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July 2 - July 6, 2015
Build up your experience in increments. If you’re truly passionate about something, this should happen naturally over time. When you’re finally ready to take the big leap, it won’t feel like such a big leap anymore. It’ll just feel like the next step.
We measure ourselves based on how we perform relative to our local environment. In sociology, this is known as “relative deprivation” (RD).
We tend to measure our competence by those around us (RD). We’re constantly observing people within our social networks who appear better than us (GFP).
social media is constantly feeding you a false representation of the world—a world that seems increasingly more fantastic and unattainable.
Passion Is the Currency of Happiness
the opposite of happiness is not unhappiness—it’s boredom,
We try to become successful so we can be happy, instead of making sure we’re happy so we can become successful.
Don’t fight for profit or anything else in the pyramid. Instead, fight for time and then fill it with passion.
You need to identify what I call Purpose Spurts. Purpose Spurts are the simple activities you love to do on a regular basis. Examples include watching a football game, going for a run, or reading a book. These simple pleasures will keep you afloat in the happiness department.
If you want to escape this, you need to start looking for what I call Purpose Arcs. Purpose Arcs are the broader activities that feed your passions.
The finite duration is what distinguishes a spurt from an arc. Defining an arc can help define related spurts, and vice versa. For example: Spurts naturally contribute to fulfilling an arc. Your goal should be to find spurts that can generate meaningful income.
spurts don’t necessarily need to be work-related.
If you’re not sure where your passion lies, ask yourself what you end up doing when you have nothing to do. Where does your mind go? What websites do you visit? Which articles and books do you read? What television shows do you watch? Which activities naturally draw your attention? Your passion is right in front of you: it’s how you spend your idle time. People
any talent can generate income. Value is the key ingredient.[21] If
it’s possible to turn any passion into an income-generating product, in any industry. There are a few reasons why this is the case: People crave knowledge Knowledge is boundless People are lazy People are forgetful
When the reality of the neverending quest for knowledge sets in, we realize we have to pick and choose—we have to find a subset of things to focus on. We also need to find efficiencies so we can learn as much as possible,
Most of us are lazy. If there’s a shortcut, we’ll take it. We want simplicity.
It means people like you and I (the craftsmen) can spend time learning about a particular topic, synthesize the most relevant information about that topic, package it into an organized format (a book, a blog, a podcast, an app, etc.), and sell it to people
Lucky for you, people are forgetful. It doesn’t matter if related products already exist. In fact, it’s a good thing because it validates your market. Think about your concern—if you’ve read other books about the topic, it means people have purchased those books. People will consume content about the same topic over and over again.
You have to be knowledgeable (or talented). You have to distribute effectively. Blockbusters are rare. You have to seem fresh. You have to provide value.
you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
Auras naturally form around things like sports, religions, and political parties. But anything can have an aura. You should be looking for auras in every relationship you cultivate, every project you engage in, and every company you work for (or build).
Here’s the point: You get out what you put in—to a degree. Your natural ability and strengths play a big role in determining the potential of your output.
Don’t work on things that don’t play to your strengths and passions. Don’t work on things that provide opportunities that don’t interest you.
It’s easy to trick ourselves into thinking we deserve a reward because we put the time in, but it doesn’t work that way. The commitment has to produce results. The effort has to matter.
Scientists expect the vast majority of their tests to fail, but they still view each test as a step forward, regardless of the outcome.
This is because each failed test rules out that particular approach, narrowing the remaining scope of potential solutions.
there are no life-ending failures, only experiments and results.
A person’s life is just a collection of experiments. We’re meant to enjoy them and grow from them. If you learn to love the process of experimentation, the prospect of failure isn’t so scary anymore.
Giving young companies permission to screw-up is important, not just because it encourages the founders to take bigger risks, but because it helps them maintain their sanity if things fall apart. Unfortunately, this philosophy is also very dangerous. It gives the wannabes an invitation to pretend. It gives the slackers an easy excuse.
Commit to taking risks that feed your passion. Get used to being nervous and uncomfortable. If you fail, you fail. Accept it, learn from it, and move on. But never expect failure. Expect success.
when choosing our path in life, we often just accept our current situation and assume there’s no better option, despite the constant nagging feeling that we’re fooling ourselves.
the ultimate productivity hack: Focus on the most important things Set aggressive deadlines
Passive entertainment can be a great stress-reducing activity, but keep it in check and don’t let it become a daily habit.
Researching Researching usually involves comparing two or more similar things, either for depth of knowledge, or to determine the best option. Research of this kind has diminishing returns. Usually the first hour is more valuable than however many hours follow it—by an order of magnitude. The most important information is easy to find. The rest doesn’t matter much. When I’m researching something, I limit myself to 2-5 sources. Anything beyond that likely won’t contribute substantially to what’s already been found. You’ll never be 100% informed. Realize that the most important information is
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Just because technology makes us perpetually accessible doesn’t mean we should be on call to everyone, everywhere, all the time.
“You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people around you.”
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” JIM ROHN
