My Clippings

The Little Book of Talent (Daniel Coyle)
- Your Highlight on page 9 | Location 131-132 | Added on Saturday, March 12, 2016
9:40:10 AM
Small actions, repeated over time, transform us.

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Maximum Willpower (McGonigal, Kelly)
10:34:42 AM
Willpower is about harnessing the three powers of I will, I won’t and I want to
help you achieve your goals
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10:40:01 AM
Part of succeeding at your willpower challenges will be finding a way to take

advantage of, and not fight, such primitive instincts.
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10:42:25 AM
This week, commit to watching how the process of giving in to your impulses
happens. You don’t even need to set a goal to improve your self-control yet. See if
you can catch yourself earlier and earlier in the process, noticing what thoughts,
feelings, and situations are most likely to prompt the impulse. What do you think
or say to yourself that makes it more likely that you will give in?
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10:45:26 AM
meditation technique will get the blood rushing to your prefrontal cortex – the
closest we can get to speeding up evolution, and making the most of our brains’
potential.
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- Your Bookmark on page 35 | Location 526 | Added on Saturday, March 12, 2016
10:47:21 AM
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Wired for Success (Wendy Jago)
4:01:02 PM
how you filter information determines what ends up on

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4:01:33 PM
We can’t function without maps, but we need to understand them. First, we need to
recognize that they are not the same thing as the territory and, second, that we
are navigating by maps that we have made up ourselves because
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4:01:48 PM
We can’t function without maps, but we need to understand them. First, we need to
recognize that they are not the same thing as the territory and, second, that we
are navigating by maps that we have made up ourselves because of our assumptions,
values and attitudes, and we can therefore limit our effectiveness or even cause
ourselves actual difficulties.
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4:04:24 PM
The mental sorting templates and filters we use every day are habitual and often
quite unconscious. NLP calls them “meta-programs” because they work in high-level
(meta) ways to organize a great deal of material at a lower level, and because they
are habitual (programmed-in) to us as individuals.
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Charisma on Command: Inspire, Impress, and Energize Everyone You Meet (Charlie
Houpert)
- Your Highlight on page 126 | Location 1925-1926 | Added on Saturday, March 12,
2016 6:47:17 PM
Get used to making eye contact while you are speaking. You want to get to the
point where you choose to break eye contact, not where you feel anxious and have
to.
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Houpert)
2016 6:47:59 PM
The point is this: Keep your eyes on the camera as much as possible Maintain narrow
eyes Allow yourself to work in expressiveness with your eyebrows and muscles
surrounding the eye
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Houpert)
2016 6:53:33 PM
Speaking through a smile This is what makes Will Smith so charming. He speaks
through a smile. So we’re going to practice the same thing.
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Houpert)
2016 7:00:40 PM
Here’s how: Lead the conversation. People don’t want one-word responses. Give
them 2-5 sentences so that they have something to actually respond to. Break
patterns. Answer in a way that jolts people out of auto-pilot. Be fun. Make
people smile and laugh. Share something important about yourself. Like your values
and motivations.
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Persuasion IQ (Unknown)
7:16:40 PM
The Wobegon Effect ultimately gives us a false sense of security. When afflicted by
it, we become numb to reality and fail to see exactly where we stand and what we
need to improve. This tendency can lower our expectations about ourselves and
falsely improve our confidence.
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7:19:12 PM
Your persuasion attempts must be nonthreatening and very natural. Forget loud and
flashy.
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7:20:16 PM
Great persuaders have cultivated a sixth sense when it comes to the “push and pull”
aspect of persuasion. You must encourage without pushing. Entice, but don’t
ensnare. You have to sense and then predict—based upon knowledge, instinct,
experience, and nonverbal cues—what you can do and how your audience will respond.
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7:20:44 PM
If we stopped complaining and began proactively seeking to enhance our knowledge,

skills, and talents, we’d see an increase in opportunity and income. It is in this
sense that we are all on full commission. We get out of life what we put into it.
We are rewarded precisely for our skills, talents, and abilities.
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7:21:50 PM
Your audience will buy for their own reasons and only their reasons. They don’t
care about why you like the product or service. They don’t care how much you know
about it—don’t bury them in detail. The more you spout off about features, the more
your audience mentally checks out.
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7:22:13 PM
Let them tell you what they’re looking for, and then center your discussion around
those few key points. It is critical to remember that most people already know what
they want. In fact, your audience’s mindset often is looking for reasons not to
buy. It is a natural defense mechanism. They’re thinking, “How do I make sure I’m
not getting myself into something I’ll regret? What could go wrong?”
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7:22:50 PM
When you overpersuade, you give your audience no room to ask questions or make a
decision. You come across as forceful, aggressive, and obnoxious. Do
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7:23:12 PM
When you overpersuade, you give your audience no room to ask questions or make a
decision. You come across as forceful, aggressive, and obnoxious.
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7:24:32 PM
There are four areas in which great persuaders prepare. They are: 1. Knowing your
product or service inside and out. 2. Knowing your audience and what their needs
and wants are so you can tailor your presentation. 3. Having several tools in the
toolbox so that you can present them with options and alternatives. 4. Knowing how
to customize your presentation.
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7:25:40 PM
You need to be able to connect with your audience, to be sincere and empathic, and
to show them you have their best interests in mind. When dealing with a potential
client, you should spend more time on connecting, building rapport, and uncovering
needs and wants than gunning for a close.
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7:27:25 PM
Please notice that most of these qualities are all emotion-based. You made your
audience feel good about themselves or comfortable about you. There’s nothing here
about price, quality, or warranties. These traits keep the brick wall of resistance
from forming. 1. “He kept his promises.” Promises made during the persuasion
process are fulfilled. Persuaders are honest and realistic in what they promise—
they don’t build false hopes or expectations. They “underpromise and overdeliver”—
not the other way around!
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7:30:27 PM
Great persuaders have to forget their past mistakes and focus on their future
potential.
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7:30:44 PM
The first step in adjusting your mental “settings” is to take an honest look at
where you are now and where you could use some work.
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7:33:42 PM
After you have a specific desire in mind, let it simmer in your subconscious for
awhile. Many great persuaders work on “programming” right before they fall asleep.
As the conscious mind winds down, the subconscious mind kicks into gear. You can
take advantage of this transition to turn your thoughts and desires over to the
subconscious mind to work on. As you drift off to sleep, try to summon the feelings
and emotions that will accompany your success. Vividly imagine the events, the
people, and the places that will get you where you want to go. The subconscious
mind cannot discern that which is real from that which is vividly imagined. It will
accept the positive or negative suggestions that it is given, particularly if they
are accompanied by and reinforced with relevant feelings, emotions, and vivid
details. You can powerfully program your mind into believing certain things have
actually happened.
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The Motivation Hacker (Winter, Nick)
10:56:27 PM
By increasing Expectancy or Value, or decreasing Impulsiveness or Delay, you hack

motivation.
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11:02:57 PM
will is simply the process of making personal rules for ourselves that will help us
reach our goals, and how much willpower we can muster is precisely how good we are
at setting up these personal rules so that the we always prefer to keep our rules
than to break them. This is a learnable skill.
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- Your Bookmark on page 129 | Location 1969 | Added on Sunday, March 13, 2016
10:42:47 PM
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- Your Bookmark on page 116 | Location 1772 | Added on Sunday, March 13, 2016
10:43:11 PM
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algorithms
- Your Bookmark on page 161 | Added on Monday, March 14, 2016 6:24:32 PM
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Computer Networks - A Tanenbaum - 5th edition
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Introduction To Automata Theory Languages and Computation by John Hopcroft, Ullman
- Your Bookmark on page 87 | Added on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 9:13:20 AM

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The Art of Possibility (Rosamund Stone Zander;Benjamin Zander)
- Your Highlight on page 9 | Location 129-131 | Added on Friday, March 18, 2016
12:39:37 AM
world of struggle and sail into a vast universe of possibility. Our premise is that
many of the circumstances that seem to block us in our daily lives may only appear
to do so based on a framework of assumptions we carry with us. Draw a different
frame around the same set of circumstances and new pathways come into view.
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12:24:20 PM
The senses of every species are fine-tuned to perceive information critical to

their survival—dogs
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12:24:42 PM
our awareness is further restricted by the fact that we recognize only those for
which we have mental maps or categories.
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12:25:32 PM
We see a map of the world, not the world itself.

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12:28:16 PM
What we mean is, “It’s all invented anyway, so we might as well invent a story or a
framework of meaning that enhances our quality of life and the life of those around
us.”
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12:31:02 PM
Every problem, every dilemma, every dead end we find ourselves facing in life, only
appears unsolvable inside a particular frame or point of view. Enlarge the box, or
create another frame around the data, and problems vanish, while new opportunities
appear.
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12:31:53 PM
We mean that you can shift the framework to one whose underlying assumptions allow
for the conditions you desire.
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12:32:16 PM
What assumption am I making, That I’m not aware I’m making, That gives me what I
see?
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12:32:41 PM
What might I now invent, That I haven’t yet invented, That would give me other
choices?
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2:20:20 PM
When you see how thoroughly that framework, like the box around the nine dots,
rules your life, you will have located yourself in the realm of possibility beyond
it. So, first, ask yourself: How are my thoughts and actions, in this moment,
reflections of the measurement world?
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3:57:07 PM
Unimpeded on a daily basis by the concern for survival, free from the generalized
assumption of scarcity, a person stands in the great space of possibility in a
posture of openness, with an unfettered imagination for what can be.
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5:24:07 PM
The Number 68 is invented and the A is invented, so we might as well choose to

invent something that brightens our life and the lives of the people around us.
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5:27:50 PM
Yet, imagine if she had reacted to my A by giving me a “high five,” and had invited
me into a game: to try my hand at an outline well in advance of the due date of the
next assignment,
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ProbVerrCt2
- Your Bookmark on page 28 | Added on Sunday, March 20, 2016 6:50:28 PM
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assign
- Your Highlight on page 1-1 | Added on Monday, March 21, 2016 9:04:44 AM
where #
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Operating System Concepts 8e with Java By Silberschatz Galvin Gagne (1)
- Your Bookmark on page 366 | Added on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 8:32:11 PM
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NLP Techniques: An introduction to Conversational Hypnosis (Influence Any
Conversation Using Hypnotic Language Patterns and Your Persuasion Skills) (Basu,
Rintu)
- Your Highlight on Location 235-236 | Added on Friday, March 25, 2016 9:23:46 AM
If this is useful to you here is the structure of that question: “What would it be
like if you (x)?”
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Rintu)
“What would it be like if you were easily talking people into a persuasive trance
using this questioning technique?”
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Rintu)
“I agree (insert the bit you agree with) and…(insert the thing you want to move
to)”
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Rintu)
“The issue isn’t (x) it’s (y)”

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Rintu)
“The issue is not about discussing the pattern, it’s about going out and using it a
few times to get used to it.”
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Rintu)
1. Use the agreement frame and 10% rule to agree…remembering to add the“and” at the
end. 2. Use the “and” from step one to go into a redefine to move the
conversation to the subject you want. 3. Finally ask a question that sends your
subject further down that road.
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Microsoft Word - Make Women Laugh - Master Copy.doc (Owen)
9:36:02 AM
You will never become a funny guy until you see yourself as one.
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9:37:18 AM
Words are mirrors. If you see yourself as a funny guy you’ll naturally find
unlimited inspirations and confidence to instill laughter into life.
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9:37:43 AM
And do you know that funny guys actually joke with themselves all the time? To them
humor is not a technique to employ in specific conditions. Instead, it is a way of
life. To those guys, making women laugh is as simple as being themselves!
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9:38:55 AM
want you to commit to developing the habit of joking with yourself constantly.
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9:39:10 AM
practice constantly by exploring opportunities to role-play with people around you

in your own imagination.
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9:39:56 AM
They care more about how they feel than how they think. Generally, women tend to be
less logical than men.
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9:40:18 AM
Whatever can amuse a particular woman is funny. Period. Focus on the emotional
effect on women, not logical effect.
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9:40:45 AM
In order to make a woman feel you need to send mental pictures to her mind. Use
very descriptive and evocative language to make her feel amused.
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9:42:01 AM
move on to the clear goal of obtaining a favorable impression with humor in the
next few minutes or as quickly as possible.
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9:43:15 AM
Basically, women love to picture things in their minds. This is in tandem with
their inclination to feel.
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2:58:04 PM
Start talking to women with a clear and precise objective in mind. Upon first
contact the goal is to break the ice. Second contact is to establish trust and
build rapport. Third is to develop romantic feelings.
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4:35:23 PM
You need to step out of your own shoes and take the role of an observer. Treat
everything as an experiment. See yourself as a “dealer” instead of a “player”.
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4:41:48 PM
You laughed because you can find incongruence between two things, which may appear
perfectly normal to someone else…
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4:42:57 PM
This is also called a surprise, which can be of many kinds:

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4:48:06 PM
Visualize how you can do that. Imagine a few situations where you can make the
women you like laughing their heads off. Call them fantasies. But don’t question
the validity or correctness of what you do. Only ask about its usefulness.
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4:48:53 PM
Instead you should maintain a mindset of a funny talk show host

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4:50:23 PM
Your tonality has to be upbeat and suggest funniness if you want to be good at
making women laugh.
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4:50:42 PM
Vary your volume, pitch, speech rate, etc. to match the conversation topic, mood,
and surroundings. Control your breathing rate so you appear casual and assured. If
you find it hard to control your speech, use your gestures as pacers.
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4:54:26 PM
The distance between two people talking has an enormous impact on the development
of relationship, often at a subconscious level.
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Mindset (Carol Dweck)
- Your Highlight on page 12 | Location 172-174 | Added on Friday, April 1, 2016
12:27:53 AM
Believing that your qualities are carved in stone—the fixed mindset—creates an

urgency to prove yourself over and over. If you have only a certain amount of
intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character—well, then you’d
better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldn’t do to look or
feel deficient in these most basic characteristics.
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12:29:35 AM
tens. In this mindset, the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for
development. This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities
are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in
every which way—in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments—
everyone can change and grow through application and experience.
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12:32:56 AM
Yet those people with the growth mindset were not labeling themselves and throwing
up their hands. Even though they felt distressed, they were ready to take the
risks, confront the challenges, and keep working at them.
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12:35:28 AM
how a belief that your qualities can be cultivated leads to a host of different
thoughts and actions, taking you down an entirely different road. It’s what we
psychologists call an Aha! experience.
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- Your Highlight on page 21 | Location 317-319 | Added on Saturday, April 2, 2016
3:08:48 PM
Suddenly we realized that there were two meanings to ability, not one: a fixed
ability that needs to be proven, and a changeable ability that can be developed
through learning.
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3:10:51 PM
But for children with the growth mindset, success is about stretching themselves.
It’s about becoming smarter.
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3:12:51 PM
Only people with a growth mindset paid close attention to information that could
stretch their knowledge. Only for them was learning a priority.
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3:13:39 PM
People with the growth mindset hoped for a different kind of partner. They said
their ideal mate was someone who would: See their faults and help them to work on
them. Challenge them to become a better person. Encourage them to learn new things.
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3:16:38 PM
People in a growth mindset don’t just seek challenge, they thrive on it. The bigger
the challenge, the more they stretch.
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3:20:44 PM
I’ll never forget the first time I heard myself say, “This is hard. This is fun.”
That’s the moment I knew I was changing mindsets.
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3:23:28 PM
The fixed mindset does not allow people the luxury of becoming. They have to
already be.
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3:26:26 PM
But isn’t potential someone’s capacity to develop their skills with effort over
time? And that’s just the point. How can we know where effort and time will take
someone? Who knows—maybe the experts were right about Jackson, Marcel, Elvis, Ray,
Lucille, and Charles—in terms of their skills at the time. Maybe they were not yet
the people they were to become.
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3:28:18 PM
Unfortunately, the test uses a faulty premise, asking teachers to make assumptions
about a given student based on nothing more than a number on a page.… Performance
cannot be based on one assessment. You cannot determine the slope of a line given
only one point, as there is no line to begin with. A single point in time does not
show trends, improvement, lack of effort, or mathematical ability.… Sincerely,
Michael D. Riordan I was delighted with Mr. Riordan’s critique and couldn’t have
agreed with it more. An assessment at one point in time has little value for
understanding someone’s ability, let alone their potential to succeed in the
future.
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- Your Highlight on page 39 | Location 585-585 | Added on Monday, April 4, 2016
1:23:48 AM
He was a person who had struggled and grown, not a person who was inherently better
than others.
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1:32:43 AM
The more depressed people with the growth mindset felt, the more they took action
to confront their problems, the more they made sure to keep up with their
schoolwork, and the more they kept up with their lives. The worse they felt, the
more determined they became!
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1:35:25 AM
In short, when people believe in fixed traits, they are always in danger of being
measured by a failure. It can define them in a permanent way. Smart or talented as
they may be, this mindset seems to rob them of their coping resources. When people
believe their basic qualities can be developed, failures may still hurt, but
failures don’t define them. And if abilities can be expanded—if change and growth
are possible—then there are still many paths to success.
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The Education of Millionaires (Michael Ellsberg)
- Your Bookmark on page 66 | Location 1009 | Added on Tuesday, April 5, 2016
1:05:58 AM
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- Your Highlight on page 50 | Location 759-760 | Added on Wednesday, April 6, 2016
1:18:45 AM
The idea of trying and still failing—of leaving yourself without excuses—is the
worst fear within the fixed mindset,
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1:19:58 AM
You have to work hardest for the things you love most.
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1:20:52 AM
the growth mindset, it’s almost inconceivable to want something badly, to think you
have a chance to achieve it, and then do nothing about
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1:20:59 AM
In the growth mindset, it’s almost inconceivable to want something badly, to think
you have a chance to achieve it, and then do nothing about it.
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1:24:39 AM
With no way out, it finally dawns on him. He could be using this time to learn. He
goes for piano lessons. He reads voraciously. He learns ice sculpting. He finds out
about people who need help that day (a boy who falls from a tree, a man who chokes
on his steak) and starts to help them, and care about them. Pretty soon the day is
not long enough! Only when this change of mindset is complete is he released from
the spell.
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1:25:51 AM
People tell me they start to catch themselves when they are in the throes of the
fixed mindset—passing up a chance for learning, feeling labeled by a failure, or
getting discouraged when something requires a lot of effort. And then they switch
themselves into the growth mindset—making sure they take the challenge, learn from
the failure, or continue their effort.
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1:27:18 AM
Rich, educated, connected effort works better. People with fewer resouces, in spite
of their best efforts, can be derailed
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1:27:30 AM
Rich, educated, connected effort works better.

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11:37:19 AM
But Wie disagreed. She wasn’t going there to groom her confidence. “Once you win
junior tournaments, it’s easy to win multiple times. What I’m doing now is to
prepare for the future.” It’s the learning experience she was after—what it was
like to play with the world’s best players in the atmosphere of a tournament.
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11:37:55 AM
Actually, sometimes you plunge into something because you’re not good at it. This
is a wonderful feature of the growth mindset. You don’t have to think you’re
already great at something to want to do it and to enjoy doing it.
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11:38:47 AM
What did I (or can I) learn from that experience? How can I use it as a basis for
growth?
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11:39:20 AM
Next time you feel low, put yourself in a growth mindset—think about learning,
challenge, confronting obstacles. Think about effort as a positive, constructive
force, not as a big drag. Try it out.
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11:42:52 AM
George Dantzig was a graduate student in math at Berkeley. One day, as usual, he
rushed in late to his math class and quickly copied the two homework problems from
the blackboard. When he later went to do them, he found them very difficult, and it
took him several days of hard work to crack them open and solve them. They turned
out not to be homework problems at all. They were two famous math problems that had
never been solved.
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- Your Highlight on page 68 | Location 1042-1045 | Added on Wednesday, April 6,
2016 11:46:58 AM
The students with growth mindset completely took charge of their learning and
motivation. Instead of plunging into unthinking memorization of the course
material, they said: “I looked for themes and underlying principles across
lectures,” and “I went over mistakes until I was certain I understood them.” They
were studying to learn, not just to ace the test. And, actually, this was why they
got higher grades—not because they were smarter or had a better background in
science.
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2016 11:48:45 AM
Most often people believe that the “gift” is the ability itself. Yet what feeds it
is that constant, endless curiosity and challenge seeking.
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2016 11:53:28 AM
What any person in the world can learn, almost all persons can learn, if provided
with the appropriate prior and current conditions of learning.”
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2016 11:56:39 AM
important achievements require a clear focus, all-out effort, and a bottomless

trunk full of strategies. Plus allies in learning. This is what the growth mindset
gives people, and that’s why it helps their abilities grow and bear fruit.
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2016 12:00:21 PM
that most people view drawing as a magical ability that only a select few possess,
and that only a select few will ever possess. But this is because people don’t
understand the components—the learnable components—of drawing.
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2016 1:07:30 PM
“You wouldn’t expect your work to get done by itself,” he said. “Why is this any
different?” It was inconceivable to him that you could have a goal and not take
steps to make it happen.
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- Your Highlight on page 107 | Location 1638-1638 | Added on Thursday, April 7,
2016 3:45:42 PM
derive just as much happiness from the process as from the results.
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2016 3:46:06 PM
personal success is when you work your hardest to become your best—was
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2016 4:01:29 PM
self-effacing people who constantly asked questions and had the ability to confront
the most brutal answers—that is, to look failures in the face, even their own,
while maintaining faith that they would succeed in the end.
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2016 7:21:10 PM
People with a growth mindset are also constantly monitoring what’s going on, but
their internal monologue is not about judging themselves and others in this way.
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2016 7:23:24 PM
When you learn new things, these tiny connections in the brain actually multiply
and get stronger. The more that you challenge your mind to learn, the more your
brain cells grow. Then, things that you once found very hard or even impossible—
like speaking a foreign language or doing algebra—seem to become easy. The result
is a stronger, smarter brain.
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2016 7:27:19 PM
Think about your goal and think about what you could do to stay on track toward
achieving it. What steps could you take to help yourself succeed? What information
could you gather?
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2016 7:27:28 PM
What are they looking for? What experiences do they value? You could seek out those
experiences before the next application.
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2016 7:28:54 PM
vowing, even intense vowing, is often useless. The next day comes and the next day
goes. What works is making a vivid, concrete plan: “Tomorrow during my break, I’ll
get a cup of tea, close the door to my office, and call the graduate school.”
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2016 7:29:35 PM
The critical thing is to make a concrete, growth-oriented plan, and to stick to it.
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2016 7:30:58 PM
There are many things you couldn’t possibly know yet and that you’d better start
finding out about.
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2016 7:31:19 PM
You ask them what they did to overcome the initial difficulties and they teach you
their mental and physical techniques.
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2016 7:31:41 PM
you’re part of an organization that wants to help you grow, not judge and belittle
you.
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2016 7:31:50 PM
Rather than worrying that they overpaid for your talent, you begin to give them
their money’s worth of incredibly hard work and team spirit.
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2016 7:32:55 PM
You begin to consider the idea that some people stand out because of their
commitment and effort.
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2016 7:33:30 PM
It’s a long time before you begin to enjoy putting in effort and a long time before
you begin to think in terms of learning.
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2016 7:33:49 PM
to grasp the idea of building relationships or even helping your colleagues develop
in ways they value.
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2016 7:34:09 PM
more growth-minded person, you’re amazed at how people start to help you, support
you.
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2016 7:35:31 PM
It was an evolving thing that had stopped developing for lack of nourishment. You
need to think about how both you and your spouse contributed to this, and
especially about why you weren’t able to hear the request for greater closeness and
sharing.
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2016 7:35:53 PM
Is someone in your life trying to tell you something you’re refusing to hear? Step
into the growth mindset and listen again.
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2016 7:37:24 PM
“What did you learn today?” “What mistake did you make that taught you something?”
“What did you try hard at today?”
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2016 7:37:34 PM
You talk about skills you have today that you didn’t have yesterday because of the
practice you put in.
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2016 7:38:01 PM
“Yeah, but what did you learn?”

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2016 7:38:06 PM
Can you find something harder to do so you could learn more?”

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12:15:02 AM
MAINTAINING CHANGE Whether people change their mindset in order to further their
career, heal from a loss, help their children thrive, lose weight, or control their
anger, change needs to be maintained. It’s amazing—once a problem improves, people
often stop doing what caused it to improve. Once you feel better, you stop taking
your medicine. But change doesn’t work that way. When you’ve lost weight, the issue
doesn’t go away.
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12:15:29 AM
What are the opportunities for learning and growth today? For myself? For the
people around me?
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12:15:38 AM
When, where, and how will I embark on my plan?

==========
10X Rule (Cardone;Grant.)
12:19:34 AM
It takes the same amount of energy to have a great marriage as it does an average
one, just as it takes the same amount of energy and effort to make $10 million as
it does $10,000.
==========
12:24:40 AM
Another component that’s required for success is the ability to estimate the right
amount of effort necessary for you—
==========
12:25:09 AM
Setting the right targets, estimating the mandatory effort, and operating at the
right level of action(s) are the only things that will guarantee success—and that
will allow you to blast through business clichés, competition, client resistance,
economic challenges, risk aversion, and even fear of failure while taking concrete
steps to reach your dreams.
==========
12:26:53 AM
An interesting thing about success is that it’s like a breath of air; although your
last breath of air is important, it’s not nearly as important as the next one.
==========
12:28:13 AM
Regardless of the goal you are striving to accomplish, you will be required to
think differently, embrace a die-hard level of commitment, and take massive amounts
of action at 10 times the levels you think necessary—followed by more actions.
==========
12:28:32 AM
You must set targets that are 10 times what you think you want and then do 10 times
what you think it will take to accomplish those targets. Massive thoughts must be
followed by massive actions.
==========
12:29:15 AM
The 10X Rule is about pure domination mentality. You never do what others do. You
must be willing to do what they won’t do—and even take actions that you might deem
“unreasonable.” This domination mentality is not about controlling others; rather,
it’s about being a model for others’ thoughts and actions. Your mind-set and deeds
should serve as gauges by which people can measure themselves. 10X people never
approach a target aiming to achieve just that goal. Instead, they’re looking to
dominate the entire sector— and will take unreasonable actions in order to do so.
==========
12:30:39 AM
Any goal you set is going to be diffi cult to achieve, and you will inevitably be
disappointed at some points along the way. So why not set these goals much higher
than you deem worthy from the beginning?
==========
12:31:07 AM
But wouldn’t coming up short on a 10X target accomplish more than coming up short
on one-tenth of that goal?
==========
12:32:03 AM
Success, then, is an accumulation of events turning out well or desired outcomes

being achieved.
==========
12:33:34 AM
As long as you are alive, you will either live to accomplish your own goals and
dreams or be used as a resource to accomplish someone else’s.
==========
12:35:28 AM
If this was going to work, it would depend on my ability to increase my efforts—not

my excuses.
==========
12:36:00 AM
When you have underestimated the time, energy, and effort necessary to do
something, you will have “quit” in your mind, voice, posture, face, and
presentation. You won’t develop the persistence necessary to get your mission
accomplished. However, when you correctly estimate the effort necessary, you will
assume the appropriate posture. The marketplace will sense by your actions that you
are a force to be reckoned with and are not going away—and it will begin to respond
accordingly.
==========
12:37:02 AM
Never reduce a target. Instead, increase actions. When you start rethinking your
targets, making up excuses, and letting yourself off the hook, you are giving up on
your dreams! These actions should be an indication that you’re getting off track—
that you should begin thinking in terms of correcting your initial estimation of
effort.
==========
12:37:19 AM
Any target attacked with the right actions in the right amounts with persistence is
attainable.
==========
12:37:52 AM
Multiply every expectation you have by 10, and you will probably be safe. And if it
doesn’t take 10 times more than anticipated, great. It is better to be pleasantly
surprised than greatly disappointed.
==========
12:38:44 AM
And always remember to follow through completely: That is the great common
denominator of all winners. They see every action through to completion. Make no
excuses, and adopt a “take-no-prisoners”
==========
12:39:58 AM
wherever you fi nd it, the most crucial things to know about success—in order to
have it and keep it— are the following: 1. Success is important. 2. Success is your
duty. 3. There is no shortage of success.
==========
12:41:16 AM
Success is equally important to a person’s sense of self. It promotes confi dence,

imagination, and a sense of security and emphasizes the signifi cance of making a
contribution.
==========
12:42:25 AM
One of the greatest turning points in my life occurred when I stopped casually
waiting for success and instead started to approach it as a duty, obligation, and
responsibility.
==========
12:43:41 AM
realized that greater quantities of success are necessary than most people
calculate, and the continued pursuit of success should be approached not as a
choice but as an absolute must.
==========
12:43:58 AM
Treating success as an option is one of the major reasons why more people don’t
create it for themselves—and why most people don’t even get close to living up to
their full potential.
==========
12:44:53 AM
The reason why successful people seem lucky is because success naturally allows for
more success. People create magical momentum by reaching their goals, which compels
them to set—and eventually reach—even loftier goals.
==========
12:45:54 AM
If you are able to repeatedly attain success, it becomes less of a “success” and
more of a habit—almost everyday life for some people.
==========
12:46:59 AM
Success comes about as a result of mental and spiritual claims to own it, followed
by taking necessary actions over time until it is acquired.
==========
The Productivity Project (Chris Bailey)
2:09:57 PM
Meditation had such a profound effect on my productivity because it allowed me to

slow down enough so that I could work deliberately and not on autopilot. I think
one of the biggest mistakes people make when they invest effort in improving their
productivity is that they continue to work automatically, in response to the work
that comes their way. But I’ve found that when you work on autopilot, it’s
virtually impossible to step back from your work to determine what’s important, how
to think more creatively, how to work smarter instead of just harder, and how to
take control over what you’re working on instead of working on the tasks that other
people throw (or in most cases, email) your way.
==========
2:10:56 PM
but productivity has nothing to do with how much you do, and everything to do with
how much you accomplish. As a monk or a cocaine-fueled stock trader, you won’t
accomplish much. When you work like a monk, you work too slowly to accomplish much
of anything, and when you work like a stock trader, you’re too hurried to step back
from your work to identify what’s important so that you work smarter instead of
just harder.
==========
2:12:06 PM
productivity is no longer about how efficiently you work. Productivity is about how
much you accomplish.
==========
2:12:54 PM
every lesson I learned fell into better management of one of three categories: my
time, my attention, and my energy.
==========
2:14:39 PM
All three are vitally important. If you don’t spend your time wisely, it doesn’t
matter how much energy and focus you have—you won’t accomplish a lot at the end of
the day. If you can’t focus or bring a lot of attention to what you’re doing, it
doesn’t matter if you know what your smartest tasks are or have a ton of energy—you
won’t be able to engage fully with your work and become more productive. And if you
can’t manage your energy well, it doesn’t matter how well you can manage your time
or attention—you’re not going to have enough fuel in the tank to get everything
done that you intend to.
==========
2:15:40 PM
the absolute best place to start is determining the right things to become more
productive on.
==========
2:19:09 PM
perhaps the biggest lesson I learned was just how important it is to deeply care
about why you want to become more productive.
==========
2:20:59 PM
Investing countless hours becoming more productive, or taking on new habits or

routines, is a waste if you don’t actually care about the changes you’re trying to
make. And you won’t have the motivation to sustain these changes in the long term.
==========
2:21:40 PM
Questioning why you want to make a change to your life can save you countless hours
or even days of time, when you discover that you don’t really want to make the
change in the first place.
==========
3:09:40 PM
If thinking about values is too daunting to you, fill in this blank with each
change you want to make: I deeply care about this because . Spin off as
many reasons as you can to determine whether you care about each change on a deeper
level. • Another quick shortcut to determine if a change is meaningful to you:
fast-forward to when you’re on your deathbed. Ask yourself: Would I regret doing
more or less of this?
==========
3:10:09 PM
Not all tasks are created equal; there are certain tasks in your work that, for
every minute you spend on them, let you accomplish more than your other tasks.
Taking a step back from your work to identify your highest-impact tasks will let
you invest your time, attention, and energy in the right things.
==========
3:12:10 PM
had essentially reverted to a factory mindset and equated productivity with

efficiency, instead of looking at how much I accomplished. Once I set aside that
mindset, and instead focused on how much I accomplished, my productivity
skyrocketed.
==========
3:12:29 PM
best way to measure productivity is to ask yourself a very simple question at the
end of every day: Did I get done what I intended to?
==========
3:14:21 PM
not all tasks are created equal. Put another way, there are certain tasks in your
work that, minute for minute, lead you to accomplish more.
==========
3:14:53 PM
The more time, energy, and attention you invest in your most significant tasks, the
more you accomplish in the same amount of time, and the more productive you become.
==========
3:16:03 PM
task, project, or commitment is important for one of two reasons: because it’s
meaningful to you (it’s connected with your values) or because it makes a large
impact in your work. Activities that are connected with your deepest-held values
will lead you to be happier and more motivated, and activities that are primary to
your work will let you become more productive in the same amount of time.
==========
3:16:33 PM
A task, project, or commitment is important for one of two reasons: because it’s
meaningful to you (it’s connected with your values) or because it makes a large
impact in your work. Activities that are connected with your deepest-held values
will lead you to be happier and more motivated, and activities that are primary to
your work will let you become more productive in the same amount of time. If you’re
lucky, you’ll have tasks in your job that are both meaningful and effective.
==========
3:17:24 PM
very small number of tasks lead to the majority of what you accomplish.
==========
3:18:32 PM
Before you invest in increasing your productivity, it’s crucial you determine which
areas you want to become more productive in.
==========
3:19:07 PM
“90 percent of
==========
3:19:17 PM
“90 percent of the value that you contribute to your company is contained in [just]
three tasks.”
==========
- Your Note on page 42 | Location 633 | Added on Friday, April 8, 2016 5:52:24 PM
get good grades

gain skills
serve clubs
==========
5:52:24 PM
Make a list of everything you’re responsible for in your work.

==========
- Your Note on page 42 | Location 633 | Added on Friday, April 8, 2016 6:03:12 PM
get good grades

gain skills
serve clubs
network create relationships
create value
==========
1:41:52 AM
If you could just do one item on that list all day, every day, what item would you
do that would allow you to accomplish the most with the same amount of time?
==========
1:45:19 AM
no app will make you care about what you have to do like the Rule of 3. The rule is
dead simple: 1. At the beginning of every day, mentally fast-forward to the end of
the day, and ask yourself: When the day is over, what three things will I want to
have accomplished? Write those three things down. 2. Do the same at the beginning
of every week. The three things you identify then become your focus for the day and
the week ahead. That’s it.
==========
1:46:46 AM
I also define three personal things I want to accomplish.

==========
2:01:20 AM
getting a handle on your body’s natural rhythm is one of the best ways I’ve found
to work smarter instead of just harder.
==========
11:27:21 AM
And there are six main task attributes that make procrastination more likely. Those
are whether a task is one or more of the following: • Boring • Frustrating •
Difficult • Unstructured or ambiguous • Lacking in personal meaning • Lacking in
intrinsic rewards (i.e., it’s not fun or engaging)
==========
11:29:02 AM
The biggest reason your highest-impact tasks are so valuable is that they too are
aversive; they almost always require more time, attention, and energy than your
lower-impact tasks, and they’re usually more boring, frustrating, difficult,
unstructured, and lacking in intrinsic rewards. They’re valuable and meaningful
because they’re hard, and that’s why you get paid more than minimum wage to do
them.
==========
11:30:59 AM
This back-and-forth between your emotional limbic system and logical prefrontal
cortex is what leads to the decisions you make throughout the day. It’s also what
makes you human.
==========
11:37:32 AM
In the exact same way that the most productive people learn to step back from
working on autopilot, the most productive people learn to use their prefrontal
cortexes more than their limbic systems.
==========
11:42:07 AM
For example, if the trigger is: • Boring: I go to my favorite café for an afternoon
on Saturday to do my taxes over a fancy drink while doing some people watching. •
Frustrating: I bring a book to the same café, and set a timer on my phone to limit
myself to working on my taxes for thirty minutes—and only work for longer if I’m on
a roll and feel like going on. • Difficult: I research the tax process to see what
steps I need to follow, and what paperwork I need to gather. And I visit the café
during my Biological Prime Time, when I’ll naturally have more energy. •
Unstructured or Ambiguous: I make a detailed plan from my research that has the
very next steps I need to take to do them. • Lacking in Personal Meaning: If I
expect to get a refund, think about how much money I will get back, and make a list
of the meaningful things I’ll spend that money on. • Lacking in Intrinsic Rewards:
For every fifteen minutes I spend on my taxes, I set aside $2.50 to treat myself or
reward myself in some meaningful way for reaching milestones.
==========
11:42:37 AM
When someone says they “don’t have time” for something, what they’re really saying
is that a task isn’t as important or attractive as whatever else they have on their
plate.
==========
11:46:05 AM
When you make a list of meaningful and high-impact tasks to do the next time you
procrastinate, you can remain productive while your prefrontal cortex warms up.
==========
11:46:19 AM
Listing every single cost of putting something off is one of my favorite ways to
get my prefrontal cortex fired up.
==========
11:46:33 AM
If you have a big, aversive task like cleaning your basement, simply get started on
it. Try setting a timer for just fifteen minutes, after which you will stop
cleaning and begin to work on something else.
==========
11:46:58 AM
“The dread of doing a task uses up more time and energy than doing the task
itself.”
==========
12:01:53 PM
“It’s so easy to commit your future self to things your current self wouldn’t want
to do,” he says. “We call this a ‘planning fallacy.’ ”
==========
12:02:29 PM
my favorite way to get in touch with my future self: through the Rule of 3. In the
Rule of 3, your future self takes center stage. By mentally fast-forwarding to the
end of the day and thinking about what you want to accomplish, you activate the
planning centers in your prefrontal cortex, while you also step into the shoes of
your future self. And you do the same when you plan out your three accomplishments
at the start of every week.
==========
12:11:05 PM
This makes disconnecting from the internet doubly important: disconnecting not only
lets you reclaim the time (and attention) you waste mindlessly, it also makes it
easier to focus on your higher-impact tasks.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 108 | Location 1646-1647 | Added on Saturday, April 9,
2016 3:55:59 PM
if you want to become more productive, managing your time should take a backseat to
how you manage your energy and attention.
==========
2016 3:56:23 PM
what actually fluctuates on a day-to-day basis is how much energy and attention you
have. In the knowledge economy, that’s what makes or breaks how productive you are,
and more important, it’s something you can actually control.
==========
2016 3:57:35 PM
when we schedule time for something, what we’re actually doing is simply deciding
when we will invest our attention and energy into the task.
==========
2016 3:57:46 PM
Managing your time becomes important only after you understand how much energy and
focus you will have throughout the day and define what you want to accomplish.
==========
2016 4:00:43 PM
But when I had a limited amount of time in my twenty-hour weeks, I forced myself to
expend significantly more energy and focus over that shorter period of time so I
could get everything done I had to do.
==========
2016 4:00:53 PM
By controlling how much time you spend on a task, you control how much energy and
attention you spend on it.
==========
2016 4:01:21 PM
The second invaluable lesson I discovered from the experiment was that even though
on paper I accomplished about the same in both long and short weeks, I felt twice
as productive working longer hours. Even though I wasn’t spending my attention or
energy wisely, I sure as hell felt productive.
==========
2016 4:02:03 PM
But as I discovered during this experiment, there is a third, less obvious option
that is much more powerful than spending more time on your work: learn to invest
more energy and attention into your work, so you can get the same amount done in a
fraction of the time.
==========
2016 6:08:53 PM
at the very least set an hourly chime on your phone, and observe how your energy
levels fluctuate over the day.
==========
2016 6:09:18 PM
I mainly had three high-impact tasks that produced the most value for my project:
==========
2016 6:11:10 PM
I did all I could to schedule the event during my prime time.

