Whether you’re writing essays or solving...

Whether you’re writing essays or solving physics proofs, the process of thinking is the same. Putting ideas onto paper deepens your thought process and forces you to concretely express what you’re thinking. The more you get ideas onto paper, the less effort your brain has to devote to memory. Knowing that the pieces you’ve already solved are waiting on the page for you allows you to move into new intellectual territory and explore the depths of an idea.

When you are a young person...

When you are a young person, you are like a young creek, and you meet many rocks, many obstacles, and difficulties on your way. You hurry to get past these obstacles and get to the ocean. But as the creek moves down through the fields, it becomes larges and calmer and it can enjoy the reflection of the sky. It's wonderful. You will arrive at the sea anyway so enjoy the journey. Enjoy the sunshine, the sunset, the moon, the birds, the trees, and the many beauties along the way. Taste every moment of your daily life.

When working with people...

When working with people, assume good intentions. When listening to people, interpret their words in a generous way. You will occasionally get burned and mistreated by always assuming the best in others, but it is a far better way to live than the opposite.

When rain falls, it flows downhill

When rain falls, it flows downhill. If desired, you can collect the rain in a bucket and carry it uphill, but the natural tendency of water is to flow toward the lowest point. Most situations in life have a tendency—a direction in which things want to flow. You can choose to go against the flow (just as you can choose to carry water uphill), but your results tend to be better when you find a way to work with the gradient of the situation. Position yourself to benefit from the external forces at hand and you will get more from the same unit of effort. Energy is conserved and results are multiplied.

Everyone is Ordinary

The first thing I would like to say about the ordinary mind is, treat yourself with an “ordinary mind “. The most basic thing is to realize that everyone, including yourself, is an ordinary person.

People who achieve great things...

People who achieve great things, they often maintain a very ordinary mentality. In other words, if you keep an ordinary mind, accept yourself as you are, and do well for yourself, you can often do things well. Ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

Being in a position to capitalize when times are...

Being in a position to capitalize when times are bad requires doing different things when times are good. This goes against human nature — we don’t want to look like an idiot when times are good even if doing so offers an unstoppable advantage when times are tough. Good times eventually come to an end. As Warren Buffett says, “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.”

We fail to take care of ourselves

We fail to take care of ourselves. We don’t eat healthy, sleep right, or exercise enough. When problems come, we’re ill-positioned to deal with them.

The nature of illusion is that...

The nature of illusion is that it’s designed to make you feel good. About yourself, about your country, about where you’re going – in that sense it functions like a drug. Those who question that illusion are challenged not so much for the veracity of what they say, but for puncturing those feelings.

The basis of confidence is...

The basis of confidence is self-respect. Do not do anything that makes you think less of yourself & no man can make you think less of yourself.

It’s far easier to continue believing lies than...

It’s far easier to continue believing lies than accept that you’ve been lied to & are still being lied to. Irrational fear & cognitive dissonance are powerful forces. But courage & love conquer all. Step back, pause, open your heart & mind: think critically. Humanity will prevail.

Confidence in a forecast rises with the...

Confidence in a forecast rises with the amount of information that goes into it. But the accuracy of the forecast stays the same. And when it comes to forecasting—as opposed to doing something—a lot of expertise is no better than a little expertise. And may even be worse.

The bar for yes should be high and continuously get higher

The bar for yes should be high and continuously get higher. When you’re first starting you might say yes to everything to get experience. Later, however, you’ll need to be more selective. Most people end up saying yes to mediocre opportunities. Anyone can say no to crappy opportunities. Only a master will say no to good opportunities. If you don’t say no to good opportunities, you’ll never have the time to pursue great opportunities. But if you don’t say no to good opportunities you will never have time for great ones.

Never say yes because you should say yes

Never say yes because you should say yes. If you choose to say yes, make it for a reason. Your reason. If you want to see how often you say yes for the wrong reasons, try finishing this sentence every time you say yes: I am choosing to say yes because … The first few times you answer this honesty, you’ll realize just how often you say yes for the wrong reasons.

