More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
People want to be told what to do because they are afraid (petrified) of figuring it out for themselves.
Those are the only two choices. Win by being more ordinary, more standard, and cheaper. Or win by being faster, more remarkable, and more human.
The only way to get what you’re worth is to stand out, to exert emotional labor, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organizations and people care deeply about.
It’s almost impossible to imagine a school with a sign that said: “We teach people to take initiative and become remarkable artists, to question the status quo, and to interact with transparency. And our graduates understand that consumption is not the answer to social problems.” And yet that might be exactly what we need.
What They Should Teach in School Only two things: 1. Solve interesting problems 2. Lead
Depth of knowledge combined with good judgment is worth a lot.
Depth of knowledge combined with diagnostic skills or nuanced insight is worth a lot, too.
The linchpin feels the fear, acknowledges it, then proceeds. I can’t tell you how to do this; I think the answer is different for everyone. What I can tell you is that in today’s economy, doing it is a prerequisite for success.
The problem is simple: Art is never defect-free. Things that are remarkable never meet spec, because that would make them standardized, not worth talking about.
If it wasn’t a mystery, it would be easy. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth much.
The top ten, ranked in order: 1. Challenge and responsibility 2. Flexibility 3. A stable work environment 4. Money 5. Professional development 6. Peer recognition 7. Stimulating colleagues and bosses 8. Exciting job content 9. Organizational culture 10. Location and community
“Creativity is an instinct to produce.”
The only purpose of starting is to finish,
Society pushes artists to be geniuses, as opposed to encouraging artists to allow the genius within to flourish.
The road to comfort is crowded and it rarely gets you there. Ironically, it’s those who seek out discomfort that are able to make a difference and find their footing.
When your uncomfortable actions lead to success, the organization rewards you and brings you back for more.
As soon as you say, “I’ll try my best,” instead of “I will,” you’ve opened the door for the lizard.
Don’t listen to the cynics. They’re cynics for a reason. For them, the resistance won a long time ago. When the resistance tells you not to listen to something, read something, or attend something, go. Do it. It’s not an accident that successful people read more books.
In the case of personality, most psychologists agree that there are five traits that are essential in how people look at us: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extra-version, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability.
Go find a job you can commit to, a career or a business you can fall in love with.
The act of deciding is the act of succeeding.