==========
2016 6:12:59 PM
It’s essential that you become aware of your energy levels so you can spend your
energy wisely throughout the day.
==========
2016 6:13:13 PM
On days when I find myself having more or less energy than I usually do, I simply
write out how much energy (on a scale of 1–10) each of my three daily tasks will
take. This makes it easier to adapt what I’m working on to the amount of energy and
focus I have at the moment.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 136 | Location 2076-2077 | Added on Sunday, April 10, 2016
3:31:47 PM
download a podcast to learn a new language

==========
- Your Highlight on page 137 | Location 2099-2100 | Added on Sunday, April 10, 2016
3:34:02 PM
Chunking your maintenance tasks together is the perfect antidote to being a

perfectionist about the wrong things.
==========
11:14:15 AM
“Parkinson’s law” states that your work expands to fit the amount of time you have
available for it. In my project, I found this law to be especially true with tasks
that are low return.
==========
11:29:57 AM
For tasks like email, the best way I’ve found to shrink their impact on time and
productivity is to limit how often I focus on them throughout the day. I turn off
my email alerts, and only check emails at a few specific times—in the morning,
before lunch, and at the end of the day.
==========
11:46:54 AM
When you successfully shrink your low-return support tasks, don’t be afraid to
treat yourself with something you find genuinely rewarding to make the challenge
more fun.
==========
11:47:15 AM
For every low-impact task, project, and commitment you say no to, you say yes to
working on your most valuable tasks.
==========
12:24:03 PM
How much would I be willing to pay in order to buy back one hour of my life? When I
was a student and made almost
==========
12:24:14 PM
How much would I be willing to pay in order to buy back one hour of my life?
==========
12:25:16 PM
Like with most of the tactics in this book, buying back time isn’t about doing
less; it’s about working smarter to do more of the things you find meaningful.
==========
12:33:38 PM
Making an effort to say no to things that weren’t valuable, instead of accepting

whatever came my way, saved me a great deal of time. While it’s one thing to
eliminate, shrink, and delegate the tasks and commitments you already have, the
number of tasks and commitments you take on is not static.
==========
12:34:21 PM
The 90 percent rule is simple: when you look at a new opportunity, rank it on a
scale of 1-100 on how valuable or meaningful you think it is. If it isn’t a 90 or
above, don’t do it.
==========
12:39:00 PM
The most productive people take the time to not only understand what’s important,
but also to simplify everything else.
==========
12:41:31 PM
our brains are built for solving problems, connecting dots, and forming new ideas—
not for holding on to information that we can simply externalize.
==========
12:43:28 PM
“The first thing to do is to capture what’s got your attention, then decide if it’s
actionable or not, and if it is, decide what the next action on it is, and do the
action right then if you can.”
==========
12:45:19 PM
And every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, after I check my email, I go through the
notes I’ve compiled and add them to my to-do list or calendar.
==========
12:45:53 PM
My to-do list also couldn’t be simpler: it’s another note that I’ve pinned to the
top of my list of notes that contains my three daily and weekly intentions at the
top, and my task list underneath. I also maintain a calendar in which I try to
schedule as little as possible.
==========
12:48:27 PM
Waiting For list as your to-do list’s sexy, secret lover. It’s pretty much what it
sounds like: a list of everything you’re waiting on, which—like a to-do list—you
review on a regular basis to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
==========
12:49:20 PM
Every project note contains information about each project that I need to keep in
mind to move the projects forward, and most important, the very next actions I need
to take with each project.
==========
12:50:22 PM
To reclaim more attentional space, I made a list of everything I was worrying about
—most of which I was blowing out of proportion, of course—and scheduled an hour
every day to think through everything on the list.
==========
12:51:01 PM
That’s why, on Maintenance Days, I completely review and empty all my inboxes that
accumulate items over the course of the week. I also make sure to clear out the
ideas and tasks I accumulated over the weekend in my notes app.
==========
12:53:27 PM
From what I’ve found, the most productive people are the ones who strike a balance
between the two extremes, who understand the power of capturing and organizing what
they have to get done, but who also don’t sacrifice real work in favor of being
productive about
==========
12:54:04 PM
From what I’ve found, the most productive people are the ones who strike a balance
between the two extremes, who understand the power of capturing and organizing what
they have to get done, but who also don’t sacrifice real work in favor of being
productive about productivity.
==========
12:54:28 PM
Just because you feel productive doesn’t mean you actually are—and this is
something to keep in mind as you round up and organize everything on your plate.
==========
12:57:32 PM
What attracts a lot of folks to productivity books is their promise to help them
regain control over everything they have to get done.
==========
12:59:28 PM
According to J.D., we have seven areas in which we invest our time (and attention
and energy) every day: • Mind • Body • Emotions • Career • Finances • Relationships
• Fun
==========
1:00:11 PM
The basic idea behind the technique is that once a week you review your list of hot
spots, to think about how much time you spent in each one during the previous week,
and to think about what to focus on and think about in the week ahead.
==========
1:01:05 PM
What separates the most productive people from everyone else is that they make
course corrections every week to gradually get better at everything they do.
==========
1:01:32 PM
What do I need to spend more time on next week? • What did I spend too much time on
last week? • What do I need to schedule or do next week? • What do I have to be
mindful of next week? • What are some unresolved issues I’m having in each area? •
What opportunities do I have in each of my hot spots next week? • What obstacles
will get in the way of my goals next week? • Am I going in the right direction with
all my commitments? • Are there any commitments I need to add or remove? Expand or
shrink? • What did I knock out of the park last week?
==========
1:04:50 PM
Then I came up with the simple idea of creating a master list of my projects, with
the projects grouped under each of my hot spots.
==========
1:05:09 PM
Just as my hot spot list lets me fly above my life, my master projects list, once I
filled it out, quickly let me fly above all the work I had in progress, as well as
every change I was trying to make in each area of my life. It also let me jog my
memory for the projects I needed to focus on in the week ahead, as well as areas
where I needed to improve.
==========
1:08:27 PM
To this day, if I don’t carve out at least thirty minutes of attentional space
every day for my mind to wander, my productivity suffers.
==========
1:10:58 PM
Without fail, whenever I carved out space for my mind to wander, countless thoughts
would break through my attentional barrier, and I captured them in my notepad so I
could deal with them later. In a way, my whole project was centered around
connecting dots and coming up with creative ideas, and nothing helped me accomplish
that more than carving out attentional space to do nothing.
==========
1:11:44 PM
Out of all the methods I tried in my project, though, nothing worked quite as well
as simply sitting in a room with a pen and a sheet of paper. Every day or two I
would set a timer, usually for fifteen minutes, and then simply give my mind
permission to venture off and go wherever it wanted to go.
==========
1:13:53 PM
“sleeping on a problem” can work wonders, and why studying before bed will help you
perform better on tests. This is also a great reason to define your three outcomes
for the next day at the end of the previous day, or before you head to bed.
==========
1:15:21 PM
flip your brain into mind-wandering mode, which makes them doubly valuable tasks to
try when you’re looking to carve out attentional space for yourself. They include:
• Exercising or playing sports • Reading • Meditation • Listening to music •
Investing in a creative hobby • Praying • Going for a nature walk • Spending time
with friends and family • Going for a massage Whatever your method of choice,
taking the time to flip your mind into daydreaming mode can be one of the most
productive things you do.
==========
1:15:38 PM
Whenever you’re in mind-wandering mode, again, make sure you capture what your
brain comes up with, so that no great ideas slip through the cracks.
==========
1:20:13 PM
One hour of intense focus on your work is worth two or three hours of focusing on
your work 53 percent of the time.
==========
1:21:46 PM
Productivity isn’t about doing more, faster—it’s about doing the right things,
deliberately and with intention.
==========
1:22:00 PM
Productivity isn’t about doing more, faster—it’s about doing the right things,
deliberately and with intention. This is why carving out more time and attentional
space around your tasks is so powerful: doing so gives you the room to work on
higher-return tasks in the moment, fend off low-return tasks, and become more
productive.
==========
1:23:21 PM
“It’s not how many years you play; it’s how many hours you play.”
==========
1:23:57 PM
A strong attention muscle is what makes it possible to work deliberately and focus
on your task at hand more than 53 percent of the time.
==========
- Your Note on page 215 | Location 3289 | Added on Monday, April 11, 2016 1:25:41
PM
central executive
focus
attention
==========
1:25:41 PM
Training your attention muscle involves building up all three.
==========
1:26:34 PM
Unnecessary alerts may not cost you a ton of time, but they cost you a ton of
attention: every time you receive an alert for a new email, text message, Twitter
mention, or Facebook notification, your attention is instantly hijacked, and this
has huge productivity costs, particularly when you’re working on something complex.
==========
1:28:14 PM
After my smartphone experiment, I began doing something relatively straightforward:

I shut off every single notification on my smartphone and computer. Suddenly,
whenever someone texted, tweeted, or emailed me, my attention was no longer
derailed from what I was working on, and I could begin to tend to the new
information that came in on my own schedule and terms.
==========
1:30:32 PM
Defending your attention muscle against interruptions will give you extra attention
and focus to dive deeper into your work, to work more efficiently, and to become
more productive.
==========
1:31:23 PM
For example, I noticed that as soon as I moved unhealthy snacks to more than twenty
seconds away from where I worked, I stopped impulsively snacking almost
immediately. Some more examples of the rule in action include keeping your email
client buried in nested folders so it takes more than twenty seconds to access,
keeping your filing cabinet right next to your desk so it takes you less than
twenty seconds to file something, keeping desserts at the bottom of your freezer,
keeping your phone in the other room while you work, unplugging your internet
modem, and setting a complicated, thirty-character password on your social media
accounts.
==========
1:32:47 PM
continually drawing your attention back to your chosen task has been shown to build
your attention muscle.
==========
1:37:01 PM
Busyness is no different from laziness when it doesn’t lead you to accomplish

anything. • Productivity isn’t about how busy or efficient you are—it’s about how
much you accomplish. • Just because you feel productive doesn’t mean you are—
==========
1:37:28 PM
Busyness is no different from laziness when it doesn’t lead you to accomplish

anything. • Productivity isn’t about how busy or efficient you are—it’s about how
much you accomplish. • Just because you feel productive doesn’t mean you are—and
the opposite is often true.
==========
1:40:06 PM
And how every time you swallow, your ears click?

==========
1:40:26 PM
every habit was made up of three simple parts: a cue, routine, and a reward.
“There’s the cue, which is the trigger for an automatic behavior to start, and then
the routine, which is the behavior itself, and then finally a reward.”
==========
1:41:47 PM
trigger habits fall into one of five categories: a specific time of day, a place, a
feeling, the presence of certain people, or a preceding behavior that you have
ritualized. This is why creating a productive daily routine is so powerful: you do
the same thing every day, and when you ensure that your routine is genuinely
rewarding to you, over time you solidify the neurological pathways in your brain
until it becomes an automatic habit.
==========
1:46:14 PM
Neurochemically speaking, your brain rewards you more when you multitask, compared
to when you do just one thing at a time. As Daniel Levitin puts it in The Organized
Mind, “Multitasking creates a dopamine-addiction feedback loop, effectively
rewarding the brain for losing focus for constantly searching for external
stimulation.”
==========
1:47:12 PM
Multitasking makes you less productive because it makes you more prone to errors,
adds stress to your work, takes longer because it costs you time and attention to
switch between tasks, and even affects your memory; much like being bombarded with
interruptions and distractions, multitasking overloads your brain.
==========
1:58:58 PM
When you simplify the tasks, projects, and commitments you take on, you spread your
time, attention, and energy across fewer things—and invest more of each into
everything you do. The same is true when you do only one thing in the moment: you
invest all your time, attention, and energy into just one thing, which lets you
accomplish more in the same amount of time.
==========
2:00:56 PM
Every time you bring your attention back to a single task, you reinforce that
habit, which gradually becomes stronger over time—particularly when you consciously
fend off distractions and interruptions in the first place.
==========
2:04:07 PM
Like the challenge at the beginning of this section of the book, when you read, try
to devote as much attention to what you’re reading as you can. Notice when your
mind begins to wander, and then rein it back in to perform another rep of your
attention muscle. Also notice when your mind gets anxious and ahead of itself, like
when it starts to turn the page before you’re finished reading the current one.
==========
2:04:31 PM
When you slow down while drinking or eating something, you create attentional space
around the flavors and textures of what you’re eating so you can enjoy it that much
more.
==========
2:04:59 PM
As with reading, be mindful that your mind doesn’t get ahead of itself, that it
doesn’t think about or start to get the next bite ready before you’re done with
present one.
==========
2:09:29 PM
Mindfulness is simply the art of deliberately doing one thing at a time. And
meditation is much the same, only instead of doing it alongside other tasks, you
practice it by itself
==========
2:09:49 PM
mindfulness thing is all about: creating more attentional space around the present
moment, so you can focus completely on what you’re doing.
==========
2:11:05 PM
But when it comes to working on the most productive things in the moment, the
reality is that we usually have to make a lot of short-term sacrifices to
accomplish more.
==========
2:12:21 PM
the single best way to work out your attention muscle—the amount of control your
prefrontal cortex has over your limbic system—is to meditate.
==========
2:20:32 PM
In my opinion, for every minute you meditate, you gain back ten minutes of
productivity.
==========
2:22:06 PM
This can be as simple as letting a phone ring until the third ring instead of the
first, so we can take a few seconds to slow down and be with ourselves.
==========
2:22:30 PM
Or using the time it takes to walk from one room to another to simply walk and be
present.
==========
2:24:55 PM
“Before a conversation, before a meeting, before an encounter of any kind, step

back, and see if you can check in with yourself to see what your intention is. What
do you most want to see come out of a conversation? Then work toward that, instead
of getting caught up in what you’re feeling.”
==========
2:24:59 PM
Mindfulness lets you set microintentions throughout the day, which accumulate by
the end of the day to make you a lot more productive.
==========
2:41:20 PM
The key is to recognize which changes are worth your time and effort, and which
ones aren’t.
==========
2:43:00 PM
since small changes aren’t scary, and don’t impose too great a burden, in the long
run they’ll actually stick. And as they add up, you’ll become motivated to make
more of them.
==========
- Your Note on page 259 | Location 3964 | Added on Monday, April 11, 2016 2:43:21
PM
compound effect
==========
2:44:19 PM
Compound interest is also what makes reading books and investing in your learning
so powerful.
==========
2:44:50 PM
1. Eat more unprocessed foods that take longer to digest. 2. Notice when you’re
full, and then stop eating.
==========
2:46:25 PM
On a neurological level, you have mental energy when you have glucose in your
brain. When you feel tired or fatigued, more often than not it’s either because
your brain has too much or not enough glucose to convert into mental energy.
==========
2:46:46 PM
Since unprocessed foods (in general) take longer to digest, your body converts them
into glucose at a slower rate, which provides you with a steady drip of glucose
(and energy) over the day—instead of a big hit of energy followed by a crash.
==========
2:47:32 PM
most of the foods low on the index are unprocessed, like vegetables, fruits,
nuts/seeds, beans/legumes, grains, seafood, and meat.
==========
2:48:16 PM
The more I practiced mindful eating during and after this experiment, the more
enjoyment I got out of food, and the more I learned to respect how full I was and
was able to stop myself from eating too much.
==========
2:57:10 PM
The more demanding a task is, the more having that extra energy will benefit you
when it comes time to work on it. During my project, and particularly after my
water experiment, I began to consume caffeine before doing tasks like: • Giving an
important presentation • Writing a big article • Working on one of my daily
intentions (see Chapter 3) • Diving into a complicated research paper • A big
workout (caffeine has been shown to positively affect athletic performance)
==========
2:57:31 PM
Find a better caffeine delivery system, like green tea or matcha. Green tea and
matcha are my favorite caffeine vehicles, because they’re chock-full of
antioxidants and L-theanine, which ease the caffeine crash afterward.
==========
2:59:25 PM
Every morning, the very first thing I do after waking up is to drink a liter of
water.
==========
3:00:10 PM
see saving money as a way of buying back my own time in the future—and so every
glass of water I drink is one glass of something costly that I don’t drink.
==========
3:02:51 PM
Every tactic in this book—from the Rule of 3 to meditation—can become a habit when
you practice it enough. This is especially true when you understand the three
elements that make up the habit loop, define a few cues that trigger you to do the
tactics (a time, place, emotion, people, or preceding behavior), start small, and
overcome your resistance to the change by battling procrastination and shrinking
the change on a daily basis.
==========
3:03:29 PM
==========
3:03:57 PM
We procrastinate because our prefrontal cortex hasn’t evolved to become stronger

than our limbic system, which is seduced by the unproductive tasks in our work. We
find the internet and multitasking so stimulating because they’re candy for our
limbic system.
==========
3:06:49 PM
started with going for just a half hour in the morning, but quickly ramped up the
ritual once I felt less and less resistance to it and found a few friends to work
out with every morning. Starting small was what got me going, but the benefits of
exercise gave me the motivation to continue.
==========
3:07:22 PM
And I had almost every habit cue under the sun: a time (6 a.m.), place (the same
gym every morning), emotion (feeling energized after having my preworkout drink or
coffee), the presence of people I knew (my workout buddies), and a preceding
behavior (waking up early).
==========
3:08:07 PM
I no longer experienced mental fatigue, and ironically enough, the more energy I
seemed to expend at the gym, the more energy I had while working the rest of the
day.
==========
3:09:05 PM
But in practice, while in the short run you may get some extra work done in those
thirty minutes, in the long run you accomplish more by nurturing your energy levels
—not, as our friend Tim Pychyl would say, by giving in to feel good.
==========
3:09:31 PM
exercise lets you spend your time more efficiently. The same thing holds true for
the time you spend eating better and getting enough sleep: all three activities
provide you with a net gain in time and productivity, despite how hard they may be
to do in the moment.
==========
3:10:25 PM
Exercise is worth your time and is one of the best things you can do to become more
productive. The more active you are, the more energy you’ll have to burn.
==========
3:10:52 PM
The key to making lasting changes to your behavior is to make changes to your
habits that are small enough to not intimidate you when your initial motivation
wears out. This is especially important with exercise.
==========
3:12:57 PM
Sleep is a way of exchanging your time for energy. The more sleep you get, up to
the recommended seven to nine hours, the more energy you’ll have the next day. And
the exchange rate is pretty damn good.
==========
3:13:39 PM
Lacking sleep can also speed up the downward energy spiral I mentioned in the
water/coffee chapter. When you miss out on sleep, you work less efficiently and
with less energy, so tasks take longer, which means you have even less time for
sleep the following night. When you add a bad diet and little exercise into the
mix, your energy levels—and productivity—can spiral out of control pretty quickly.
==========
3:13:51 PM
for every hour of sleep I missed out on, I lost two hours of productivity. This
rule has no scientific backing whatsoever—from what I experienced, the negative
effects can be even greater—but as far as pseudoscientific rules go, I think this
is a pretty good one. Everyone is wired differently, requires a different amount of
sleep, responds differently to sleep deprivation, and is motivated differently when
they are sleep deprived. But from what I’ve found, two hours might even be on the
conservative side. *
==========
3:14:21 PM
simple rule to live by for sleep and productivity: for every hour of sleep I missed
out on, I lost two hours of productivity.
==========
3:15:30 PM
I failed to reward myself when I woke up early, define any cues to wake up early,
or work to overcome the resistance I had to the ritual—all essential for making
changes to habits.
==========
3:16:52 PM
What we do have control over is what time we head to bed. To get enough sleep,
going to bed at the right time is the key.
==========
3:17:20 PM
Create a nighttime ritual. If your target bedtime is 9 p.m., like mine was, it’s
pretty hard to force yourself to start getting ready for bed at 8:45 when you’re in
the middle of something. Creating a nighttime ritual will help you plan and become
more deliberate about getting a good night’s sleep.
==========
3:17:40 PM
I worked meditation, reflection time, and more into mine.

==========
3:17:59 PM
To combat this, I recommend a nightly electronics shutoff ritual, where you shut
off your electronics two to three hours before bed (this also helps you switch off
your autopilot switch and begin slowing down).
==========
3:19:02 PM
If you have the freedom to do so, taking a nap in the middle of the workday is one
of the best ways to get a quick jolt of energy—and productivity.
==========
3:19:35 PM
Compromising sleep so you have more time to get more work done simply isn’t worth
the productivity cost.
==========
3:21:27 PM
lot of people find themselves with more tasks on their list than they have time
for. One of the first things they compromise is their energy. To free up time to
try to get more done, they begin to order more takeout, caffeinate to insane
levels, cut back on exercise, or work later hours and compromise on sleep—all
short-term sacrifices that lead to more productivity in the short run, but less
productivity in the long run.
==========
3:23:57 PM
When most of us invest in our productivity to increase our sense of well-being,

odds are that goes against why you want to be more productive in the first place.
==========
3:24:23 PM
His research illustrates a profound idea: investing in your happiness and being
kind to yourself can have a huge impact on your productivity.
==========
- Your Bookmark on page 300 | Location 4594 | Added on Monday, April 11, 2016
3:25:02 PM
==========
3:26:15 PM
The more breaks I took during my project, the more energy and focus I had, and the
less often I became fatigued. The benefits are innumerable and incredible: breaks
help you work more mindfully and deliberately, come up with new ideas, flip into
mind-wandering mode, reflect on your work, see the meaning in what you do, and
ultimately make you more productive. One study found that the ideal break length
for productivity is seventeen minutes for every fifty-two minutes you work,
==========
3:26:54 PM
In addition to meditation and exercise—which Shawn is a huge advocate for—my

favorite two tactics of his are recalling three things you’re grateful for, and
journaling one positive experience you had at the end of each day.
==========
3:28:06 PM
It’s not the gratitude as much as it is “the ability to scan your [life] for
positives that makes the habit so effective.”
==========
3:28:40 PM
“the brain can’t tell much difference between visualization and actual experience,
so you just doubled the most meaningful experience of your day
==========
3:29:18 PM
Creating subgoals for larger projects, spending more time planning out projects to
add structure to them, and keeping a running list of things you have to get done
for each of your projects will make your work more structured, rewarding, and
engaging. Research has shown this also makes you more likely to achieve a “flow”
state, that magical feeling where you’re so engrossed in your work that time seems
to not exist at all.
==========
3:29:41 PM
The next time you’re facing a challenge and are looking around for someone to lean
on, try leaning on yourself. What advice would you give yourself in your situation?
==========
3:30:14 PM
rewarding yourself works wonders not only for solidifying habits, but also for
having fun as you invest in your productivity.
==========
3:30:53 PM
People who have a growth mindset believe that through hard work and persistence,
they can accomplish more. They embrace obstacles as challenges to be overcome,
instead of seeing them as roadblocks, and they see working hard as the only way of
mastering a skill. If you think your intelligence and abilities are set in stone,
you are wrong. Reminding yourself that you can always grow and that your
intelligence and abilities aren’t fixed is a great way to challenge yourself to
become more productive.
==========
3:31:28 PM
I’ve maintained an Accomplishments List that I’ve reviewed and added to every
Maintenance Day. It’s a simple list, so it doesn’t take long to review, but every
week it lets me step back from my work and life, pat myself on the back, and
recognize the achievements my increased productivity leads to.
==========
3:31:55 PM
Not only can looking at cute baby animals make you go “awwwwww,” it can also boost
your cognitive and motor performance.
==========
3:32:33 PM
I’ve always been a fan of taking vacations from my work for productivity reasons:
to let my mind wander, take it easy on myself, let thoughts and ideas percolate,
and to give myself space to make connections and think about the ideas I’m
juggling.
==========
3:34:47 PM
Perhaps when you’ve become aware that you were procrastinating, as you observed
your limbic system and prefrontal cortex battling, you also noticed your self-talk
increase.
==========
3:36:21 PM
Have you experienced that phenomenon where you receive fifty emails, forty-nine of
them positive and one of them negative? I’ll bet you remember that one damned email
more than the other forty-nine put together. This is simply the way we’re
programmed. Just as we have evolved to walk five to nine miles every day, we have
evolved to perceive threats in our environment. That’s why that email sticks out,
and that’s in part why your monologue can be so negative.
==========
3:36:47 PM
These are harsh words, and if I talked to my friends the way I talked to myself, I
doubt I’d have any friends left. But as soon as I became aware that this is simply
the result of how my brain was programmed, I felt as if another thousand pounds had
been lifted off my shoulders.
==========
3:37:55 PM
Ever since my project one of the very first things I’ve done after waking up has
been to define the three things I wanted to accomplish over the course of the day.
==========
3:40:30 PM
We can sometimes take people for granted, or settle into less than ideal
relationships: we don’t often give ourselves space to step back from our
relationships, or take the time to think about how much meaning they add to our
lives.
==========
3:41:53 PM
Without people around me, my motivation to get work done plummeted. The research
backs this up; two studies found that deeper office friendships boost your job
satisfaction by about 50 percent, and that you are seven times as likely to be
highly engaged at work when your best friend works at the same place.
==========
3:42:28 PM
“the greatest predictor of long-term happiness is social connection,” and how

“social connection is as predictive of how long you will live as obesity, high
blood pressure, or smoking”—only in the opposite direction, of course. Deeper
friendships and relationships provide us with the drive to accomplish more at work—
and make us happier, to boot.
==========
3:42:40 PM
This is the lesson that struck me the hardest during the whole of my project, and
it struck me from out of the blue: without people, productivity is meaningless.
==========
3:43:15 PM
It was the people around me—who supported me, helped me, believed in me, and loved
me—that motivated me and gave me purpose. I quickly realized that the people around
me weren’t just the reason my project existed—they were who my project existed for.
==========
3:43:32 PM
Surrounding ourselves with people has been shown to make us happier and more
engaged and makes us want to be more productive, too. People are the reason for
productivity.
==========
3:45:18 PM
Luckily, productivity, when done right, isn’t only one of the keys to happiness—
happiness is one of the keys to productivity.
==========
3:45:26 PM
Luckily, productivity, when done right, isn’t only one of the keys to happiness—
happiness is one of the keys to productivity. The kinder you are to yourself as you
become more productive, the more productive you will become.
==========
3:46:53 PM
if you want to make the jump from the romantic idea of being more productive to
actually accomplishing more on a daily basis, you have to put in the effort.
==========
3:47:04 PM
As I’ve done my best to make clear, productivity is made up of three things: time,
attention, and energy. And I believe strongly that the greatest leaders in the
knowledge economy will be the ones who combine all three better than anyone else.
==========
3:47:40 PM
People like Marie Curie, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Jane Goodall, and Steve
Jobs all willed into existence some of the most brilliant ideas and inventions
humanity has seen—and they had the exact same twenty-four hours every day that we
do. The difference between them and everyone else—and between the corporate vice
president and the employees who work for her—isn’t how much time they have every
day. It’s that they know how to effectively manage their time, attention, and
energy, and constantly make an effort to spend each more deliberately.
==========
Carrots and Sticks (Ian Ayres)
8:47:00 PM
Behavioral economists explain these reversals with the esoteric term “hyperbolic
discounting.” Rational choice theory predicts that the value today of some future
gift should lose a fixed proportion of its value for every unit of delay.
==========
8:47:18 PM
In the apple example, a hyperbolic discounter might feel that delaying the
immediate receipt of an apple by just a day would reduce its value by 70 percent,
but delaying the receipt from a year to a year and a day would reduce the apple’s
present value only from an 80 percent discount to an 81% discount. The hyperbolic
discounter will prefer a single apple now to two apples (discounted at 70 percent)
a day from now; whereas when confronted with the analogous choice to receive two
apples a year in the future, she will hold out for the two apples in part because
she so strongly discounts any reward that far in the future.
==========
8:48:00 PM
In the apple example, a hyperbolic discounter might feel that delaying the
immediate receipt of an apple by just a day would reduce its value by 70 percent,
but delaying the receipt from a year to a year and a day would reduce the apple’s
present value only from an 80 percent discount to an 81% discount. The hyperbolic
discounter will prefer a single apple now to two apples (discounted at 70 percent)
a day from now; whereas when confronted with the analogous choice to receive two
apples a year in the future, she will hold out for the two apples in part because
she so strongly discounts any reward that far in the future. Hyperbolic discounters
put extraordinary value in receiving rewards immediately (and in pushing off
immediate burdens for even short periods), but then become relatively indifferent
about when the reward (or burden) arrives in the future.
==========
10:12:10 PM
Matt and Ted make an extreme but simplifying assumption that hyperbolic discounters
cut in half the value of any future reward—whether it is 1 or 100 weeks in the
future.
==========
10:14:04 PM
Knowing that you’re going to preproperate a little, it will sometimes make sense to
preproperate a lot. Sophistication can be a bad thing, because it can lead to a
sort of “aw, screw it” attitude where you just throw in the towel immediately.
==========
10:15:28 PM
Commitment can help solve the problems of both procrastination and preproperation.
==========
Zero to One (Peter Thiel)
- Your Highlight on page 27 | Location 414-415 | Added on Tuesday, April 19, 2016
12:58:14 PM
In business, money is either an important thing or it is everything. Monopolists

can afford to think about things other than making money; non-monopolists can’t.
==========
1:01:18 PM
Monopoly is the condition of every successful business.

==========
1:01:43 PM
All happy companies are different: each one earns a monopoly by solving a unique
problem. All failed companies are the same: they failed to escape competition.
==========
1:04:50 PM
But really it’s competition, not business, that is like war: allegedly necessary,
supposedly valiant, but ultimately destructive.
==========
1:05:09 PM
The greater the differences, the greater the conflict.

==========
1:12:26 PM
either don’t throw any punches, or strike hard and end it quickly.
==========
1:13:23 PM
But a great business is defined by its ability to generate cash flows in the
future.
==========
1:14:24 PM
Most of a tech company’s value will come at least 10 to 15 years in the future.
==========
1:15:22 PM
growth is easy to measure, but durability isn’t.

==========
1:16:00 PM
If you focus on near-term growth above all else, you miss the most important
question you should be asking: will this business still be around a decade from
now?
==========
1:17:07 PM
As a good rule of thumb, proprietary technology must be at least 10 times better

than its closest substitute in some important dimension to lead to a real
monopolistic advantage.
==========
1:17:40 PM
Or you can radically improve an existing solution: once you’re 10x better, you
escape competition.
==========
1:19:24 PM
Network effects can be powerful, but you’ll never reap them unless your product is
valuable to its very first users when the network is necessarily small.
==========
1:20:52 PM
A good startup should have the potential for great scale built into its first
design.
==========
1:23:40 PM
Every startup is small at the start. Every monopoly dominates a large share of its
market. Therefore, every startup should start with a very small market. Always err
on the side of starting too small.
==========
1:27:46 PM
But if you truly want to make something new, the act of creation is far more
important than the old industries that might not like what you create.
==========
1:28:55 PM
As you craft a plan to expand to adjacent markets, don’t disrupt: avoid competition
as much as possible.
==========
1:29:20 PM
It’s much better to be the last mover—that is, to make the last great development
in a specific market and enjoy years or even decades of monopoly profits.
==========
1:29:48 PM
It’s much better to be the last mover—that is, to make the last great development
in a specific market and enjoy years or even decades of monopoly profits. The way
to do that is to dominate a small niche and scale up from there, toward your
ambitious long-term vision.
==========
1:31:25 PM
It’s true that already successful people have an easier time doing new things,
whether due to their networks, wealth, or experience. But perhaps we’ve become too
quick to dismiss anyone who claims to have succeeded according to plan.
==========
1:33:07 PM
Indefinite attitudes to the future explain what’s most dysfunctional in our world
today. Process trumps substance: when people lack concrete plans to carry out, they
use formal rules to assemble a portfolio of various options.
==========
1:33:32 PM
Instead of pursuing many-sided mediocrity and calling it “well-roundedness,” a

definite person determines the one best thing to do and then does it.
==========
1:41:35 PM
But in an indefinite world, people actually prefer unlimited optionality; money is

more valuable than anything you could possibly do with it. Only in a definite
future is money a means to an end, not the end itself.
==========
1:49:52 PM
Long-term planning is often undervalued by our indefinite short-term world.

==========
1:50:25 PM
founders only sell when they have no more concrete visions for the company, in
which case the acquirer probably overpaid; definite founders with robust plans
don’t sell, which means the offer wasn’t high enough.
==========
1:52:00 PM
A startup is the largest endeavor over which you can have definite mastery. You can
have agency not just over your own life, but over a small and important part of the
world. It begins by rejecting the unjust tyranny of Chance
==========
1:52:21 PM
never underestimate exponential growth.

==========
1:53:01 PM
a small few radically outstrip all rivals,
==========
1:53:16 PM
And monopoly businesses capture more value than millions of undifferentiated

competitors.
==========
1:55:25 PM
If you focus on diversification instead of single-minded pursuit of the very few

companies that can become overwhelmingly valuable, you’ll miss those rare companies
in the first place.
==========
1:56:12 PM
The biggest secret in venture capital is that the best investment in a successful
fund equals or outperforms the entire rest of the fund combined.
==========
1:56:21 PM
First, only invest in companies that have the potential to return the value of the
entire fund.
==========
2:00:28 PM
An entrepreneur makes a major investment just by spending her time working on a

startup. Therefore every entrepreneur must think about whether her company is going
to succeed and become valuable.
==========
2:01:14 PM
Less obvious but just as important, an individual cannot diversify his own life by
keeping dozens of equally possible careers in ready reserve.
==========
2:01:47 PM
You should focus relentlessly on something you’re good at doing, but before that
you must think hard about whether it will be valuable in the future.
==========
2:02:10 PM
they know how tremendously successful they could become by joining the very best
company while it’s growing fast.
==========
2:13:00 PM
To say that there are no secrets left today would mean that we live in a society
with no hidden injustices.
==========
2:23:58 PM
Secrets about people are different: they are things that people don’t know about
themselves or things they hide because they don’t want others to know. So when
thinking about what kind of company to build, there are two distinct questions to
ask: What secrets is nature not telling you? What secrets are people not telling
you?
==========
2:24:51 PM
what are people running companies not allowed to say?

==========
2:25:19 PM
are there any fields that matter but haven’t been standardized and
institutionalized?
==========
2:26:48 PM
The best entrepreneurs know this: every great business is built around a secret
that’s hidden from the outside. A great company is a conspiracy to change the
world; when you share your secret, the recipient becomes a fellow conspirator.
==========
2:27:50 PM
a startup messed up at its foundation cannot be fixed.

==========
2:30:02 PM
Technical abilities and complementary skill sets matter, but how well the founders
know each other and how well they work together matter just as much.
==========
2:31:10 PM
A typical startup allocates ownership among founders, employees, and investors. The
managers and employees who operate the company enjoy possession. And a board of
directors, usually comprising founders and investors, exercises control.
==========
2:34:11 PM
anyone who doesn’t own stock options or draw a regular salary from your company is
fundamentally misaligned.
==========
2:35:39 PM
If a CEO doesn’t set an example by taking the lowest salary in the company, he can
do the same thing by drawing the highest salary. So long as that figure is still
modest, it sets an effective ceiling on cash compensation.
==========
2:38:00 PM
Anyone who prefers owning a part of your company to being paid in cash reveals a
preference for the long term and a commitment to increasing your company’s value in
the future. Equity can’t create perfect incentives, but it’s the best way for a
founder to keep everyone in the company broadly aligned.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 101 | Location 1539-1540 | Added on Tuesday, April 19,
2016 2:40:53 PM
If you can’t count durable relationships among the fruits of your time at work, you
haven’t invested your time well—even in purely financial terms.
==========
2016 2:41:26 PM
More important than those obvious offerings is your answer to this question: Why
should the 20th employee join your company?
==========
2016 2:42:03 PM
But there are two general kinds of good answers: answers about your mission and
answers about your team.
==========
2016 2:42:37 PM
“Are these the kind of people I want to work with?” You should be able to explain
why your company is a unique match for him personally.
==========
2016 2:43:43 PM
everyone at your company should be different in the same way—a tribe of like-minded
people fiercely devoted to the company’s mission.
==========
2016 2:44:48 PM
The best thing I did as a manager at PayPal was to make every person in the company
responsible for doing just one thing.
==========
2016 2:50:20 PM
Like acting, sales works best when hidden. This explains why almost everyone whose
job involves distribution—whether they’re in sales, marketing, or advertising—has a
job title that has nothing to do with those things. People who sell advertising are
called “account executives.”
==========
2016 2:52:03 PM
Superior sales and distribution by itself can create a monopoly, even with no
product differentiation. The converse is not true.
==========
2016 2:57:32 PM
Advertising can work for startups, too, but only when your customer acquisition
costs and customer lifetime value make every other
==========
2016 2:59:12 PM
A product is viral if its core functionality encourages users to invite their

friends to become users too.
==========
2016 3:00:13 PM
Whoever is first to dominate the most important segment of a market with viral
potential will be the last mover in the whole market.
==========
2016 3:01:30 PM
Most businesses get zero distribution channels to work: poor sales rather than bad
product is the most common cause of failure. If you can get just one distribution
channel to work, you have a great business. If you try for several but don’t nail
one, you’re finished.
==========
2016 3:02:07 PM
you should never assume that people will admire your company without a public
relations strategy. Even
==========
2016 3:02:17 PM
you should never assume that people will admire your company
==========
Houpert)
2:58:22 PM
your relationships with other people are the most important factor in determining
the quality of your life.
==========
Houpert)
2:58:39 PM
Charisma = Conviction + Energy + Presentation

==========
Houpert)
2:59:36 PM
Your subcommunications told everyone how to treat you. They do so all the time.
==========
Houpert)
2:59:55 PM
Conviction is mind control. Conviction is magic.

==========
Houpert)
3:01:45 PM
The goal is not to avoid failure. The goal is to thrive. The goal is to connect,
to lead, and to love.
==========
Houpert)
3:02:24 PM
It will be okay. Please, please, please, realize this: No matter what happens,
you will be okay. If you crack a terrible joke in front of a crowd, you will be
okay. If you reveal your feelings to someone who doesn’t reciprocate, you will be
okay. If you start a business, sink your savings into it, and lose it all – you
will be okay. If you get fired and everyone you know thinks you are incompetent,
you will be okay. To be clear, I’m not saying that these are wonderful outcomes.
I’m saying that you will go on breathing. I’m saying that even if you lose your
job, you will not starve to death. If you lose all your money, you will not freeze
to death. If you make an ass of yourself, you will not doom yourself to a loveless
existence. You will go through an uncomfortable period. You will manage. No
matter what the outcome, life will go on.
==========
Houpert)
3:03:16 PM
I care more about my character than the opinions of others.

==========
Houpert)
4:40:10 PM
Charismatic Conviction 3: I have impeccable integrity.

==========
Captivate: Conversational Secrets To Be Instantly Likeable, Make Unforgettable
Impressions, And Never Run Out Of Things To Say (Charlie Houpert)
- Your Highlight on Location 119-120 | Added on Friday, May 6, 2016 8:51:51 AM
It’s not just what you say. It’s how you say it and it’s why you say it.
==========
Get your goal straight: to connect, not to “pass”

==========
The goal is to make connections that turn into friendships, trusted business
partners, and romantic relationships. To do that, you need to take “conversational
risks.”
==========
People don’t always mean what they say. To avoid ruffling feathers they lie. To
avoid upsetting people, they feign interest when they feel none.
==========
The best conversationalists don’t just engage on the literal, surface level of
conversation. They listen instead to tonality, pay attention to eye contact, note
shifts in body language.
==========
Call people out when their words and emotions aren’t congruent. Not to punish
them. To let them know you know what’s really going on.
==========
Being a good conversationalist is not about being an expert on a topic. It is

about making people feel the emotions they crave, namely happiness, excitement, and
connection
==========
You want to assume familiarity with people.

==========
Remember: the whole goal of conversation is to connect emotionally. So you should

ask questions that elicit an emotional response.
==========
Show people that you can read past the surface level of their responses (in a
humorous way) and they will laugh and share their honest feelings
==========
Choose infectious positivity - When people ask how you are, be “phenomenal” instead
of “good.” Smile big. Laugh loudly. Talk about things that excite you and let it
show in your eyes, smile, and tone of voice.
==========
Want to be funny more easily, without waiting for that moment of inspired wit? Put
on a voice. Gesticulate for emphasis. Play a character.
==========
So stop jumping to connect over surface level commonalities (this includes high
schools, country of origin, language, same taste in music). Let the fact that you
grew up near their hometown go unsaid. Instead, push past those layups to connect
over fun and values.
==========
Wake Up and Live! (Dorothea Brande)
- Your Highlight on page 48 | Location 722-722 | Added on Friday, May 6, 2016
8:06:18 PM
Act as if it were impossible to fail.

