Hell Yeah or No

by Derek Sivers

what if you had so much money that you couldn’t possibly want any more? What would you do then? What would you stop doing?

What would you do then, if you didn’t need the money and didn’t need the attention?

No matter what you tell the world or tell yourself, your actions reveal your real values. Your actions show you what you actually want.

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.

But success comes from doing, not declaring.

Whatever you decide, you need to optimize for that goal, and be willing to let go of the others.

Like a funhouse mirror that distorts what it reflects, your imitation will turn out much different from the original.

So an entrepreneur can imitate someone else’s business, and still be adding a great service to the world.

Be careful when you say you like or dislike something, because you could change your mind soon.

Old opinions shouldn’t define who we are in the future.

If I’m acting too undisciplined, I realize it’s because I’ve stopped vividly seeing my future. I can only see the present. If I’m acting too disconnected, I realize it’s because I’m obsessed with my goals. I can see only the future.

You won’t act differently until you think of yourself differently. So start by taking one small action that will change your self-identity.

Refuse almost everything. Do almost nothing. But the things you do, do them all the way.

People say that your first reaction is the most honest, but I disagree. Your first reaction is usually outdated. Either it’s an answer you came up with long ago and now use instead of thinking, or it’s a knee-jerk emotional response to something in your past.

Before you start something, think of the ways it could end. Sometimes the smart choice is to say no to the whole game.

1. Ask myself what’s wrong in this very second.

2. Observe now. Act later.

3. Raise standards. Say no to anything less than great.

4. Focus on my goal

5. Do all the necessary stuff

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.

Which then makes me realize that half of my effort wasn’t effort at all, but just unnecessary stress that made me feel like I was doing my best.

People often ask me what they can do to be more successful. I say disconnect. Even if just for a few hours. Unplug. Turn off your phone and Wi-Fi. Focus. Write. Practice. Create. That’s what’s rare and valuable these days.

We have old dreams. We have images we want to re-create. They’re hard to untangle from the result we really want. They become excuses, and reasons to procrastinate.

Instead of comparing up to the next-higher situation, compare down to the next-lower one.

Great insight comes only from opening your mind to many options.

Now I just assume I’m below average.

To assume you’re below average is to admit you’re still learning. You focus on what you need to improve, not your past accomplishments.

Many people are so worried about looking good that they never do anything great. Many people are so worried about doing something great that they never do anything at all. You destroy that paralysis when you think of yourself as just a student, and your current actions as just practice.

Everybody’s ideas seem obvious to them.

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.

What do you hate not doing?

Learning without doing is wasted.

So when should you make decisions? When you have the most information, when you’re at your smartest: as late as possible.

Therefore, smart people don’t think others are stupid.

So to get smarter, you need to get surprised, think in new ways, and deeply understand different perspectives.

Judge a goal by how well it changes your actions in the present moment.