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3 IDEAS FROM ME

I.

“To improve, compare little things.

-marketing strategies
-exercise technique
-writing tactics

To be miserable, compare big things.

-career path
-marriage
-net worth

Comparison is the thief of joy when applied broadly, but the teacher of skills when applied narrowly.”


II.

“If you want to be in the top 1% of a particular domain, then you can’t take your cues from and follow the social norms of 99% of people.

This is harder than it sounds. We are wired to imitate. The further you want to climb, the more carefully you need to construct your tribe.”


III.

“Most people need consistency more than they need intensity.

Intensity:
-run a marathon
-write a book in 30 days
-silent meditation retreat

Consistency:
-don’t miss a workout for 2 years
-write every week
-daily silence

Intensity makes a good story. Consistency makes progress.”

2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS

I.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, on the importance of what’s not going to change:

“I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ And that is a very interesting question; it’s a very common one.

“I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two — because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time…

“In our retail business, we know that customers want low prices, and I know that’s going to be true 10 years from now. They want fast delivery; they want vast selection. It’s impossible to imagine a future 10 years from now where a customer comes up and says, ‘Jeff I love Amazon; I just wish the prices were a little higher,’ [or] ‘I love Amazon; I just wish you’d deliver a little more slowly.’ Impossible.

“And so the effort we put into those things, spinning those things up, we know the energy we put into it today will still be paying off dividends for our customers 10 years from now. When you have something that you know is true, even over the long term, you can afford to put a lot of energy into it.”

Source: Jeff Bezos at reInvent, November 2012


II.

Investor Josh Wolfe on the best advice he ever received:

“The best, most useful advice I ever got was from Jim Watson, [the scientist who discovered DNA], over tea at his New York apartment.

3 words, 2 meanings: Avoid boring people.”

Source: Josh Wolfe, Twitter

1 QUESTION FOR YOU

The people who have already walked through the fire can help you do the same. Who are you surrounding yourself with?​

Until next week,

James Clear
Author of the New York Times bestselling book, Atomic Habits
Creator of The Habits Academy and the Habit Journal

P.S. Parenting in the technology age.

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