==========
8:07:26 PM
What you want to recapture is the state of mind in which you once succeeded.
==========
8:08:49 PM
Now transfer in imagination that success-sequence to the work in hand. If you were
absolutely certain that everything about the present work would go as smoothly as
everything went when you succeeded in the past, if you knew that what you are
beginning would certainly go well, from the moment you begin till the moment of the
work’s ultimate reception, how would you feel? How would you act? What is the state
of mind you would be in as you launch out into it?
==========
8:09:12 PM
You will see that you no longer have to push yourself to do the work; all your
energy is free to push the work alone.
==========
8:09:37 PM
When your muscles and your mind honestly protest that they have done all they
should do for the time, stop and find some relaxation.
==========
8:10:48 PM
Self-confidence in any enterprise comes as a rule from remembrance of past

success.”
==========
8:28:47 PM
Take a definite step to turn a dream into a reality.

==========
8:29:50 PM
Do something every day towards your intention, however remote your goal may have to
be.
==========
8:30:13 PM
Those who are still slaves to dreams, to the Will to Fail, are made uncomfortable
by the sight of anyone who is breaking free.
==========
8:30:55 PM
Always your first question to yourself should be, “What would I be doing now if it
were really impossible for me to fail at—whatever it is: travelling, modelling,
writing, farming?”
==========
Time in a Bottle (Howard Falco)
9:22:41 PM
“Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time.”

==========
9:24:19 PM
What could be more liberating than coming to the realization that you have a choice
in every moment and in every circumstance?
==========
9:26:13 PM
These thoughts determine whether you are contributing to the state of mind that
quickens the pace of creation for what you desire to be true, or whether you are
expanding the amount of time it takes to experience these desires.
==========
9:27:28 PM
“Time is what keeps everything from happening at once.”

==========
9:29:07 PM
On the road to mastering time and its influence on your life, however, it is vital
that you begin to stretch your awareness to grasp the nature of infinity and its
role in your life.
==========
9:29:28 PM
The process of contemplating and realizing the truth of infinity has the powerful
effect of reducing fear in your life. Eliminating or overcoming many of your fears
will enable you to freely walk through the doorway to the greatest personal and
spiritual liberation possible.
==========
9:30:04 PM
Infinity is everything.
==========
9:31:55 PM
For infinity to be true or “validated,” all possibility must be true without end.
Therefore, there is no end to creativity. There is no end to life. There is no
beginning or end to time.
==========
9:33:28 PM
It is demonstrated through the experience of space and time, or what is called

reality. Life is the process through which infinity is demonstrating itself.
==========
9:34:21 PM
“I AM that I AM.” Life is the never-ending journey of the “experience” of the

manifestation of all possibility from every perspective.
==========
9:34:47 PM
This moment and your observation of it is simply one of an infinite number of

perspectives and possibilities that exist. Each one is vital to the experience of
infinity in the whole unending universe.
==========
9:35:45 PM
What TIME does is allow the SPACE for possibility to manifest. This is also known
as EVOLUTION.
==========
9:36:32 PM
Time produces space. Space combined with time makes room for individual
possibilities to evolve. Your observation of creation and your demonstration of the
unending stream of newly learned possibility for yourself is what life and the
expression of infinity are all about.
==========
9:37:43 PM
This is exactly what “time” provides for you. It allows you to experience each
frame of your life right in front of your eyes, moment by moment, at a pace that is
determined by you.
==========
9:38:12 PM
Not only do you decide the pace of time as it relates to many of your creative
expressions, but you are also the director, writer, and producer—you decide the
story, content, location, and characters. What is even more exhilarating and
empowering is that right now, as the writer, you have the opportunity to change the
story and its context in any single moment.
==========
9:40:44 PM
Attention, which stems from intention, seems to be the critical determining factor
that leads to how matter is held together. The observer and creator is always you!
This single idea is the absolute validation of how much you matter. You are
integral to everything you come in contact with, everything you direct your
attention on, and every choice and action you take in the world
==========
9:48:12 PM
What holds all matter together is the observer, an awareness or “consciousness.”

==========
9:48:49 PM
Energy (E) is continually divided by Intention (I) and formed into Matter (M).
Thought creates reality.
==========
9:52:33 PM
You are a part of the expression of all possibility. You are one single point of
consciousness within a sea of an infinite number of other expressions. Included
==========
9:52:51 PM
You are one single point of consciousness within a sea of an infinite number of
other expressions.
==========
9:53:07 PM
Every single bit of what you see in front of you is matter formed into different
expressions of possibility, each serving a different intent.
==========
9:53:42 PM
It has all come together in this moment for you as a demonstration of what is
currently possible. Whether it is the roof over your
==========
9:54:51 PM
Your life is about using this free will of choice to create what you feel best
serves you and your state of mind.
==========
9:55:23 PM
It is not about how things have come together for you or how you have demonstrated
yourself, but rather how you will, now in this moment, demonstrate yourself to your
world.
==========
9:55:41 PM
“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year,
the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as
if you have never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can
turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.”
==========
9:56:27 PM
You cannot expect to harness your full creative power while simultaneously
believing that you are limited by time or circumstance. You are a part of infinity.
To the degree you feel that life is finite and limited, you will act out of this
fear, and work to create an experience that is a result of this fear.
==========
9:57:43 PM
A big part of making your journey as joy-filled and smooth as possible has to do
with how aware you are of the way things work in life. Included in this is the way
other people think, interpret, and feel.
==========
9:58:23 PM
If you choose to participate fully in life, and take the time to really understand
more of how it works, however, your ride will be more comfortable and you will
realize you have a massive influence on the direction it takes.
==========
9:58:42 PM
You might as well take responsibility for as much of the writing of your
character’s story as you can. After all—you are the star.
==========
9:59:46 PM
you cannot avoid the truth of the systems in place around you, and you must accept
these truths initially in order to more quickly and more painlessly achieve what
you creatively desire.
==========
10:00:40 PM
WITH ANY PROGRESSIVE IDEAS, there is likely to be a certain amount of pushback or

resistance, as the original systems in place try to keep things unchanged (family,
friends, coworkers, politicians). Fear of the unknown is one of the strongest fears
in the human psyche
==========
10:01:27 PM
Ultimately, how you decide to deal with the ups and downs of any creative process
is the single most powerful determining factor in how quickly things change in your
world.
==========
10:03:09 PM
Success must be approached from an ethical viewpoint. Success is your duty,

obligation, and responsibility!
==========
- Your Highlight on page 49 | Location 745-747 | Added on Saturday, May 7, 2016
5:10:52 PM
There are no shortcuts. The more action you take, the better your chances are of
getting a break. Disciplined, consistent, and persistent actions are more of a
determining factor in the creation of success than any other combination of things.
==========
5:11:53 PM
Regardless of which degree of action you operate in, they all require work in their
own ways.
==========
5:13:20 PM
After all, if you’re going to expend effort, why not do so in the direction of
success?
==========
5:14:16 PM
Someone who takes average actions but is capable of much more is really electing to
do some variation of doing nothing or retreating.
==========
5:14:45 PM
Taking normal action is the most dangerous of the levels, because it is the most
accepted by society. This level of action is authorized by the masses, and
therefore people who don’t take normal actions don’t draw the necessary attention
required to catapult them to success.
==========
5:15:20 PM
Though it might sound far-fetched, massive action is the most natural state of
action there is for all of us.
==========
5:16:43 PM
It was never retreat, no action, or even average amounts; it was constant,

persistent, and immense attack on the target.
==========
5:16:50 PM
Massive action is actually the level of action that creates new problems—and until
you create problems, you’re not truly operating at the fourth stage of action.
==========
5:17:21 PM
I approached every day like my life depended on the actions I took.

==========
5:18:13 PM
Signals that you’re taking massive action are having people comment upon and admire
your level of activity.
==========
5:19:00 PM
Yet every time I have been labeled, it’s always been by someone operating at less
than the fourth degree of action. I have never had someone who is more successful
than I am considering my excessive action to be a bad thing—because successful
people know fi rsthand what it takes to achieve this kind of success. They know
themselves how to get where they want to go and would never identify massive action
as undesirable in any way.
==========
5:19:13 PM
This level of action will be considered by some to be borderline insane, well

beyond the agreed-upon social norm— and will always create new problems. But
remember: If you don’t create new problems, then you’re not taking enough action.
==========
5:19:27 PM
People who operate at the other three levels of action will be threatened by your
activity level and will often make it seem somehow “wrong” in order to make
themselves right.
==========
5:19:48 PM
You will know you are stepping into the realm of massive action when you (1) create
new problems for yourself and (2) start to receive criticism and warning from
others. But stay strong. This activity will break you out of the hypnotic state of
mediocrity that you’ve been taught to accept.
==========
5:22:50 PM
Any undertaking that includes accepting average will fail you sooner or later.
Anything conducted in standard amounts simply won’t get the job done.
==========
5:23:04 PM
When average actions hit any resistance, competition, loss or lack of interest,
negative or challenging market conditions, or all of these, you will fi nd your
project tumbling down.
==========
5:23:51 PM
If, on the other hand, you create more success than you want or need, you’ll always
be prepared—even when those who can’t create success for themselves try to steal it
from you.
==========
5:25:57 PM
Average assumes—incorrectly, of course—that everything operates stably. People

optimistically overestimate how well things will go and then underestimate how much
energy and effort it will take just to push things through.
==========
5:28:16 PM
Don’t think average; think massive. Compare your actions to having to carry a
1,000-pound backpack that you will wear every day into a 40-miles-per-hour wind on
a 20-degree upward slope. Prepare for massive, persistent action, and you will win!
==========
5:28:50 PM
Rid yourself of everything that is average including the advice you get and friends
you keep. Sound too tough? Remember that success is your duty, obligation, and
responsibility. And since there is no shortage of success, any apparent limitations
you are experiencing might simply be the result of thinking and acting average. Rid
yourself of every concept of average.
==========
5:29:03 PM
Surround yourself with exceptional thinkers and doers. Let your friends, family,
and work associates know that you treat average like a terminal disease. Remember,
average anything will never get you to an extraordinary life.
==========
5:52:33 PM
Massive action can never hurt you and will always help you. This is also one place
where quantity is more important than quality. Money and power follow attention, so
whoever can get the most attention is the person who takes the most action and
sooner or later will get the most results.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 568-568 | Added on Saturday, May 7, 2016 10:05:48 PM
You’ve simply run out of things that have passed your internal filter of “good
enough to say to a stranger!”
==========
The point is that what you are thinking is always good enough – at least better
than saying nothing because you only want to sound super clever all the time.”
==========
It is in getting in touch with your thoughts and trusting yourself enough to simply
state them.
==========
Note: if you’re absolutely stumped, I find a great way to start or restart a

halting conversation is to simply say, “So what’s your story?”
==========
Use “reminds me of” in conjunction with the fun and values modes of conversation to
rekindle any conversation and move it in a direction that will keep people
captivated.
==========
Throw the person’s name in there to show you’ve been listening and a touch for
warmth and you have a great sign
==========
Throw the person’s name in there to show you’ve been listening and a touch for
warmth and you have a great sign off for any occasion.
==========
Include those three elements (saying what you’re leaving to do, say their name, and
touch) whenever ending conversation and you tie a nice little bow on every
interaction.
==========
“Well, I’m going to go talk a walk around the party and say hello to a few more
people, but it has been a pleasure talking with you, Mike (handshake and walk
off).”
==========
“This has been really fun! I’m glad I got a chance to meet you. Unfortunately,
I’ve got to run, but I’d love to meet up again and go salsa dancing.”
==========
The Tools (Phil Stutz)
- Your Highlight on page 13 | Location 191-192 | Added on Thursday, May 12, 2016
9:29:28 PM
Real change requires you to change your behavior—not just your attitude.
==========
9:30:06 PM
To control behavior you need a specific procedure to use at a specific time to

combat a specific problem. That’s what a tool is.
==========
9:45:33 PM
We barricade ourselves behind an invisible wall and don’t venture out because
beyond the wall is pain. This safe space is called the “Comfort Zone.”
==========
9:47:44 PM
Strange as it might seem, merely escaping pain isn’t enough for us. We insist that
the pain be replaced with pleasure.
==========
9:48:40 PM
The more you hide in the warm bath, the less willing you become to deal with the
cold shower of reality.
==========
9:49:46 PM
Life provides endless possibilities, but along with them comes pain. If you can’t
tolerate pain, you can’t be fully alive.
==========
9:49:57 PM
The Comfort Zone is supposed to keep your life safe, but what it really does is
keep your life small.
==========
9:50:15 PM
==========
9:52:59 PM
Yet despite the terrible price we pay, we don’t leave the Comfort Zone. Why not?
Because we’re held there by the classic modern weakness: the need for immediate
gratification. The Comfort Zone makes us feel good in the moment.
==========
9:54:05 PM
We end up with a distorted worldview that makes avoidance seem right, even brave
and idealistic. This is the worst sin of all—lying to ourselves. It makes change
impossible.
==========
9:56:18 PM
They have something that gives them the strength to endure pain—a sense of purpose.
What they do in the present, no matter how painful, has meaning in terms of what
they want for the future.
==========
9:56:59 PM
A sense of purpose doesn’t come from thinking about it. It comes from taking action
that moves you toward the future.
==========
9:58:12 PM
His sense of purpose is amazing; he’s tapped into the Force of Forward Motion.
==========
6:23:43 AM
The Force of Forward Motion only works in an individual if she consciously chooses
to use it—and accepts the pain that comes with it. Most of us choose avoidance
instead.
==========
6:25:46 AM
By now, you know we avoid the pain of forward motion at all costs.
==========
6:27:37 AM
That football player stood out from his peers because he “reversed” the normal
human desire to avoid pain—he wanted pain.
==========
6:28:37 AM
The Reversal of Desire See the pain appear in front of you as a cloud. Scream
silently at the cloud, “BRING IT ON!” Feel an intense desire for the pain to move
you into the cloud. Scream silently, “I LOVE PAIN!” as you keep moving forward. Go
so deeply into the pain you’re at one with it. You will feel the cloud spit you out
and close behind you. Say inwardly with conviction, “PAIN SETS ME FREE!” As you
leave the cloud, feel yourself propelled forward into a realm of pure light.
==========
6:29:25 AM
Repeat the steps over and over until you feel you’ve thoroughly converted all the
pain to energy.
==========
6:29:50 AM
You’ve taken your normal desire to avoid pain and reversed it into a desire to face
it.
==========
6:30:30 AM
==========
6:32:04 AM
For the Reversal of Desire, the first cue is obvious—right before you’re about to
do something you want to avoid.
==========
6:32:13 AM
At these moments, focus on the exact pain you’d feel if you began the action.
==========
6:32:52 AM
This is the second cue: each time you catch yourself thinking about the dreaded
task, stop thinking and use the tool.
==========
6:53:05 AM
We all have the same reaction at those moments: “This shouldn’t be happening to
me.” As natural as this reaction seems, it’s actually insane: you’re refusing to
accept an event that’s already happened. Nothing is a bigger waste of time.
==========
6:53:52 AM
Inner strength comes only to those who move forward in the face of adversity.
==========
6:54:12 AM
This is where the Reversal of Desire comes in. It bypasses your opinion about what
should be and gives you an active way to accept what is.
==========
6:56:21 AM
But it’s only this inner greatness that gives meaning to our lives;
==========
6:56:44 AM
Inner greatness, on the other hand, develops only when life makes your goals
impossible. You are then faced with a personal, private struggle to reconcile your
plans with what life has planned for you.
==========
6:57:33 AM
The final thing the Reversal of Desire can do for you may be the most important of
all—it allows you to develop courage.
==========
6:57:50 AM
Courage is the ability to act in the face of fear.

==========
6:58:30 AM
To develop courage, you have to give up this illusion of future certainty. This
frees you to focus on the present—the only place you can find the courage to act.
==========
6:58:56 AM
The first step is to learn to experience fear without the mental image of the
dreaded future event. Focus all your awareness on how the fear feels right now, in
the present.
==========
6:59:15 AM
When you’ve separated fear from what you’re afraid of in the future, it becomes
just another kind of pain you process with the Reversal of Desire.
==========
6:59:45 AM
If it seems crazy to desire fear, remember you’re not desiring the terrible event,
just the feeling of fear it brings up.
==========
7:00:17 AM
The goal is to be comfortable enough with fear so that you can act.
==========
7:02:16 AM
The tool trains you to desire the pain you associate with a particular event—not
the event itself. That’s why the instructions direct you to “forget the situation
and focus on the pain.”
==========
7:02:51 AM
Pain is the universe’s way of demanding that you continue to learn. The more pain
you can tolerate, the more you can learn.
==========
7:08:29 AM
The biggest difference between those who succeed and those who fail at any endeavor
is their level of commitment. Most people would like to be committed. But in
practice, commitment requires an endless series of small painful actions. When a
person has no way to deal with that pain, his commitment falls apart.
==========
7:12:05 AM
==========
- Your Note on page 53 | Location 800 | Added on Friday, May 13, 2016 7:12:44 AM
Purpose
==========
7:12:44 AM
Forward Motion.
==========
Microsoft Word - The Anti pick up line_final1_kindle.docx (Unknown)
7:33:41 AM
The goal shouldn’t be to do what you’ve always done because you identify old habits
as “the real you.” It should be to develop killer, authentic habits that convey the
most awesome things about yourself.
==========
7:34:21 AM
“The secret to happiness is freedom. And the secret to freedom is courage.”

==========
7:37:23 AM
Do your damndest to leave everyone better than you found them.

==========
7:39:19 AM
“Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others
can't.”
==========
7:40:10 AM
You must become a better man. You must improve your social skills. You must face
your fears and get the relationships you crave.
==========
7:43:03 AM
Here is the goal of life: To grow and to connect with people.

==========
7:43:22 AM
Focus instead on self-improvement, morality, and human connection. You’re not

developing strong social habits to manipulate people and inflate your ego. You are
developing them because you want amazing people in your life.
==========
7:43:43 AM
We’re becoming the type of men whose mode of being makes women want him and men
want to be like him.
==========
7:44:35 AM
He doesn’t take shit. If he sees bad behavior, he lets you know and then he walks.
==========
7:45:40 AM
For fitness hit the gym.

==========
- Your Note on page 28 | Location 417 | Added on Friday, May 13, 2016 7:46:04 AM
kino bible
==========
7:46:04 AM
You want your look to be commented on.

==========
7:47:07 AM
We are going to start with the most overlooked aspect of male/female interactions.
Touching.
==========
7:47:38 AM
The feelings she feels towards you are a mirror of the body language you display
towards one another. Change one and you change the other.
==========
7:48:02 AM
Instead, don’t lean forward, but pull her to you, then release.
==========
7:48:13 AM
Seriously, try this simple move: pull her towards you by wrapping the crook of your
elbow around her neck when you can’t hear one another.
==========
7:48:51 AM
Establish a habit of touching early in your interactions

==========
7:49:19 AM
Touch arms when she makes you laugh

==========
7:49:24 AM
High five her for being cool

==========
7:49:40 AM
Grab her by the shoulder when you are being faux-serious

==========
11:36:07 AM
What you say first is almost irrelevant, and is certainly not going to make her
fall madly in love with you. You don’t attract women with a line or even a series
of lines. You attract them with your energy.
==========
11:36:19 AM
So build habits that convey your infectious positive energy.

==========
11:36:49 AM
And next to “anything can be learned” there is no more important paradigm shift
than “rejection doesn’t harm me.” You internalize this by trying scary new things
and then carrying on with your day.
==========
11:37:14 AM
Look her in the eye when you speak to her. Finish your sentences without trailing
off. Don’t let your body language or tonality apologize for your presence. Keep
your energy level above hers and draw her into your world.
==========
11:37:56 AM
So you catch her staring. You smile. Walk up to her without breaking eye contact.
You say, “You cannot look at me like that and not say hi.”
==========
11:39:14 AM
Waving rocks. Being visible and silly actually makes every single girl in the bar
easier to talk to, regardless of how the girl you’re waving to responds.
==========
11:39:52 AM
If she isn’t looking at you or you are in a very low-energy environment . . . If I

want to talk to a girl who isn’t looking at me, I’ll say, “I don’t think I’ve met
you yet. I’m (name).” [Smile and extend hand] That’s it. No fancy bells and
whistles. No clever pickup line about falling from the sky. Just your basic
“hello.”
==========
11:40:58 AM
If you can bring fun, they’ll want to keep talking to you.

==========
11:41:11 AM
Improv is spontaneous, organic, and FUN. Play what I call improv games, and your
conversation will be spontaneous, organic, and fun as well.
==========
11:41:32 AM
An improv game is any line of conversation that involves building a fake world.
==========
11:42:09 AM
Conversations, particularly with girls, are often an exchange of frames. Your goal
is to set up a frame that depicts you favorably.
==========
11:44:00 AM
In any improv game, the role you give her should be one she WANTS to play. It is
fun for her to be the prom queen, not the social outcast. If it is fun for her, she
will play along.
==========
11:44:29 AM
If she understands it and she laughs, she has already begun to accept the frame.
The comedic Rule of Three applies (three details makes it funny).
==========
11:44:47 AM
Mix teasing elements (pointed jokes, back turns, implying she is pursuing you) with
complimentary elements (praising her, hugs, implying you guys are a good couple)
and she will get extremely interested.
==========
11:47:34 AM
Her: “Wait, how old are you?” Me: “I’m 57, but I’ve help up really well. Still you
should meet my son, he’s really hot and is about your age.”
==========
11:47:55 AM
“Where do you live?” Me: “Wow, that’s forward! You think I’m just going to let you
come booty call me on day one. I’m impressed. I should warn you, I’m an honorable
gentleman and I’ll have none of your tomfoolery.” (If she really cares I’ll tell
her how I moved from NYC to Rio).
==========
11:48:04 AM
Her: “What do you do?” You: “I’m a stripper. You know like Magic Mike? Go ahead
touch the bicep. The abs are going to cost extra.”
==========
11:49:33 AM
Develop your own answer for “Where are you from?” that reveals your values.
==========
11:49:46 AM
is at play when a woman asks you “What do you do?” Don’t just tell her your
profession. Tell her the story of your profession, how you got into it, and why you
care about it.
==========
11:53:21 AM
Now you just need to proactively bring them up in conversation. An easy way to do
this is to comment when you see someone living up to or failing your standards. So
if you see a waiter be really smiley, that’s a great opportunity to talk about how
important positivity is to you.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 56 | Location 853-854 | Added on Sunday, May 15, 2016
2:59:19 AM
She withdrew; others explode or go into attack mode. But the underlying problem is
the same: you’re so trapped in hurt and anger that you can’t move on.
==========
2:59:50 AM
We call this state “the Maze.” It’s called the Maze because the deeper you get into
it, the harder it is to escape. The person who has “wronged” you becomes your
obsession. It’s as if they’ve taken up residence in your head and you can’t get
them out. You curse them, you argue with them, you plot revenge. In this state, the
other person becomes your jailor, trapping you in a maze of your own repetitive
thoughts.
==========
3:01:19 AM
When you’re in the Maze, you literally forget everything good about the other
person—all you can think about is the wrong he’s committed.
==========
3:03:46 AM
countless hours wasted, rich opportunities lost, an enormous amount of life that
hasn’t been lived.
==========
3:04:06 AM
As a therapist, I’ve witnessed the toll taken by the Maze; countless hours wasted,
rich opportunities lost, an enormous amount of life that hasn’t been lived.
==========
3:06:35 AM
We’re trapped because of a universal human expectation that the world will treat us
fairly.
==========
3:08:57 AM
I’d had an overwhelming experience of a higher force, so powerful it carried me out
of the Maze, beyond my petty hurt feelings and stubborn rage.
==========
3:09:28 AM
The trick to getting out of the Maze is to generate a form of love that’s
independent of your immediate reactions.
==========
3:10:20 AM
Outflow is an infinite, spiritual force that gives of itself without restraint.

It’s like sunlight, shining equally on everything and everyone. The moment you feel
this force, you’re lifted above your petty hurt feelings. You no longer need a
remedy from the offending person because Outflow is its own reward.
==========
3:10:37 AM
Outflow changes your inner state; in an outer sense you’re still free to respond
however you want to.
==========
3:11:52 AM
Although it surrounds you at all times, you can’t perceive it until you’re in a
giving state yourself.
==========
3:14:27 AM
You have to make a conscious effort to generate love when someone has just wronged
you.
==========
3:18:18 AM
The first step is called “concentration.” You’re gathering up all the love that
surrounds you and concentrating it in your heart—which is the only organ that can
find it and hold it.
==========
3:18:41 AM
The second step is called “transmission.” In this step your heart functions as a
conduit, transmitting love from a higher place into this world.
==========
3:18:55 AM
The real power of the tool is in the third step, which is called “penetration.”
When you feel the love you’re transmitting enter the other person, there’s a sense
of total acceptance; an acceptance that comes only with the experience of oneness.
==========
3:23:57 AM
==========
- Your Highlight on page 64 | Location 977-978 | Added on Monday, May 16, 2016
3:29:59 AM
You should get to the point where you can run through the three steps quickly but
with intensity.
==========
3:30:22 AM
The cue is anger: the moment you feel it, use Active Love and keep using it until
you regain your perspective and move on.
==========
3:30:55 AM
You’re reacting to the memory of something done to you weeks or years ago. If you
allow a memory to put you in the Maze, that’s just as damaging as being put there
by something that just happened.
==========
3:31:28 AM
In fact, you should use it whenever you think of these difficult people. As a
result, they’ll take up less space in your head.
==========
3:32:50 AM
I never ask patients to use Active Love because it’s the right thing to do. I tell
them to use it because it’s in their self-interest. I remind them that they don’t
want to live in a state of rage—ever; not because it’s bad, but because it’s
painful and debilitating.
==========
3:33:13 AM
If you find this happening to you, try this simple technique: when you use the
tool, see the other person without a face. A face is the most identifiable aspect
of a person. A body without a face could belong to anyone.
==========
3:33:58 AM
When you give away love, you end up with more than you had when you began.
==========
3:35:24 AM
Confronting someone when we’re enraged never inspires respect; it arouses anger and
fear, but not respect.
==========
3:37:08 AM
Use the tool before you say anything to the other person, even before you’re in his
presence; keep using it until you can feel yourself go into an Outflow state.
==========
3:39:24 AM
Imagine you have a strong sense of needy vulnerability in your heart, almost as if
your heart were begging. Direct your sense of need toward this world of love. The
more deeply you can feel this need, the more real the world of love will become.
==========
3:41:09 AM
Real power doesn’t come from you as an individual. It comes from the fact that
you’re channeling something greater than you.
==========
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Mckeown, Greg)
- Your Highlight on page 11 | Location 159-160 | Added on Tuesday, May 17, 2016
10:23:34 PM
The way of the Essentialist is the relentless pursuit of less but better.
==========
10:23:48 PM
It is about pausing constantly to ask, “Am I investing in the right activities?”

==========
10:24:11 PM
Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the
right things done.
==========
10:24:20 PM
==========
10:25:07 PM
Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our

highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost
effortless.
==========
10:30:58 PM
If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.

==========
10:39:45 PM
At the top of the list: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself,
not the life others expected of me.
==========
10:40:46 PM
“Will this activity or effort make the highest possible contribution toward my
goal?”
==========
10:41:09 PM
“If I didn’t already own this, how much would I spend to buy it?”
==========
10:41:38 PM
you need a system to make executing your intentions as effortless as possible.

==========
10:42:03 PM
It is a discipline you apply each and every time you are faced with a decision
about whether to say yes or whether to politely decline.
==========
Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success (Adam M. Grant Ph.d.)
- Your Highlight on page 17 | Location 253-254 | Added on Wednesday, May 18, 2016
12:33:38 AM
According to conventional wisdom, highly successful people have three things in

common: motivation, ability, and opportunity.
==========
12:33:57 AM
According to conventional wisdom, highly successful people have three things in

common: motivation, ability, and opportunity. If we want to succeed, we need a
combination of hard work, talent, and luck.
==========
12:34:09 AM
success depends heavily on how we approach our interactions with other people.
==========
12:34:21 AM
Every time we interact with another person at work, we have a choice to make: do we
try to claim as much value as we can, or contribute value without worrying about
what we receive in return?
==========
12:37:13 AM
Whereas takers tend to be self-focused, evaluating what other people can offer
them, givers are other-focused, paying more attention to what other people need
from them.
==========
12:37:47 AM
If you’re a giver, you might use a different cost-benefit analysis: you help
whenever the benefits to others exceed the personal costs.
==========
12:38:09 AM
If you’re a giver at work, you simply strive to be generous in sharing your time,
energy, knowledge, skills, ideas, and connections with other people who can benefit
from them.
==========
12:41:18 AM
But when we look at the engineers with the highest productivity, the evidence shows
that they’re givers too.
==========
12:41:35 AM
The worst performers and the best performers are givers; takers and matchers are
more likely to land in the middle.
==========
12:45:45 AM
financial advisers, and sports executives. These givers reverse the popular plan of
succeeding first and giving back later, raising the possibility that those who give
first are often best positioned for success later.
==========
12:46:38 AM
every bit as ambitious as takers and matchers. They simply have

==========
12:46:49 AM
it turns out that successful givers are every bit as ambitious as takers and
matchers. They simply have a different way of pursuing their goals.
==========
12:48:22 AM
In contrast, when givers like David Hornik win, people are rooting for them and
supporting them, rather than gunning for them. Givers succeed in a way that creates
a ripple effect, enhancing the success of people around them.
==========
12:59:30 AM
allies who had supported him. Yet Lincoln invited his bitter competitors instead.
“We needed the strongest men of the party in the Cabinet,”
==========
1:03:48 AM
may well be incompatible with success. In purely zero-sum situations and win-lose
interactions, giving rarely pays off.
==========
1:04:04 AM
on any particular morning, giving may well be incompatible with success. In purely
zero-sum situations and win-lose interactions, giving rarely pays off.
==========
1:04:38 AM
Whether giving is effective, though, depends on the particular

==========
1:05:01 AM
But most of life isn’t zero-sum, and on balance, people who choose giving as their
primary reciprocity style end up reaping rewards.
==========
1:07:00 AM
in today’s connected world, where relationships and reputations are more visible,
givers can accelerate their pace.
==========
6:00:04 AM
As the service sector continues to expand, more and more people are placing a
premium on providers who have established relationships and reputations as givers.
==========
6:11:35 AM
“the single most influential factor,” Jones told me, “was whether a financial
adviser had the client’s best interests at heart, above the company’s and even his
own.
==========
6:15:52 AM
The key, he believes, was learning to harness the benefits of giving while
minimizing the costs.
==========
6:19:11 AM
They report caring more about giving than about power, achievement, excitement,
freedom, tradition, conformity, security, and pleasure.
==========
6:19:28 AM
In the majority of the world’s cultures, including that of the United States, the
majority of people endorse giving as their single most important guiding principle.
==========
6:21:17 AM
But we tend to compartmentalize giving, reserving a different set of values for the
sphere of work.
==========
6:23:01 AM
People who prefer to give or match often feel pressured to lean in the taker
direction when they perceive a workplace as zero-sum.
==========
6:25:27 AM
pay to relationships and the interests of others. The fear of exploitation by
takers is so pervasive, writes the Cornell economist Robert Frank, that “by
encouraging us to expect the worst in others it brings out the worst in us:
dreading the role of the chump, we are often loath to heed our nobler instincts.”
==========
6:29:14 AM
and he’s widely respected for his generosity. “It’s a win-win,” Hornik reflects. “I
get to create an environment where other people can get deals and build
relationships, and I live in the world I want to live in.”
==========
6:32:38 AM
Instead of aiming to succeed first and give back later, you might decide that
giving first is a promising path to succeeding later.
==========
6:52:29 AM
networks come with three major advantages: private information, diverse skills, and
power. By developing a strong network, people can gain invaluable access to
knowledge, expertise, and influence.
==========
6:53:52 AM
givers are able to produce far more lasting value through their networks, and in
ways that might not seem obvious.
==========
6:56:06 AM
“If you set out to help others,” he explains, “you will rapidly reinforce your own
reputation and expand your universe of possibilities.”
==========
6:59:07 AM
This is another sign that Lay was a taker: he was obsessed with making a good
impression upward, but worried less about how he was seen by those below him.
==========
7:00:07 AM
and freer to express their natural tendencies. As takers gain power, they pay less
attention to how they’re perceived by those below and next to them; they feel
entitled to pursue self-serving goals and claim as much value as they can. Over
time, treating peers and subordinates poorly jeopardizes their relationships and
reputations.
==========
7:00:25 AM
After all, most people are matchers: their core values emphasize fairness,
equality, and reciprocity. When takers violate these principles, matchers in their
networks believe in an eye for an eye, so they want to see justice served.
==========
7:03:21 AM
“If we create networks with the sole intention of getting something, we won’t
succeed. We can’t pursue the benefits of networks; the benefits ensue from
investments in meaningful activities and relationships.”
==========
7:19:08 AM
Reciprocity is a powerful norm, but it comes with two downsides, both of which
contribute to the cautiousness with which many of us approach networking. The first
downside is that people on the receiving end often feel like they’re being
manipulated.
==========
7:20:56 AM
When favors come with strings attached or implied, the interaction can leave a bad
taste, feeling more like a transaction than part of a meaningful relationship.
==========
7:23:18 AM
Many matchers operate based on the attitude of “I’ll do something for you, if
you’ll do something for me,” writes LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, so they “limit
themselves to deals in which their immediate
==========
7:23:37 AM
Many matchers operate based on the attitude of “I’ll do something for you, if
you’ll do something for me,” writes LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, so they “limit
themselves to deals in which their immediate benefit is at least as great as the
benefits for others . . . If you insist on a quid pro quo every time you help
others, you will have a much narrower network.”
==========
7:24:23 AM
“When you meet people,” says former Apple evangelist and Silicon Valley legend Guy
Kawasaki, regardless of who they are, “you should be asking yourself, ‘How can I
help the other person?’”
==========
7:27:14 AM
Rifkin’s experiences foreshadow how givers have the advantage of accessing the full
breadth of their networks. One of Rifkin’s maxims is “I believe in the strength of
weak ties.”
==========
7:27:52 AM
Strong ties provide bonds, but weak ties serve as bridges: they provide more
efficient access to new information.
==========
7:30:48 AM
pronoia is “the delusional belief that other people are plotting your well-being,
or saying nice things about you behind your back.” If you’re a giver, this belief
may be a reality, not a delusion.
==========
7:34:53 AM
Dormant ties offer the access to novel information that weak ties afford, but
without the discomfort. As Levin and colleagues explain, “reconnecting a dormant
relationship is not like starting a relationship from scratch. When people
reconnect, they still have feelings of trust.”
==========
7:37:16 AM
When we need new information, we may run out of weak ties quickly, but we have a
large pool of dormant ties that prove to be helpful.
==========
7:38:56 AM
Dormant ties are the neglected value in our networks, and givers have a distinctive
edge over takers and matchers in unlocking this value.
==========
7:39:18 AM
If the dormant ties are matchers, they may be motivated to punish takers, as we saw
in the ultimatum game.
==========
7:42:09 AM
The takers were black holes. They sucked the energy from those around them. The
givers were suns: they injected light around the organization.
==========
7:42:17 AM
Givers created opportunities for their colleagues to contribute, rather than

imposing their ideas and hogging credit for achievements. When they disagreed with
suggestions, givers showed respect for the people who spoke up, rather than
belittling them.
==========
7:47:51 AM
He believes that we should see networks as a vehicle for creating value for
everyone, not just claiming it for ourselves.
==========
7:49:19 AM
of trading value, Rifkin aims to add value. His giving is governed by a simple
rule: the five-minute favor. “You should be willing to do something that will take
you five minutes or less for anybody.”
==========
7:49:52 AM
“I’ll do this for you without expecting anything specific back from you, in the
confident expectation that someone else will do something for me down the road.”
==========
7:51:30 AM
Every time Rifkin generously shares his expertise or connections, he’s investing in
encouraging the people in his network to act like givers.
==========
7:53:01 AM
When Rifkin does ask people for help, he’s usually asking for assistance in helping
someone else. This increases the odds that the people in his vast network will seek
to add value rather than trade value, opening the door for him and others to gain
benefits from people they’ve never helped—or even met.
==========
7:54:26 AM
“Adam always wants to make sure that whoever he’s giving to is also giving to
somebody else. If people benefit from his advice, he makes sure they help other
people he gives advice to—it’s creating a network, and making sure that everybody
in his network is helping each other, paying it forward.”
==========
7:57:06 AM
When giving starts to occur, it becomes the norm, and people carry it forward in
interactions with other people.
==========
8:02:36 AM
The presence of a single giver was enough to establish a norm of giving.

==========
9:16:25 AM
If you do something for somebody in the group, then when you need it, someone in
the group will do something for you.”
==========
9:22:06 AM
the givers only took a productivity dive when they gave infrequently. Of all
engineers, the most productive were those who gave often—and gave more than they
received.
==========
9:31:31 AM
Genius makers tend to be givers: they use their “intelligence to amplify the smarts
and capabilities” of other people, Wiseman writes, such that “lightbulbs go off
over people’s heads, ideas flow, and problems get solved.”
==========
2:30:40 PM
To reduce the risk of patient mortality, the surgeons needed relationships with
specific surgical team members.
==========
1:39:03 AM
Givers reject the notion that interdependence is weak. Givers are more likely to
see interdependence as a source of strength, a way to harness the skills of
multiple people for a greater good.
==========
1:42:54 AM
This is a defining feature of how givers collaborate: they take on the tasks that
are in the group’s best interest, not necessarily their own personal interests.
==========
1:44:25 AM
When givers put a group’s interests ahead of their own, they signal that their
primary goal is to benefit the group. As a result, givers earn the respect of their
collaborators.
==========
1:45:30 AM
highly talented people tend to make others jealous, placing themselves at risk of
being disliked, resented, ostracized, and undermined. But if these talented people
are also givers, they no longer have a target on their backs. Instead, givers are
appreciated for their contributions to the group.
==========
1:45:46 AM
Meyer summarizes his code of honor as “(1) Show up. (2) Work hard. (3) Be kind. (4)
Take the high road.” As
==========
1:46:05 AM
Meyer summarizes his code of honor as “(1) Show up. (2) Work hard. (3) Be kind. (4)
Take the high road.”
==========
1:49:23 AM
The thing about credit is that it’s not zero-sum. There’s room for everybody, and
you’ll shine if other people are shining.”
==========
1:57:41 AM
‘unwritten commandments’ of scientific research,” which included “Thou shalt give

credit to others.”
==========
1:59:22 AM
“Even when people are well intentioned,” writes LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman,
“they tend to overvalue their own contributions and undervalue those of others.”
==========
1:59:39 AM
“Even when people are well intentioned,” writes LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman,
“they tend to overvalue their own contributions and undervalue those of others.”
This responsibility bias is a major source of failed collaborations.
==========
2:02:42 AM
The key to balancing our responsibility judgments is to focus our attention on what
others have contributed. All you need to do is make a list of what your partner
contributes before you estimate your own contribution.
==========
2:03:45 AM
they take care to recognize what other people contribute.

==========
2:04:34 AM
The givers shouldered the blame for failures and gave their partners more credit
for successes.
==========
2:05:36 AM
tried to create a climate in the room where everybody feels that they can
contribute, that it’s okay to fall on your face many, many times,” he says. This is
known as psychological safety—the belief that you can take a risk without being
penalized or punished.
==========
2:06:51 AM
Tim Long told me that when you give Meyer a script to read, “It’s as if you just
handed him a baby, and it’s his responsibility to tell you if your baby’s sick. He
really cares about great writing—and about you.”
==========
The-Millionaire-Fastlane-Fastlane-Distinctions-and-Chapter-Summaries (Stephen
Pasquini)
12:10:52 PM
Fast wealth is created exponentially, not linearly.

