Silence vs noise

When a group comes together, noise is easy. Just a few people have to make a commotion for noise to happen. But silence requires everyone to be in sync.

Change is always risky

When someone worries about a change and identifies a “risky scheme,” red flags start flying. “Risky” means it might not work. Change is always risky, because innovation doesn’t come with a guarantee. An organization or culture that fears the risk may decide to wait a few cycles, to see what happens if they don’t switch. “We can always do it later.”

Like rivers, people change

Like rivers, people change. When the label stops being useful, we should change it. The problem with holding a grudge is that it makes your hands too full to do anything useful.

Comfort with awkwardness

Life is awkward, particularly when interacting with other humans. Humans are clumsy and hilarious in their awkwardness. Wishing for awkward-free situations is like wishing for the moon to fall out of the sky into the sea. Learn to embrace tension, awkwardness, and discomfort, and you will have an advantage that towers over the common man.

It's not enough to simply apply effort

It's not enough to simply apply effort; you must work on the right thing. One hour solving the right problem beats ten hours on the wrong one. Spend time thinking about what to focus on.

A risk with watching your competition

A risk with watching your competition too closely is that you get drawn into playing their game and lose focus on your own.

There is no beginning, middle, and end to your change

There is no beginning, middle, and end to your change. There is no before or after, no v1 or v2, no old or new. Infinite versions of who you are, who you will become, and who you could have been. The roads not taken and the roads traveled. There is no original version. You simply exist. You never become, you are in a constant state of becoming.