The loudest critic is internal.
Entrepreneurship is a personal growth engine disguised as a business pursuit.
Never be so busy comparing what you have that you forget how fortunate you are to have it.
Comparing yourself to others... ...is positive when it motivates you to get back to work, upgrade your skills, and remain dedicated to a meaningful pursuit. ...is negative when it causes rumination, negative self-talk, and lower self-esteem. It’s a thin line between the two.
The mind that asks a lot of questions is self-correcting.
Ambition is when you close the gap between your circumstances and your expectations. Entitlement is when you expect others to close the gap between your circumstances and your expectations.
Something undesirable happened? Make the best move under the current circumstances rather than wishing to return to the previous circumstances. “Next Play” mentality.
I’d estimate at least half of my frustrations with others are actually frustrations with myself for failing to set clear boundaries and stand by them.
The process of growth is the process of choosing your values, beliefs, and actions rather than imitating them.
Repetition unlocks value. The value of your first workout increases the more you exercise. The value of your first article increases the more you write. The value of your first conversation increases the longer you stay in the relationship. Day One continues to compound.
The usual story is that people with physical strength, speed, and intelligence are genetically gifted, but sometimes I think the greatest genetic edge goes to the people with whatever genes encourage competitiveness, focus, and the enjoyment of practice.
I'm not sure what percentage of success in life can be attributed to your willingness to... (1) play long-term games (2) look foolish in the short-term (3) have uncomfortable conversations ...but it has to be substantial.
The idea that "change is hard" is one of the biggest myths about human behavior. The truth is, you change effortlessly and all the time. The primary job of the brain is to adjust your behavior based on the environment. Design a better environment. Change will happen naturally.
Be easy to work with. Nobody wants to add friction to their life. Make sure each relationship you build is a win for the other side. Win-win is the only kind of relationship that is sustainable.
Fear of failure is higher when you're not working on the problem. If you are taking action, you are less worried about failure because you realize you can influence the outcome.
The “hard” way is rarely harder in terms of daily effort, but it’s harder psychologically. It requires: - thinking long-term - removing limiting beliefs - recognizing the lure of status and approval - trusting that small things will lead to big things It’s a mental battle.
Maintain a margin of safety—even when it’s going well. Rich people go bankrupt chasing even more wealth. Fit people get injured chasing personal records. Productive people become ineffective taking on too many projects. Don’t let your ambition ruin your position.
The more comfortable I am with myself, the less I feel a need to win arguments with other people.
I admire people who can turn it on and turn it off. Be a gentle spirit with most, but stand firm whenever necessary. Don’t take yourself so seriously most days, but turn into a straight killer when the game begins. Etc. Being one thing all the time is suboptimal.
The things you take pride in are the same things you are likely to be biased about. How might the things you take pride in be misleading you? The tighter you cling to your current identity, the harder it becomes to grow beyond it.
The easy way is often the hard way. Shortcuts, one-sided deals, and selfish behavior create debts. You only look like a winner until the bill comes due. Short-term actions become long-term frustrations. In hindsight, the hard way only seems slow in the moment.
A lesson I learned while playing baseball: Just because it didn’t work doesn’t mean it was the wrong choice. Maybe you get a bad hop. Maybe the other guy makes a great play. Good decisions can have bad outcomes. The world is full of probabilities, not certainties.
I love the moment when I realize I'm wrong. It's how learning happens, both for humans and machines. pic.twitter.com/3yvSeDV798
We humans are better at pointing out the elephants in other rooms than in our own.
I appreciate it when my ego gets knocked down a notch by friends and strangers. It hurts in the short-term, but leads to growth in the long-term.
I have an ego. It helps me work harder, but mostly it results in me speaking from emotion, saying things I don't mean, being a lesser version of the man I'd like to be. I'm starting to realize that long-term growth & happiness requires I get humbled daily. It never stops.
Life is beautiful. I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I love you all.
"Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world." - Miyamoto Musashi
Ego is a drug. Use in moderation, if at all.
"Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly." - Franz Kafka