==========
Pasquini)
12:11:30 PM
Process makes millionaires. Events are by-products of process.

==========
Pasquini)
12:12:56 PM
The Wealth Trinity: What is wealth? 1. Family (relationships) 2. Fitness (health)

3. Freedom (choice)
==========
Pasquini)
12:13:10 PM
Wealth is strong-spirited familial relationships with people. Not just your family,
but with people, your community, your God, and your friends.
==========
Pasquini)
12:13:20 PM
wealth is freedom and choice: freedom to live how you want to live, what, when, and
where.
==========
Pasquini)
12:14:28 PM
Affordability is when you don’t have to think about it.

==========
Pasquini)
12:15:01 PM
Money secures one agent of the wealth formula, freedom, which is a powerful
guardian to wealth’s sibling ingredients: health and relationships.
==========
Pasquini)
12:15:52 PM
Money, properly used, can buy freedom, which can lead to happiness.
==========
Pasquini)
12:17:25 PM
When you consistently act and bombard the world with your efforts, interacting with
the waves of others, stuff happens.
==========
Pasquini)
12:18:01 PM
Luck is created by increased probabilities that are improved with the process of
action.
==========
Pasquini)
12:19:47 PM
Accountability is being culpable to your consequences and modifying your behavior

if need be to prevent those consequences.
==========
Pasquini)
12:20:04 PM
You can’t be a victim if you don’t relinquish power to someone capable of making
you a victim.
==========
Pasquini)
12:20:13 PM
Taking responsibility is the first step to taking the driver’s seat of your life.
Accountability is the final.
==========
Pasquini)
12:21:01 PM
It’s my responsibility to provide for my family although for that plan to work I
have to rely on others, including my employer, my financial adviser, the
government, and a good economy.
==========
Pasquini)
12:21:48 PM
On Friday, people are paid FREEDOM in the currency of Saturday and Sunday!
==========
Pasquini)
12:22:01 PM
While people easily recognize and reject a negative 60% return on their money, they
do it willingly with their time.
==========
Pasquini)
12:22:38 PM
Wealth is best experienced when you’re young, vibrant, and able, not in the
twilight of your life.
==========
Pasquini)
12:22:52 PM
The default return on your time in the Slowlane is negative 60%—5-for-2.

==========
Pasquini)
12:23:04 PM
The predisposed destination of the Slowlane is mediocrity. Life isn’t great, but it
isn’t so bad either.
==========
Pasquini)
12:24:09 PM
working faithfully 8 hours a day, you may eventually get to be the boss and work 12
hours a day. ~
==========
Pasquini)
12:24:27 PM
If you don’t control your income, you don’t control your financial plan. If you
don’t control your financial plan, you don’t control your freedom.
==========
Pasquini)
12:24:42 PM
In a job, you sell your freedom (in the form of time) for freedom (in the form of
money).
==========
Pasquini)
12:25:38 PM
For the hourly worker, your maximum upper limit is 24 hours, and guess what.
There’s nothing you can do to change this limit. In theory, you can trade 24 hours
of your day for income, but you can’t trade more.
==========
Pasquini)
12:28:24 PM
Wealth cannot be accelerated when pegged to mathematics based on time.

==========
Pasquini)
12:28:31 PM
Time is your primordial fuel and it should not be traded for money.
==========
Pasquini)
12:30:05 PM
If the "do as I say" doesn't match the "do as I do", you should be suspicious.
==========
Pasquini)
12:31:14 PM
Exponential income growth and expense management creates wealth—not just by

curtailing expenses.
==========
Pasquini)
12:32:09 PM
The Fastlane roadmap is predisposed to wealth. • The Fastlane Roadmap is capable of

generating “Get Rich Quick” results, not to be confused with “Get Rich Easy.”
==========
Pasquini)
12:32:39 PM
You’ve been conditioned to demand: to want products, to need products, to buy

products, and of course, to seek out the cheapest of those
==========
Pasquini)
12:32:43 PM
become a producer first and a consumer second.

==========
Pasquini)
12:32:57 PM
Break free from consumption, switch sides, and reorient to the world as producer.
==========
Pasquini)
12:33:08 PM
To switch teams and become a producer, you need to be an entrepreneur and an

innovator. You
==========
Pasquini)
12:33:15 PM
You need to give birth to a business and offer the world value.
==========
Pasquini)
12:34:41 PM
When you succeed as a producer, you can consume anything you want. • Fastlaners are
producers, entrepreneurs, innovators, visionaries, and creators.
==========
Pasquini)
12:35:30 PM
The key to the Fastlane wealth equation is to have a high speed limit, or an
unlimited range of values for units sold. This creates leverage. The market for
your product or service determines your upper limit.
==========
Pasquini)
12:35:49 PM
The primary wealth accelerant for the rich is asset value, defined as appreciable
assets created, founded, or bought.
==========
Pasquini)
12:37:20 PM
Money trees are business systems that survive on their own. They require periodic
support and nurturing but survive on their own, creating a surrogate for your time-
for-money trade.
==========
Pasquini)
12:37:45 PM
• To divorce yourself from the Slowlane’s transactional relationship of “time for

money,” you need to become a producer, specifically, a business owner.
==========
Pasquini)
12:38:51 PM
A Fastlane objective is to create a business system that survives time, exclusive

of your time.
==========
Pasquini)
12:39:19 PM
The 5 money-tree seedlings are rental systems, computer systems, content systems,
distribution systems, and human-resource systems. • Real estate, licenses, and
patents are examples of rental systems. • Internet and software businesses are
examples of computer systems. • Authoring books, blogging, and magazines are forms
of content systems. • Franchising, chaining, network marketing, and television
marketing are examples of distribution systems. • Human resource systems can add or
subtract to passivity.
==========
Pasquini)
12:42:05 PM
(the middle-class) use compound interest to get wealthy while Fastlaners (the rich)
use it to create income and liquidity.
==========
Pasquini)
12:42:31 PM
Yet, compound interest is not responsible for my wealth. This is critical.

Fastlaners aren’t using compound interest to build wealth, because it’s not in
their wealth equation. The heavy lifting of wealth creation is left to their
Fastlane business.
==========
Pasquini)
12:43:07 PM
A saved dollar is the best passive income instrument.

==========
Pasquini)
12:43:41 PM
The Law of Effection states that the more lives you affect in an entity you
control, in scale and/or magnitude, the richer you will become.
==========
Pasquini)
12:44:44 PM
Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and
unconsciously. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of
all aspects of your life. You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge
of yourself.
==========
Pasquini)
12:46:15 PM
Poor choices are the leading cause of poorness.

==========
Pasquini)
12:46:46 PM
Youthful choices radiate the most strength and fabricate the trunk of your tree. As
the branches ascend topside through time, they get thinner and weaker. They don’t
have enough power to bend the tree in new directions because the trunk is thick
with age, experience, and reinforced habits.
==========
Pasquini)
12:47:42 PM
Success is hundreds of choices that form process. Process forms lifestyle. • Choice
is the most powerful control you have in your life.
==========
Pasquini)
12:47:48 PM
The younger you are, the more potent your choices are and the more horsepower you
possess.
==========
Pasquini)
12:49:00 PM
What you choose to perceive, or not perceive, will manifest itself to a choice of
action, or inaction. • You can change your choice of perception by aligning
yourself with those who experience the perception as reality.
==========
Pasquini)
12:52:41 PM
The kindergarten kids believed they could sing because no one had told them
otherwise.
==========
Pasquini)
12:55:58 PM
The natural gravity of society is not to be exceptional, but average. • Toxic

relationships drain energy and detract from your goals to be extraordinary.
==========
Pasquini)
12:56:21 PM
Time isn’t a commodity, something you pass around like a cake. Time is the
substance of life. When anyone asks you to give your time, they’re really asking
for a chunk of your life.
==========
Pasquini)
12:56:38 PM
When life sucks, escapes are sought. I don’t need television because I invested my
time into a real life worth living, not a fictitious escape that airs every Tuesday
night at 8 p.m.
==========
Pasquini)
12:56:49 PM
time is an asset that is undervalued and mindlessly squandered.

==========
Pasquini)
12:57:26 PM
You can live in blissful happiness or in a miserable depression—time is indifferent

and it just bleeds away. Since time is scarce, wouldn’t it make sense not to waste
3 hours of your life for a $6 bucket of chicken?
==========
Pasquini)
12:59:11 PM
When you spend your entire weekend “recharging” from the workweek, this is
indentured time. Indentured time is actual work and the work you must do for the
work. Morning rituals, traffic, compiling reports at home, solitary “recharges”—
whatever time spent earning a buck is indentured time.
==========
Pasquini)
12:59:25 PM
you can manipulate your time ratio. Wouldn’t it be nice to have one day of
indentured time and six days of free time? If you can steal free time from the
hands of indentured time, life will have more of the “right time” versus the “wrong
time.”
==========
Pasquini)
1:01:00 PM
Fastlaners regard time as the king of all assets.

==========
Pasquini)
1:01:20 PM
Fastlaners seek to transform indentured time into free time.

==========
Pasquini)
1:01:45 PM
Parasitic debt eats free time and excretes it as indentured time. • Lifestyle
extravagances have two costs: the cost itself and the cost to free time.
==========
Pasquini)
1:03:27 PM
we producers know: People are lazy. People want it handed to them. People don’t
want to read and connect the dots; they want it done for them. People want to be
steered. They want someone to drive their vehicle. People want events, not process,
==========
Pasquini)
1:03:49 PM
A Fastlaner’s education serves to advance their business system and their money
tree, not to raise intrinsic value.
==========
Pasquini)
1:04:00 PM
Fastlaner’s aren’t interested in being a cog in the wheel. They want to be the
wheel.
==========
Pasquini)
1:06:10 PM
Most people are consumers who are two paychecks from broke. Most people won’t
invest long hours into their business system while friends are living it up on
credit. Most people will allow friends and family to deflate their dreams with
“that won’t work” directives. Most people start excited and gush with exuberance
but give up at the first pothole or failure. Most people succumb to “I quit” and
give up not knowing that they are one or two plays away from a touchdown—the
Fastlane exponential growth curve.
==========
Pasquini)
1:06:41 PM
Fastlane success requires an investment toll of time and effort. This is the toll
that makes you special and keeps everyone else OUT. This Redlined effort cannot be
bypassed nor outsourced. Prime your expectations for work and sacrifice, know your
destination, envision your dreams, ready your means, and know that you are simply
paying the toll because you don’t want to trade 5-for-2 for life!
==========
Pasquini)
1:07:58 PM
Unfortunately, this ludicrous analogy is the paradox you face if you fear failure
and refuse to release the brakes. The sweat of success is failure. While you can’t
build cardiovascular endurance without sweating, you can’t experience success
without failure. Failure is simply a natural response to success. If you avoid
failure you will also avoid success.
==========
Pasquini)
1:08:28 PM
Arm your expectations to hard work, sacrifice, and other bumps in the road. These
are the land mines where the weak are removed from the road and sent back to the
land of “most people.”
==========
Pasquini)
1:08:47 PM
Intelligent risks have unlimited upside (long term) and limited downside (short
term.)
==========
Pasquini)
1:08:58 PM
There is never perfect timing and waiting for “someday” just wastes time.
==========
Pasquini)
1:11:06 PM
The best roads and the purest Fastlanes satisfy the Five Fastlane Commandments:
Need, Entry, Control, Scale, and Time.
==========
Pasquini)
1:11:26 PM
Businesses that solve needs win. Businesses that provide value win.
==========
Pasquini)
1:11:41 PM
People care about what your business can do for them. How will it help them? What’s
in it for them? Will it solve their problem? Make their life easier?
==========
Pasquini)
1:11:52 PM
Instead, chase needs, problems, pain points, service deficiencies, and emotions.
==========
Pasquini)
1:12:26 PM
Solve needs massively and money massively attracts.

==========
Pasquini)
1:13:54 PM
You need a passion for something greater. It is different for everybody, but when
you find it, you will do anything for it.
==========
Pasquini)
- Your Note on page 39 | Location 587 | Added on Sunday, May 22, 2016 1:14:18 PM
statt with why

==========
Pasquini)
1:14:58 PM
No one cares about your selfish desires for dreams or money; people only want to
know what your business can do for them.
==========
Pasquini)
1:15:14 PM
Help one million people and you will be a millionaire.

==========
Pasquini)
1:15:36 PM
When you have the financial resources, you can “do what you love” and not get paid
for it, nor do you have to be good at it.
==========
Pasquini)
1:15:57 PM
Having a passionate “why” can transform work into joy.

==========
Pasquini)
1:16:17 PM
The Commandment of Entry states that as entry barriers fall, competition rises and
the road weakens.
==========
Pasquini)
1:18:18 PM
If someone can “flip a switch” and destroy your business, you’re playing roulette
with your financial plan.
==========
Pasquini)
1:19:33 PM
Hitchhikers are party to someone else’s Fastlane plan. Make the world your habitat
of play in an organization you control.
==========
Pasquini)
1:19:48 PM
Network marketing is a powerful distribution system. As a Fastlaner, seek to own

one, not join one.
==========
Pasquini)
1:20:10 PM
A business that lacks scale acts like a car with a speed governor that prevents
acceleration.
==========
Pasquini)
1:20:43 PM
Doctors who own practices and hire other doctors get full access to Effection and
get rich.
==========
Pasquini)
1:20:58 PM
The larger the habitat, the greater the potential for wealth.
==========
Pasquini)
1:21:25 PM
The Commandment of Time asks: Can this business be automated and systematized to
operate while I’m absent?
==========
Pasquini)
1:25:56 PM
Thou shalt not invest in a needless business. Thou shalt not trade time for money.
Thou shalt not operate on a limited scale. Thou shalt not relinquish control. Thou
shalt not let a business startup be an event over process.
==========
Pasquini)
1:26:09 PM
The best Fastlanes satisfy all five Commandments: Control, Entry, Need, Time, and
Scale.
==========
Pasquini)
1:26:40 PM
Moral: Solve other people’s problems and you will solve your own money problems!
==========
Pasquini)
1:26:56 PM
Competition is everywhere, and your objective should be to “do it better.”

==========
Pasquini)
1:27:11 PM
The world’s most successful entrepreneurs didn’t have a blockbuster ideas; they
just took existing concepts and made them better, or exposed them to more people.
==========
Pasquini)
1:27:30 PM
You can’t build a financial empire if you’re ignorant of basic finance and
economics. These disciplines are the building blocks to a financial empire, and
without them the Sidewalk becomes a danger.
==========
Pasquini)
1:27:39 PM
The Fastlane is the means to your end because dreams cost money.
==========
Pasquini)
1:27:52 PM
Daily saving reinforces your relationship with money; it is your passive system
that buys freedom and another soldier added to your army.
==========
Pasquini)
1:28:16 PM
For the Fastlaner, “Live below your means” means to expand your means.
==========
Pasquini)
1:29:02 PM
Others share your blockbuster idea. He who thinks the idea owns nothing. He who
executes the idea owns everything.
==========
Pasquini)
1:29:24 PM
Create a prototype! Create a brand! Create a track record that others can see or
touch! Dive into process. When you have a physical manifestation of an idea,
investors will open their wallets.
==========
Pasquini)
1:29:31 PM
Business plans are useless because they are ideas on steroids.

==========
Pasquini)
1:30:05 PM
when you violate your client’s customer service expectation profile positively, you
turn your customers into loyal, repeat buyers,
==========
Pasquini)
1:30:16 PM
Anywhere customer service is expected to suck, you have a business opportunity.

==========
Pasquini)
1:31:02 PM
Satisfied customers can be human resource systems who promote your business for
free.
==========
Pasquini)
1:31:18 PM
A business partnership is as important as a marriage.

==========
Pasquini)
1:31:32 PM
Accountants and attorneys have the keys to your castle; make sure you trust them
fully because they have the power to right or wrong you.
==========
Pasquini)
1:32:13 PM
Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, ‘Make me feel
important.
==========
Pasquini)
1:32:31 PM
There are five ways to get your message above the noise: Polarize Arouse emotions
Be risqué Encourage interaction and Be unconventional
==========
Pasquini)
1:33:03 PM
Businesses survive. Brands thrive.

==========
Pasquini)
1:33:15 PM
People have a natural disposition to be unique and unlike everyone else. • To

succeed in marketing, your messages have to break above the advertising clutter, or
noise.
==========
Pasquini)
1:33:24 PM
Polarization is a great above-the-noise tool if your product targets a polarized

audience—usually politics, minority opinions, and even sports teams.
==========
Pasquini)
1:33:34 PM
If you can arouse emotions in your audience, you will be more likely to convince
them to buy. • People have a natural disposition to talk about themselves. If you
can incorporate interaction into your campaigns, you will have better success.
==========
Pasquini)
1:33:45 PM
Consumers are selfishly motivated. Always target your messages toward the
predisposition of “What’s in it for me?”
==========
Pasquini)
1:34:19 PM
Focus on one thing and do it in the most excellent way.

==========
Pasquini)
1:34:43 PM
Swap your allegiances from consumer to producer.

==========
Pasquini)
1:34:55 PM
“The more people whose lives you affect in an environment you control, the more
money you will make.” Impact millions and you will make millions.
==========
Pasquini)
1:35:32 PM
HAVE what others NEED and money will flow into your life.
==========
Pasquini)
1:35:44 PM
When you do, money flows into your life because money is attracted to those who
have what others want, desire, crave, or need.
==========
Pasquini)
1:35:53 PM
The best passive-income money-tree seedlings are money systems, rental systems,
computer systems, content systems, distribution systems, and human resource
systems.
==========
Pasquini)
1:36:45 PM
Not play on Team Consumer, but switch to Team Producer.

==========
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder (Taleb, Nassim Nicholas)
4:51:42 PM
we are largely better at doing than we are at thinking, thanks to antifragility.
I’d rather be dumb and antifragile than extremely smart and fragile, any time.
==========
4:53:03 PM
This provides a solution to what I’ve called the Black Swan problem—the
impossibility of calculating the risks of consequential rare events and predicting
their occurrence.
==========
4:53:35 PM
anything that has more upside than downside from random events (or certain shocks)
is antifragile; the reverse is fragile.
==========
4:55:06 PM
everything bottom-up thrives under the right amount of stress and disorder.
==========
4:56:37 PM
The chief ethical rule is the following: Thou shalt not have antifragility at the
expense of the fragility of others.
==========
4:59:11 PM
When the response is plotted on a graph, it does not show as a straight line
(“linear”), rather as a curve.
==========
5:01:05 PM
Antifragility is not just the antidote to the Black Swan; understanding it makes us
less intellectually fearful in accepting the role of these events as necessary for
history, technology, knowledge, everything.
==========
5:01:49 PM
Given the unattainability of perfect robustness, we need a mechanism by which the

system regenerates itself continuously by using, rather than suffering from, random
events, unpredictable shocks, stressors, and volatility.
==========
5:03:26 PM
But fragility and antifragility are part of the current property of an object, a
coffee table, a company, an industry, a country, a political system.
==========
5:08:45 PM
how to not be afraid to work with things we patently don’t understand, and, more
principally, in what manner we should work with these.
==========
5:35:10 PM
The entire point of the Triad is that in many situations we can measure the
strength of the string.
==========
5:36:03 PM
You want to be Phoenix, or possibly Hydra. Otherwise the sword of Damocles will get
you.
==========
5:42:29 PM
the road to robustification starts with a modicum of harm.

==========
5:45:04 PM
But the larger point is that we can now see that depriving systems of stressors,
vital stressors, is not necessarily a good thing, and can be downright harmful.
==========
5:47:55 PM
We are all, in a way, similarly handicapped, unable to recognize the same idea when
it is presented in a different context.
==========
5:50:47 PM
The excess energy released from overreaction to setbacks is what innovates!

==========
11:39:02 PM
Undercompensation from the absence of a stressor, inverse hormesis, absence

==========
11:39:13 PM
Undercompensation from the absence of a stressor, inverse hormesis, absence of
challenge, degrades the best of the best. In
==========
11:39:36 PM
Also, it is a well-known trick that if you need something urgently done, give the
task to the busiest (or second busiest) person in the office.
==========
11:39:48 PM
busier they get, the more active they are at other tasks.
==========
11:40:31 PM
most powerful traders were the least audible. One should have enough self-control
to make the audience work hard to listen, which causes them to switch into
intellectual overdrive.
==========
11:46:07 PM
system that overcompensates is necessarily in overshooting mode, building extra

capacity and strength in anticipation of a worse outcome and in response to
information about the possibility of a hazard. And of course such extra capacity or
strength may become useful by itself, opportunistically.
==========
12:00:48 AM
Criticism itself can be antifragile to repression, when the fault finder wants to
be attacked in return in order to get some validation.
==========
12:04:14 AM
Almost no scandal would hurt an artist or writer.

==========
12:05:23 AM
With few exceptions, those who dress outrageously are robust or even antifragile in
reputation; those clean-shaven types who dress in suits and ties are fragile to
information about them.
==========
12:06:21 AM
people lend the most to those who need them the least.
==========
Millionaire Teacher (Andrew Hallam)
3:58:25 PM
Before we learn to invest to build wealth, we have to learn how to save. If we want
to grow rich on a middle-class salary, we can’t be average. We have to sidestep the
consumption habits to which so many others have fallen victim.
==========
3:59:23 PM
But regardless of how high people’s salaries are, if they can’t live well without
their job, then they aren’t truly rich.
==========
4:00:10 PM
Based on my definition of wealth, if an American’s investments can annually

generate twice that amount ($100,442 or more), then that person is rich.
==========
4:01:54 PM
greatest secrets of wealth building: your perceptions dictate your spending habits.
==========
4:02:02 PM
The surest way to grow rich over time is to start by spending a lot less than you
make.
==========
4:03:32 PM
Whatever money you save on a car (not to mention the savings from interest payments
if you can’t buy the car outright) can go toward wealth-building investments.
==========
4:04:27 PM
Russ believed in investing in assets such as houses or stocks that could appreciate
over time. Anything destined to lose money, such as cars, he deemed a liability.
==========
4:06:02 PM
“When you buy a car,” Russ said, “think about the resale value.” The bulk of the
depreciation on a new vehicle occurs in the first year. Russ recommended I never
buy new cars, and only buy a car if someone else had covered the bulk of the
depreciation.
==========
4:10:28 PM
“If the interest rate doubled, could you still afford to make the payment?”
==========
4:13:07 PM
So for me, money was equated with work. I would see a desired object costing “just”
$10, but then I would ask myself if I wanted to mop the supermarket floor and stack
50-pound sacks of
==========
4:13:18 PM
potatoes to pay for it. If the answer was no, then I wouldn’t buy it. Never
receiving “free” money allowed me to adopt responsible spending habits.
==========
4:13:55 PM
But thinking of debt as a life-threatening, contagious disease served me pretty

==========
4:17:00 PM
Because I had been investing money since I was 19, I already had a growing nest
egg. But I wasn’t willing to sell any of my investments to pay down my loans.
==========
4:17:44 PM
That said, if you want to be wealthy, you dramatically increase your odds if you’re
frugal, especially when you’re young.
==========
4:18:57 PM
Starting early is the greatest gift you can give yourself. If you start early and
if you invest efficiently
==========
4:19:41 PM
For the best odds of amassing wealth in the stock and bond markets, it’s best to
start early.
==========
4:20:52 PM
The money that doesn’t go toward expensive cars, the latest tech gadgets, and
credit-card payments (assuming you have paid off your credit debts) can compound
dramatically in the stock market if you’re patient. And the longer your money is
invested in the stock market, the lower the risk.
==========
4:21:12 PM
Instead, to ensure the best chances of success, owning an interest in all of the
world’s stock markets is a good idea. And you can benefit exponentially by
investing as early as you can. The younger you are when you start investing, the
better.
==========
4:23:59 PM
“Setting aside” money for a child, however, is very different from encouraging a
child to earn, save, and invest.
==========
4:24:55 PM
By writing down expenses, two things generally occur. You get an idea of how much
you spend in a month, providing an idea of how much you can invest. It also makes
you accountable for your spending, which encourages most people to cut back. The
next step is to figure out exactly what you get paid in the average month.
==========
4:25:07 PM
Don’t wait until the end of the month to invest that money; instead, make the
transfer payment to your investment of choice on the day you get paid.
==========
4:26:02 PM
Over the years, your salary will most likely rise. If it increases by $1,000 in a
given year, add at least half of it to your investment account, while putting the
rest in a separate account for something special. That way, you’ll get rewarded
twice for the salary increase.
==========
4:28:52 PM
(If there are more buyers than sellers, the share price rises. If there are more
sellers than buyers, the share price falls.)
==========
4:30:38 PM
one of the best ways to invest in the stock market is to own every stock in the
market, rather than trying to follow the strategy of Burns and guess which stocks
will rise.
==========
4:31:07 PM
Invest early, and invest frequently.

==========
4:33:27 PM
With just three index funds, your money can be spread over nearly every available
global money basket: 1. A home country stock market index (for Americans, this
would be a U.S. index; for Canadians, a Canadian stock index) 2. An international
stock market index (holding the widest array of international stocks from
==========
4:33:38 PM
around the world) 3. A government bond market index (money you would lend to a
government for a guaranteed stable rate of interest)
==========
4:39:21 PM
Most say index funds have the advantage over 80 percent of actively managed funds
over a period of 10 years or more.
==========
4:43:02 PM
Are there dozens of funds that have beaten the stock market indexes over the past
5, 10 or 15 years? Sure there are. But those funds, despite their track records,
aren’t likely to repeat their winning streaks. Mutual fund investing is a rare
example of how, paradoxically, historical excellence means nothing.
==========
4:43:29 PM
Academics refer to something they call “reversion to the mean.” In practical terms,
actively managed funds that outperform the indexes typically revert to the mean or
worse.
==========
4:45:14 PM
Over an investment lifetime, it’s a virtual certainty that a portfolio of index

funds will beat a portfolio of actively managed mutual funds, after all expenses.
But over a one-, three-, or even a five-year period, there’s always a chance that a
person’s actively managed funds will outperform the indexes.
==========
4:46:56 PM
“fee-only” financial planner charging an hourly rate can be a professional

partnership that helps you create a successful portfolio of index funds.
==========
4:47:28 PM
You pay a small fee of $250 a year, and an adviser working for Vanguard will help
you invest your money. When your account exceeds $250,000, the service is free.
==========
4:51:21 PM
1. Index fund investing will provide the highest statistical chance of success,
compared with actively managed mutual fund investing. 2. Nobody yet has devised a
system of choosing which actively managed mutual funds will consistently beat stock
market indexes. Ignore people who suggest otherwise. 3. Don’t be impressed by the
historical returns of any actively managed mutual fund. Choosing to invest in a
fund, based on its past performance, is one of the silliest things an investor can
do. 4. Index funds extend their superiority over actively managed funds when the
invested money is in a taxable account. 5. Remember the conflict of interest that
most advisers face. They don’t want you to buy index funds because they (the
brokers) make far more money in commissions and trailer fees when they convince you
to buy actively managed funds.
==========
4:53:56 PM
Whether it’s an index fund or an actively managed mutual fund, most investors
perform worse than the funds they own—because they like to buy high, and they hate
buying low.
==========
4:55:12 PM
As investors, you really don’t have to watch the stock market to see if it’s going
up or down. In fact, if you bought a market index fund for 25 years, with an equal
dollar amount going into that fund each month (called “dollar-cost averaging”) and
if that fund averaged 10 percent annually, you would have averaged 10 percent or
more. Why more? If you put a regular $100 a month into a fund, that $100 would have
bought fewer unit shares of that fund when prices were high, but it would have
bought more unit shares of that fund when prices were lower.
==========
4:56:13 PM
Disciplined index investors who don’t self-sabotage their accounts can end up with
a portfolio that’s easily twice as large as that of the average investor over a 25-
year period.
==========
4:56:41 PM
They’ll feel good about buying into the markets when they’re expensive, and they
won’t be as keen to buy when they’re on sale. I don’t want you to be like your
neighbors. Avoid that kind of self-destructive behavior and you’ll increase your
odds of building wealth as an investor.
==========
4:58:20 PM
Doing nothing but holding onto your total stock market index fund might sound
boring during a financial boom and it might sound terrifying during a financial
meltdown. But the vast majority of people (including professionals) who try jumping
in and out of the stock market allow their emotional judgments to hurt their
profits as they often end up buying high and selling low.
==========
4:59:35 PM
The easiest way to build a responsible, diversified investment account is with

stock and bond index funds.
==========
5:00:00 PM
A responsible portfolio has a certain percentage allocated to the stock market and
a certain percentage allocated to the bond market, with an increasing emphasis on
bonds as the investor ages.
==========
5:00:26 PM
When you own shares in a stock market index fund, you own something that’s as real
as the land you’re standing on. You become an indirect owner of all kinds of
industries and businesses via the companies you own within your index: land,
buildings, brand names, machinery, transportation systems, and
==========
5:03:00 PM
When the leashed dog gets ahead, it’s destined to either slow down or stop—so that
the owner can catch up.
==========
5:04:01 PM
The dog (Coca-Cola’s stock price) was racing ahead of its master (Coca-Cola’s
business earnings). A rational share price increase must fall in line with profits,
==========
5:07:57 PM
And if businesses can’t grow earnings by 150 percent on an

==========
5:08:06 PM
And if businesses can’t grow earnings by 150 percent on an annual basis, then their
stocks can’t either.
==========
5:09:24 PM
Long term, stock prices reflect business earnings. When they don’t, it spells
trouble.
==========
5:09:37 PM
(that business growth and stock growth is directly proportional)

==========
5:12:33 PM
you can be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy, you
can add a touch of nitrate to your investment portfolio.
==========
5:13:03 PM
If you can be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy,
you can add a touch of nitrate to your investment portfolio. You don’t need to
follow investment news or follow the markets. You just need to utilize the safest
component of your investment portfolio—your bonds.
==========
5:16:04 PM
Many investors don’t think about the stock market as a representation of something
real—like true business earnings. Fear and greed rule the short-term irrationality
of stock markets.
==========
5:16:41 PM
What happened in the stock markets after 9/11 was the antithesis of the boom times
of the late 1990s. Stock prices fell like football-sized chunks of hail, but
business earnings were hardly affected.
==========
5:17:17 PM
Real investors never think like that. They care more about what the markets will be
doing in 20 years not next week. Worrying about the immediate future is letting the
stock market lead you by the gonads.
==========
5:18:50 PM
Only those who will be sellers of equities [stock market investments] in the near
future should be happy at seeing stocks rise. Prospective purchasers should much
prefer sinking prices.12
==========
5:19:44 PM
When prices fall, it’s a good idea to stock up on those products because the prices
will inevitably rise again. If you like to buy canned beans and the store is
selling them this week at a 20 percent discount, you have a choice. You can sit on
your haunches and wonder whether they’ll be even cheaper the following week, or you
can stop being silly and just buy the beans. If the price drops further the
following month, you can always buy more cans.
==========
5:20:50 PM
After 9/11, I wanted the markets to stay down. I was hoping to keep buying into the
stock markets for many years at a discounted rate. It’s a bit like betting that a
sleeping dog on a long leash is eventually going to have to get up and run to catch
its sprinting owner. The longer the leash and the longer that dog sleeps, the more
money I can put on the dog, which will eventually tear after its owner up the hill,
pulling my wheelbarrow load of money behind it. Sadly for me, the stock market
didn’t sleep in its discounted state for long.
==========
5:23:10 PM
I didn’t know how low the markets would fall, so I wasn’t lucky enough to buy stock
indexes at the very bottom of the market’s plunge. But it didn’t matter to me. Once
the “20 percent off” flags were waving in my face, I was a chocoholic stowaway in
Willy Wonka’s factory. The stock market continued to fall as I continued to buy. If
I could have taken an extra job to give me more money to take advantage of cheap
stock prices, I probably would have done it. For some reason, most investors were
doing what they typically do: They overreact when prices fall, sending stocks to
mouthwatering levels, by selling when they should be buying. They become afraid of
a discounted sale, hoping (and yes, this is a true representation of insanity) that
they can soon pay higher prices for their stock market products. They miss the
point of what stocks are. Stocks represent ownership in real businesses.
==========
5:23:56 PM
As the stock market roared ahead in 2007, I didn’t put a penny in my stock indexes.
I bought bond indexes instead. Following a general rule of thumb, I wanted my bond
allocation to equal my age. For example, I was 37 years old and I wanted 35 to 40
percent of my portfolio to be comprised of bonds. But the rapidly rising stock
market in 2007 was sending my stock indexes far higher than the allocation I set
for them. As a result, my bonds represented far less than 35 percent of my total
account, so I spent 2007 buying bonds—even selling some of my stock indexes to do
it.
==========
5:25:02 PM
of my bond index so I could buy more of my stock index, mindful of keeping a

balanced allocation of stocks and bonds. When the stock markets fell, my bond
allocation ended up being significantly higher than 35 percent of my total
portfolio. Selling off some of my bond index to buy more of my stock index also
helped bring my portfolio back to the desired allocation.
==========
5:25:39 PM
If stock prices fall by 50 percent, it can only be justified if business earnings

have
==========
5:25:46 PM
fallen (or expected to fall) by 50 percent. As always with the stock market,
investors’ fear and greed can produce irrational price levels.
==========
5:27:11 PM
By building a responsible portfolio of stock and bond indexes, you’ll create more
stability in your account while providing opportunities to take advantage of stock
market silliness.
==========
5:28:07 PM
Only an irresponsible portfolio would fall 50 percent if the stock market value
were cut in half. That’s because bonds become parachutes when stock markets fall.
==========
5:29:25 PM
If you’re looking for a safe place for your money, it’s best to keep it in short-
term government bonds or short-term, high-quality corporate bonds.
==========
5:30:03 PM
For this reason, buying bonds with shorter maturities (such as one- to three-year
bonds) is wiser than buying longer term bonds (such as 10-year bonds). If inflation
rears its head, you won’t be saddled with a 10-year commitment to a certain
interest rate. When a short-term bond expires, and you get your money back, you can
buy another short-term bond at the higher interest rate.
==========
5:32:35 PM
case you’re tempted to buy an actively managed bond fund, remember this: bond index
funds beat them silly.
==========
5:33:32 PM
A rule of thumb is that you should have a bond allocation that’s roughly equivalent
to your age. Some experts suggest that it should be your age minus 10, or if you
want a riskier portfolio, your age minus 20;
==========
5:33:55 PM
Stock returns don’t always beat bond returns over the short term, but over long
periods, stocks run circles around bonds. That said, bonds could be your secret
weapon when stocks hit the skids. Trounce the professionals with a balanced
==========
5:34:03 PM
Stock returns don’t always beat bond returns over the short term, but over long
periods, stocks run circles around bonds. That said, bonds could be your secret
weapon when stocks hit the skids.
==========
5:35:40 PM
If the stock market falls heavily in a given month, the investor will find that his
portfolio (which started out with 70 percent in stocks) now has a lower percentage
in stocks than his goal allocation of 70 percent. So what should that investor do
when adding fresh money to the account? He should add to his stock indexes. If the
stock market rose considerably during another month, the investor might find that
stocks now make up more than 70 percent of his total portfolio. What should he do
with fresh money? He should add to his bond index.
==========
5:36:53 PM
Naturally, I was hoping the markets would stay low. But they didn’t. As the stock
markets began recovering later that year, I switched tactics again and bought
nothing but bonds for more than a year. I was low on bonds because I had sold bonds
to buy stocks, and my stocks were rising in value.
==========
5:37:26 PM
An investor’s portfolio should always have the home country index represented.
After all, it makes sense to keep much of your money in the currency with which you
pay your bills.
==========
5:38:35 PM
you’re making monthly investment purchases, you need to look at your home country
stock index and your international stock index and determine which one has done
better over the previous month. When you figure it out (hold on for this!) you need
to add newly invested money to the index that hasn’t done as well
==========
5:38:52 PM
If you’re making monthly investment purchases, you need to look at your home
country stock index and your international stock index and determine which one has
done better over the previous month. When you figure it out (hold on for this!) you
need to add newly invested money to the index that hasn’t done as well to keep your
account close to your desired allocation.
==========
5:39:41 PM
it’s better to spread your risk and go with the total international stock market
index
==========
5:40:07 PM
If the international stock market goes on a tear, don’t chase it with fresh money.
If your domestic stock index and the international stock index both shoot skyward,
add fresh money to your bond index.
==========
5:40:37 PM
In other words, if you were investing $200 a month, you would put $100 a month into
the stock market index and $100 a month into the bond market index.
==========
5:40:57 PM
If there’s more money in the bond index, sell some of it to get equal weighting in
your portfolio, buying the stock index with the proceeds. If there’s more money in
the stock index, sell some of your stock market index and buy the bond index with
the proceeds.
==========
5:45:46 PM
At the end of the calendar year, the investor simply rebalances the portfolio back
to the original allocation. If the U.S. stock market index did better than the
Canadian index, then the investor would sell some of the U.S. index to even things
out with the Canadian index. If the bond index beat both stock indexes, then some
of the bond index would be sold to buy some of the Canadian and U.S. stock market
indexes. Of course, if you’re making monthly contributions to the account, you
could rebalance monthly by simply buying the laggard—to keep your allocation evenly
split three ways.
==========
5:46:21 PM
Creating a disciplined plan to rebalance a portfolio removes the guesswork from

investing, and it forces investors to ignore their hearts. As I mentioned before,
we don’t tend to be rational.
==========
5:46:40 PM
Contrary to what many people think, beating a 100 percent stock market index is
possible over time using bond indexes as your little helpers. You will end up with
less volatility and the possibility of better returns.
==========
5:48:33 PM
But I suggested that Kris—who was 35 years old at the time—should keep things
simple: buy the broadest stock index he could for his U.S. exposure, the broadest
international index he could for his “world” exposure, and a total bond market
index fund that approximated his age.
==========
5:48:57 PM
gave my advice on this basis: Vanguard doesn’t charge commissions to buy or sell;
he would be diversified across the entire U.S. stock market and the international
stock markets; and he would have a bond allocation that would allow him to
rebalance his account annually.
==========
5:49:50 PM
At the end of each calendar year, Kris took a look at his investments. “It didn’t
take much,” he said. “I just rebalanced the portfolio back to the original
allocation at the end of each year, (as seen in Figure 6.1) selling off a bit of
the ‘winners’ to bolster the ‘losers.’ It was the only time I ever looked at my
investment statements—just when it was time to consider rebalancing.”
==========
5:50:36 PM
==========
6:01:51 PM
anyone who invests money should read the two classic texts: 1. A Random Walk Down
Wall Street by Burton Malkiel 2. Common Sense on Mutual Funds by John Bogle
==========
6:06:57 PM
Learning how to beat the vast majority of professional investors is easy: invest in
index funds. But some people make the mistake of branching off to experiment with
alternative investments. Achieving success with a new financial strategy can be one
of the worst things to happen.
==========
Super Structure: The Key to Unleashing the Power of Story (James Scott Bell)
2:19:19 PM
So as you write, if you begin to wonder where to go next, Super Structure gives you
the signpost up ahead. You drive toward that scene and you’re right back on track.
==========
Losing My Virginity (Branson, Richard)
11:06:39 PM
you publish a magazine, you’re trying to create something that is original, that
stands out from the crowd, that will last and, hopefully, serve some useful
purpose. Above all, you want to create something you are proud of. That has always
been my philosophy of business.
==========
12:02:02 AM
you may be very rich, but if you lose your good name you’ll never be happy. The
thought will always lurk at the back of your mind that people don’t trust you. I
had never really focused on what a good name truly meant before, but that night in
prison made me understand.
==========
8:36:05 AM
I knew that it is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are a risk-
taker, then the art is to protect the downside.
==========
8:42:42 AM
Part of the secret of running a record label was to build up momentum, to keep
signing new bands and to keep breaking them into the big time.
==========
8:54:26 AM
From our point of view it was good business: the more it was banned, the better it
sold.
==========
9:26:01 AM
It is always difficult to admit to a failure, but the one positive thing about the
Event episode was that I realised how important it was to separate the various
Virgin companies so that, if one failed, it would not threaten the rest of the
Virgin Group.
==========
9:31:53 AM
had the opportunity to use our cash to set up more Virgin companies and widen the
basis of the Group so that all our eggs would not be in one basket if we were hit
by another recession. I also wanted to expand the Virgin name to stand for more
than a record label, and become more involved in all kinds of media.
==========
9:34:52 AM
In the same way that I tend to make up my mind about people within thirty seconds
of meeting them, I also make up my mind about whether a business proposal excites
me within about thirty seconds of looking at it. I rely far more on gut instinct
==========
9:35:47 AM
I wrote out a list of things I wanted to understand about how the aircraft leasing
would work. If I could lease the plane for one year and then have the chance to
return the plane, we would have a clear escape route if it all failed. It would be
embarrassing, but we would limit the amount of money we lost.
==========
9:39:39 AM
I was inspired to see that, despite all his problems, Freddie was still so
ebullient. He was unbowed by the experience, and he saw me as his successor,
picking up the flag where he had left off.
==========
F*ck Feelings (MD Michael Bennett)
7:55:42 PM
Eventually, striving to improve yourself brings diminishing returns and prevents

you from accepting yourself and living with what you’ve got. That’s one reason
self-improvement efforts have to take into account your limits and competing
priorities. Otherwise, it’s less self-improvement, more self-sabotage.
==========
7:56:26 PM
The reason twelve-step programs urge people to accept the uncontrollable nature of
addictions is not because they’re never controllable but because, given human
weakness, they’re never fully controllable.
==========
7:56:44 PM
There are limits to what you can do to change yourself, and recognizing these
limits is essential to managing bad behaviors, bad pieces of your personality,
==========
7:57:59 PM
Real confidence comes from knowing you’ve used what limited strength you have to do
what’s important.
==========
7:58:23 PM
So the goal of pushing your potential isn’t just to improve your performance but to
improve it as much as you reasonably can, given your resources, while discovering
what your limits are.
==========
7:59:11 PM
You should never hold yourself accountable for results you don’t control, but
always for the strength of trying.
==========
8:01:13 PM
just because you feel out of control doesn’t mean you should have been able to
prevent it. Instead of searching for mistakes or weaknesses, judge yourself
realistically, in terms of what a good person can actually do in a bad situation.
==========
8:03:48 PM
Here’s what you can aim for and actually achieve: • Create reasonable standards for
what you can actually do, given your Muggle status • Respect yourself for meeting
your standards • Survive pain, fear, and distress and give yourself credit for
doing so • Not let pain change your values, basic course, or determination
==========
8:04:22 PM
Here’s how you can do it: • Look for pre-meltdown red flags that might have warned
you in the past and could warn you next time • Ask yourself whether you could
reasonably be expected to do anything different • Rate yourself for work effort,
honesty, and the value of your priorities • Assuming you deserve better, find a
friend or therapist who can remind you that you’ve lived up to your values and that
the helplessness and humiliations have nothing to do with you, regardless of how
you feel • Check with a psychiatrist or therapist to see whether there are
behavioral techniques and/or medications that might reduce anxiety or depression,
if they’re extreme
==========
10:43:21 AM
In fact, knowing why you’ve got a bad habit usually gives you no ability to stop
it, and the search for deeper knowledge sometimes serves as an excuse for waiting
until it’s easier to stop, which it never is.
==========
10:43:35 AM
In fact, knowing why you’ve got a bad habit usually gives you no ability to stop
it, and the search for deeper knowledge sometimes serves as an excuse for waiting
until it’s easier to stop, which it never is. So getting to the root of your
problem is often antitherapeutic, and, at worst, a giant waste of time.
==========
10:49:21 AM
Among the wishes people express when they feel there must be an answer to an
unsolvable problem are: • To figure out what happened that caused them to lose the
control they once had • To find out why they can’t do something when they’ve always
been good at doing something similar • To understand why they can’t stop being
drawn to doing something bad
==========
10:50:50 AM
What neurobiology has taught us is that every action we take depends on multiple
unique subcapacities, and all it takes is for one of those subcapacities to be weak
or broken, and our ability to function is compromised.
==========
10:51:50 AM
Whenever we’re perplexed by weaknesses that don’t make sense, questioning why is as
helpful from the mouth of an adult as it is from a four-year-old.
==========
10:52:16 AM
Of course, knowing there’s no root answer, or that, at the very least, it’s
unobtainable, doesn’t relieve you of responsibility for dealing with a problem; it
just spares you having to take an exam on its origins.
==========
10:53:37 AM
Having given up on the false hope that deep understanding would make it possible to
solve your problem, gather motivation by reviewing your reasons for imposing change
on yourself and your life.
==========
10:54:42 AM
Here’s what you can aim for and actually achieve: • Know as much as anyone knows
about a problem while accepting your inability to know more • Accept the pain and
confusion of having to deal with a problem you don’t understand • Find deep
motivation for not letting a problem change your priorities or values • Not let
confusion or humiliation interfere with your determination to manage it
==========
10:55:02 AM
• Stop asking why and start asking how

