Gets Managed
Remember, more customers isn’t the goal; more profit is.
Checking e-mail isn’t some amazing skill that you alone possess.
