Recalculating the cost of convenience

Convenience is seductive, and we trade precious things away for it all the time. Part of the reason it dominates our lives is that we only consider the cost once. After that, it continues to remind us of the benefits–the time and hassle and decisions we save. But convenience can cost us. Our humanity, our health, our well-being, our connection to others, and to what we truly care about. Even if it’s a habit, it might be worth reminding ourselves of what we’ve given up in exchange.

Act now!

Start where you are. Start with what you’ve got. Start now. Now is the perfect moment. It only feels ‘fast’ if we’re rushing. Don’t rush. But act with deliberate progress.

Most arguments are ego competitions

Avoiding stupidity is easier than seeking brilliance. Most arguments are ego competitions disguised as truth-seeking. Learning to say "you're probably right" will save you a lot of time and energy.

We avoid doing simple things

We avoid doing simple things that work because they don't make us look smart. Smart people feel stupid doing simple things, so we invent complicated alternatives that accomplish less but feel more intellectually satisfying. Meanwhile, the people who dominate their fields are doing embarrassingly basic things, but they do them better than everyone else.

Make your mood, or it makes you

Make your mood, or it makes you. Most complexity is unnecessary, but we manage it instead of removing it because deletion requires courage that addition doesn't.

You are capable of helping yourself

You are capable of helping yourself. Capable of figuring it out. Capable of squeezing everything you want out of this life. And to believe otherwise is to do yourself a great disservice. To hand over your agency. To give in. To wait for rescue. To curse your luck. To assume someone else will fix it. Don’t look out. Look in. You have within you everything you need. You are at the wheel. Never let it go.

What does it cost me?

Writing down your goals is easy. Everybody wants the glamorous result. What really matters is whether you want the costs associated with it: the money, the time, the tradeoffs. Don't merely ask yourself what do I want to achieve, but also what I am willing to pay?