==========
10:56:55 AM
That’s why your primary goal is not to get rid of negative feelings and feel
better, but to block them from controlling your behavior while you continue to act
like a decent person.
==========
10:58:20 AM
Since negative feelings are just a fact of neurology and genetics, it’s what you do
with them that counts. The people in these examples are more successful than they
think, because success here is not measured by whether they feel better, more
loving, less angry, etc. It’s measured by all the good things they are doing and
have done in spite of the negative feelings they can’t get out of their heads.
==========
11:01:39 AM
While accepting that you have a problem is in fact the universal first step,
accepting responsibility for having it is not. Brain wiring can cause well-
motivated, smart people to procrastinate and drop the ball, and nature gives them
no choice. The fact that you’re not responsible for having a problem, however,
never relieves you of responsibility for working with it and finding ways around
it, and often requires you to overcome deeply ingrained bad habits and attitudes.
It’s impossible to change your instincts or make distractedness, impulsivity, and
scattered thinking go away; you can, however, become a good manager of the impulses
to procrastinate, avoid, lie, and cover up.
==========
11:03:18 AM
As soon as you accept who you are, think hard about the standards you want to live
up to and less about looking normal, pleasing authorities, or competing with
others. Use those standards to manage your inner fuckup by redoubling your efforts
to learn whatever you really care about and manage bad behavior.
==========
11:06:00 AM
Remember, fucking up doesn’t mean getting bad results; it means not doing your best
with what you’ve got. As long as you’ve developed values you believe in, and have
reason to think you’re doing your best to work at living up to them, you’ll always
be a success, even if learning you’ve got a wacky brain is hard to swallow.
==========
11:06:48 AM
Here’s what you can aim for and actually achieve: • Define for yourself what’s
necessary to get done • Find your own ways for doing and delegating what’s
necessary • Know you’ve done your best, regardless of result • Take pride in your
ability to work with what you’ve got
==========
[Matt Ridley] The Red Queen. Sex and the Evolution(BookZZ.org) (1) - ythMatt Ridley
- Your Highlight on page 26-26 | Added on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 11:39:55 PM
Marriage teeters on the line between a cooperative venture and a form of mutual
exploitation—ask any divorce lawyer. Successful marriages so submerge the costs
under mutual benefits that the cooperation can predominate; unsuccessful ones do
not:
==========
- Your Highlight on page 27-27 | Added on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 11:41:15 PM
Simply put, anything that increases reproductive success will spread at the expense
of anything that does not—even if it threatens survival.
==========
The Code of the Extraordinary Mind: 10 Unconventional Laws to Redefine Your Life
and Succeed On Your Own Terms (Vishen Lakhiani)
- Your Highlight on Location 413-413 | Added on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 1:20:55 PM
One of the keys to being extraordinary is knowing what rules to follow and what
rules to break.
==========
taking risks is much less likely to kill us than ever before, and that means that
playing it safe is more likely just holding us back from the thrills of a life
filled with meaning and discovery.
==========
“I have a high tolerance for pain.”

==========
If you can’t win, change the rules. If you can’t change the rules, ignore them.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 1246-1247 | Added on Thursday, June 2, 2016 9:12:42 AM
one of which was a simple technique to meditate and get myself into the alpha state
of mind. Alpha is a brain wave frequency common in meditation where you’re in a
relaxed state.
==========
A key part of what I had learned was listening to my inner voice or intuition.
==========
While in meditation, I would visualize the lawyer in front of me and imagine

beaming genuine kindness and compassion toward him or her. I’d end the three-minute
visualization with a mental affirmation that we’d close the deal if it was in the
best interest of all the parties involved.
==========
Every few years, we upgrade our operating systems on our machines to make our
computers run faster, better, and take on increasingly complex tasks with ease.
==========
The important thing to realize is that no matter what these beliefs are, they
became true because we act and think in accordance with them. Thus, our beliefs
truly do shape our world in a very real sense.
==========
Beliefs are like that, too. When an old belief no longer serves you, you have every
right to swap it out. Yet we don’t.
==========
that means you’re choosing what to believe, and your life is yours to control.
==========
Our beliefs about life, love, work, parenting, our bodies, our self-worth—are often
a result of our innate tendency to imitate the people and practices around us.
==========
The researchers concluded that what’s become known as the placebo effect—results
that appear to come purely from a person’s mind-set instead of from a specific
medication or medical treatment—plays a role when it comes to exercise.
==========
When you realize that, you can swap out a bad or outdated model, swap in a
healthier one, and gain incredible power to shift your world.
==========
I’ve chosen a model where seven minutes of early-morning exercise gets me the same
results as hours in a gym.
==========
decided on a belief that work is one of the most pleasurable things in life—
==========
the single most effective model of reality you can adopt right now is the idea that
your models of reality are swappable.
==========
Your habits, or systems for living, are how you put your models of reality into
practice.
==========
think of them like apps you can easily download and update, intended for specific
purposes or to solve specific problems.
==========
Law 3: Practice consciousness engineering. Extraordinary minds understand that

their growth depends on two things: their models of reality and their systems for
living. They carefully curate the most empowering models and systems and frequently
update themselves.
==========
Our culture wasn’t created by pure rational choice. In many ways it took form
merely by imitation and chance.
==========
pretty much every aspect of human culture—of life as we live it day to day—is
malleable, up for grabs, within our control, and open for questioning.
==========
Similarly many of our systems for living evolved as our culture did—in response to
certain beliefs of the time.
==========
The morning tea is a ritual for mental and spiritual cleansing.

==========
similar to the Himba tribespeople who have difficulty seeing the color blue, are we
blind to certain spiritual experiences?
==========
But the Achuar taught me that what we consider real, what we define as culture,
what we believe is true about life—the nine-to-five, marriage, the way we raise our
kids, how we treat our elders, what we do all day—are just collections of beliefs
and practices that we put together because, well, they seemed like good ideas at
the time.
==========
Ken has been quoted by everyone from Bill Clinton to Kermit the Frog,
==========
striving to be at the highest level of human development we can be, so we can

fulfill our highest potential and, as the saying goes, leave this world a little
better for our having been in it.
==========
all growth comes from changing your models of reality or upgrading a system for
living.
==========
Once you adopt a new model of reality that is superior to an older model, you can’t
go back.
==========
Changing a model of reality is a form of growth that often comes from epiphany or
insight. It’s a sudden awakening or revelation that shifts a belief.
==========
Changing a system for living, on the other hand, is a process change. It’s a step-
by-step upgrade of a given process—as when you learn to go from riding a bicycle to
driving a car as a means for mobility.
==========
you can view yourself as a highly tuned operating system ready to install new
hardware (models of reality) or new apps (systems for living) when needed.
==========
==========
The two big branches are models of reality and systems for living. Everything you
study in personal growth will either be a model (a new belief about money, for
example) or a system (say, a new exercise or diet routine). These things cling to
the two big branches.
==========
What might happen if I developed a belief that I was enough and had nothing to
prove?
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- Your Highlight on Location 1663-1664 | Added on Thursday, June 2, 2016 10:00:04
AM
Much of growing wiser and moving toward the extraordinary is really about becoming
aware of the models of reality that you carry with you without realizing it.
==========
AM
But armed with a new model of reality about my attractiveness, I suddenly seemed to
be a magnet for female attention.
==========
AM
with the right force, even entrenched childhood models of reality can be completely
disrupted.
==========
AM
As we believe these things to be true, they become true. All of us view the world
through our own lens, colored by the experiences, meanings, and beliefs we’ve
accumulated over the years.
==========
AM
While the bad news is that our models of reality can cause stress, sadness,
loneliness, and worry, the good news is that we can upgrade them. When we swap in
optimized models that work better, we dramatically improve our lives.
==========
AM
We add meanings to every situation we see and then carry these meanings around as
simplistic and often distorted and dangerous models of reality about our world.
==========
AM
expectation effect prove just how much our lives are affected by other people’s
models of reality, however true or false they might be.
==========
AM
Your beliefs can influence both you and the people around you. What you expect, you
get.
==========
AM
How much of the irritating or negative characteristics you see in others is really
a belief you’re projecting onto them?
==========
AM
What beliefs is my child going to take away from this encounter? Will your child
walk away thinking: I just made a mistake and I learned something great or I’m
insignificant?”
==========
AM
“Billy, what happened? What was the consequence? What can you learn from this?”
==========
AM
Instead, ask what questions: “Billy, what happened that made you drop that spoon?”
==========
AM
Shelly notes that why has to do with meaning, and meaning is always made up—
==========
AM
You can identify qualities that are big or small, but you must pinpoint three to
five things every day that make you proud to be who you are.
==========
AM
Human beings can function as logical beings and as intuitive beings. When we use
both capabilities, we’re priming ourselves for extraordinary results.
==========
AM
I do not believe you can foretell the future, but I do believe in gut instinct in
decision making. I try to listen to my gut on a daily basis. See what happens when
you try to do the same.
==========
AM
Have lunch with someone from your office or someone in your business network once a
month, even once a week.
==========
AM
The power to choose what we want to believe and what we want to disbelieve is one
of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.
==========
AM
Constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning
yourself.
==========
PM
It’s all about finding and hiring people smarter than you, getting them to join
your business and giving them good work, then getting out of the way and trusting
them.
==========
PM
You must make them see their work as a mission.

==========
PM
When you optimize your systems for living, you can experience exponential growth in
areas that truly matter to you.
==========
PM
you measuring the effectiveness of your system? A set point is a level of
performance that you do not allow yourself to slip below.
==========
PM
Patrick likes to get out of the office and ask himself big, tough questions, and
then he says that the inspiration for his business ideas often comes to him. He
makes sure that he gives himself the space and time to do this. Too many of us are
so busy doing that we never step back and think about how we’re doing. Or why we’re
doing it. I call this the do-do trap. You’re so busy doing what needs to be done,
you don’t really know whether your systems for living might be obsolete, or even
(pun intended) absolute crap.
==========
PM
we bypass the do-do trap through a technique called Learn Day. On the first Friday
of every month, nobody works (unless it’s something crucial). Instead, everyone
focuses on learning about how to work better.
==========
PM
Things slip when we don’t have a detection method for knowing when it’s happening.
Set points are that detection method.
==========
PM
When you slip off your set point, set a goal to get back to the set point plus a
little bit more.
==========
PM
But with set points, a failure is turned into a challenge. If you can’t attain your
fifty push-ups, you enact a new goal. Get to fifty-one.
==========
PM
Setting the bar too high is just punishing; it’s unrealistic that you’ll make all
of that progress in one giant leap. Turning up the heat just a little bit allows
you to regain some momentum without setting yourself up to fail.
==========
PM
Her systems for living involve meditation, movement, gratitude, and setting an
intention for the day.
==========
PM
Instead, you’re going to question and redefine two of the biggest pillars of how we
define success—namely,
==========
PM
Stop postponing your happiness. Be happy now. Your thoughts and beliefs do create
your reality, but only when your present state is joyful. I realized I was running
on empty and the fuel I desperately needed was happiness.
==========
PM
Have big goals—but don’t tie your happiness to your goals. You must be happy before
you attain them.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 2697-2699 | Added on Thursday, June 2, 2016 1:00:21 PM
And so it’s a subtle balance: 1.You have a bold vision for the future pulling you
forward. 2.Yet . . . you’re happy in the NOW. But here’s the key: BOTH of these
stem from the present.
==========
4.BENDING REALITY. This is the ideal state where you’re happy in the now, and you
have a vision for the future that drives you. Your vision pulls you forward, but
you’re happy now—despite not having yet attained that vision. When you’re in this
state, there’s a feeling of growth and enjoyment.
==========
A key ingredient of this state is that your happiness is not tied to attaining your
vision. It comes from the pursuit of your vision, combined with a sense of
gratitude for what you already have.
==========
Your happiness cannot be tied to your goals. You must be happy even before you
attain them. Doing so will make life joyous and full of play and bring your goals
to you faster than ever.
==========
Many of us have fallen into the trap of the “if/then” model of happiness: If X
happens (if I get the right job, find the perfect mate, buy that dream house, have
a baby, write a bestselling book, etc., then I’ll be happy.
==========
WHEN WE’RE HAPPY, WE PERFORM BETTER, ATTRACT OTHERS, AND IN GENERAL KICK ASS IN
LIFE.
==========
We should be happy so we can do things.

==========
The best thing you can do to meet your goals is to find a life balance that allows
you to be happy now.
==========
Integrate practices into your daily routines that allow you to feel content and
focus on the journey, not the destination.
==========
We tend to a) bite off way more than we can chew in the short term, and b) not
expect nearly enough of ourselves in the long term.
==========
Maybe this is because your mind is focused so intensely on your vision that you’re
alert to everything that will help achieve it and you’re in a happy, joyous state
that opens you up to creativity. Sometimes it seems as if the right people,
coincidences, and opportunities come to you, nudging and pushing you toward your
goals.
==========
If you can choose any model of reality you want and accept it as true—why not
choose a model that suggests that you can literally bend reality to your wishes?
==========
“Perhaps patients should start offering their doctors lollipops, instead of the
other way around.”
==========
we designed schools to take into account a student’s happiness.

==========
This type of happiness comes from reaching higher states of consciousness.

==========
we humans find meaning so important that we’ll sacrifice a certain amount of

happiness for it.
==========
Meaning is what we get from having a healthy vision for the future,
==========
find the meaning and mission that will put you on your personal path to
extraordinary living.
==========
Studies show that each of us has a particular level of happiness that we tend to
return to after things happen, good or bad. Researchers call this phenomenon
hedonic adaptation.
==========
you can actually raise your happiness level to experience higher levels of
happiness every day of your life, too, no matter what is going on around you.
==========
you’ll have the Blissipline to deal with adversity from a positive place and the
capacity to recover to a higher happiness set point than before.
==========
Apparently gratitude leads to giving, which in turn boosts the happiness and
gratitude of others.
==========
But there’s a problem here. If you’re chasing the forward gap, the chase will never
end.
==========
Tying happiness to the attainment of some future goal is like trying to catch up to
the horizon.
==========
Instead, Dan suggests we look backward—to the past—and appreciate how far we’ve
come. Dan calls this the reverse gap:
==========
And the moment I turn around and I measure backwards [from] my starting point for
this particular activity—bang, I feel great. . . . I’ve learned a lot.
==========
Even in tough times, you can look back and see how far you’ve come, how much you’ve
learned, and the support you’ve received along the way.
==========
Paying attention to the “reverse gap” is a perfect exercise in gratitude and is far
more likely to give you a boost of happiness than striving for happiness in the
future.
==========
Each morning, focusing on the reverse gap, I think of five things I’m grateful for
in my personal life
==========
Each day, take a few minutes to focus on the reverse gap—what has happened in your
life that you’re grateful for?
==========
To avoid these pitfalls, focus on your feelings: happy, optimistic, comforted,

confident, tender, proud, sexy, filled with laughter, filled with love. For each
item, spend five to ten seconds letting the feelings well up.
==========
When you land on something for which you truly do feel gratitude—whether it’s for
your great child or your great skin—it will feel like a straight shot to bliss.
==========
Similarly, ending the day with gratitude allows you to establish a more positive
model of reality.
==========
The main focus of our sessions was to teach us how to increase our alpha waves,
which would allow us access to higher states of creativity, a more relaxed mind,
better problem-solving abilities, and in general many of the same benefits one
would get from years of meditation.
==========
the big secret to increasing alpha waves was just one thing.
==========
The people behind the program discovered holding onto grudges and anger is the
single biggest factor suppressing alpha waves.
==========
I’d always known that forgiveness was extremely powerful, but never to this extent.
==========
So, for anyone who’s looking to master Blissipline, forgiveness is key.

==========
See that same person in front of you, but instead, feel compassion for him or her.
Ask yourself: What did I learn from this? How did this situation make my life
better?
==========
Think about what lessons you could derive from this situation, as painful as it
might have been. How did these lessons help you grow?
==========
I learned from this experience that you don’t have to ask the other person to
forgive you. You just have to forgive them. And that’s completely within your
control.
==========
UNFUCKWITHABLE: When you’re truly at peace and in touch with yourself. Nothing
anyone says or does bothers you and no negativity can touch you.
==========
Giving happiness to others is hugely powerful, lifts up both giver and receiver,
==========
The vast majority of employees polled said they actually enjoyed the act of giving
more than the act of receiving their gifts.
==========
ultimately the discipline of bliss allows you to help spread more bliss in the
world.
==========
But when means goals become your focus, you miss the point.
==========
I love this advice from author Joe Vitale: “A good goal should scare you a little
and excite you a lot.” Scary and exciting are two beautiful feelings that good end
goals often bring out.
==========
Instead, think of your end goals and let your career or creation find you.
==========
What you really want is to be in beautiful loving relationships, to have consistent

opportunities to learn and grow, and to have freedom.
==========
they are not end goals UNLESS you’re happy AS you’re pursuing them—in other words,
unless the act of studying for your diploma or closing the business deal itself
brings you happiness. End goals have happiness baked into the pursuit.
==========
We’re here to experience all the world has to offer—not objects, not money, but
experiences.
==========
I’ve found that all end goals fall into three different buckets.
==========
We need to feel that daily life holds wonder and excitement to sustain our
happiness—which fuels our movement toward our goals.
==========
It may be growth we choose or growth that chooses us. Growth makes life an endless
journey of discovery.
==========
Giving moves us toward awakening, the highest level of happiness, by providing

meaning in our lives, and it is a key component of the extraordinary life.
==========
THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS 1.What experiences do you want to have in this
lifetime? 2.How do you want to grow? 3.How do you want to contribute?
==========
On a piece of letter-size paper, they draw three columns marked Experiences,

Growth, and Contribution.
==========
Talking openly about your dreams and end goals helps to make them a reality.
==========
It’s a great way to build trust. Meaningful gestures need not be expensive; they
simply need to be genuine.
==========
feeling-focused end goal about your environment might be: “I want a house I’m
blissfully happy to wake up in every morning” or “At least twice a month, I get to
go out for a delicious meal with friends or family I love to be with.”
==========
- Your Highlight on page 36-36 | Added on Friday, June 3, 2016 9:40:08 PM
Only gradually did it dawn on modern biologists that the Weismann logic was
profoundly flawed. It seems to treat evolution as some kind of imperative, as if
evolving were what species exist to do—as if evolving were a goal imposed on
existence. '
==========

This is, of course, nonsense. Evolution is something that happens to organisms. It
is a directionless process that sometimes ' makes an animal s descendants more
complicated, sometimes simpler, and sometimes changes them not at all: We are so
steeped in notions of progress and self-improvement that we find it strangely hard
to accept this
==========
Evolving is not a goal but a means to solving a problem.

==========
gazelle on the African savanna is trying not to be eaten by cheetahs, but it is

also trying to outrun other gazelles when a cheetah attacks
==========
So what matters is not how clever and crafty you are but how much more clever and
craftier you are than other people. The value of intellect is infinite. Selection
within the species is always going to be more important than selection between the
species. "
==========
Natural selection is not going to pick genes that help gazelles survive as a
species but hurt the chances of individuals—because such genes will be wiped out
long before they can show their benefits. Species are not fighting species as
nations battle other nations.
==========
did for biology what Adam Smith had done for economics: It explained how collective
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 3767-3767 | Added on Saturday, June 4, 2016 1:36:14 PM
Padmasambhava.
==========
Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”

==========
know that when you make your feelings of love and fulfillment come from an internal
reservoir and not from the other person or the goal, you become much stronger.
==========
A good end goal is something you have absolute control over. No object or person
can take it away from you.
==========
setting goals for myself that are largely dependent on someone else leaves me
powerless. This is true for everyone. We should not be attached to receiving love
from someone else.
==========
Doing so freed me to be more loving and appreciative of others because, empowered

by my own self-love, I stopped unfairly demanding love from others.
==========
“I will always have the most amazing and beautiful human experiences.”
==========
reading a book a week had become a means goal. What I really wanted was to gain
knowledge.
==========
When your goals change, your means of attainment change. A good goal can open up
new and innovative ways of reaching it.
==========
The third self-fueled end goal I now have is: “I am always learning and growing.”
==========
Happiness is completely within your control, and when you have nothing to lose,
you’re free to think and dream boldly.
==========
But when you let go of the Brules that lead you to the wrong priorities, look
beyond your means goals and create self-fueled end goals, you’ve effectively
bother-proofed yourself.
==========
But your happiness should not be attached to the completion of your goals. The
feeling you get from completing those goals you can learn to generate now.
==========
Because the model of reality that we are not enough is terribly painful, we live
our lives trying to prove that we’re enough. Sometimes this can be an asset; for
example, my drive to prove I was enough led me to a certain degree of
entrepreneurial success.
==========
working to disprove the model of not being enough has a hidden cost. That cost is
that you will depend on others for validation.
==========
the sneaky thing about this model is that if you have it, it’s hard to admit you
have it—or even to realize that it’s there. So instead, you bury it and create a
model of reality about the person you’re seeking validation from.
==========
This is the most disempowering kind of model to have, because you’re blaming
outside circumstances for what happens in your life.
==========
In order to be truly unfuckwithable, you need to lose your need to seek validation
or love from others and to judge them when you perceive that they are not giving
you what you need.
==========
chances are you’re really just compensating for a hole within yourself that they
reminded you of. In every case, the root cause of this is a feeling of not being
enough.
==========
you’re in control of filling the hole within. And here’s the paradox. When you plug
this hole within yourself and stop demanding that others fill it for you, you
actually improve the chances of having the kind of great relationships you long
for.
==========
When you look back at the formative experiences of your life—whether they are the
most painful or the most positive—you’re likely to find your meaning-making machine
running on high.
==========
Someone’s words or actions influenced you in some way, and you created a meaning
around them.
==========
Every time you give someone the power to build you up with praise, you’re also
unknowingly giving that person the power to destroy you with criticism.
==========
Therefore, accept praise and criticism as nothing more than someone else’s
expressions of their models of reality. They have nothing to do with who you really
are.
==========
Go ahead and express gratitude for the events of your day or the beauty of life—but
make sure you include yourself in your inventory of life’s beauty by expressing
gratitude for all those things that make you so gosh-darned beautiful as a human
being.
==========
This is the power of becoming focused on the present. It takes your mind off
whatever stress, fear, judgment, anger, or frustration you’re having with the world
or the people in it—and it forces you to remember who you are and to be present in
the now.
==========
The thread for me is my breath. Returning to it during the day, hundreds of times
when I get stressed, when I get worried, when judgments come up, has been an
incredible gift—and it’s available to all of us.
==========
Knowing we are ENOUGH gives us the courage to do MORE, do BETTER, do our BEST. When
we learn to be unfuckwithable, the biggest fears that hold so many back no longer
bother us. We boldly pursue big dreams and goals.
==========
1.A JOB is a way to pay the bills. It’s a means to an end, and you have little
attachment to it. 2.A CAREER is a path toward growth and achievement. Careers have
clear ladders for upward mobility. 3.A CALLING is work that is an important part of
your life and provides meaning. People with a calling are generally more satisfied
with the work they do.
==========
Once you choose a destination, often the right synchronicities, opportunities, and
people emerge in your life to get you there. Some people call this luck. I beg to
differ.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 4246-4247 | Added on Saturday, June 4, 2016 10:01:43
PM
It’s looking for people who are willing to raise their hands and bring something
from the unmanifest into the manifest.
==========
PM
Happiness is the fuel for intuition.

==========
PM
Thanks to intuition, when you set end goals, you don’t necessarily need to know HOW
to attain them. Too many people trap themselves in the chains of realistic goals
because they refuse to see beyond the HOW. Don’t worry about the HOW. Start with
the WHAT and the WHY. When you know what you want to bring forth in the world and
WHY you want it, choose it.
==========
PM
When you chase end goals, especially end goals related to your calling, you no
longer need to be “motivated.” Instead, you are PULLED by your vision.
==========
PM
Failure is often nothing more than good luck in disguise: the destruction of an old
way of life so you can create the next grand vision of yourself.
==========
PM
Entrepreneurism is a means goal, not an end goal. The end goal is usually living a
life of purpose, combined with the experiences that freedom and money can bring.
But in today’s world, you can get those things by working for the right company.
Extraordinary people focus on whatever actions they need to take to move their
mission forward. So, instead of thinking, I have to become an entrepreneur so I can
fulfill my mission, focus on your mission as the end goal, and let it guide you.
==========
PM
companies focusing on clean, renewable energy sources, companies that promote

healthy eating and living, or companies working on new ways to elevate and improve
life on our planet. Ideally, these are the companies we should be working for,
supporting, and starting.
==========
PM
how rapidly they come up with a purpose or mission they might want to explore.
==========
PM
I’ll tell you that it’s perseverance; it’s having a heartfelt passion and
emotionally driven passion—something you want to solve on the planet that wakes you
up in the morning and keeps you up at night. For other people, it might be
something they despise or some injustice in the world they want to solve. I know a
lot of the time, doing anything big and bold in the world is hard, unless you have
that emotional guiding star, that passion—most people fail by giving up—not by
something that stops them.
==========
PM
Elon Musk told me something similar: “I have a high tolerance for pain.”
==========
PM
There’s nothing more captivating than a person vibrant with life and passion and
pursuing their calling.
==========
PM
Baby steps show intention. They show that you’re standing at attention and you
received the marching orders.
==========
PM
1.Step out of the culturescape. 2.Toss away the Brules. 3.Grab your toolkit for
consciousness engineering. 4.Pick up your empowering models of reality. 5.Don’t
forget to pack your systems for living. 6.Keep your mind firmly on bending reality.
7.Walk with Blissipline. 8.Hold your end goals firmly in your hand. 9.Be
unfuckwithable. 10.Open that door and march firmly toward your quest. The world
can’t wait to see what you’re going to do next.
==========
PM
Transcendence is the act of going beyond the physical world to embrace that which
cannot be seen.
==========
PM
gratitude and forgiveness.

==========
PM
Phase 4: Future Dreams

==========
PM
You don’t have to change the world. You just have to change what you pay attention
to in the world. And that, it turns out, is hugely powerful.
==========
PM
What did I learn from this? How did this situation make my life better?
==========
PM
What could have happened in the past to this person to cause them to hurt me so?
==========
PM
Here you phrase the vision that you want for yourself as a question in the present
tense.
==========
PM
In order for me to start achieving the items on my Three Most Important Questions
list, what should I be doing today?
==========
PM
For each of these tiny slices of your day, imagine the moment unfolding perfectly.
==========
PM
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if ______________”.

==========
PM
Feel this higher power flow from the top of your scalp down over your forehead,
eyes, face, neck, shoulders, arms, abdomen, hips, thighs, legs, and feet.
==========
PM
It’s the number-one secret to my success and the most important skill I teach
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 1147-1147 | Added on Sunday, June 5, 2016 3:09:44 PM
With it comes accountability and responsibility for your actions. Since you’re
deciding what rules you’ll follow, your life is up to you.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 39 | Location 597-598 | Added on Tuesday, June 7, 2016
10:17:56 PM
How you choose to respond to each circumstance is key to the power of your
creativity and how fast you can change things.
==========
10:18:14 PM
The minute you release the expectation or need and “let it go” miraculously is the
same instant the phone rings; when you least expect it.
==========
10:18:25 PM
The negative energy of resistance is also what keeps you from the balanced and
focused state of mind that you require to make more empowering choices.
==========
10:18:51 PM
When you stop fighting the truth of what is happening, relax, and let go of fear,
there is much more calmness and clarity of mind. This is when the answers can
easily be seen and found, and new positive actions can be taken.
==========
10:19:31 PM
what any human being has accomplished throughout history started first from an
intention.
==========
10:20:14 PM
What ultimately is at the core of any dream that becomes a reality is a strong
will. This is a will that comes from a belief that says, “I believe in my
intention, I will endlessly pursue my intention, and I will eventually make my
intention real.”
==========
10:20:37 PM
What “Will” Really Boils Down to Is the Answers to the Following Questions: How bad
do you really want it? How much do you really believe in it? What are you doing
right now to prove this to be true? How long are you willing to work at making it a
reality?
==========
10:22:36 PM
REGRET HAS NO POSITIVE VALUE. It is a concept used as a tool of manipulation. It

does not change your behavior; it exacerbates it. If you hold on to any regret, it
will poison your mind, body, or soul in another area of life.
==========
10:23:13 PM
Creation happens only NOW. If you are mentally living in the past, you cannot
simultaneously create something new and more positive.
==========
10:26:16 PM
When you peel all the layers of the onion back on fear, you find that at the heart
of it, fear is a message to you that your survival is in some way at risk.
==========
10:26:53 PM
Fear is based on a projection of what could happen

==========
10:27:19 PM
If you fear that a change to your situation will be worse than your current
situation, you will not take any creative action.
==========
10:28:14 PM
The key is they do not focus on what CAN’T be done but rather only see what CAN be
done.
==========
10:28:56 PM
They don’t think they will survive—they know they will.

==========
10:29:39 PM
They don’t think they will survive—they know they will. A huge key in the process
of mastering time is being able to recognize fear when it enters your mind and then
being able to distinguish the truth from the lie it may tell you.
==========
10:30:20 PM
creation takes place in the present moment.

==========
10:30:47 PM
What keeps the ball rolling is something much deeper in you that knows that what
you dream about achieving can become real.
==========
10:31:13 PM
The biggest factor that drives the experiences of life is the way in which we view
ourselves.
==========
10:31:56 PM
By observing the actions of your ego rather than resisting it, you are in the best
position to see what truths or limits your ego is trying to serve. That is when you
are most empowered to change these beliefs.
==========
10:33:41 PM
The diagram below displays how your identity determines your intention and the
limits of your intention
==========
10:40:01 PM
The only time the ego will work to push out the boundary line or circle is when new
desired personal intention, combined with a strong will, becomes powerful enough to
overcome the fear, enabling change and the ability to step into a new identity.
Time collapses and transformation occurs as a new
==========
10:40:45 PM
For any change you attempt, going from known to unknown takes faith in your ability
to step into a space that feels uncomfortable.
==========
10:40:56 PM
What seems hard for one person who lacks the will is very easy for another who sees
it as an inevitable part of who they desire to become
==========
10:41:14 PM
SO THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION IS “Where does personal will come from?” The answer
is highly personal and a combination of three things: a belief in oneself, a strong
active desire, and an unwavering faith in the outcome of the process.
==========
10:42:17 PM
Others will impose their own fears and limits on you, especially when you are doing
something that is beyond what they believe to be possible.
==========
10:42:24 PM
This is not because they are mean-spirited or sinister but because they are trying
to confirm that what they believe about life is still true
==========
10:42:48 PM
Remember, life is here to serve you and what you believe to be true.
==========
10:43:16 PM
Your beliefs about what is or is not possible will be demonstrated both consciously
and subconsciously through every one of the ways you distract yourself,
procrastinate, or delay the creative process.
==========
10:44:37 PM
If this is your believed truth, your ego will work to actually create the
experience of this truth.
==========
10:44:51 PM
The universe can only conspire with you regarding what you really believe to be
true.
==========
10:45:12 PM
The key to creating what you want sooner is to keep the desire and the belief in
what is possible for yourself while at the same time dropping any strong need for
these possibilities to manifest.
==========
10:46:12 PM
Time in this sense is directly related to the will to turn intent into reality. The
link between the two is awareness.
==========
10:46:26 PM
A key part of mastering time and life is discovering how your state of mind affects
how quickly you accept new information.
==========
10:48:10 PM
One of the most powerful realizations you can come to on your journey of awareness
is that the universe is here to serve you.
==========
10:48:37 PM
What is interesting is that once we know something to be absolutely true, we no

longer need to validate it.
==========
10:50:31 PM
Your energy is driven by the creation of I AM. Your most deeply held truth must be
validated in your reality.
==========
10:51:02 PM
This will continue until you are either able to experience yourself as you wish, or
until you simply accept the truth that right here and right now you are good enough
exactly as you are.
==========
10:52:07 PM
Fall out of touch with the current consciousness and you get stuck in time.
==========
10:52:44 PM
How time dissolves for you as it relates to what you want comes down to three main
variables: the strength of your will to obtain new information, the degree to which
you believe in yourself, and the amount of perseverance you demonstrate through
your actions.
==========
10:55:18 PM
Do you have a strong intention to make your idea or dream real? Do you believe your
intention is possible for you? If no, why not? Do you have a strong will to see
your intention realized? If yes, what five things have you done in the last week to
create this intention? Are you asking the important questions each day of HOW? Are
you listening to your reality for the answers? Are you honoring the true feelings
of others in your life or are you dominating them with your needs? Are you actually
creating change by making new choices? If no, what holds you back? If yes, what new
choices have you made in the last month? Do you trust that life is always serving
you on your quest? If no, how do you see life working against you? Can you see the
creative process in action right here in this moment as you read these words? Do
you understand what you have created in your past and why you have created it? Are
you ready to face new challenges? Are you acting from a place of personal peace,
acceptance, and love? If no, why not?
==========
10:56:01 PM
There are two main factors that cause a lack of presence of mind: focusing on
resisting your past; or projecting an undesired reality for the future. Remove both
of these distractions, and presence becomes a daily state of living.
==========
10:56:26 PM
You are not who you were but who you choose to be right now.
==========
10:56:52 PM
The power of choice (I AM) is eternally yours. Declaring who you are is the most
important choice you can make because it determines all of the thoughts, feelings,
and actions that you will put out to the world, and it divinely and precisely
determines how the energy of your universe responds to you each and every second.
==========
10:57:15 PM
Looking back at your past and being able to see the perfection of it is imperative,
as it relates to your personal growth and evolution.
==========
10:58:24 PM
The decisions you made in the past were always the reality of the best you could
have done for that particular moment and were divinely necessary for everyone
involved. If your decision created chaos, it was necessary for your journey. It was
how life chose to get your attention, shed some awareness, and put you exactly on
the path that you are on today.
==========
11:00:21 PM
To be a powerful creator, you must see the past for the perfection of the way it
unfolded, take what valuable information you can from it, and apply what you
learned along the way.
==========
11:01:29 PM
This resistance and anger is how the mind has worked to protect itself if these
painful experiences ever happen again.
==========
11:02:36 PM
Holding resistance toward any part of your past is like saying that it had no
purpose. It is, in a sense, a form of resistance to the perfection of the universe,
and even more specifically, it is a demonstration of resistance to a part of your
perfection.
==========
11:02:41 PM
It is acknowledging what has happened, and it is demonstrating faith that there was
and is a specific reason why it happened for you on your personal journey.
==========
11:03:50 PM
Your universe is seen as a field of possibility where it is not about what has
happened, but rather who you decide to be in this moment with what is happening.
==========
11:05:04 PM
None of these experiences ever once affected your ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. You are as
perfect in this moment as you have been since the day you were born.
==========
11:06:23 PM
All of the contempt I held for him and for the way he spoke to me instantly turned
to compassion. I now knew that the way he had been speaking to me was actually
never about me, ever! It was all my father knew. This was how he had learned to
communicate because this was how he was spoken to.
==========
11:06:34 PM
it liberated me from any personalization of his criticism.
==========
11:07:07 PM
You define you. This is your greatest gift. No matter what anyone has ever said to
you, told you, or done to you, it does not matter or have to be true for you
anymore, from this moment forward. You hold the great power of self-definition,
change, and time.
==========
11:08:39 PM
It is liberating you to see that there is nothing in your past that should ever
hold you back from your undeniable and absolute perfection right now.
==========
11:10:53 PM
Life moves the exact information you’ve asked for into your reality on a constant
basis. We only see and hear what we are ready to, however, when we are ready to
==========
11:11:41 PM
Seeing yourself in a new way as it relates to having an abundance of money or

thriving in your career will change every thought you have as to what is possible
and how to create it. Your ego will honor the new truth of your value and worth,
and you will begin to do things that you never even entertained doing before
because your ego wouldn’t allow it. You will make good decisions with money and
make them with more confidence and ease.
==========
11:12:32 PM
A new sense of self-appreciation will cause your ego to make exercise a priority.
You will be energized and very focused on maintaining a healthy new diet. You will
no longer resist this new identity; you will embrace it! Time will start to
collapse, and before you know it, you will be a slimmer, more fit, and healthier
version of who you are today.
==========
11:14:25 PM
This does not mean that you don’t need to work tirelessly to put the necessary
conditions together to achieve your dreams, but a huge step in this process is
actually seeing what you desire as something that is possible, believable, and
achievable.
==========
11:15:57 PM
A lasting, intimate, passionate, loving relationship IS POSSIBLE FOR ME. A
successful, exciting, enjoyable career path IS POSSIBLE FOR ME. A healthy, fit body
IS POSSIBLE FOR ME. A financially secure life IS POSSIBLE FOR ME. A harmonious,
peaceful relationship with my family IS POSSIBLE FOR ME. A loving, accepting,
content relationship with myself IS POSSIBLE FOR ME. An empowered, exciting, and
fulfilling way to know and experience life IS POSSIBLE FOR ME.
==========
11:17:53 PM
What are you looking to experience as true from today forward?

