“Once you realize that will power is just a matter of learning how to control your attention and thoughts, you can really begin to increase it.”
—Walter Mischel quoted in The New Yorker: The secret of self-control
January 2012
32 posts
“If you are unwilling to fail, sometimes publicly, and even catastrophically, you stand little chance of ever getting rich.
If you care what the neighbours think, you will never get rich.
If you cannot bear the thought of causing worry to your family, spouse or lover while you plough a lonely, dangerous road rather than taking the safe option of a regular job, you will never get rich.
If you have artistic inclinations and fear that the search for wealth will coarsen such talents, you will never get rich. (Because your fear, in this instance, is well justified.)
If you are not prepared to work longer hours than almost anyone you know, despite the jibes of colleagues and friends, you are unlikely to get rich.
If you cannot convince yourself that you are “good enough” to be rich, you will never get rich.
If you cannot treat your quest to get rich as a game, you will never be rich.
If you cannot face up to your fear of failure, you will never be rich.” —Felix Dennis in How to Get Rich
If you care what the neighbours think, you will never get rich.
If you cannot bear the thought of causing worry to your family, spouse or lover while you plough a lonely, dangerous road rather than taking the safe option of a regular job, you will never get rich.
If you have artistic inclinations and fear that the search for wealth will coarsen such talents, you will never get rich. (Because your fear, in this instance, is well justified.)
If you are not prepared to work longer hours than almost anyone you know, despite the jibes of colleagues and friends, you are unlikely to get rich.
If you cannot convince yourself that you are “good enough” to be rich, you will never get rich.
If you cannot treat your quest to get rich as a game, you will never be rich.
If you cannot face up to your fear of failure, you will never be rich.” —Felix Dennis in How to Get Rich
“To produce a truly effective document, before doing anything else, you must:
1. Define reasons why people might want to read what you are going to write
2. Present these reasons as rapidly and convincingly as possible” —Philip Yaffe in the article: How to generate reader interest in what you write
1. Define reasons why people might want to read what you are going to write
2. Present these reasons as rapidly and convincingly as possible” —Philip Yaffe in the article: How to generate reader interest in what you write
“1) Collect experiences, not titles.
2) Realize connections.
3) Apply those core skills and ideas across disciplines.” —Rebecca Thorman in blog post: How to innovate your career/
2) Realize connections.
3) Apply those core skills and ideas across disciplines.” —Rebecca Thorman in blog post: How to innovate your career/
“If you want to create freedom and get paid to exist, you have to focus your energy and attention on tasks that are going to have the highest impact.”
—Jonathan Mead in The Zero Hour Workweek
“Reading and learning are awesome, but make sure you’re using these as supplements for in-field experience, not substitutes. If you’re reading about any skill you want to develop, but you aren’t regularly performing in the field yet, you’re just procrastinating.”
—Steve Pavlina in blog post: Calibration
“How to be a better person day by day
1. Take responsibility
2. Choose to grow
3. Make room for growth
4. Don’t expect instant results
5. Extract lessons from your experiences
6. Keep a journal
7. Build positive habits
8. Face your fear
9. Have quality inputs
10. Be around positive people
11. Find role models
12. Find mentors” —Donald Latumahina in blog post: How to Be a Better Person Day by Day
1. Take responsibility
2. Choose to grow
3. Make room for growth
4. Don’t expect instant results
5. Extract lessons from your experiences
6. Keep a journal
7. Build positive habits
8. Face your fear
9. Have quality inputs
10. Be around positive people
11. Find role models
12. Find mentors” —Donald Latumahina in blog post: How to Be a Better Person Day by Day
For 2012, I have just one simple resolution : to ask myself every single day "What am I doing today to improve my tomorrow ?"
“I think the 80/20 rule is a powerful one, and should be applied in many situations to maximize efficiency. But let’s not forget that incredible things are achieved at 100%.”
—David Wurtz in blog post: Why the 80/20 rule is wrong
“Try not. Do, or do not. There is no ‘try.’”
—Jedi Master Yoda in Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
December 2011
12 posts
“The man who can rise before dawn 360 days a year, never fails to make his family rich.”
—Old chinese saying found in The Zero Hour Workweek by Jonathan Mead
“Tune in to what you truly desire. Then work on shedding everything that keeps you out of vibrational harmony with your desires.”
—Steve Pavlina in blog post
“Watch people who have money to spend, see what they’re wasting their time on, cook up a solution, and try selling it to them. It’s surprising how small a problem can be and still provide a profitable market for a solution.”
—Paul Graham in the essay: Why Smart People Have Bad Ideas
“Become so good, they can’t ignore you.”
—Cal Newport in blog post: The Steve Martin Method: A Master Comedian’s Advice for Becoming Famous
“Hard focus-style work on a small number of things is the basic currency of almost any success.”
—Cal Newport in blog post: Pruning your list of what matters
“Indecision can cause you to waste a large portion of your life, often by letting it slip away day by day.”
—Barry Schwartz in The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less
“The master in the art of living
draws no sharp distinction between
his labor and his leisure,
his mind and his body,
his work and his play,
his education and his recreation.
He hardly knows which.
He simply pursues his vision of excellence
through whatever he is doing
and leaves others to determine
whether his is working or playing.
To himself, he is always doing both.” —L. P. Jacks in Education through Recreation (1932), p. 1
draws no sharp distinction between
his labor and his leisure,
his mind and his body,
his work and his play,
his education and his recreation.
He hardly knows which.
He simply pursues his vision of excellence
through whatever he is doing
and leaves others to determine
whether his is working or playing.
To himself, he is always doing both.” —L. P. Jacks in Education through Recreation (1932), p. 1
“Don’t do what you think will make you happy. Don’t do what’s comfortable.
Feeling good is not important.
Fulfillment is something you can’t trade. For anything.” —Jonathan Mead in blog post Your comfort is not important
Feeling good is not important.
Fulfillment is something you can’t trade. For anything.” —Jonathan Mead in blog post Your comfort is not important
“A little choice makes us happy, but many choices overwhelm us into inaction.”
—Barry Schwartz in The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less
“We like to practice what we know, stretching out in the warm bath of familiarity rather than stretching our skills. Those who overcome that tendency are the real high performers.”
—John Cloud in the Time magazine article The Science of Experience
“Don’t be a schemer. Be a doer. Over time, action — not scheming — is what breeds achievement momentum.”
—Cal Newport in post: The myth of the big break
“To improve at anything, we must at some point push ourselves outside our comfort zone.”
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