Be quick to say no and slow to say yes

Be quick to say no and slow to say yes. Saying yes consumes time, saying no creates time. Never say yes on the spot. Always give yourself some space. Make it a rule. Tell people. That’s what Daniel Kahneman does. When he’s on the phone he says ‘my rule is I never say yes on the phone. I’ll email you later after I think about it more.’ And when I asked him how often he later says yes, he responded ‘rarely.’

Confusing movement with results gets us into...

Confusing movement with results gets us into trouble. When dealing with anyone other than friends or family, saying yes should ultimately lead to results. Saying yes carries a cost that is often paid in the days, weeks or even years ahead.

Saying yes to a request feels...

Saying yes to a request feels good at the moment. So we say yes to things we know won’t move us forward. We say yes because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. We say yes to be polite. We say yes out of obligation. We say yes because we ‘should.’

Saying yes creates an obligation

Saying yes creates an obligation. Saying yes commits you to something. The things we say yes to have a habit of growing. Saying yes should make the future easier, not harder.

We all have the same number of...

We all have the same number of hours in a week. What separates people is how they use them. You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.

The difference between average results and exceptional ones is...

The difference between average results and exceptional ones is what you avoid. Saying no to mediocre opportunities is easy. Saying no to good opportunities is hard.

Most problems come from our internal state

When we are internally calm, we reason and then respond; we don’t just react. When someone slights us, we don’t lash out with angry words or angry fists. We turn the other cheek. When someone cuts us off, we give them the benefit of the doubt. When things go slower than we want, we wait patiently. When someone is passive-aggressive, we refuse to take the bait. At our best, we put behavior in perspective—both other people’s and our own. We do the right thing, not the easy thing, regardless of influence or pressure. A calm mind is not the absence of conflict or stress, but the ability to cope with it.

The word quitting has negative connotations that...

The word quitting has negative connotations that might make us feel like we’re not “gritty” enough. So instead, frame it as pivoting or calling an audible. Every now and then we all need to call an audible. After all, if you’re setting ambitious goals, you’re clearly approaching your life with vigor, and you should feel good about that. Every time you engage in optimal quitting, you’re pivoting to something better. To do so should not be branded as losing—it should be viewed as winning a different game.

This is the wrong side of right

One big mistake people repeatedly make is focusing on proving themselves right, instead of focusing on achieving the best outcome. Most people never work as hard as they do when they are trying to prove themselves right. They unconsciously hold on to the ideas and evidence that reinforce their beliefs and dismiss anything that counters. When this happens, it’s not about the best outcome, it’s about protecting your ego. If you’ve made this mistake, you’re not the only one.

What is truth to one may be a...

What is truth to one may be a disaster to another. I do not see life through your eyes, nor you through mine. If I were to attempt to give you specific advice, it would be too much like the blind leading the blind.

When you focus on trying to...

When you focus on trying to specialize in everything you end up becoming nothing. Rather focus on specializing in a small set of things and see your demand grow.

Your success depends upon how well you listen to yourself

It doesn’t matter how much of this 'acceptance' you gain. It will never heal you. Because it is not true acceptance—rather, it’s compliance with the fiction planted at the very center of your life—it will never be enough.

Learn from fields very different from...

Learn from fields very different from your own. They each have ways of thinking that can be useful at surprising times. Just learning to think like an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a philosopher will beneficially stretch your mind.

One must be pitiless about...

One must be pitiless about this matter of "mood." In a sense, the writing will create the mood. ... I have forced myself to begin writing when I've been utterly exhausted, when I've felt my soul as thin as a playing card, when nothing has seemed worth enduring for another five minutes ... and somehow the activity of writing changes everything.

A new perspective can improve your old methods

The longer you're a teacher, the less you remember what it is like to be a student. The longer you're a doctor, the less you remember what it is like to be a patient. The longer you're a coach, the less you remember what it is like to be a player. Change positions. A new perspective can improve your old methods.

Do less but do better

Any energy that goes into what doesn't matter comes at the expense of what does. With a little extra time, you can raise the standard from good enough to great. Narrow the focus. Raise the standard. And set yourself apart.

Be Clear About The Essential Intent

We can’t know what obstacles to remove until we are clear on the desired outcome. When we don’t know what we’re really trying to achieve, all change is arbitrary. So ask yourself, “How will we know when we are done?”