Category: Expectations
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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…
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Obviousness fallacy
Obviousness fallacy is the notion that the options that are most convenient, most popular, and most easy to understand and manage, are the best ones. By extension, the less convenient, less popular, and less visible options seem riskier, require more effort, and are just generally lower quality in some way. One example of obviousness fallacy…
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Permission: To wait, or not to wait?
Generally, if you wait around for permission to change in your professional career, to start a creative project, or to improve yourself in some way, you’re going to be waiting a long time. It’s better to try to make a change today, as soon as you can—even now, if possible. The adage, “Ask forgiveness, not…