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Whose task is this?
Is it a child’s task to study? Or is it a parent’s task to get them to study? “There is a simple way to tell whose task it is. Think, Who ultimately is going to receive the result brought about by the choice that is made?” Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi write in The Courage…
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One step at a time
In my 20s, I spent my working hours at different gigs—running my editorial studio Wonder Shuttle, doing Prologue, writing at Medium, and a bunch of other cool projects. I had found or created a lot of opportunities, and I gave in to my ambition to pursue all of them. I was running on excitement and…
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“Why is this important to me?”
When you know why you’re doing what you want to do, you do it better. You can prioritize clearly, adapt when you need, and endure the inevitable setbacks. More importantly, you’ll know when you’re heading in the right direction. This sense of clarity doesn’t just magically happen to you. Fortunately, it’s pretty straightforward to get…
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How replaceable is your work?
If you drive for Uber, you work in a software supply chain. The software facilitates a bunch of people’s requests for the service, and decides when you—the driver—get to do a ride. The only reason you’re driving is because Uber’s software can’t drive the car itself yet. The second Uber invents a self-driving car, you’re…
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Professionalism and pressure
The person who holds the world record for basketball free throws shot over 2,000 consecutive baskets in a row. But if you put them in a stadium and a tight score between the teams, they might not have been able to shoot two. The main difference between playing basketball in a rec league and playing…