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“When you are struggling with just about anything, look up. Just ponder the night sky for a minute and realize that we’re all on the same planet at the same time.
“The book would be, rather obviously, Plato’s The Republic.
you can use positive constraints to increase perceived free will and results. Freeform days might seem idyllic, but they are paralyzing due to continual paradox of choice
“If you want to be tougher mentally, it is simple: Be tougher. Don’t meditate on it.”
“It also puts discipline in the day. I find that if the day is terrible, but I worked out, at the end of the day I’ll go, ‘Well, I had a good workout,’ almost no matter what happens.
Memento mori—remember that you’re going to die. It’s a great way to remember to live.
On TrueFilms.com, Kevin has reviewed the best documentaries he’s seen over decades. The counterpart book series, True Films 3.0, contains the 200 documentaries he feels you should see before you die, and it is available as a PDF on kk.org. Three docs we both love are The King of Kong, Man on Wire, and A State of Mind.
Half of the time, you will realize that the “horrible” isn’t so horrible, and when it is, you can make it less
How might you put this into practice? Here are a few things I’ve done repeatedly for 3 to 14 days at a time to simulate losing all my money: ► Sleeping in a sleeping bag, whether on my living room floor or outside ► Wearing cheap white shirts and a single pair of jeans for the entire 3 to 14 days ► Using CouchSurfing.com or a similar service to live in hosts’ homes for free, even if in your own city ► Eating only A) instant oatmeal and/or B) rice and beans ► Drinking only water and cheap instant coffee or tea ► Cooking everything using a Kelly Kettle. This is a camping device that can generate
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Once you’ve realized—and it requires a monthly or quarterly reminder—how independent your well-being is from having an excess of money, it becomes easier to take “risks” and say “no” to things that seem too lucrative to pass up.
There is more freedom to be gained from practicing poverty than chasing wealth. Suffer a little regularly and you often cease to suffer.
Perfectionism leads to procrastination, which leads to paralysis.
“When people seem like they are mean, they’re almost never mean. They’re anxious.”
So I would just say, ‘Believe in yourself more deeply. You’re bigger than that. Dream bigger,’ I would say.”
I’ve learned in my life that there are certain things I have to do to just be out of my head and get to normal. I’m not talking about being really supereffective. Just to get to normal, I have to do meditation, I have to do some exercise.
“If you want to be successful, surround yourself with people who are more successful than you are, but if you want to be happy, surround yourself with people who are less successful than you are.”
‘You must never, ever fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.’
“These aren’t all quotes from others. Many are maxims that I’ve carved for myself.” → Be present above all else. → Desire is suffering (Buddha). → Anger is a hot coal that you hold in your hand while waiting to throw it at someone else (Buddhist saying). → If you can’t see yourself working with someone for life, don’t work with them for a day. → Reading (learning) is the ultimate meta-skill and can be traded for anything else. → All the real benefits in life come from compound interest. → Earn with your mind, not your time. → 99% of all effort is wasted. → Total honesty at all times.
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“What you choose to work on, and who you choose to work with, are far more important than how hard you work.”
“Free education is abundant, all over the Internet. It’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.”
“One difference between home cooks and pros is acidity level. When you think it’s ready, add another lemon. Pros bump up the acidity level. It’s one of the secrets. We add a little more acid, and it makes everything taste better.”
Advice to your 25-year-old self? “Don’t be so fucking shy…. Dude, I can still think of instances within the last 24 months where I think, ‘Man, Richard, I wish you had been more forward. I wish you had asked for X instead of being so subtle and implying it.’ I try to go for that subtle, elegant thing, which sounds really nice. I think part of that is actually being shy. Sometimes, the clues that you put outwardly are too subtle to be heard, or someone is just talking louder than you.”
“I would say, ‘Write everything down because it’s all very fleeting.’ I would say, ‘Keep a journal,’ which I have but I would have been more meticulous.
“And also, it’s not about being good; it’s about being great.
how you do anything is how you do everything.”
Give vulnerability a shot. Give discomfort its due. Because I think he or she who is willing to be the most uncomfortable is not only the bravest, but rises the fastest.”
“A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”
The big question I ask is, ‘When I had the opportunity, did I choose courage over comfort?’”
You have to act first before inspiration will hit. You don’t wait for inspiration and then act, or you’re never going to act, because you’re never going to have the inspiration, not consistently.”
Robert’s most-gifted book is Start with Why by Simon Sinek.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (4)
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
Dune by Frank Herbert (3)
Influence by Robert Cialdini (3)
Watchmen by Alan Moore (3)
The Art of Learning (Josh Waitzkin),
A History of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russell),
The Conquest of Happiness (Bertrand Russell)
The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy (William Irvine),
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (Harold McGee),
Man on Wire (doc),
