Category: Expectations
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Confidence compounds, so does hesitancy
At The Knowledge Project 169, Dr. Julie Gurner says to Shane Parrish: I think that there is a very strong link—more than we think—with hesitancy and self-esteem. For example, I think the more you hesitate, you see other people doing things. You watch, right? If you don’t take the chance, and you watch other people…
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Who benefits from low agency beliefs and behaviors?
Legacy intermediaries (e.g., middlemen such as traditional publishers, record labels, agents, etc.) are incentivized to make you think that you need them. This belief gives their businesses the best chance of continued survival and better advantages. The key is: whether you actually need them or not is entirely another matter; they only need you to…
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Jamming on a WIP
For whatever reason, while I’ve known the power of collaboration in my head, my heart generally inclined itself to stay hush on my works in progress (WIP). Some reasons: I don’t mind telling friends or people, I just also don’t want to tell everyone; there’s the paper suggesting that publicly announcing your goals could make…
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Google and the Dip
Seth Godin describes The Dip as, “The long slog between starting and mastery.” Two excerpts from Seth Godin’s The Dip stood out to me: “The brave thing to do is to tough it out and end up on the other side—getting all the benefits that come from scarcity. The mature thing is not even to…
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Beginner’s luck
From Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist: “It’s called the principle of favorability. When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner’s luck…. Because there is a force that wants you to realize your Personal Legend; it whets your appetite with a taste of success.” Then, much later: “It seemed as if…
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It wouldn’t be the same without you
The title was inspired by some words I saw on the pavement near the Flatiron building a few weeks ago. I didn’t write down who wrote it, though it clearly made an impact. My life—and I’m guessing dozens, if not hundreds or even thousands, of others—wouldn’t be the same without them. Some quotes that have…
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Aiming high vs. aiming low
There’s a saying attributed to Norman Vincent Peale, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” The idea is, by aiming high, even if you fall short of your expectations, you will land further than if you’d had no expectations at all. While this could make for a good goal…
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Focus on the future
In Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter, 50 Cent writes about buying Mike Tyson’s mansion, which cost him $70,000 in monthly utility bills. It was no longer practical for him to own (emphasis added): I’m not sure why I even waited so long to make the move. At first, money was part of it. At one point…
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Seizing your right to make art
Over a year ago, @THECOOLISSUE writes: rich kids being able to do art for a living may be a reflection of their privilege but it seems to me like a reflection of the fact that a human that doesn’t have to worry about money will often choose art. everyone is an artist until rent is…
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On developing your capacity for self-doubt
A few years ago, a bunch of college students visited Conan O’Brien. One asked him, “When does the nervousness and self-doubt end?” O’Brien’s response was, “I have really bad news for you. There’s always some of that.” When O’Brien debuted on late night television, nobody knew who he was. “I had to learn how to…