==========
11:19:05 PM
Mastery over life emerges from a deep understanding of and mastery over oneself.
==========
11:19:29 PM
The key components of creation—belief, desire, will, and faith—are all based on the
degree of appreciation, respect, and love you have for yourself.
==========
11:20:41 PM
The reason is this: In order for your behavior to change, your feelings must
change. For your feelings to change, your thoughts must change. And for your
thoughts to change, the perception of who you are (I AM) must change.
==========
- Your Note on page 109 | Location 1665 | Added on Tuesday, June 7, 2016 11:21:01
PM
this
==========
11:22:25 PM
For example, if who you are is not totally engaged in the benefit of being
physically fit, it will seem like a lot of work to get up early in the morning and
go to the gym.
==========
11:22:31 PM
==========
11:22:44 PM
Trying to force actions and behaviors that are in conflict with who you truly
believe you are is energy-draining and tiring to the soul.
==========
11:23:07 PM
It doesn’t matter who you “think” you are, the truth of who you “believe” you are
is always self-evident by your current actions or resistance to new choices and
actions.
==========
11:23:34 PM
Real personal power is found when you work from left to right, from a change in I
AM to a change in action.
==========
11:24:11 PM
These negative thoughts will only change when you have truly redefined who you are
(I AM).
==========
11:24:37 PM
It is about nudging you to the truth that who you really are is more magnificent
than you have ever even remotely imagined. This is what changes the experience of
“time” for you and where more of your full creative potential is released. Flow,
serendipity, and synchronicity then become experiential and commonplace.
==========
11:26:16 PM
Accomplishing or creating something for yourself is not a matter of time; it is a

matter of consistent demonstrated intention.
==========
11:28:21 PM
To powerfully create, you must believe that you are capable of living the vision.
==========
11:28:49 PM
We have the power of free will to redefine who we choose to be in any moment.
==========
11:31:37 PM
Dewey decided not to let time be taken away from him, but rather, he embraced the
truth of where he was and used time to his advantage to achieve what he had always
dreamed.
==========
PM
time is a commodity
you use it
==========
11:32:58 PM
Life has a wonderful way of testing what you believe to be true: action.
==========
11:33:05 PM
One of the requirements of conscious creation is that you participate in the

process.
==========
11:33:53 PM
Stating an intention and then declaring who you are in a way that aligns with your
intention are two powerful parts of the manifestation process. Once you’ve done
this, you cannot avoid the next step: demonstrating your will through your actions.
What is interesting about this part of life is that you cannot fool the universe.
You must not only act, but also act with the power of true belief behind the
action.
==========
11:35:52 PM
The time it takes to attain the things we desire, and the choices we make in the
attempt to get there, are directly related to how we frame who we are.
==========
11:36:52 PM
If what you really desire is not taking shape, remember that there is always a
specific reason why. Never be afraid to find that reason!
==========
11:38:25 PM
THESE ARE FOUR KEYS to immediately begin building the vital conditions that will
allow you to fulfill your desire and shorten the experience of “time” in the
process:
==========
11:38:39 PM
your greatest gift resides in a new idea of who you are now.
==========
11:38:50 PM
This awareness is critical to the liberating self-love that will send out a new
creative energy today.
==========
11:39:04 PM
You must be totally honest about where you are now in relation to what you truly
desire.
==========
11:40:35 PM
How can you not trust a universe that has birthed you into existence?
==========
11:41:24 PM
A trillion different coincidences all came together over the expanse of time to
form you and everything around you right now.
==========
11:41:33 PM
You have an effect on everything you put your attention on.

==========
11:41:44 PM
You have an effect on everything you put your attention on. This is how crucial you
are as the eyes to the world.
==========
11:43:04 PM
What is your intention? How quickly can you accept the truth and the reality of
what is? How much can you find to be grateful for despite the difficult
circumstances you face? How open are you to see what is being offered in what is
happening? How will you choose to define who you are in response to what is? How
much willpower and faith can you demonstrate each day based on what is?
==========
11:44:02 PM
The feeling of timelessness or endless joy comes not from searching for this mental
state but from actively participating in life and immersing yourself in this moment
as you work toward your greatest hopes and dreams.
==========
11:44:51 PM
Time is the constant experience of the space between who you think that you are and
who you are destined to become.
==========
11:45:59 PM
THE FOLLOWING ARE FIVE ATTITUDES to put you in the highest state of presence and
creative energy.
==========
11:46:13 PM
Acceptance Energetic benefit: Dissolves any resistance to time and truth

==========
11:46:49 PM
Embracing the idea that everything that is happening or has happened has a divine
reason behind it is a massive advancement in mastery over time and life.
==========
11:47:23 PM
Gratitude Energetic benefit: Dissolves the belief in lack, making way for abundance
==========
11:48:07 PM
Belief Energetic benefit: Attracts new creative possibilities

==========
11:48:28 PM
When you have a very strong belief in something, you do not “think” it is true;
rather, you “know” it is true. You “know” it is going to happen. This knowing is
expressed in the way you carry yourself.
==========
11:48:39 PM
Having a powerful belief in yourself, your personal value, or in what you are
trying to create is intoxicating to others.
==========
11:49:03 PM
Any lack of belief will show up in a lack of action. There is no escaping this
truth.
==========
11:49:21 PM
Once belief becomes strong enough and action is initiated, however, the wheels of
creation and change start turning. Time is no longer a major factor.
==========
11:49:37 PM
Faith Energetic benefit: Absence of doubt allowing for a powerful certainty of mind
that permits what you desire to become real
==========
11:50:09 PM
Love Energetic benefit: Inner peace and the bonding agent of all positive
experiences.
==========
11:51:07 PM
The key if you really want to make it happen is to keep your intention, desire,
and, most important, your belief focused on what IS possible for you. Life may
shock you with what happens next.
==========
11:52:51 PM
“I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle,” God said to
me. “Did you know that all this time that you have been struggling, you have
actually been growing roots?
==========
11:53:07 PM
“Yes,” God said. “So be faithful on your journey and rise as high as you can every
day. It is your destiny.”
==========
11:57:52 PM
When none of your energy is being used to resist any truth about life, all of your
energy is used in a positive way to draw in exactly what you want to fulfill your
biggest intentions.
==========
11:58:11 PM
So time in this sense really is the measure of matter’s resistance to the infinite
possibility from which it is formed.
==========
11:58:54 PM
There is no longer such a thing as wasted time, because you have found the meaning
in all of it. Purpose and gratitude are found in the most mundane of situations,
like standing in line, riding a bus, doing the laundry or dishes.
==========
11:59:27 PM
When you reach the ultimate conclusion that life is here to serve you, the only
thing left to decide is what you feel worthy of receiving.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 183 | Location 2795-2797 | Added on Wednesday, June 8,
2016 12:00:16 AM
How can I understand more about life? How do I change my experience? How do I gain
more control over my life? How do I actually create what I desire? How do I master
the experience of time? How do I live life with a greater sense of peace and
contentment? Each of these questions has an answer.
==========
2016 12:01:04 AM
Mastering Time Comes Down to Four Main Things: 1. A strong desire for new awareness
2. A love and belief in who you are that is without limits 3. A persistent
demonstration of your intent 4. A faith and trust in every outcome
==========
- Your Note on page 183 | Location 2806 | Added on Wednesday, June 8, 2016 12:01:14
AM
yes
==========
2016 12:02:29 AM
when you strongly believe in something for yourself and put your heart and mind
fully toward it, anything is possible for you. Never forget this.”
==========
2016 12:02:53 AM
If you knew how powerful you truly are, you would never stop smiling.
==========
2016 12:04:12 AM
“What I have learned is that my response is my responsibility. This demonstrates

who I AM. One does not cause me to be the way I AM; one reveals the way I AM.”
==========
2016 12:06:03 AM
The universe is constantly showing you the difference between what you say that you
want and who you demonstrate that you are. When what you say that you want is
aligned with who you are demonstrating yourself to be, time collapses. Time will
always be what you make of it.
==========
2016 12:06:50 AM
This universe will constantly support you, as it is doing now with these words. The
only thing that the universe cannot do is choose for you.
==========
2016 12:07:35 AM
The key is in declaring a new you, believing in a new you, and demonstrating the
belief by acting as a new you.
==========
2016 12:08:22 AM
You are the creator of time. You are the ultimate guru of the journey. You are the
master of your reality. Life and all of time are endlessly beholden to you!
==========
2016 12:08:31 AM
Responding from a place of the highest faith and love is how you enrich the moments
of your life and direct the creative energy around you.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 78 | Location 1192-1192 | Added on Wednesday, June 8, 2016
12:20:06 AM
People give you opportunities because they feel connected to you

==========
12:24:24 AM
Every advertisement boils down to a simple message: if you buy our product you’ll
be accepted, loved, part of the in-crowd; if you don’t you’re stuck
==========
12:25:03 AM
The problem is, no amount of approval from others can make you feel worthy—because
no amount of validation can eliminate your Shadow.
==========
12:25:24 AM
Whether you’re a celebrity or not, when you crave the approval of others, you give
them power over you.
==========
12:31:29 AM
What’s most important is that you feel a real presence in front of you. Practice
conjuring up the Shadow until it becomes easy.
==========
12:34:54 AM
In fact, the goal is not to try to gain the approval of the audience. Rather, you
use the tool to overcome that pressure and express yourself freely.
==========
12:35:06 AM
If you practice the tool when you’re alone, doing it again and again until it feels
like second nature, you’ll soon be ready to try it in front of people.
==========
12:35:42 AM
But you also need a cue to remember when to use the tool in your daily life. That
ongoing cue is performance anxiety.
==========
12:37:24 AM
Our need to please an audience is a deeply ingrained habit. The best way to break
the habit is to replace it with a healthier one; that means using Inner Authority
every chance you get. If you do this consistently, you train yourself to rely on
your inner self, not on the reactions of others.
==========
2016 6:13:55 PM
On one level, gratefulness was his reaction to the generosity of the Source. But on
a more profound level, gratefulness was the means by which he perceived the Source.
==========
2016 6:14:26 PM
gratefulness is a higher organ of perception, through which you can accurately

appreciate a fundamental truth: the universe works—mysteriously—and you’re the
constant beneficiary of its generosity.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 117 | Location 1789-1790 | Added on Friday, June 10, 2016
1:18:39 PM
Once you can feel that, then you can stop the words for a moment and train your
heart to generate pure gratefulness without words.
==========
1:19:30 PM
Obsessing, no matter what it’s about, is another form of negative thinking that can
be arrested with the Grateful Flow.
==========
1:20:45 PM
The best we can do is put ourselves in a grateful state, acknowledging the gifts it
has given us; gifts we couldn’t possibly have created ourselves.
==========
1:21:52 PM
In the material world, you’re always vulnerable; whatever you gain you can also
lose.
==========
1:22:22 PM
Lasting peace of mind can only come from a connection to the Source.
==========
1:22:41 PM
it requires constant work to stay connected to the Source—peace of mind is an

active state.
==========
1:23:33 PM
The flaw in this way of motivating yourself is that you have to generate all the
energy yourself. The alternative is to connect to an energy source much bigger than
you, the true wellspring of all energy, the Source.
==========
1:23:46 PM
In fact, the more grateful you feel for what you already have, the more energy you
get from it.
==========
1:24:28 PM
Perspective is the ability to see whatever is happening at the moment without
losing sight of the enduring, positive nature of life.
==========
1:27:05 PM
Ironically, the moment you claim all the credit for your success, you also have to
take the blame for any future failure—and that’s terrifying.
==========
1:27:19 PM
The truth is, we accomplish nothing without the help of the Source. By
acknowledging this, the Grateful Flow relieves you of total responsibility for what
happens.
==========
1:27:33 PM
The Grateful Flow is a direct acknowledgment of the Source as a co-creator in

everything you achieve.
==========
1:27:57 PM
you may have to use the Grateful Flow many times to awaken your sense of
gratefulness.
==========
1:28:12 PM
gratefulness is a real organ—it exists inside of everyone.

==========
1:29:39 PM
Then you could be happy and motivated at the same time.

==========
1:30:00 PM
the nature of the Source is far beyond human comprehension.

==========
1:30:41 PM
The Source sees in us the limitless potential to create new things.

==========
1:31:10 PM
But the human ego misunderstands this power. It sees creation only in terms of
proving its own importance. To maintain that illusion, it claims that it creates
everything on its own, without help;
==========
1:31:26 PM
We do have the ability to create without end, but we create nothing alone.
==========
1:32:08 PM
The Source is relentless in forcing us to realize this potential. It does this by

destroying our illusion that we’re the masters of the universe—and the go-it-alone
mentality that comes with it. It doesn’t do this with logic, it does it with
events. It brings events into our lives that we don’t want and can’t control:
illness, failure, rejection. The pain of these events brings us to our knees,
forcing us to admit we’re not the most powerful force in the universe. This is a
blessing.
==========
1:34:03 PM
Deep down inside, we all fear that the universe is far beyond our control. And in a
very primal way, we take refuge in the only activity that seems to offer a sense of
power—thinking. The paradox is that it’s exactly then that our thoughts spiral into
uncontrollable worry.
==========
1:34:12 PM
We can find peace only when we accept the Source as the author of the events
==========
2:00:52 PM
The tools repair the connection—that’s why they work. But the connection never
lasts; it will break again. That makes using tools a task without end.
==========
2:02:19 PM
Deep down, we all wish for a magical something that will exonerate us.
==========
2:05:16 PM
This is an inescapable law: exoneration always ends in demoralization.

==========
2:07:05 PM
Consumers try to make up for their laziness by gorging on new information—TV

==========
2:07:23 PM
Consumers try to make up for their laziness by gorging on new information—TV,

podcasts, web searches, texts, e-mails, etc.
==========
2:07:56 PM
We have a natural desire for a relationship with higher forces that’s so strong it
can never be eradicated.
==========
2:08:35 PM
The expectation is never met, and that just makes them search even harder.
==========
2:08:52 PM
But you’re not really free until all hope for magic is crushed.
==========
2:09:15 PM
only way back to the living was by connecting to higher forces—and then staying
connected.
==========
2:11:00 PM
You need a force you can generate completely from inside yourself.
==========
2:12:06 PM
Those four are given to us as gifts. Willpower isn’t. Human beings participate in
its creation.
==========
2:12:40 PM
We rarely understand what a gift the darkness is. Without it, there would be no way
to discover our own inner spark.
==========
2:13:26 PM
To act right now requires a sense of urgency.

==========
2:14:13 PM
I had accepted that time is limited. I couldn’t afford to waste it ruminating about
the past or fantasizing about the future. The only thing that mattered was what I
was doing at that moment.
==========
2:14:36 PM
For most of us, the truth—that every moment counts—is too much pressure to bear. It
would mean giving our all, all of the time. We prefer to stay comfortable until a
deadline forces us to act.
==========
2:14:54 PM
“Real willpower can’t be dependent on events, willpower has to be beyond events.”

==========
2:15:04 PM
You need to find a permanent source of jeopardy. There’s only one thing you’re at
risk of losing every moment.”
==========
2:16:10 PM
With access to higher forces, your potential has no limits. If you keep using the
tools, this limitless potential is your future. But the benefit is not automatic.
All you have to do is stop using them and your potential is destroyed. That raises
the stakes. Your future is in jeopardy every moment.
==========
2:17:10 PM
To keep yourself from quitting on the tools, you’ll need a way to stay aware of how
much is at stake.
==========
2:21:34 PM
The unbelievable number of distractions consumerism offers helps us bury that fear.
==========
2:23:12 PM
The deathbed perspective provides it, regardless of your outer situation. It allows
you to create willpower at any time.
==========
2:24:06 PM
Once you find it impossible to use the tools, the only thing that can help you is
extra willpower
==========
2:24:28 PM
we mistake success with being exonerated from further struggle. We tell ourselves
we no longer need to exert willpower
==========
2:24:48 PM
Any time we feel like we’ve grown beyond the need for the tools is an immediate cue
to use Jeopardy.
==========
2:25:26 PM
Try out Jeopardy in those everyday moments when you tend to lose your will: getting
out of bed in the morning, concentrating in the face of distractions, or
restraining the impulse to give in to a bad habit.
==========
2:25:48 PM
Paradoxically, this sense of life emerges from a relationship with the deathbed
version of yourself.
==========
2:26:57 PM
Invite him into your consciousness, feel him looking at you every moment, and
welcome the pressure he puts on you. You’ll move through life with a wind at your
back.
==========
2:27:28 PM
Vinny had taken his first giant step away from the superficial life of the consumer
and into a whole new way of being. He had become a “creator.”
==========
2:27:41 PM
The consumer expects a reward for the slightest effort—or better, for no effort at
all. He cares only about what he gets from the world, not about what he might add
to it.
==========
2:28:05 PM
He doesn’t accept the world as he finds it; he brings things into the world that
aren’t already there. He doesn’t follow the herd; he sets his own course. He
ignores the reactions of others. He resists superficial distractions. He remains
focused on his goals even if he has to sacrifice his immediate gratification.
==========
2:28:36 PM
The creator’s energy must have the singular focus of a drill boring through stone.
As difficult as that is, a creator is rewarded many times over for his efforts.
==========
2:30:24 PM
Creative power can’t be given because the act of creation is an expression of

yourself, a revelation of who you are inside. No one, not even God, can give this
to you—it must come from you. You have to develop creative powers through your own
efforts.
==========
2:33:17 PM
God’s real “job” is to keep us in the struggle. This view of God doesn’t go down
well when your ultimate goal is a life of ease.
==========
2:33:46 PM
But the reward for doing that is more valuable than money. It’s the chance to live
as a creator, the deepest, most meaningful experience we can have.
==========
2:34:36 PM
Our existence has to be difficult, or we never find our way to the potential God
wants us to have.
==========
2:34:48 PM
The most immediate experience we can have of being a creator is when we use
Jeopardy. The tool allows us to literally create willpower out of nothing.
==========
2:35:29 PM
This completely transforms the meaning of failure, demoralization, and paralysis.

They all become opportunities for us to exercise a godlike creativity.
==========
2:35:49 PM
The future may bring you darkness, but it can’t take away your ability to create
light.
==========
2:36:47 PM
“Doc, in a million years I would never have guessed the secret to happiness: just
think about death all day.”
==========
2:37:18 PM
Once you aspire to become a creator, everything changes, even the way you read this
book. We’ve already explained how a consumer will read it—quickly and
superficially, scanning it for magical sources of power he can get without effort
on his part.
==========
2:37:40 PM
You’ll read the book slowly and thoughtfully because you need the help of higher
forces. You wouldn’t dream of stopping the tools—you have things you want to do
with the powers they give you. You want to have a real impact on the world, to add
something new to it.
==========
2:38:32 PM
The most obvious thing we have no control over is time—it’s constantly slipping
away. Jeopardy uses this to create a sense of urgency.
==========
2:38:45 PM
The most direct way to experience this is from your imaginary deathbed. Death—
determined by a power greater than any individual—is the ultimate loss of control.
==========
2:38:58 PM
No matter how demoralized or lazy you are, if you’re alive and conscious, you have
enough energy to make some tiny effort on your own behalf.
==========
2:39:44 PM
On the other hand, if you rely on the promise of a feel-good philosophy to motivate
you, when, inevitably, that promise isn’t fulfilled, your willpower disappears.
==========
2:40:30 PM
The way you use the tools should be a step in the direction of creatorship.
==========
2:42:02 PM
“When I see that deathbed figure trying to save me from my own stupidity, I just
can’t lose myself like I used to.”
==========
2:42:28 PM
We need a force strong enough to hold our concentration on one thing until we’re
finished with it. That takes willpower.
==========
4:45:17 PM
faith is the confidence that higher forces are always there to help when you need
them.
==========
4:49:36 PM
he knew higher forces existed in a realm not subject to the scientific model.
==========
4:49:58 PM
You can’t prove or disprove the existence of higher forces; they’re only real for
you if you can feel them.
==========
4:50:27 PM
Higher forces must be experienced directly, and that takes effort. That means
you’ll face the same stark choice I did: demand proof that you’ll never receive, or
use the tools in the face of your doubts.
==========
4:51:50 PM
That leads us to the second pillar: in the new spirituality, each individual must
experience higher forces and arrive at his own conclusions about their nature;
external authority figures can no longer define our spiritual reality for us.
==========
4:52:04 PM
To varying degrees, organized religion still subscribes to this old “top-down”

hierarchy.
==========
4:53:52 PM
the driving force of spiritual evolution is personal problems.

==========
4:54:19 PM
Most people feel more motivated when they envision themselves as part of an
intelligent system whose goal is their advancement.
==========
4:55:01 PM
A consumer feels that life is only meaningful when his needs are being gratified.
Problems, because they are un-gratifying, inevitably destroy the consumer’s sense
of purpose. In contrast, a creator has a sense of meaning that can’t be destroyed—
he insists on seeing problems as driving him toward something better, something
higher in himself. Far from destroying his sense of meaning, problems actually
reinforce it.
==========
4:59:02 PM
Only a creator can meet the evolutionary demand to change society while he changes
himself.
==========
5:13:23 PM
The model that society teaches you to become successful is highly flawed.’
==========
6:12:55 PM
The key to making money, and therefore living a life of less stress, is to cause
someone to joyfully give you money in exchange for something that they perceive to
be of greater value than the money they gave you. The key there is ‘joyfully
==========
6:18:28 PM
The key revelation from that recording, for me, was that when you’re communicating
with a marketing message, you need to get inside the heads of your prospects,
figure out what matters most to them in their lives, and talk to them about that,
not about what you want to sell them. They don’t care about what you want to sell
them. “If you aren’t talking to your prospect about their strongest and deepest
wants, needs, and desires, you are doing them a disservice,” Craig said on the
recording.
==========
6:21:12 PM
Good marketing, in turn, speaks to the prospect about their deepest emotional
realities, their innermost desires, and about helping them achieve what they want
in those realms.
==========
6:21:57 PM
If you talk with them about what’s most important to them (instead of talking about
your pitch, which I guarantee is low in the list of what’s important to them), they
will listen, and they will trust what you have to say.
==========
6:23:25 PM
The process Craig offered was simple: make a list of your prospects’ biggest fears,
frustrations, desires, dreams, and nightmares around the issue your product or
service helps them with.
==========
Like Switch : An Ex-fbi Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning
People over (9781476754505) (Schafer, Jack; Karlins, Marvin)
- Your Highlight on Location 117-118 | Added on Sunday, June 12, 2016 1:31:15 AM
Always remember that knowledge without action is knowledge wasted.

==========
More weeks passed and, as they did, Charles increased his nonverbal interaction
with Seagull by increasing his eye contact, raising his eyebrows, tilting his head,
and jutting out his chin, which are all nonverbal signs that scientists have
discovered are interpreted by the human brain as “friend signals.”
==========
Friendship =Proximity + Frequency + Duration + Intensity

==========
People who share physical space are more likely to become attracted to one another,
even when no words are exchanged.
==========
The key to the power of proximity is that it must take place

==========
The key to the power of proximity is that it must take place in a nonthreatening
environment.
==========
Frequency is the number of contacts you have with another individual over time and
Duration is the length of time you spend with another individual over time.
==========
Duration has a unique quality in that the more time you spend with a person, the
more influence they have over your thoughts and actions.
==========
Duration shares an inverse relationship with frequency. If you see a friend

frequently, then the duration of the encounter will be shorter. Conversely, if you
don’t see your friend very often, the duration of your visit will typically
increase significantly.
==========
Their relationship can be self-evaluated by looking at the interaction of each of

the elements of the Friendship Formula.
==========
You can also extricate yourself from unwanted relationships by slowly decreasing
each of the basic elements of the Friendship Formula.
==========
If frequency is low then duration must be high in order to develop a personal

relationship.
==========
Regardless of what type of friendship you desire (short, long, relaxed, or intense)
it will always be influenced by proximity, frequency, duration, and intensity.
Think of the Friendship Formula as the concrete foundation upon which a house is
built. The home can take many different forms, just like friendships can, but the
foundation remains basically the same.
==========
The first thing I did was to establish proximity.

==========
not saying a word, virtually ignoring him. This silent activity established
proximity, but, more important, did not pose a threat.
==========
My daily visits and silent reading activity served as a curiosity hook.

==========
In simple terms, I did not readily make myself available to Vladimir, which
heightened his curiosity, causing an increase in his motivation to talk.
==========
provided me with information. To effectively use the Friendship Formula, you have
==========
Yet, sometimes a stranger does something that makes us take notice of his or her
presence; we become aware of this individual.
==========
Your brain is like the metal detector, constantly evaluating your environment for
signals that indicate things you should approach or avoid, or that are irrelevant
and can be ignored.
==========
Your nonverbal (how you behave) and verbal (what you say) communications send
signals to those around you. Moving with purpose has a purpose. To a potential
predator, you are less likely to be seen as prey,
==========
Because people often see you before they hear you, the nonverbal signals you send
them can influence their opinion.
==========
People who transmit friend signals are viewed as nonthreatening and approachable.
When you meet people, especially for the first time, ensure that you send the right
nonverbal cues that allow others to see you in a positive rather than neutral or
negative light.
==========
They are the “eyebrow flash,” “head tilt,” and the real, as opposed to fake,
“smile” (yes, the human brain can detect the difference!).
==========
Therefore, you can use eyebrow flashes as a kind of early warning system to help
you determine if the person you are interested in is interested in you.
==========
If the signal is present and we reciprocate, our nonverbal communication is telling

the other person we are not a foe to be feared or avoided.
==========
People who feel threatened protect their carotid arteries by tucking their neck
into their shoulders. People expose their carotid arteries when they meet people
who do not pose a threat.
==========
Women see men who approach them with their head slightly canted to one side or the
other as more handsome.
==========
The mere act of smiling will put people in a better, more receptive mood.
==========
The telltale signs of a genuine smile are the upturned corners of the mouth and
upward movement of the cheeks accompanied by wrinkling around the edges of the
eyes.
==========
As opposed to sincere smiles, forced smiles tend to be lopsided. For right-handed

people a forced smile tends to be stronger on the right side of the face, and for
left-handed people, it tends to be stronger on the left.
==========
establish eye contact by holding your gaze for no longer than a second.
==========
You should end the eye gaze with a smile. If you cannot manage a genuine smile,
make sure that the corners of your mouth are upturned and wrinkle the outer edges
of your eyes.
==========
After you make eye contact with your person of interest, hold your gaze for one
second and then slowly turn your head, holding your gaze for another second or two.
The person you are looking at will see your head turning away, giving the illusion
of broken eye contact, and your actions will not be perceived as staring. This
technique allows you to intensify the emotional content of your friend signal.
==========
Pupil dilation expresses interest. When an individual sees another person they
like, their pupils, the black portion of their eyes, expand.
==========
manufactured eyebrow flash, a slightly tilted head, and a simulated real smile
complete with crow’s feet around my eyes.
==========
I offered him a cup of coffee, for two reasons. First, I wanted to tap into the
psychological principle of reciprocity. When people receive things, even trivial
things, they feel a need to reciprocate.
==========
touch is important in making friends, as studies have concluded that even the most
fleeting touch can have a dramatic influence on our perceptions and relationships.
==========
If you touch a person’s hand and they pull away, even slightly, the person being
touched is not yet ready to intensify the relationship. Pulling away does not
necessarily signal rejection. It means that you will have to build more rapport
with your person of interest before advancing the relationship.
==========
A risk-free way to measure the strength of a new relationship is to “accidentally”

touch or brush against the hand of your person of interest. Most people will
tolerate an accidental touch, even if they don’t like the person touching them, but
they will unconsciously send nonverbal signals indicating the acceptance or
rejection of the touch. Watch for these nonverbal displays and proceed accordingly.
==========
When you first meet someone and want to gain their friendship, make a conscious
effort to mirror their body language.
==========
The other person will not consciously notice your mirroring behavior because it
falls within the human baseline and the brain considers it “normal.”
==========
However, the absence of mirroring is a foe signal and the brain will take notice
when two people are out of synchrony during personal interactions.
==========
People tend to lean toward individuals they like and distance themselves from
people they don’t like.
==========
People tilt their heads slightly backward to increase distance from another person,
which signals that relationship building is not going well. The same thing applies
when individuals turn their torsos away from another person during interaction.
People will also reposition their feet away from unwanted visitors.
==========
Students who are interested in the material will lean forward in their seats, tilt
their heads to the right or the left, and periodically nod their heads in
agreement.
==========
I didn’t have to convince the people who I had already won over. I had to win over
those people who did not agree with me.
==========
I walked around the room moving closer to my detractors, looked directly at them,
and made personal appeals.
==========
Whispering is an intimate behavior and positive friend signal.

==========
Speakers can emphasize a point with a sharp downward movement of the hand at the
end of a sentence, or express openness and sincerity with extended open palms.
Expressive gestures reinforce verbal communication and mutual interest.
==========
You can encourage potential friends to continue speaking (and like you more because
of it) by additional head nodding, smiles, and focused attention (when you lean
forward, cock your head slightly and appear to be listening intensely to what is
being said).
==========
Verbal nudges let the speaker know that you are not only listening but are also
validating the speaker’s message with verbal confirmation.
==========
Your introduction should be accompanied by a wide smile as it makes you appear

friendlier and more personable and thus predisposes customers to leave higher tips.
==========
tell one of the customers that the manner in which the food was prepared was not up
to your standards and that you sent the meal back to the chef to have it cooked
correctly. Then apologize for the delay and, after a few minutes, serve the food as
it was originally prepared.
==========
Reciprocity can also be induced by bringing mints along with the check.
==========
When you repeat orders, customers subconsciously feel that you are more like them
than not.
==========
“Make the customers feel good about themselves and they will like you.”
==========
If you make a comment and catch somebody rolling their eyes, focus your attention
on that person to try to convince them your idea has merit.
==========
Arms akimbo widens a person’s profile in an attempt to display dominance.

==========
using common sense, whether the way you are clothed and accessorized will likely be
perceived as a friend or foe signal by a person you might want to approach.
==========
You can wear expensive clothes and shoes but people will know you are a ‘poser’ if
you pull out a twenty-dollar, three-fold wallet.”
==========
The underlying principle of territoriality is that many species of life desire and
attempt to maintain a specified amount and quality of space for themselves.
==========
If a person you wish to meet judges you as friendly, then he or she will be more
willing to allow you to enter their personal space.
==========
After sending out friend signals, and receiving like signals in return, approach
the individual carefully and observe their body language as you do. If the
individual shows signs of stress or negative reactions, such as backing away or
disapproving facial expressions, stop your forward progress and do not move closer
to that person until he or she gives you verbal or nonverbal clues that they are
ready for that.
==========
This is because observing foot positions offers clues as to which group will accept
a new member and which will be reluctant or unwilling to do so.
==========
If you see two people who are facing each other—each with their feet pointing
toward the other person—they are telegraphing the message that their conversation
is private. Stay away. They do not want outsiders to interrupt. On the other hand,
if two people are facing each other with their feet askew, this leaves an “opening”
and sends the message that they are willing to admit a new person to their group.
==========
When three people face each other and their feet are pointed inward forming a
closed circle, they are nonverbally communicating an unwillingness to accept new
members.
==========
Purposefully walk toward the group and display friend signals either before or
during the approach.
==========
If these same individuals see you exhibiting eyebrow flashes, head tilts, and a
smile, they are going to interpret these friend signals as positive and are more
likely to welcome you into their gathering.
==========
Confident people are more liked than people who are not self-assured. Even if you
don’t feel confident, fake it as best you can.
==========
and wait for a pause before saying anything. While you are listening, you should
slightly nod your head.
==========
When a natural pause in the conversation occurs, this is your cue to introduce
yourself or add to the conversation you have been listening to.
==========
Finding common ground (similar interests, backgrounds, jobs, etc.) is the quickest
way to develop rapport and kick your friend-making process into high gear.
==========
If common ground cannot be readily established, default to the topic of music.

Almost everyone likes music.
==========
People like to be remembered. Remembering a person’s name assigns them value and
recognition and shows that you care. Things remembered are things cherished.
==========
Conversational bridge-backs can be comments, jokes, gestures, or other things
unique to the earlier conversation.
==========
“Oh, I see you’re ready to leave” or “Oh, you find the party boring.” You can use
such a statement because you are just describing the physical stance you have
observed,
==========
“Oh, I see you’re ready to leave” or “Oh, you find the party boring.” You can use
such a statement because you are just describing the physical stance you have
observed, which reflects that individual’s inner feelings.
==========
If you want to avoid the spotlight effect, you first have to know of its existence.
==========
The first step in successfully imitating friend (or foe) signals is to watch how
other people naturally display these signals and, also, to monitor your own
signals.
==========
When a person approaches, tilt your head, make eye contact, and smile. Watch the
person’s reaction. If the individual returns an eyebrow flash along with a smile,
you have successfully transmitted a friend signal.
==========
Further, with practice, you won’t have to consciously think about sending the
signals or how they look; they will become automatic.
==========
Don’t you be one of those people! Persevere through this free-fall phase, confident
in the knowledge that you will achieve skill mastery with time and effort.
==========
People feel comfortable communicating when they are eating or drinking. See if you
can determine the status and intensity of relationships by observing the nonverbal
signals of nearby couples.
==========
The point of people-watching is to sharpen your observation skills, allowing you to

become more aware of how people naturally interact with one another and enhance
your ability to accurately interpret what you see.
==========
The Golden Rule of Friendship—If you want people to like you, make them feel good
about themselves—can be a deciding factor in which side the person puts you on.
==========
People feel good about themselves when they successfully communicate a message.
==========
“So you like the way things are going today,” or “So you are having a good day.”
==========
You can naturally say, “So, things are going your way today,” mirroring back their
physical nonverbal cues.
==========
BEN: Hi, my name is Ben. What’s yours? VICKI: Hi, my name is Vicki. BEN: You look
like you’re really having fun tonight. (sophisticated empathic statement) VICKI: I
sure am. I really need a night out. BEN: Then you’ve been really busy lately.
(sophisticated empathic statement) VICKI: Yeah, I worked sixty hours a week for the
last three weeks getting a project done.
==========
All you have to remember is the last thing the person said and construct an
empathic statement based on that information.
==========
people rarely miss an opportunity to compliment themselves if given the opportunity
(which you conveniently provide).
==========
they will like you because you provided the opportunity to make them feel good
about themselves.
==========
What Ben said is true regardless of Vicki’s self-assessment, so his comment at

worst will go unnoticed, and at best will provide the impetus for Vicki to feel
good about herself
==========
It takes a lot of dedication and determination to commit to a project of that

magnitude. (a statement that provides Vicki the opportunity to compliment herself)
==========
Indirectly you, through Mike, allowed Sonja to compliment herself, which makes her
feel good about herself, thus predisposing her to like you
==========
Third-party compliments are within normal behavioral parameters and pass a person’s
“territory scan” without arousing an alert.
==========
An unfriendly person initially described as friendly gains an advantage from the

primacy effect because people tend to allow the unfriendly person multiple
opportunities
==========
An unfriendly person initially described as friendly gains an advantage from the

primacy effect because people tend to allow the unfriendly person multiple
opportunities to demonstrate friendliness despite numerous displays of unfriendly
behavior.
==========
What I did through my last comment was to create a filter through which I wanted
the suspect to view my partner. I employed the primacy effect to shape his
assessment of my partner’s skills.
==========
The next time you conduct an interview, meet a new colleague, or buy a new product,
think about how you came to form your opinion about that person or product. Chances
are high that your opinions were formed by primacy.
==========
When a person does someone a favor, they feel good about themselves. The Golden
Rule of Friendship states that if you make a person feel good about themselves,
they will like you.
==========
Ben addressed Vicki by her first name (recall that people like the sound of their
name and the fact that someone remembers it) and then asked her to do him a small
favor.
==========
Vicki, could you do me a favor and watch my drink while I go to the bathroom? (asks
for a favor)
==========
So now the parents see you through the primacy filter created by their children and
they are more open to seeing you as a friend rather than as “the enemy.”
==========
When you employ the Golden Rule of Friendship, it encourages reciprocity: “If you
make me happy, I want to make you happy.” Even in onetime encounters, when you are
interacting with a person you will probably never see again, you can witness this
reciprocity in action.
==========
But when you make other people feel good, good things often end up happening to
you.
==========
“Wow, that lady was pretty intense.”

==========
People holding similar views reinforce one another and thereby enhance the
likelihood of mutual attraction.
==========
When the newly hired agents gained enough seniority to participate in the hiring
process, they also unconsciously selected individuals who were most like them.
==========
Developing relationships is easy if you can find common ground with another person.
==========
After you make initial contact with a person, listening to what they say can
provide you with additional clues to their likes and dislikes.
==========
So you must be a White sox fan.

==========
Shared job interests, political positions, religious beliefs, mutual friends, and
similar experiences are good topics to explore for common ground.
==========
mentioned earlier, the one thing that most people have in common with each other is
music. Music is a neutral topic that most people are willing to talk about, even if
their listening tastes differ.
==========
This makes them feel good about themselves, and because you are the one providing
the impetus for that feeling, you are seen in a positive light (the Golden Rule of
Friendship in action).
==========
AUDREY: Where do you work? SUSAN: I’m a financial planner. AUDREY: Interesting. My
sister is an accountant.
==========
When people feel good about themselves and do not attribute the good feeling to a
specific cause, they tend to associate the cause of that good feeling with the
person who is physically close to them at the time.
==========
arrange for a “chance meeting” during or shortly after he or she completes their
exercise regimen.
==========
To accomplish this objective, you need to be in close physical proximity to the

person during or soon after the endorphins are released.
==========
People feel closer relationships with others with whom they share the same
frightening or traumatic experiences.
==========
For that reason, arranging to see a scary movie is ideal for a first date because
it increases the chance for mutual attraction in a new relationship.
==========
go skydiving or bungee jumping, ride a roller coaster, or pursue other activities

that create the perception of danger.
==========
Social norms dictate that if someone gives you something or performs a favor for
you, large or small, then you are predisposed to return the gesture in like kind or
in greater measure.
==========
is a very effective tool for making friends. When you smile at someone, that person
feels obligated to return the smile.
==========
Once a person discovers that another person likes them, they find that person more
attractive.
==========
“I know you’d do the same thing for me.”

