Fail to succeed

Fail to succeed. Intentionally get it wrong to inevitably get it even more right. Mistakes are great teachers — they highlight unforeseen opportunities and holes in your understanding. They also show you which way to turn next, and they ignite your imagination.

Don’t face complex issues head-on

Don’t face complex issues head-on; first, understand simple ideas deeply. Clear the clutter and expose what is really important. Be brutally honest about what you know and don’t know. Then see what’s missing, identify the gaps, and fill them in. Let go of bias, prejudice, and preconceived notions. There are degrees to understanding (it’s not just a yes-or-no proposition) and you can always heighten yours. Rock-solid understanding is the foundation for success.

What others will mainly remember is...

What others will mainly remember is our presence in their lives rather than the work we did.

If we don't change, we don't...

If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we are not really living. Growth demands a temporary surrender of security. It may mean a giving up of familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, relationships that have lost their meaning.

As Dostoevsky put it, "Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most." The real fear should be of the opposite course.

People will surprise you

Be kind. You should do it simply to be decent, but do it even if you’re a ruthless mercenary because you have no idea where people will end up in 10 years. The balance of power is always shifting. People will surprise you.

Maintain the momentum

What you do on the bad days matters more than the good days. What you do when you don't feel like it — when you're not motivated, when everything seems hard — matters more to the ultimate outcome than what you do when you're motivated and it is easy. Maintain the momentum.

Love is just a...

Love is just a chemical thing that happens when you spend too much time with someone you do not despise. You will fall in love with 90% of women given enough time with them. You need to get the foundations right - it is the most significant decision.