The Great Mental Models, Volume 2: Physics, Chemistry and Biology

by Shane Parrish

We often think someone is wrong because they see things from a different perspective than we do. Relativity helps us to understand that there is more than one way to see everything.

Perspective often comes from distance or time. If you’re trying to solve a problem and you’re stuck, try shifting your vantage point.

Reciprocity can be summed up like this: when you act on things, they act on you.

“We are driven more strongly to avoid losses than to achieve gains.”

Become what you want to see in the world and it will be so. If you want an amazing relationship with your partner, be an amazing partner. If you want people to be thoughtful and kind, be thoughtful and kind. If you want people to listen to you, listen to them. The best way to achieve success is to deserve success. Small changes in your actions change your entire world.

This is part of the reason why the proof of something being harmful is not always enough to produce a change in behavior. The inertia of a product, a habit, or an idea increases the longer it is around.

Once something is moving in a direction, it’s much easier to keep it in motion. But once something is in motion, it’s hard to stop. The bigger the mass the more effort required.

Being able to move in the right direction is a lot more useful than going fast in the wrong one.

In our lives, we often have one significant skill but don’t have the other skills necessary to get the most out of it. We need to partner with those who do, forming an alloy that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Consider a person possessing deep engineering skills with an ability to explain ideas clearly. Surely they are more valuable than someone with just the engineering skills. Now add empathy, humility, resilience, and drive. Now this person is incredibly valuable.

Combining a deep specialized knowledge in a domain with a broader understanding of the rules that govern the physical world is a rare combination that saves you time, money, and problems.

Success is measured by persistence.