The Gordian knot of identity and achievement
...Good work, done well, for the right reasons...
...Good work, done well, for the right reasons...
...When certain events need to take place to achieve a desired outcome, we’re overly optimistic that those events will happen. Here’s why we should temper those expectations...
...You can figure out who’s reading the book because they’ve got something at stake and who’s simply wasting time...
...Setting short-term, realistic goals has been shown to start a reinforcing mechanism of success and happiness, provided these goals fit with our values and aren’t imposed on us by others...
...All change brings opportunity. Some change gives us the opportunity to pause and ask what we can do better. How can we better connect to what has proven to be important? Connection is not an abstract intellectual exercise, but an experience that orients us to the values that provide us direction. If you look for opportunities in line with your values, you will be able to see a path through the fear and uncertainty guided by the light that is hope...
...There is no good life without study and practice and wisdom. Don’t find the time. Make the time. You’re not too busy...
...The discipline is to invest one time in getting your workflow right instead of paying a penalty for poor digital hygiene every single day...
...When you really learn something, you give yourself a tool to use for the rest of your life. The more you know, the fewer surprises you will encounter, because most new things will connect to something you already understand...
...There is ample evidence that giving someone else a boost, whether giving compliments or expressing gratitude, has a mood-lifting effect and contributes to well-being. This means that everyone benefits — givers and receivers alike...
...Quite simply, each new innovation or idea opens up the possibility of additional innovations and ideas. At any time, there are limits to what is possible, yet those limits are constantly expanding...
...Like so many things, the order is not optional...
...An analysis of three large, well-known heart disease studies found drinking one or more cups of caffeinated coffee was associated with decreased heart failure risk. Drinking decaffeinated coffee did not have the same benefit and may be associated with an increased risk for heart failure...
...There are also times for asking, “If I spend this dollar, where is the highest-leverage place to spend it?” instead of, simply, “How can I avoid spending this dollar?”...
...Unless we know why someone made a decision, we can’t safely change it or conclude that they were wrong...
...What if you replaced “doing” with “improving” or “reinventing” or “transforming”?...
...If you play life as a finite game, you train for the rules. If life is instead an infinite game, you focus on being educated to adapt to unknowns...
...Rather than setting your sights on achieving the unattainable 100%, concentrate on hitting 70%+ consistently...
...Useful writing tells people something true and important that they didn't already know, and tells them as unequivocally as possible...
...Splitting up goals into smaller pieces allows more of our temporal selves to pitch in, but it also makes each contribution seem less essential and easier to skip. The problem is one of optimal granularity—ideally, each contribution would be crucial yet manageable. In short, to get the lumps we want, we must do some artful slicing...
...Put your oxygen mask on first...While seemingly selfish, Schuster writes, “we do not do well when we are not taking care of ourselves.”...