Seven little ideas and stories
Here are seven little ideas and stories I want to be reminded of today:
“The world is awful. The world is much better. The world can be much better. All three statements are true at the same time.”
I recently read this and found it useful. It’s a subtle reminder that we can dedicate attention towards moving from awful to better.
Someone once asked an accomplished comedian if he would trade his comedy career for playing 10 years on the Mets if he was sure his team will win the World Series and he’ll be on the Hall of Fame. 1
He said no. Ten years is still too short.
It reminds me of why it’s important to lead a life where you have a lifetime of being useful doing things that ultimately bring you joy, not just a sprint where you are known for getting a prize.
Who are you looking out for the most - the present version of you or the future version of you?
How you answer this shows where your loyalty lies.
And maybe what you are willing to indulge.
Wisdom compounds. So does knowledge.
You might have heard stories of a designer invited to a meeting to help a company solve a problem - create a new logo that communicates their essence. After listening intently, picked a napkin and drew what became the logo within seconds.
In other cases, it's another specialist. The core of these experiences are the same: it takes seconds to solve a problem, and many years to build/train the muscles for solving it.
Low input, great output
High-quality input preceeds high-quality output.
Sometimes, it doesn't matter how much input goes in. What matters is the quality of those input.
More input doesn't always move you forward. Neither does taking in only poor input.
What's more dangerous than taking in nothing, is taking in what's unhealthy for our minds.
Many ills in life can be traced to the failure to do this. When you respect yourself, you treat yourself with unconditional love and care, you value the depth of what you don’t know, and refuse to be fooled by what you know.
Respecting yourself helps you see fear as it is, without getting entangled by it or allowing it to hold you back.
When you respect yourself, you play the longer game not minding what it may cost you in comfort at this moment.
You give yourself forgiveness and grace when you fall. You make commitments and follow through with them.
More than what others think about you, what you expect of yourself matters. And because you deeply respect yourself, you can spend time getting to know yourself better.
As you do, maybe you can learn to extend that respect to others.
The two most important timelines are now and the next.
The most important of the two is the now. Knowing what to do now. And doing it.
The second most important is the next. Understanding what to do next. And why it matters.
Clarity about reality and our goals help us focus on what to do now, and what to do next. Almost every other thing may be useful at a later time.
But until then, only these two count.
That comedian is Jerry Seinfield.