==========
Individuals who disclose more personal information with other people are more
likely to receive a similar level of personal information in return.
==========
The sense of closeness increases if the disclosures are emotional

==========
The exchange of personal information creates a sense of intimacy in relationships.

==========
Disclosures should be made over a long period of time to ensure that the
relationship slowly increases in intensity and closeness.
==========
increase their attractiveness to others if they maintain good eye contact, act
upbeat, dress well, add a dash of color to their wardrobe, and listen
==========
posture and bearing and suggests that for one week you stand straight, tuck in your
stomach, hold your head high, and smile at those you
==========
importance of posture and bearing and suggests that for one week you stand
straight, tuck in your stomach, hold
==========
importance of posture and bearing and suggests that for one week you stand
straight, tuck in your stomach, hold your head high, and smile at those you meet.
==========
slightly risqué joke can help to escalate the level of intimacy in a flirtatious
conversation.
==========
The added benefit to using humor is that laughing causes a release of endorphins,
which makes you feel good about yourself, and, according to the Golden Rule of
Friendship, if you make people feel good about themselves, they will like you.
==========
woman who likes a particular man will laugh at his jokes, no matter how lame, more
often and with more gusto than she will laugh at jokes told by a man in whom she
has little romantic interest.
==========
Stumbling on Happiness (Daniel Gilbert)
- Your Highlight on page 13 | Location 193-194 | Added on Monday, June 13, 2016
10:29:12 PM
machines and invertebrates prove that it doesn’t take a smart, self-aware,

conscious brain to make simple predictions about the future.
==========
10:29:47 PM
brains are continuously making predictions about the immediate, local, personal
future of their owners without their owners’ awareness.
==========
10:32:29 PM
the occurrence of surprise reveals the nature of our expectations.

==========
10:34:09 PM
monkey brains and baby human brains add what they already know (the past) to what
they currently see (the present) to predict what will happen next (the future).
==========
10:34:18 PM
When the actual next thing is different from the predicted next thing, monkeys and
babies experience surprise.
==========
10:43:22 PM
What is the conceptual tie that binds anxiety and planning? Both, of course, are
intimately connected to thinking about the future.
==========
10:43:52 PM
the frontal lobe “empowers healthy human adults with the capacity to consider the
self’s extended existence throughout time.”17
==========
10:46:07 PM
For the first few hundred million years after their initial appearance on our
planet, all brains were stuck in the permanent present, and most brains still are
today.
==========
10:49:05 PM
every eight hours of thinking includes an hour of thinking about things that have
yet to happen.
==========
10:50:57 PM
Forestalling pleasure is an inventive technique for getting double the juice from
half the fruit.
==========
10:52:02 PM
those who had had the most elaborate and delicious fantasies about approaching
their heartthrob were least likely to do so over the next few months.28
==========
10:55:34 PM
First, anticipating unpleasant events can minimize their impact.

==========
10:56:33 PM
We motivate employees, children, spouses, and pets to do the right thing by

dramatizing the unpleasant consequences of their misbehaviors, and so too do we
motivate ourselves by imagining the unpleasant tomorrows that await us
==========
10:57:38 PM
We want to know what is likely to happen so that we can do something about it.
==========
10:58:15 PM
the most important reason why our brains insist on simulating the future even when
we’d rather be here now, enjoying a goldfish moment, is that our brains want to
control the experiences we are about to have.
==========
11:01:41 PM
if they lose their ability to control things at any point between their entrance
and their exit, they become unhappy, helpless, hopeless, and depressed.40
==========
11:04:08 PM
Apparently, gaining control can have a positive impact on one’s health and well-
being, but losing control can be worse than never having had any at all.
==========
11:04:55 PM
People will wager more money on dice that have not yet been tossed than on dice
that have already been tossed but whose outcome is not yet known,46
==========
11:05:12 PM
they will bet more if they, rather than someone else, are allowed to decide which
number will count as a win.47
==========
11:27:22 PM
Because the fact that the game has already been played precludes the possibility
that our cheering will somehow penetrate the television, travel through the cable
system, find its way to the stadium, and influence the trajectory of the ball as it
hurtles toward the goalposts!
==========
11:29:00 PM
Other animals must experience an event in order to learn about its pleasures and
pains, but our powers of foresight allow us to imagine that which has not yet
happened and hence spare ourselves the hard lessons of experience.
==========
11:31:00 PM
the future is fundamentally different than it appears through the prospectiscope.

==========
11:37:43 PM
The word happiness is used to indicate at least three related things, which we
might roughly call emotional happiness, moral happiness, and judgmental happiness.
==========
12:18:32 AM
You may think yellow is a color, but it isn’t. It’s a psychological state. It is
what human beings with working visual apparatus experience when their eyes are
struck by light with a wavelength of 580 nanometers.
==========
12:19:30 AM
nothing we can say about their neurological underpinnings can fully substitute for
the experiences themselves.5
==========
12:20:56 AM
but all are forms of feeling that occupy different points on a scale of happiness.
==========
12:23:32 AM
People want to be happy, and all the other things they want are typically meant to
be means to that end.
==========
12:24:49 AM
This endeavor has two sides, a positive and a negative aim. It aims, on the one
hand, at an absence of pain and displeasure, and, on the other, at the experiencing
of strong feelings of pleasure.11
==========
12:27:15 AM
You might be tempted to conclude that the word happiness does not indicate a good
feeling but rather that it indicates a very special good feeling that can only be
produced by very special means—for example, by living one’s life in a proper,
moral, meaningful, deep, rich, Socratic, and non-piglike way.
==========
12:27:22 AM
Now that would be the kind of feeling one wouldn’t be ashamed to strive for.
==========
12:29:28 AM
By muddling causes and consequences, philosophers have been forced to construct

tortured defenses of some truly astonishing claims—for
==========
12:29:50 AM
few centuries later, Christian theologians added a nifty twist to this classical
conception: Happiness was not merely the product of a life of virtue but the reward
for a life of virtue, and that reward was not necessarily to be expected in this
lifetime.17
==========
12:31:37 AM
Happiness refers to feelings, virtue refers to actions, and those actions can cause
those feelings. But not necessarily and not exclusively.
==========
12:33:38 AM
When we say we are happy about or happy that, we are merely noting that something
is a potential source of pleasurable feeling, or a past source of pleasurable
feeling, or that we realize it ought to be a source of pleasurable feeling but that
it sure doesn’t feel that way at the moment.
==========
12:38:13 AM
memories—especially memories of experiences—are notoriously unreliable,

==========
12:39:51 AM
they ended up remembering not what they had experienced but what they had said
about what they experienced.
==========
12:40:30 AM
One of the functions of language is to help us palp them—to help us extract and
remember the important features of our experiences so that we can analyze and
communicate them later.
==========
12:42:04 AM
which barely do them justice but which are the things we can carry reliably and
conveniently with us into the future.
==========
12:46:04 AM
These experiments tell us that the experiences of our former selves are sometimes
as opaque to us as the experiences of other people, but more important, they tell
us when this is most and least likely to be the case.
==========
12:47:12 AM
unless our minds are keenly focused on a particular aspect of that experience at
the very moment it changes, we will be forced to rely on our memories—forced to
compare our current experience to our recollection of our former experience—in
order to detect the change.
==========
12:47:38 AM
used their knowledge to spare the rest of us the undue burden of money.
==========
12:52:57 AM
experiential background can cause language to be squished so that the full range of
verbal labels is used to describe a restricted range of experiences.
==========
- Your Note on page 55 | Location 836 | Added on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 12:54:23 AM
unless we experience all sensibilities

==========
12:54:23 AM
everyone’s use of the eight-word language is defective and that no one knows what
happiness really is.
==========
unless we experience all possibilities

==========
12:56:22 AM
Apparently, once volunteers knew the answers, the questions seemed simple (“Of
course it was the television—everyone knows that!”), and the volunteers were no
longer able to judge how difficult the questions would seem to someone who did not
share their knowledge of the answers.28
==========
12:56:32 AM
once we have an experience, we cannot simply set it aside and see the world as we
would have seen it had the experience never happened.
==========
12:56:55 AM
Our experiences instantly become part of the lens through which we view our entire
past, present, and future, and like any lens, they shape and distort what we see.
==========
12:57:17 AM
Once we learn to read, we can never again see letters as mere inky squiggles.
==========
12:58:50 AM
Becoming singletons would affect their views of the past in ways that they could
not simply set aside.
==========
12:59:14 AM
In other words, people can be wrong in the present when they say they were wrong in
the past.
==========
1:00:49 AM
Not knowing what we’re missing can mean that we are truly happy under circumstances
that would not allow us to be happy once we have experienced the missing thing.
==========
1:01:41 AM
It does not mean that those who don’t know what they’re missing are less happy than
those who have it.
==========
1:03:16 AM
because she has never experienced the pungent earthiness of a Montecristo no. 4,
she has an impoverished experiential background and therefore does not know what
happiness really is. I would lose, of course, because I always do, but in this case
I would deserve it. Doesn’t it make better sense to say that by learning to enjoy
cigars I changed my experiential background and inadvertently ruined all future
experiences that do not include
==========
1:05:13 AM
What we can say is that all claims of happiness are claims from someone’s point of
view—from the perspective of a single human being whose unique collection of past
experiences serves as a context, a lens, a background for her evaluation of her
current experience.
==========
probably the most imp sentence in this book

==========
1:10:01 AM
dust mites, the history of flannel—but can we be wrong about our own emotional
experience? Can we believe we are feeling something we aren’t?
==========
1:12:13 AM
designed the brain to answer the “What should I do?” question before the “What is
it?” question.1
==========
10:10:21 AM
The men who met the woman in the middle of a shaky, swaying suspension bridge were
experiencing intense physiological arousal, which they would normally have
identified as fear.
==========
10:12:04 AM
Isn’t believing you are in pain tantamount to being in pain?9

==========
10:13:23 AM
when suddenly you caught yourself . . . caught yourself . . . caught yourself what?
Experiencing without being aware that you were experiencing—that’s what.
==========
10:16:17 AM
Experience implies participation in an event, whereas awareness implies observation

of an event.
==========
10:16:43 AM
One gives us the sense of being engaged, whereas the other gives us the sense of
being cognizant of that engagement.
==========
10:17:02 AM
In fact, awareness can be thought of as a kind of experience of our own

experience.10
==========
10:18:52 AM
When two people argue about whether their dogs are conscious, one is usually using
that badly bruised term to mean “capable of experience” while the other is using it
to mean “capable of awareness.”
==========
10:30:25 AM
Our visual experience and our awareness of that experience are generated by
different parts of our brains,
==========
10:35:34 AM
But one thing we can always count on is our own experience.

==========
10:36:52 AM
But it is not science because science is about measurement, and if a thing cannot
be measured—cannot be compared with a clock or a ruler or something other than
itself—it is not a potential object of scientific inquiry.
==========
1:46:51 PM
Consciousness is precisely this sort of emergent property—a phenomenon that arises
in part as a result of the sheer number of interconnections among neurons in the
human brain and that does not exist in any of the parts or in the interconnection
of just a few.18
==========
1:57:07 PM
But when numbers are large, such imperfections stop mattering.

==========
2:00:22 PM
when it becomes two hundred or two thousand, the different calibrations of

different individuals begin to cancel one another out.
==========
2:01:50 PM
But the law of large numbers suggests that when a measurement is too imperfect for
our tastes, we should not stop measuring. Quite the opposite—we should measure
again and again until niggling imperfections yield to the onslaught of data.
==========
2:04:12 PM
but they are really big topics for one reason alone: Each is a powerful source of
human emotion.
==========
2:04:42 PM
Indeed, feelings don’t just matter—they are what mattering means.

==========
2:05:49 PM
Why do we so often fail to know what will make us happy in the future?
==========
2:09:56 PM
the thing that’s wrong with both of us is that we make a systematic set of errors
when we try to imagine “what it would feel like if.”
==========
2:10:22 PM
we base these decisions in large measure on our beliefs about how it would feel if
this event happened but that one didn’t.3
==========
2:13:48 PM
The best way to understand this particular shortcoming of imagination (the faculty
that allows us to see the future) is to understand the shortcomings of memory (the
faculty that allows us to see the past) and perception (the faculty that allows us
to see the present).
==========
2:16:13 PM
Rather, it is compressed for storage by first being reduced to a few critical

threads, such as a summary phrase (“Dinner was disappointing”) or a small set of
key features (tough steak, corked wine, snotty waiter). Later, when we want to
remember our experience, our brains quickly reweave the tapestry by fabricating—not
by actually retrieving—the bulk of the information that we experience as a memory.4
==========
2:18:34 PM
finding—that information acquired after an event alters memory of the event—has

==========
2:27:19 PM
psychological process that combines what our eyes see with what we already think,
feel, know, want, and believe, and then uses this combination of sensory
information and preexisting knowledge to construct our perception of reality.
==========
2:30:04 PM
Without a distinction between things in the world and things in the mind, the child
cannot understand how different minds can contain different things.
==========
2:30:23 PM
perceptions are merely points of view, that what they see is not necessarily what
there is, and that two people may thus have different perceptions of or beliefs
about the same thing.
==========
2:33:11 PM
We believe what we see, and then unbelieve it when we have to.

==========
2:34:00 PM
We tend to forget that our brains are talented forgers, weaving a tapestry of
memory and perception whose detail is so compelling that its inauthenticity is
rarely detected.
==========
2:36:56 PM
And when you estimated your enjoyment of this future spaghetti, you responded to
this particular mental image as you respond to particular memories and particular
perceptions—as though the details had been specified by the thing you were
imagining rather than fabricated by your brain.
==========
2:38:54 PM
when people make predictions about their reactions to future events, they tend to
neglect the fact that their brains have performed the filling-in trick as an
integral part of the act of imagination.26
==========
2:40:36 PM
our prediction was based on a detailed image that reflected our brain’s best guess,
which was in this case dead wrong.
==========
PM
practical
==========
2:41:34 PM
unless we pause to consider how quickly and unquestioningly our brains filled in
the details of their lives and deaths, and how much all those made-up details
mattered.
==========
2:43:51 PM
there are ways of being rich and ways of being executed that make the former less
marvelous and the latter less awful
==========
2:44:18 PM
Rather, your mistake was in unthinkingly treating what you imagined as though it
were an accurate representation of the facts.
==========
2:46:21 PM
when the rest of humankind imagines the future, it rarely notices what imagination
has missed—and the missing pieces are much more important than we realize.
==========
2:48:17 PM
the general inability to think about absences is a potent source of error in

everyday life.
==========
PM
practical
==========
2:49:40 PM
The misses are crucial to determining what kinds of inferences we can legitimately
draw from the hits.
==========
2:53:15 PM
Because when we are selecting, we consider the positive attributes of our

alternatives, and when we are rejecting, we consider the negative attributes.
==========
2:54:33 PM
we have an equally troubling tendency to treat the details of future events that we
don’t imagine as though they were not going to happen.
==========
2:57:06 PM
when nondescribers imagined the future, they tended to leave out details about the
things that would happen after the game was over.
==========
2:57:49 PM
The describers, on the other hand, were more accurate in their predictions
precisely because they were forced to consider the details that the nondescribers
left out.12
==========
2:58:58 PM
we make no allowance for the fact that the details we are failing to imagine could
drastically alter the conclusions we draw.14
==========
3:01:56 PM
objects that are near to us in space appear to be more detailed than those that are
far away, so do events that are near to us in time.17
==========
PM
ha!
==========
3:03:03 PM
When we think of events in the distant past or distant future we tend to think
abstractly about why they happened or will happen, but when we think of events in
the near past or near future we tend to think concretely about how they happened or
will happen.20
==========
The Inevitable (Kevin Kelly)
3:04:42 PM
digital network technology rattles international borders because it is borderless.

==========
3:05:16 PM
Banning the inevitable usually backfires. Prohibition is at best temporary, and in

the long counterproductive.
==========
3:06:54 PM
Technology is humanity’s accelerant. Because of technology everything we make is

always in the process of becoming.
==========
3:07:53 PM
In our new era, processes trump products.

==========
3:08:32 PM
Products will become services and processes.

==========
3:09:15 PM
In the intangible digital realm, nothing is static or fixed. Everything is
becoming.
==========
3:12:32 PM
Everything, without exception, requires additional energy and order to maintain

itself.
==========
3:14:21 PM
So I now see upgrading as a type of hygiene: You do it regularly to keep your tech
healthy.
==========
3:14:42 PM
Behind the scenes, the machines will upgrade themselves, slowly changing their
features over time. This happens gradually, so we don’t notice they are “becoming.”
==========
3:14:54 PM
Technological life in the future will be a series of endless upgrades.

==========
3:15:32 PM
In this era of “becoming,” everyone becomes a newbie. Worse, we will be newbies

forever. That should keep us humble.
==========
3:16:09 PM
you won’t have time to master anything before it is displaced, so you will remain
in the newbie mode forever.
==========
3:18:08 PM
A world perfectly fair in some dimensions would be horribly unfair in others. A

utopia has no problems to solve, but therefore no opportunities either.
==========
3:20:28 PM
Rather, technology is taking us to protopia. More accurately, we have already

arrived in protopia. Protopia is a state of becoming, rather than a destination. It
is a process. In the protopian mode, things are better today than they were
yesterday, although only a little better. It is incremental improvement or mild
progress.
==========
3:20:53 PM
The problems of today were caused by yesterday’s technological successes, and the
technological solutions to today’s problems will cause the problems of tomorrow.
==========
8:54:28 PM
The total number of web pages, including those that are dynamically created upon
request, exceeds 60 trillion. That’s almost 10,000 pages per person alive. And this
entire cornucopia has been created in less than 8,000 days.
==========
8:55:51 PM
Users do most of the work—they photograph, they catalog, they post, and they market
their own sales.
==========
8:56:09 PM
What we all failed to see was how much of this brave new online world would be
manufactured by users, not big institutions.
==========
8:58:07 PM
The nutrition of participation nudges ordinary folks to invest huge hunks of energy
and time into making free encyclopedias, creating free public tutorials for
changing a flat tire, or cataloging the votes in the Senate. More and more of the
web runs in this mode.
==========
8:59:59 PM
the web today can be defined as the sum of all the things that you can google—that
is, all files reachable with a hyperlink.
==========
9:00:17 PM
A lot of what happens in Facebook, or on a phone app, or inside a game world, or

even inside a video can’t be searched right now. In 30 years it will be.
==========
9:00:55 PM
The web will reach this. It will also extend to physical objects, both manufactured
and natural. A tiny, almost free chip embedded into products will connect them to
the web and integrate their data.
==========
9:01:55 PM
Just as your phone’s navigation directions through a city are improved by including
previous days, weeks, and months of traffic patterns, so the web of 2050 will be
informed by the context of the past.
==========
9:02:09 PM
Since your routines are noted, the web is attempting to get ahead of your actions,
to deliver an answer almost before you ask a question.
==========
9:02:48 PM
The web will more and more resemble a presence that you relate to rather than a
place—the famous cyberspace of the 1980s—that you journey to.
==========
9:04:28 PM
In terms of the internet, nothing has happened yet! The internet is still at the
beginning of its beginning. It is only becoming.
==========
9:05:01 PM
People in the future will look at their holodecks and wearable virtual reality
contact lenses and downloadable avatars and AI interfaces
==========
9:05:30 PM
It was a wide-open frontier! You could pick almost any category and add some AI to
it, put it on the cloud.
==========
9:05:55 PM
Right now, today, in 2016 is the best time to start up. There has never been a
better day in the whole history of the world to invent something.
==========
9:06:09 PM
The last 30 years has created a marvelous starting point, a solid platform to build
truly great things.
==========
9:06:43 PM
The advantages gained from cognifying inert things would be hundreds of times more
disruptive to our lives than the transformations gained by industrialization.
==========
9:07:16 PM
first genuine AI will not be birthed in a stand-alone supercomputer, but in the

superorganism of a billion computer chips known as the net.
==========
9:08:04 PM
We will be able to reach this distributed intelligence in a million ways, through

any digital screen anywhere on earth, so it will be hard to say where it is.
==========
9:10:36 PM
diagnostic AI have been pathetic failures, but Watson really works.

==========
9:11:16 PM
AI has attracted more than $18 billion in investments since 2009.

==========
9:11:46 PM
Private investment in the AI sector has been expanding 70 percent a year on average
for the past four years, a rate that is expected to continue.
==========
9:12:56 PM
The AI on the horizon looks more like Amazon Web Services—cheap, reliable,
industrial-grade digital smartness running behind everything, and almost invisible
except when it blinks off.
==========
9:13:18 PM
You’ll simply plug into the grid and get AI as if it was electricity. It will
enliven inert objects, much as electricity did more than a century past.
==========
PM
AI is the new electricity
==========
9:14:47 PM
The entreprenuers didn’t need to generate the electricity; they bought it from the
grid and used it to automate the previously manual.
==========
9:14:54 PM
Now everything that we formerly electrified we will cognify. There is almost

nothing we can think of that cannot be made new, different, or more valuable by
infusing it with some extra IQ.
==========
9:15:05 PM
Take X and add AI.

==========
9:16:08 PM
The new cameras are smaller, quicker, quieter, and cheaper not just because of
advances in miniaturization, but because much of the traditional camera has been
replaced by smartness.
==========
9:16:22 PM
Contemporary phone cameras eliminated the layers of heavy glass by adding

algorithms, computation, and intelligence to do the work that physical lenses once
did.
==========
9:18:14 PM
Cognifying photography has revolutionized it because intelligence enables cameras

to slip into anything (in a sunglass frame, in a color on clothes, in a pen) and do
more, including calculate 3-D, HD, and many other options that earlier would have
taken $100,000 and a van full of equipment to do.
==========
9:18:23 PM
A similar transformation is about to happen for every other X.

==========
9:18:44 PM
By adding AI to chemistry, scientists can perform virtual chemical experiments.
They can smartly search through astronomical numbers of chemical combinations to
reduce them to a few promising compounds worth examining in a lab.
==========
9:19:07 PM
Add utility AI to a system that matches levels of interest of clients as they walk
through simulations of interiors. The design details are altered and tweaked by the
pattern-finding AI based on customer response, then inserted back into new
interiors for further testing.
==========
9:19:20 PM
You could also apply AI to law, using it to uncover evidence from mountains of
paper to discern inconsistencies between cases, and then have it suggest lines of
legal arguments.
==========
9:19:30 PM
Cognified investments? Already happening with companies such as Betterment or

Wealthfront.
==========
9:21:43 PM
Cognified toys—Toys more like pets. Furbies were primitive compared with the
intense attraction that a smart petlike toy will invoke from children.
==========
9:21:57 PM
Here are other unlikely realms waiting to be cognitively enhanced:

==========
9:23:17 PM
At first glance, you might think that Google is beefing up its AI portfolio to
improve its search capabilities, since search constitutes 80 percent of its
revenue. But I think that’s backward. Rather than use AI to make its search better,
Google is using search to make its AI better.
==========
9:23:45 PM
Each of the 3 billion queries that Google conducts each day tutors the deep-
learning AI over and over again. With another 10 years of steady improvements to
its AI algorithms, plus a thousandfold more data and a hundred times more computing
resources, Google will have an unrivaled AI.
==========
9:24:36 PM
To build a neural network—the primary architecture of AI software—also requires

many different processes to take place simultaneously.
==========
9:24:54 PM
recognize a spoken word, a program must be able to hear all the phonemes in
relation to one another;
==========
9:26:34 PM
Part of the AI breakthrough lies in the incredible avalanche of collected data

about our world, which provides the schooling that AIs need.
==========
9:26:51 PM
“AI is akin to building a rocket ship. You need a huge engine and a lot of fuel.
The rocket engine is the learning algorithms but the fuel is the huge amounts of
data we can feed to these algorithms.”
==========
9:27:54 PM
can take many millions of these nodes (each one producing a calculation feeding
others around it), stacked up to 15 levels high, to recognize a human face.
==========
9:28:11 PM
“deep learning.” He was able to mathematically optimize results from each layer so
that the learning accumulated faster as it proceeded up the stack of layers.
==========
9:28:47 PM
The code of deep learning alone is insufficient to generate complex logical

thinking, but it is an essential component of all current AIs, including IBM’s
Watson; DeepMind, Google’s search engine; and Facebook’s algorithms.
==========
9:29:11 PM
And this convergence suggests that as long as these technological trends continue—
and there’s no reason to think they won’t—AI will keep improving.
==========
9:29:39 PM
Cloud computing empowers the law of increasing returns, sometimes called the
network effect, which holds that the value of a network increases much faster as it
grows bigger. The bigger the network, the more attractive it is to new users, which
makes it even bigger and thus more attractive, and so on.
==========
9:29:55 PM
Cloud computing empowers the law of increasing returns, sometimes called the
network effect, which holds that the value of a network increases much faster as it
grows bigger. The bigger the network, the more attractive it is to new users, which
makes it even bigger and thus more attractive, and so on. A cloud that serves AI
will obey the same law.
==========
9:30:25 PM
AI future is likely to be ruled by an oligarchy of two or three large, general-

purpose cloud-based commercial intelligences.
==========
9:32:33 PM
AI can help humans become better chess players, it stands to reason that it can
help us become better pilots, better doctors, better judges, better teachers.
==========
9:33:02 PM
In the next 10 years, 99 percent of the artificial intelligence that you will
interact with, directly or indirectly, will be nerdly narrow, supersmart
specialists.
==========
9:33:23 PM
We want our self-driving car to be inhumanly focused on the road, not obsessing
over an argument it had with the garage.
==========
9:34:03 PM
The most important thing to know about thinking machines is that they will think
different.
==========
9:35:02 PM
Facebook has the ability to ramp up an AI that can view a photo portrait of any
person on earth and correctly identify them out of some 3 billion people online.
Human brains cannot scale to this degree, which makes this artificial ability very
unhuman.
==========
9:41:56 PM
One mind cannot do all mindful things perfectly well. A particular species of mind
will be better in certain dimensions, but at a cost of lesser abilities in other
dimensions.
==========
9:44:09 PM
mind with operational access to its source code, so it can routinely mess with its
own processes.
==========
9:45:24 PM
The point of this speculative list is to emphasize that all cognition is

specialized.
==========
9:47:06 PM
The proofs are not understandable by humans alone so it is necessary to trust a

cascade of algorithms, and this demands new skills in knowing when to trust these
creations.
==========
9:48:02 PM
They will force us to reevaluate our roles, our beliefs, our goals, our identity.
==========
9:48:45 PM
The alienness of artificial intelligence will become more valuable to us than its
speed or power.
==========
9:49:23 PM
But once our computers did each of those things in the last few years, we
considered that achievement obviously mechanical and hardly worth the label of true
intelligence. We label it “machine learning.” Every achievement in AI redefines
that success as “not AI.”
==========
9:49:31 PM
Over the past 60 years, as mechanical processes have replicated behaviors and
talents we thought were unique to humans, we’ve had to change our minds about what
sets us apart.
==========
9:49:48 PM
We’ll spend the next three decades—indeed, perhaps the next century—in a permanent
identity crisis, continually asking ourselves what humans are good for.
==========
9:51:28 PM
Since then, wave upon wave of new occupations have arrived—appliance repair person,
offset printer, food chemist, photographer, web designer—each building on previous
automation.
==========
9:51:47 PM
may be hard to believe, but before the end of this century, 70 percent of today’s
occupations will likewise be replaced by automation—including the job you hold.
==========
9:52:06 PM
This upheaval is being led by a second wave of automation, one that is centered on
artificial cognition, cheap sensors, machine learning, and distributed smarts.
==========
9:53:11 PM
Pharmacies will feature a single pill-dispensing robot in the back while the
pharmacists focus on patient consulting.
==========
9:53:18 PM
Next, the more dexterous chores of cleaning in offices and schools will be taken
over by late-night robots, starting with easy-to-do floors and windows and
eventually advancing to toilets.
==========
9:54:28 PM
Witness one of Google’s newest computers that can write an accurate caption for any
photo it is given.
==========
9:55:00 PM
In fact, any job dealing with reams of paperwork will be taken over by bots,
including much of medicine.
==========
9:55:16 PM
It doesn’t matter if you are a doctor, translator, editor, lawyer, architect,

reporter, or even programmer: The robot takeover will be epic.
==========
9:55:42 PM
To demand that artificial intelligence be humanlike is the same flawed logic as

demanding that artificial flying be birdlike, with flapping wings. Robots, too,
will think different.
==========
9:57:53 PM
But as with the PC and unlike the ancient mainframe, the user can interact with it
directly, immediately, without waiting for experts to mediate—and use it for
nonserious, even frivolous things.
==========
9:59:05 PM
But as manufacturing costs sink because of robots, the costs of transportation

become a far greater factor than the cost of production. Nearby will be cheap. So
we’ll get this network of locally franchised factories, where most things will be
made within five miles of where they are needed.”
==========
10:01:15 PM
We’ve accepted utter reliability in robot manufacturing; soon we’ll accept the fact
that robots can do it better in services and knowledge work too.
==========
PM
services by robots
==========
10:02:52 PM
We don’t have an infallible memory to keep track of every pitch in Major League
baseball and calculate the probability of the next pitch in real time. We aren’t
giving “good jobs” to robots. Most of the time we are giving them jobs we could
never do. Without them, these jobs would remain undone. 3. Jobs We Didn’t Know We
Wanted
==========
10:03:08 PM
We don’t have an infallible memory to keep track of every pitch in Major League
baseball and calculate the probability of the next pitch in real time.
==========
10:05:01 PM
In a very real way our inventions assign us our jobs. Each successful bit of
automation generates new occupations—occupations we would not have fantasized about
without the prompting of the automation.
==========
10:05:38 PM
It is a safe bet that the highest-earning professions in the year 2050 will depend
on automations and machines that have not been invented yet.
==========
10:06:08 PM
The one thing humans can do that robots can’t (at least for a long while) is to
decide what it is that humans want to do.
==========
PM
aha
==========
10:07:24 PM
It led a greater percentage of the population to decide that humans were meant to
be ballerinas, full-time musicians, mathematicians, athletes, fashion designers,
yoga masters, fan-fiction authors, and folks with one-of-a-kind titles on their
business cards.
==========
10:07:59 PM
This postindustrial economy will keep expanding because each person’s task (in
part) will be to invent new things to do that will later become repetitive jobs for
the robots.
==========
10:08:30 PM
When automatic self-tracking of all your activities becomes the normal thing to do,
a new breed of professional analysts will arise to help you make sense of the data.
==========
PM
ah
==========
PM
ah
==========
10:09:57 PM
The bots perform everything else that can be measured.

==========
10:10:54 PM
manufacture spare parts for our lawn mower or fabricate materials for our new
kitchen.
==========
10:11:53 PM
Rather, success will go to those who best optimize the process of working with bots
and machines.
==========
10:13:27 PM
This is a race with the machines. You’ll be paid in the future based on how well
you work with robots.
==========
10:13:44 PM
You might no longer think of it as a job, at least at first, because anything that
resembles drudgery will be handed over to robots by the accountants.
==========
10:14:15 PM
They will let us focus on becoming more human than we were. It is inevitable. Let
the robots take our jobs, and let them help us dream up new work that matters.
==========
10:18:52 PM
If something can be copied—a song, a movie, a book—and it touches the internet, it

will be copied.
==========
10:22:06 PM
Copies flow so freely we could think of the internet as a superconductor, where

once a copy is introduced it will continue to flow through the network forever,
much like electricity in a superconductive wire.
==========
10:22:23 PM
This superdistribution system has become the foundation of our economy and wealth.
The instant reduplication of data, ideas, and media underpins the major sectors of
a 21st-century economy.
==========
10:23:06 PM
The technology of the net needs to copy without constraint. The flow of copies is
inevitable.
==========
10:23:23 PM
Our attention has moved away from stocks of solid goods to flows of intangibles,
like copies.
==========
10:23:51 PM
Your solid car parked in a driveway has been transformed into a personal on-demand
transportation service supplied by Uber, Lyft, Zip, and Sidecar—which are improving
faster than automobiles are.
==========
10:24:11 PM
You get a better telephone every few months because a flow of new operating systems
install themselves on your smartphone, adding new features and new benefits that in
the past would have required new hardware.
==========
10:24:24 PM
Then, when you do get new hardware, the service maintains the familiar operating
system you had, flowing your personalization onto the new device.
==========
10:25:19 PM
Now we are transitioning into the third age of computation.

==========
10:25:27 PM
Today the prime units are flows and streams. We constantly monitor Twitter streams
and the flows of posts on our Facebook wall.
==========
10:25:39 PM
We stream photos, movies, and music. News banners stream across the bottom of TVs.
We subscribe to YouTube streams, called channels. And RSS feeds from blogs. We are
bathed in streams of notifications and updates.
==========
10:26:28 PM
If we withdrew money from our bank, we expected the deduction to show up in our
account that same day, not at the end of the month.
==========
10:26:37 PM
Our cycle time jumped from batch mode to daily mode.

==========
10:26:48 PM
Now in the third age, we’ve moved from daily mode to real time.
==========
10:26:55 PM
If we message someone, we expect them to reply instantly. If we spend money, we

expect the balance in our account to adjust in real time.
==========
10:27:10 PM
If we sent an email, we expected a reply later in the day, not two weeks later,
like regular mail.
==========
10:27:36 PM
Why should medical diagnostics take days to return results instead of immediately?
If we take a quiz in class, why shouldn’t the score be instant?
==========
10:28:21 PM
The corollary—and this is important—is that in order to operate in real time,
everything has
==========
10:28:35 PM
The corollary—and this is important—is that in order to operate in real time,

everything has to flow.
==========
10:29:34 PM
Simultaneity trumps quality.

==========
10:30:14 PM
This sort of just-in-time purchasing is the natural consequence of real-time

streaming.
==========
10:30:49 PM
Now organizations need to save their customers and citizens time. They need to do
their utmost to interact in real time. Real time is human time.
==========
10:31:09 PM
Nouns needed to be verbs. Fixed solid things became services. Data couldn’t remain
still. Everything had to flow into the stream of now.
==========
10:31:21 PM
The union of a zillion streams of information intermingling, flowing into each

other, is what we call the cloud.
==========
10:32:19 PM
This inevitable shift toward fluidity is now transforming almost every other aspect
of society.
==========
10:33:27 PM
The industrial age was driven by analog copies—exact and cheap. The information age
is driven by digital copies—exact and free.
==========
10:33:49 PM
In this new online world, anything that can be copied will be copied for free.
==========
10:34:11 PM
When nighttime electrical lighting was new and scarce, it was the poor who burned
common candles. Later, when electricity became easily accessible and practically
free, our preference flipped and candles at dinner became a sign of luxury.
==========
PM
note
==========
10:34:49 PM
Rivers of free copies have undermined the established order. In this new
supersaturated digital universe of infinite free digital duplication, copies are so
ubiquitous, so cheap—free, in fact—that the only things truly valuable are those
that cannot be copied.
==========
10:35:38 PM
Trust, for instance. Trust cannot be reproduced in bulk. You can’t purchase trust
wholesale. You can’t download trust and store it in a database or warehouse it. You
can’t simply duplicate someone’s else’s trust. Trust must be earned, over time. It
cannot be faked.
==========
10:35:53 PM
Since we prefer to deal with someone we can trust, we will often pay a premium for
that privilege. We call that branding. Brand companies can command higher prices
for similar products and services from companies without brands because they are
trusted for what they promise.
==========
PM
branding is crrating trust

==========
10:37:28 PM
There are a number of other qualities similar to trust that are difficult to copy
and thus become valuable in this cloud economy. The best way to see them is to
start with a simple question: Why would anyone ever pay for something they could
get for free?
==========
10:37:49 PM
In a real sense, these uncopyable values are things that are “better than free.”
Free is good, but these are better since you’ll pay for them. I call these
qualities “generatives.”
==========
10:38:18 PM
Many people go to movie theaters to see films on the opening night, where they will
pay a hefty price to see a film that later will be available for free,
==========
10:38:52 PM
As a sellable quality, immediacy has many levels, including access to beta

versions. Beta versions of apps or software were once devalued because they are
incomplete, but we’ve come to understand that beta versions also possess immediacy,
which is valuable.
==========
10:39:09 PM
A generic version of a concert recording may be free, but if you want a copy that
has been tweaked to sound acoustically perfect in your particular living room—as if
it were being performed in your room—you may be willing to pay a lot.
==========
10:40:01 PM
Personalization requires an ongoing conversation between the creator and consumer,

artist and fan, producer and user. It is deeply generative because it is iterative
and time-consuming.
==========
2016 10:40:51 PM
the interpretation of what it means, what you can do about it, and how to use it—
the manual for your genes, so to speak—will be expensive.
==========
2016 10:42:09 PM
With a paid service I have access to free material anywhere, channeled to any of my
many devices, with a super user interface.
==========
2016 10:43:06 PM
People pay thousands of dollars per ticket to attend an event in person that is
also streamed live on the net.
==========
2016 10:43:45 PM
But they will pay only under four conditions that are not often met: 1) It must be
extremely easy to do; 2) The amount must be reasonable; 3) There’s clear benefit to
them for paying; and 4) It’s clear the money will directly benefit the creators.
==========
2016 10:44:34 PM
When there are millions of books, millions of songs, millions of films, millions of
applications, millions of everything requesting our attention—and most of it free—
being found is valuable.
==========
2016 10:45:16 PM
Amazon’s greatest asset is not its Prime delivery service but the millions of
reader reviews it has accumulated over decades.
==========
2016 10:45:39 PM
In these examples, you are not paying for the copies, you are paying for the
findability.
==========
2016 10:46:08 PM
The technical skills of copy protection are no longer useful because you can’t stop
copying. Trying to prohibit copying, either by legal threats or technical tricks,
just doesn’t work. Nor do the skills of hoarding and scarcity.
==========
2016 10:47:15 PM
With liquid music you had the power to reorder the sequence of tunes on an album or
among albums.
==========
2016 10:47:58 PM
What counts are not the number of copies but the number of ways a copy can be
linked, manipulated, annotated, tagged, highlighted, bookmarked, translated, and
enlivened by other media.
==========
PM
ha
==========
2016 10:48:13 PM
Value has shifted away from a copy toward the many ways to recall, annotate,
personalize, edit, authenticate, display, mark, transfer, and engage a work. What
counts is how well the work flows.
==========
2016 10:52:18 PM
The latest fashionable media is a podcast, a sort of audible documentary. At least

27 new podcasts launch every day.
==========
2016 10:52:42 PM
The tools for quickly making a tune, altering a song, or algorithmically generating
music that you share in real time are not far away.
==========
2016 10:54:35 PM
We are all filmmakers now.

==========
2016 10:54:40 PM
With new tools accelerating the fluid flow of bits and copies, we will all become
musicians.
==========
2016 10:57:07 PM
We currently see these two sets of traits—fixity versus fluidity—as opposites,

driven by the dominant technology of the era. Paper favors fixity; electrons favor
fluidity. But there is nothing to prevent us from inventing a third way—electrons
embedded into paper or any other material.
==========
2016 11:00:28 PM
Almost anything that is solid can be made a little bit fluid, and anything fluid
can be embedded into solidness.
==========
2016 11:03:37 PM
The second disruption is an unbundling of the product into parts, each element
flowing to find its own new uses and to be remixed into new bundles. The product is
now a stream of services issuing from the shared cloud.
==========
2016 11:05:56 PM
The status of creation is inverted, so that the audience is now the artist. Output,
selection, and quality skyrocket.
==========
2016 11:07:16 PM
The important difference is that fixity is not the only option anymore. Good things
don’t have to be static, unchanging. Or, to put it a different way, the right kind
of instability can now be good.
==========
2016 11:09:13 PM
Many of the hundreds of thousands of documentaries already released are kept

updated with material added by viewers, enthusiasts, or the director, as their
stories continue.
==========
2016 11:09:25 PM
can get the sound effects, the special effects (before and after) of each scene,
alternative camera views, voice-overs, all in workable shape.
==========
2016 11:10:04 PM
The natural response to receiving a clip, a song, a text—either from a friend or

from a professional—is not just to consume it, but to act upon it. To add,
subtract, reply, alter, bend, merge, translate, elevate to another level.
==========
2016 11:23:19 PM
But today more than 5 billion digital screens illuminate our lives. Digital display
manufacturers will crank out 3.8 billion new additional screens per year.
==========
2016 11:28:52 PM
People of the Screen tend to ignore the classic logic of books or the reverence for
copies; they prefer the dynamic flux of pixels.
==========
2016 11:31:53 PM
In this new world, fast-moving code—as in updated versions of computer code—is more
important than law, which is fixed. Code displayed on a screen is endlessly
tweakable by users, while law embossed into books is not. Yet code can shape
behavior as much as, if not more than, law.
==========
2016 11:32:14 PM
you want to change how people act online, on the screen, you simply alter the
algorithms that govern the place, which in effect polices the collective behavior
or nudges people in preferred directions.
==========
2016 11:35:59 PM
First screening will change books, then it will alter libraries of books, then it
will modify movies and video, then it will disrupt games and education, and finally
screening will change everything else.
==========
2016 11:36:37 PM
What is left in their place is the conceptual structure of a book—a bunch of

symbols united by a theme into an experience that takes a while to complete.
==========
2016 11:42:15 PM
We will find out that books never really wanted to be printed telephone
directories, or hardware catalogs on paper, or paperback how-to books. These are
jobs that screens and bits are much superior at—all that updating and searching—
tasks that neither paper nor narratives are suited for.
==========
2016 11:43:32 PM
Reading becomes social. With screens we can share not just the titles of books we
are reading, but our reactions and notes as we read them.
==========
2016 11:43:54 PM
We can add a link from a phrase in the book we are reading to a contrasting phrase
in another book we’ve read, from a word in a passage to an obscure dictionary, from
a scene in a book to a similar scene in a movie.
==========
2016 11:44:48 PM
The conventional vision of the book’s future assumes that books will remain
isolated items, independent from one another, just as they are on the shelves in
your public library.
==========
2016 11:45:33 PM
But this vision misses the chief revolution birthed by scanning books: In the
universal library, no book will be an island. It’s all connected.
==========
2016 11:46:01 PM
The real magic will come in the second act, as each word in each book is cross-
linked, clustered, cited, extracted, indexed, analyzed, annotated, and woven deeper
into the culture than ever before.
==========
PM
right
==========
2016 11:47:28 PM
Right now the best we can do in terms of interconnection is to link some text to
its source’s title in a bibliography or in a footnote. Much better would be a link
to a specific passage in another passage in a work, a technical feat not yet
possible. But when we can link deeply into documents at the resolution of a
sentence, and have those links go two ways, we’ll have networked books.
==========
2016 11:47:52 PM
This tangle of relationships is precisely what gives Wikipedia—and the web—its

immense force.
==========
2016 11:48:14 PM
In the goodness of time, as all books become fully digital, every one of them will
accumulate the equivalent of blue underlined passages as each literary reference is
networked within that book out to all other books.
==========
2016 11:48:30 PM
The resulting collective intelligence of this synaptically connected library allows

us to see things we can’t see in a single isolated book.
==========
2016 11:51:15 PM
Ten years ago you needed a building about the size of a small-town library to house
50 petabytes. Today the universal library would fill your bedroom. With tomorrow’s
technology, it will all fit onto your phone.
==========
2016 11:52:32 PM
Smart AI-based search technology overcomes the need for overeducated classification
systems so user-generated tags are enough to find things. Indeed, the sleepless
smartness in AI will tag text and images automatically in the millions, so that the
entire universal library will yield its wisdom to any who seek it.
==========
2016 11:53:10 PM
most important inventions of the last 50 years. You are anonymously marking up the
web, making it smarter, when you link or tag something. These bits of interest are
gathered and analyzed by search engines and AIs in order to strengthen the
relationship between the end points of every link and the connections suggested by
each tag.
==========
2016 11:55:16 PM
We’ll come to understand that no work, no idea stands alone, but that all good,
true, and beautiful things are ecosystems of intertwined parts and related
entities, past and present.
==========
2016 11:56:46 PM
At the same time, once digitized, books can be unraveled into single pages or be
reduced further, into snippets of a page. These snippets will be remixed into
reordered books and virtual bookshelves.
==========
2016 11:57:36 PM
The ability to purchase, read, and manipulate individual pages or sections is

surely what will drive reference books (cookbooks, how-to manuals, travel guides)
in the future. You might concoct your own “cookbook shelf” or scrapbook of Cajun
recipes compiled from many different sources; it would include web pages, magazine
clippings, and entire Cajun cookbooks.
==========
2016 11:58:17 PM
Once snippets, articles, and pages of books become ubiquitous, shuffleable, and
transferable, users will earn prestige and perhaps income for curating an excellent
collection.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 94 | Location 1442-1443 | Added on Thursday, June 16, 2016
12:00:07 AM
The empty white spaces of our collective ignorance are highlighted, while the
golden peaks of our knowledge are drawn with completeness. This degree of authority
is only rarely achieved in scholarship today, but it will become routine.
==========
- Your Note on page 95 | Location 1448 | Added on Thursday, June 16, 2016 12:01:04
AM
ha
==========
12:01:04 AM
more than just a better searchable library. It becomes a platform for cultural
life, in some ways returning book knowledge to the core. Right now, if you mash up
Google Maps and monster.com, you get maps of where jobs are located by salary. In
the same way, it is easy to see that, in the great networked library, everything
that has ever been written about, for example, Trafalgar Square in London could be
visible while one stands in Trafalgar Square via a wearable screen like Google
Glass. In the same way, every object, event, or location on earth would “know”
everything that has ever been written about it in any book, in any language, at any
time.
==========
12:03:33 AM
These ever present screens have created an audience for very short moving pictures,
as brief as three minutes, while cheap digital creation tools have empowered a new
generation of filmmakers, who are rapidly filling up those screens.
==========
12:04:03 AM
The newest screens—the ones we view within virtual reality headsets and goggles—
elicit whole-body movements. They trigger interaction.
==========
12:04:43 AM
Smart software can now read our emotions as we read the screen and can alter what
we see next in response to our emotions.
==========
12:05:04 AM
in the future it will seem weird to watch a screen without some part of our body
responding to the content.
==========
12:05:55 AM
Screening encourages rapid pattern making, associating one idea with another,
equipping us to deal with the thousands of new thoughts expressed every day.
==========
12:06:11 AM
Screening nurtures thinking in real time. We review a movie while we watch it, or
we come up with an obscure fact in the middle of an argument, or we read the
owner’s manual of a gadget before we purchase it rather than after we get home and
discover that it can’t do what we need it to do. Screens are instruments of the
now.
==========
12:06:43 AM
Screens provoke action instead of persuasion. Propaganda is less effective in a

world of screens, because while misinformation travels as fast as electrons,
corrections do too.
==========
12:07:22 AM
The status of a new creation is determined not by the rating given to it by critics
but by the degree to which it is linked to the rest of the world. A person,
artifact, or fact does not “exist” until it is linked.
==========
12:08:24 AM
Computer chips are becoming so small, and screens so thin and cheap, that in the
next 30 years semitransparent eyeglasses will apply an informational layer to
reality.
==========
12:09:16 AM
Very soon most manufactured items, from shoes to cans of soup, will contain a small
sliver of dim intelligence, and screens will be the tool we use to interact with
this ubiquitous cognification. We will want to watch them.
==========
12:10:09 AM
A few pioneers have begun lifelogging: recording every single detail, conversation,
picture, and activity. A screen both records and displays this database of
activities. The result of this constant self-tracking is an impeccable “memory” of
their lives and an unexpectedly objective and quantifiable view of themselves, one
that no book can provide. The screen becomes part of our identity.
==========
12:11:51 AM
The screen on the side of the milk carton tries to get me to play a game, but I
quiet it. I screen the bowl to be sure it is approved clean from the dishwasher.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 100 | Location 1521-1522 | Added on Thursday, June 16,
2016 12:12:54 AM
car. These are laser-projected screens, which means they can custom focus images
that only I see; other commuters see different images on the same screen.
==========
2016 12:14:19 AM
I’ve become very good in using the new hand-sign commands in addition to typing.
==========
2016 12:15:07 AM
and I can also screen the latest annotation notes posted virtually on the places I
pass.
==========
2016 12:15:34 AM
One day I may try out the bird identification app that pins bird names on the birds
in my glasses when I run through the park.
==========
2016 12:26:27 AM
Every year I own less of what I use. Possession is not as important as it once was.
Accessing is more important than ever.
==========
2016 12:26:37 AM
Pretend you live inside the world’s largest rental store. Why would you own
anything?
==========
2016 12:26:47 AM
Instant borrowing gives you most of the benefits of owning and few of its
disadvantages. You have no responsibility to clean, to repair, to store, to sort,
to insure, to upgrade, to maintain.
==========
2016 12:28:10 AM
Appliances tend to weigh less per function.

==========
2016 12:28:55 AM
We might not notice this because, while individual items use less material, we use
more items as the economy expands and we thus accumulate more stuff in total.
==========
2016 12:29:24 AM
Digital technology accelerates dematerialization by hastening the migration from

products to services.
==========
2016 12:29:59 AM
The tangible is replaced by intangibles—intangibles like better design, innovative

processes, smart chips, and eventually online connectivity—that do the
==========
2016 12:30:09 AM
heavy atoms are substituted by weightless bits. The tangible is replaced by

intangibles—intangibles like better design, innovative processes, smart chips, and
eventually online connectivity—that do the work that more aluminum atoms used to
do.
==========
2016 12:30:32 AM
Material goods infused with bits increasingly act as if they were intangible
services. Nouns morph to verbs. Hardware behaves like software. In Silicon Valley
they say it like this: “Software eats everything.”
==========
2016 12:31:24 AM
The connected car will also become the new office. If you are not driving in your
private space, you will either work or play in it.
==========
2016 12:32:37 AM
Products encourage ownership, but services discourage ownership because the kind of
exclusivity, control, and responsibility that comes with ownership privileges are
missing from services.
==========
2016 12:33:06 AM
Ownership is casual, fickle. If something better comes along, grab it. A

subscription, on the other hand, gushes a never-ending stream of updates, issues,
and versions that force a constant interaction between the producer and the
consumer.
==========
2016 12:34:27 AM
If instead of owning software, you access software, then you can share in its
improvement. But it also means you have been recruited. You, the new prosumer, are
encouraged to identify bugs and report them (replacing a company’s expensive QA
department), to seek technical help from other customers in forums (reducing a
company’s expensive help desk), and to develop your own add-ons and improvements
(replacing a company’s expensive development team). Access amplifies the
interactions we have with all parts of a service.
==========
AM
service moves from product to access

==========
2016 12:35:46 AM
Instead you subscribe to Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere, etc., or the entire suite
of services, and its stream of updates.
==========
2016 12:36:38 AM
the last few years we’ve gotten hotels as service (Airbnb), tools as service
(TechShop), clothes as service (Stitch Fix, Bombfell), and toys as service (Nerd
Block, Sparkbox).
==========
2016 12:37:23 AM
Other possible new service realms: Furniture as service; Health as service; Shelter
as service; Vacation as service; School as service. Of course, in all these you
still pay; the difference is the deeper relationship that services encourage and
require between the customer and the provider.
==========
2016 12:38:58 AM
In the past few years thousands of entrepreneurs seeking funding have pitched
venture capitalists for an “Uber for X,” where X is any business where customers
still have to wait.
==========
2016 12:39:37 AM
The promise to customers is that you don’t need a lawn mower or washing machine or
to pick up flowers, because someone else will do that for you—on your command, at
your convenience, in real time—at a price you can’t refuse.
==========
2016 12:39:49 AM
All the work is outsourced and performed by freelancers (prosumers) ready to work.
==========
2016 12:40:23 AM
One reason so much money is flowing into the service frontier is that there are so
many more ways to be a service than to be a product.
==========
AM
nice
==========
2016 12:40:53 AM
The general approach for entrepreneurs is to unbundle the benefits of

transportation (or any X) into separate constituent goods and then recombine them
in new ways.
==========
2016 12:42:32 AM
They take assets that are unused part-time (such as an empty bedroom, a parked car,
unused office space) and match them to people eagerly waiting for them right this
second.
==========
2016 12:42:50 AM
Employing a distributed network of freelance providers, they can approximate near

real-time delivery. Now repeat these same experimental business models in other
sectors.
==========
2016 12:43:53 AM
Decentralized businesses are very easy to start, with low cost of entry. If these
innovative business models are proven to work, established companies are ready to
adapt.
==========
2016 12:44:18 AM
Our appetite for the instant is insatiable. The cost of real-time engagement
requires massive coordination and degrees of collaboration that were unthinkable a
few years ago. Now that most people are equipped with a supercomputer in their
pocket, entirely new economic forces are being unleashed.
==========
2016 12:44:44 AM
If smartly connected, the benefits of existing products can be unbundled and

remixed in unexpected and delightful ways.
==========
2016 12:46:02 AM
Renting thrives because, for many uses, it is better than owning. Bags can be
swapped to match outfits, returned so one does not need to store them. For short-
term uses, sharing ownership makes sense.
==========
2016 12:46:20 AM
As more items are invented and manufactured—while the total number of hours in a
day to enjoy them remains fixed—we spend less and less time per item.
==========
2016 12:46:41 AM
Therefore most goods and services are candidates for rental and sharing.
==========
2016 12:47:13 AM
In order to grow a rental business of physical things, the owner has to keep buying
more boats or bags. But, of course, intangible goods and services don’t work this
way. They are “nonrival,” which means you can rent the same movie to as many people
who want to rent it this hour.
==========
2016 12:47:23 AM
Sharing intangibles scales magnificently. This ability to share on a large scale

without diminishing the satisfaction of the individual renter is transformative.
==========
2016 12:47:53 AM
For better or worse, our lives are accelerating, and the only speed fast enough is
instant. The speed of electrons will be the speed of the future.
==========
2016 12:49:22 AM
Nearly every aspect of modern civilization has been flattening down except one:
money.
==========
2016 12:49:56 AM
and trustworthy without centralization? Because if money could be decentralized,

then anything can be decentralized.
==========
2016 12:51:24 AM
But forget the anonymity; it’s a distraction. The most important innovation in
Bitcoin is its “blockchain,” the mathematical technology that powers it.
==========
2016 12:52:31 AM
new transaction like ours must be mathematically confirmed by multiple other owners
before it is accepted as legitimate.
==========
2016 12:52:55 AM
A number of startups and venture capitalists are dreaming up ways to use blockchain
technology as a general purpose trust mechanism beyond money.
==========
2016 12:53:34 AM
its blockchain innovation, which can generate extremely high levels of trust among
strangers, will further decentralize institutions and industries.
==========
2016 12:54:38 AM
The good of the web serves me as if I owned it, yet I need to do very little to
maintain it.
==========
2016 12:56:27 AM
A platform is a foundation created by a firm that lets other firms build products
and services upon it.
==========
2016 12:57:07 AM
Levels of highly interdependent products and services form an “ecosystem” that

rests upon the platform. “Ecosystem” is a good description because, just as in a
forest, the success of one species (product) depends on the success of others.
==========
2016 12:57:48 AM
Since Apple kept adding ingenious new ways to interact with the phone, including
new sensors such as a camera, GPS, and an accelerometer, thousands of novel species
of innovations deepened the iPhone ecology.
==========
2016 12:58:21 AM
market that enables buyers and sellers—a platform ecosystem became a multisided
market. A good example of this is Facebook. The firm created some rules and
protocols that formed a marketplace where independent sellers (college students)
produced their own profiles, which were matched up in a marketplace with their
friends. The attention of the students was sold to advertisers. Game companies sold
to students. Third-party apps sold to advertisers. Third-party apps sold to other
third-party apps.
==========
2016 12:59:24 AM
All these giants employ third-party vendors to increase the value of their
platform. All employ APIs extensively that facilitate and encourage others to play
with it.
==========
2016 1:00:57 AM
You are legally restricted as to what you can do with the stuff you access versus
what you buy.
==========
2016 1:01:21 AM
The ability and right to improve, personalize, or appropriate what is shared will
be a key question in the next iteration of platforms.
==========
2016 1:02:22 AM
The web is hyperlinked documents; the cloud is hyperlinked data. Ultimately the
chief reason to put things onto the cloud is to share their data deeply. Woven
together, the bits are made much smarter and more powerful than they could possibly
be alone.
==========
2016 1:03:06 AM
And because of their inherent redundant and distributed nature, clouds are among
the most reliable machines in existence.
==========
2016 1:03:18 AM
central advantage of a cloud is that the bigger it gets, the smaller and thinner
our devices can be. The cloud does all the work, while the device we hold is just
the window into the cloud’s work.
==========
2016 1:04:53 AM
More and more of our work and play will leave the isolated realm of individual
ownership and migrate to the shared world of the cloud in order to take full
advantage of AI and other cloud-based powers.
==========
2016 1:07:02 AM
The cloud is the Backup. Our life’s backup.

==========
2016 1:07:35 AM
Clouds enable organizations to access the benefits of computers without the hassle
of possession. Expandable cloud computing at discount prices has made it a hundred
times easier for a young technology company to start up.
==========
2016 1:08:00 AM
Computers as service instead of computers as product: access instead of ownership.

Gaining cheap access to the best infrastructure by operating on the cloud is a
chief reason so many young companies have exploded out of Silicon Valley in the
last decade.
==========
2016 1:08:15 AM
The cloud companies welcome this growth and dependence, because the more that
people use the cloud and share in accessing their services, the smarter and more
powerful their service becomes.
==========
2016 1:08:39 AM
Just as the internet is the network of networks, the intercloud is the cloud of
clouds. Slowly but surely Amazon’s cloud and Google’s cloud and Facebook’s cloud
and all the other enterprise clouds are intertwining into one massive cloud that
acts as a single cloud—The Cloud—to the average user or company.
==========
2016 1:09:06 AM
Data hoards are seen as a competitive advantage, and sharing data freely is
hampered by laws, so it will be many years (decades?) before companies learn how to
share their data
==========
2016 1:11:13 AM
Relying entirely on a mesh of their own personal devices, they ran a communications
system that held back the Chinese government for months. The same architecture
could be scaled up to run any kind of cloud.
==========
2016 1:12:23 AM
An ownerless network upsets many of the regulatory and legal frameworks now in
place for our communication infrastructure.
==========
2016 1:13:03 AM
In the coming 30 years the tendency toward the dematerialized, the decentralized,
the simultaneous, the platform enabled, and the cloud will continue unabated.
==========
2016 1:13:27 AM
As we increase dematerialization, decentralization, simultaneity, platforms, and

the cloud—as we increase all those at once, access will continue to displace
ownership. For most things in daily life, accessing will trump owning.
==========
2016 1:14:51 AM
Cameras and computers are the same way. They go obsolete so fast, I prefer to
subscribe to the latest, greatest ones.
==========
2016 1:22:08 AM
Collaborative commenting sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Pinterest, and

Tumblr enable hundreds of millions of ordinary folks to find photos, images, news
items, and ideas drawn from professional and friends’ sources, and then
collectively rank them, rate them, share them, forward them, annotate them, and
curate them into streams or collections.
==========
1:11:58 PM
The list of sharing organizations is almost endless: Yelp for reviews, Foursquare
for locations, Pinterest for scrapbook pieces. Sharing content is now ubiquitous.
==========
11:09:24 PM
Black Duck Open Hub, which tracks the open source industry, lists roughly 650,000
people working on more than half a million projects.
==========
11:12:36 PM
There is a whole list of subjects that experts once believed we modern humans would
not share—our finances, our health challenges, our sex lives, our innermost fears—
but it turns out that with the right technology and the right benefits in the right
conditions, we’ll share everything.
==========
11:14:03 PM
Doing it while collaboratively building encyclopedias, news agencies, video

archives, and software in groups that span continents, with people you don’t know
and whose class is irrelevant—that makes political socialism seem like the logical
next step.
==========
11:17:36 PM
So a particular page would get ranked higher for reliability in Google’s search
results if the pages that linked to it were also linked to pages that other
reliable pages linked to.
==========
11:19:41 PM
Every predominantly bottom-up organization that lasts for more than a few years
does so because it becomes a hybrid of bottom up plus some top down.
==========
11:24:42 PM
On the other hand, organizations built to create products rather than platforms
often need strong leaders and hierarchies arranged around timescales: Lower-level
work focuses on hourly needs; the next level on jobs that need to be done
==========
11:27:18 PM
Given enough time, decentralized connected dumb things can become smarter than we
think.
==========
11:27:36 PM
hive mind scales up wonderfully smoothly. That is why there were 9,000 startups in
2015 trying to exploit the sharing power of decentralized peer-to-peer networks.
==========
11:29:55 PM
Most of the time, for most creations, it’s a world of niche fulfillment.
==========
11:30:53 PM
Each niche is just one step away from a bestselling niche.

==========
11:34:18 PM
An open peer-to-peer scheme that enabled anyone to offer to the public ownership
shares in their company (with some regulation) would revolutionize business.
==========
11:36:45 PM
If that works in developing countries with Kiva, why not install peer-to-peer
lending in developed countries?
==========
11:39:48 PM
We have barely begun to explore what kinds of amazing things a crowd can do. There
must be two million different ways to crowdfund an idea, or to crowdorganize it, or
to crowdmake it. There must be a million more new ways to share unexpected things
in unexpected ways.
==========
11:40:18 PM
Anything that can be shared—thoughts, emotions, money, health, time—will be shared

in the right conditions, with the right benefits. Anything that can be shared can
be shared better, faster, easier, longer, and in a million more ways than we
currently realize.
==========
11:40:34 PM
At this point in our history, sharing something that has not been shared before, or
in a new way, is the surest way to increase its value.
==========
11:45:02 PM
We share the process, not just the end product. All the half-baked ideas, dead
ends, flops, and redos are actually valuable for both myself and for others hoping
to do better.
==========
11:52:41 PM
Today a 20-terabyte hard disk sells for $2,000. In five years it will sell for $60
and fit into your pocket.
==========
11:55:01 PM
Life is short, and there are too many books to read. Someone, or something, has to
choose, or whisper in our ear to help us decide. We need a way to triage. Our only
choice is to get assistance in making choices.
==========
11:55:47 PM
Faced with a shelf of similar goods, the first-time buyer retreats to a familiar
brand because it is a low-effort way to reduce the risk of the purchase.
==========
11:56:48 PM
Focus instead on just the things that would truly excite you. Your only choices
would be the absolute cream of the cream, the things your best friends would
recommend, including a few “random” choices to keep you surprised.
==========
11:58:40 PM
“Based on your own history and the history of others similar to you, you should
like this.”
==========
- Your Highlight on page 160 | Location 2442-2442 | Added on Saturday, June 18,
2016 12:03:00 AM
it is filtering your news stream to optimize the amount of time you spend on
Facebook—a
==========
2016 12:05:14 AM
Anywhere we want personalization, filtering will follow.

==========
2016 12:05:51 AM
The latest generation of robots are capable of agile manufacturing, and advanced 3-
D printers can rapidly produce units of one.
==========
2016 12:07:18 AM
My personal avatar is stored online, accessible to any retailer. It holds the exact
measurements of every part and curve of my body. Even if I go to a physical retail
store, I still try on each item in a virtual dressing room before I go because
stores carry only the most basic colors and designs.
==========
2016 12:11:33 AM
Simon’s insight is often reduced to “In a world of abundance, the only scarcity is
human attention.”
==========
2016 12:11:58 AM
Since it is the last scarcity, wherever attention flows, money will follow.
==========
2016 12:12:22 AM
It is cheap, in part, because we have to give it away each day. We can’t save it up
or hoard it. We have to spend it second by second, in real time.
==========
People who share the same physical space are more likely to be attracted to one
another. Proximity predisposes one person to like another person,
==========
So, when a less attractive individual wants to be seen as more attractive, he or

she should associate with a group of attractive people.
==========
If you want to be “popular,” you still need to hang out with the popular people. In
a business situation this means always try to “friend up,” not down.
==========
After spending all day looking at model homes, they return to what they now
perceive as an unattractive home. Their house becomes less attractive because they
compare it with the more elegant models they recently viewed.
==========
Individuals with high levels of self-esteem are also self-confident and comfortable
with being the center of attention. They are also comfortable with self-disclosure,
which is a building block in creating close personal relationships.
==========
To people with high self-esteem, rejection is part of life, not a reflection on

their self-worth.
==========
In American society, men and women often define self-worth in different ways. In
the most general terms men derive a sense of self-esteem and social status from
their ability or potential ability to earn money, impress women, and own high-
priced objects like nice cars and real estate.
==========
Male contestants usually describe themselves by their occupations (“I am an

electrician”), whereas, women characterize themselves by their relationships (“I am
a wife and mother of three children”). As more women work outside the home, they,
too, may begin to identify with their professions instead of their relationships.
==========
Men select young and physically attractive women to ensure procreation and women
select high earners with disposable incomes to achieve the security necessary to
raise children.
==========
For example, a man might pretend to be a high-income earner by lavishing a woman

with expensive gifts, driving a car he cannot afford, and spending money he does
not have. This strategy, although effective in the short run, usually ends
catastrophically as time passes and the suitor, unable to afford his ruse, is
unmasked and his true worth revealed.
==========
When the object of desire is finally gained, the attraction for the object rapidly
diminishes.
==========
I told my daughter that her mother and I raised her to make good judgments and that
we trusted her decisions. If she felt the young man was a good person to have in
her life, we would support her decision.
==========
you tell your children not to do something, they want to do it all the more.
==========
The man does not like the woman and the woman doesn’t like the man. Before the film
ends, they become romantically involved. A romantic rocky road often leads to a
more intense romantic relationship.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 116 | Location 1767-1769 | Added on Sunday, June 19, 2016
11:32:06 PM
when people imagine the pain of waiting, they imagine that it will be worse if it
happens in the near future than in the far future, and this leads to some rather
odd behavior.25
==========
11:32:57 PM
The vivid detail of the near future makes it much more palpable than the far
future, thus we feel more anxious and excited when we imagine events that will take
place soon than when we imagine events that will take place later.
==========
One method to determine if a person is an extrovert is to begin a sentence and

deliberately pause for a few seconds. Extroverts will generally complete the
sentence for you. Introverts will not.
==========
When introverts are comfortable with the people they are with, they will often
complete sentences in the same manner in which extroverts do.
==========
Revealing your true personality when first meeting someone is far better than
engaging in a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde approach when you want to develop healthy,
strong relationships.
==========
People like to be complimented. It makes them feel good about themselves and,
according to the Golden Rule of Friendship, they are going to feel good about you.
==========
The more you can encourage the other person to speak, the more you listen to what
they say, display empathy, and respond positively when reacting to their comments,
the greater the likelihood that person will feel good about themselves (Golden Rule
of Friendship) and like you as a result.
==========
“Sir, I would like your advice on something that would make our company more
profitable.”
==========
When individuals feel as though they are part owners of a good idea or project,
they enthusiastically advance it.
==========
The problem is people seldom take into account the benefit of sharing the glory:
goodwill. Glory has a short expiration date; goodwill has a long shelf life.
==========
good idea produces a large plate that can be divided into many pieces. Freely
distributing the pieces increases likability, puts people in your debt, and gives
you allies should you need their help in gaining successes down the road.
==========
When it comes to establishing and building friendships through verbal behavior,

take your cue from LOVE (Listen, Observe, Vocalize, and Empathize).
==========
The best way to focus on the listener’s speech and, at the same time, transmit to
the speaker nonverbally that you are paying attention to what is being said is to
maintain eye contact.
==========
People like individuals who let them talk, particularly when it is about
themselves.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 1880-1881 | Added on Monday, June 20, 2016 1:33:29 PM
When you can make a person feel good about themselves, they are going to be more
favorably disposed to liking you and accepting you as a friend.
==========
Giving a person the opportunity to talk, listening to what they say without
interruption, and giving nonverbal cues that what they say is of interest to you
can make a huge difference, whether it be in gaining a patient’s trust or a
person’s friendship.
==========
Backward leaning, crossing the arms over the chest, and lip compressions are good
nonverbal indicators that the conversation is not being well received.
==========
when the person looks at their watch as if to say, “Time’s up,” or turning their
feet, torso, or both toward the door or other parts of the room.
==========
Continual observation during an ongoing verbal interaction is critical for spotting

any potential problems that might otherwise go unnoticed.
==========
Ego Is the Enemy (Ryan Holiday)
- Your Highlight on page 16 | Location 241-242 | Added on Saturday, June 25, 2016
1:32:44 AM
Humble in our aspirations Gracious in our success Resilient in our failures

==========
7:35:54 PM
“Practice self-control,” he said, warning Demonicus not to fall under the sway of
“temper, pleasure, and pain.” And “abhor flatterers as you would deceivers; for
both, if trusted, injure those who trust them.”
==========
4:12:33 AM
Irving Berlin put it, “Talent is only the starting point.” The question is: Will
you be able to make the most of it? Or will you be your own worst enemy? Will you
snuff out the flame that is just getting going?
==========
4:14:27 AM
Because we will be action and education focused, and forgo validation and status,
our ambition will not be grandiose but iterative—one foot in front of the other,
learning and growing and putting in the time.
==========
4:17:53 AM
At the beginning of any path, we’re excited and nervous. So we seek to comfort
ourselves externally instead of inwardly.
==========
4:19:21 AM
In fact, many valuable endeavors we undertake are painfully difficult, whether it’s
coding a new startup or mastering a craft. But talking, talking is always easy.
==========
5:17:14 PM
Strategic flexibility is not the only benefit of silence while others chatter. It
is also psychology.
==========
5:17:52 PM
The more difficult the task, the more uncertain the outcome, the more costly talk
will be and the farther we run from actual accountability.
==========
5:19:57 PM
The only relationship between work and chatter is that one kills the other.
==========
5:23:02 PM
“To be or to do? Which way will you go?”

==========
5:23:32 PM
Whatever we seek to do in life, reality soon intrudes on our youthful idealism.
This reality comes in many names and forms: incentives, commitments, recognition,
and politics. In every case, they can quickly redirect us from doing to being. From
earning to pretending. Ego aids in that deception every step of the way.
==========
5:24:03 PM
Having authority is not the same as being an authority. Having the right and being
right are not the same either.
==========
5:24:20 PM
Impressing people is utterly different from being truly impressive.

==========
5:30:07 PM
His point was that many of the systems and structures in the military—the ones that
soldiers navigate in order to get ahead—can corrupt the very values they set out to
serve.
==========
5:30:39 PM
The choice that Boyd puts in front of us comes down to purpose. What is your
purpose? What are you here to do?
==========
5:31:47 PM
If your purpose is something larger than you—to accomplish something, to prove

something to yourself—then suddenly everything becomes both easier and more
difficult.
==========
5:31:57 PM
The other “choices” wash away, as they aren’t really choices at all. They’re
distractions.
==========
5:32:14 PM
Does this help me do what I have set out to do? Does this allow me to do what I
need to do? Am I being selfish or selfless?
==========
5:33:32 PM
To be or to do—life is a constant roll call.
==========
5:37:37 PM
The power of being a student is not just that it is an extended period of

instruction, it also places the ego and ambition in someone else’s hands.
==========
5:39:01 PM
Each fighter, to become great, he said, needs to have someone better that they can
learn from, someone lesser who they can teach, and someone equal that they can
challenge themselves against.
==========
5:40:42 PM
This begins by accepting that others know more than you and that you can benefit
from their knowledge, and then seeking them out and knocking down the illusions you
have about yourself.
==========
5:42:13 PM
a fighter is not capable of learning and practicing every day, if he is not

relentlessly looking for areas of improvement, examining his own shortcomings, and
finding new techniques to borrow from peers and opponents, he will be broken down
and destroyed.
==========
5:42:56 PM
We not only need to take this harsh feedback, but actively solicit it, labor to
seek out the negative precisely when our friends and family and brain are telling
us that we’re doing great.
==========
5:47:30 PM
Instead, his philosophy was about being in control and doing your job and never
being “passion’s slave.”
==========
8:22:51 PM
How can someone be busy and not accomplish anything? Well, that’s the passion
paradox.
==========
8:23:17 PM
Because we only seem to hear about the passion of successful people, we forget that
failures shared the same trait.
==========
8:24:42 PM
passion is a form of mental retardation—deliberately blunting our most critical

cognitive functions.
==========
8:26:01 PM
Passion is about. (I am so passionate about ______.) Purpose is to and for. (I must

do ______. I was put here to accomplish ______. I am willing to endure ______ for
the sake of this.)
==========
8:27:26 PM
More than purpose, we also need realism. Where do we start? What do we do first?
What do we do right now? How are we sure that what we’re doing is moving us
forward? What are we benchmarking ourselves against?
==========
8:29:34 PM
Which is why a deliberate, purposeful person operates on a different level, beyond

the sway or the sickness. They hire professionals and use them. They ask questions,
they ask what could go wrong, they ask for examples. They plan for contingencies.
Then they are off to the races. Usually they get started with small steps, complete
them, and look for feedback on how the next set can be better. They lock in gains,
and then get better as they go, often leveraging those gains to grow exponentially
rather than arithmetically.
==========
8:31:00 PM
Same goes for the spreadsheets, the meetings, the trips, the phone calls, software,
tools, and internal systems—and every how-to article ever written about them and
the routines of famous people. Passion is form over function. Purpose is function,
function, function.
==========
8:32:25 PM
Make it about what you feel you must do and say, not what you care about and wish
to be.
==========
8:36:09 PM
It’s about providing the support so that others can be good. The better wording for
the advice is this: Find canvases for other people to paint on.
==========
8:36:20 PM
Clear the path for the people above you and you will eventually create a path for
yourself.
==========
8:36:48 PM
Obeisance is the way forward.

==========
8:38:00 PM
Franklin saw the constant benefit in making other people look good and letting them
take credit for your ideas.
==========
8:39:19 PM
if he wanted to give his coach feedback or question a decision, he needed to do it

in private and self-effacingly so as not to offend his superior.
==========
8:40:15 PM
Greatness comes from humble beginnings; it comes from grunt work.

==========
8:40:31 PM
There is an old saying, “Say little, do much.” What we really ought to do is update
and apply a version of that to our early approach.
==========
8:40:42 PM
Imagine if for every person you met, you thought of some way to help them,
something you could do for them?
==========
8:40:55 PM
You’d learn a great deal by solving diverse problems. You’d develop a reputation
for being indispensable. You’d have countless new relationships. You’d have an
enormous bank of favors to call upon down the road.
==========
8:41:17 PM
That’s what the canvas strategy is about—helping yourself by helping others.

==========
8:42:34 PM
You can forget it so hard that you’re glad when others get it instead of you—that
was your aim, after all.
==========
8:43:07 PM
every second not spent doing your work, or working on yourself, is a waste of your
gift.
==========
8:43:36 PM
Maybe it’s coming up with ideas to hand over to your boss. Find people, thinkers,
up-and-comers to introduce them to each other. Cross wires to create new sparks.
Find what nobody else wants to do and do it. Find inefficiencies and waste and
redundancies. Identify leaks and patches to free up resources for new areas.
Produce more than everyone else and give your ideas away
==========
8:49:30 PM
Let it become natural and permanent; let others apply it to you while you’re too
busy applying it to those above you.
==========
8:49:40 PM
the person who clears the path ultimately controls its direction, just as the
canvas shapes the painting.
==========
8:53:22 PM
There were plenty of players Rickey could have gone with. But he needed one who
wouldn’t let his ego block him from seeing the bigger picture.
==========
9:11:55 PM
Robinson called it one of the most difficult things he ever did, but he was willing
to because it was part of a larger plan.
==========
9:13:17 PM
When you want to do something—something big and important and meaningful—you will
be subjected to treatment ranging from indifference to outright sabotage. Count on
it.
==========
9:13:42 PM
it doesn’t degrade you when others treat you poorly; it degrades them.
==========
9:57:59 PM
You will often be tempted, you will probably even be overcome. No one is perfect
with it, but try we must.
==========
10:02:44 PM
He was convinced that the only way to win the war was with the perfect plan and a
single decisive campaign (he was wrong). He was so convinced of all of it that he
froze and basically did nothing . . . for months at a time.
==========
10:07:13 PM
What successful people do is curb such flights of fancy. They ignore the
temptations that might make them feel important or skew their perspective.
==========
10:08:55 PM
Be part of what’s going on around you. Feast on it, adjust for it.
==========
10:11:03 PM
“Stoop, young man, stoop—as you go through this world—and you’ll miss many hard
thumps.”
==========
10:11:52 PM
Pride takes a minor accomplishment and makes it feel like a major one.
==========
10:45:41 PM
The principle of paying people directly for their attention can be extended to
advertising as well.
==========
10:47:23 PM
Instead of the Oscars, retailers can aim at a huge network of smaller influencers.
==========
10:51:34 PM
only things that are increasing in cost while everything else heads to zero are
human experiences—which
==========
10:52:48 PM
We’ll use technology to produce commodities, and we’ll make experiences in order to
avoid becoming a commodity ourselves.
==========
11:58:30 PM
But their brains enforced the Reality First policy and insisted on reacting to the
real workout rather than the imaginary hike.
==========
11:59:31 PM
We cannot feel good about an imaginary future when we are busy feeling bad about an
actual present.
==========
6:48:52 AM
Imagination cannot easily transcend the boundaries of the present, and one reason
for this is that it must borrow machinery that is owned by perception.
==========
6:53:56 AM
Alas, metaphors can mislead as well as illuminate, and our tendency to imagine time
as a spatial dimension does both of these things.
==========
6:56:18 AM
volunteers in the no-variety group were more satisfied than were volunteers in the
variety group.
==========
6:56:41 AM
Wonderful things are especially wonderful the first time they happen, but their
wonderfulness wanes with repetition.8
==========
7:01:15 AM
we mistakenly treat sequential alternatives as though they were simultaneous

alternatives.
==========
7:02:39 AM
In general, mental images are atemporal.11

==========
1:59:58 PM
he began by imagining the event as though it were happening in the present and only
then considered the fact that the event would take place in the future,
==========
2:00:27 PM
By imagining the event happening now and then correcting for the fact that it was
actually going to happen later, the teenager used a method for making judgments
that is quite common but that inevitably leads to error.12
==========
2:01:15 PM
The problem with this method of making judgments is that starting points have a
profound impact on ending points.
==========
2:02:03 PM
Starting points matter because we often end up close to where we started.

==========
2:04:07 PM
performing a simultaneous task such as this one causes people to stay very close to
their starting points.
==========
2:04:41 PM
used this prefeeling as a starting point for their prediction of tomorrow’s

pleasures.
==========
2:05:17 PM
Because we naturally use our present feelings as a starting point when we attempt
to predict our future feelings, we expect our future to feel a bit more like our
present than it actually will.16
==========
2:06:26 PM
The human brain is not particularly sensitive to the absolute magnitude of

stimulation, but it is extraordinarily sensitive to differences and changes—that
is, to the relative magnitude of stimulation.
==========
2:08:28 PM
“Can people detect five ounces?” because brains do not detect ounces, they detect
changes in ounces and differences in ounces,
==========
2:10:35 PM
human beings don’t think in absolute dollars. They think in relative dollars, and
fifty is or isn’t a lot of dollars depending on what it is relative
==========
2:11:30 PM
For instance, one ancient ploy involves asking someone to pay an unrealistically
large cost (“Would you come to our Save the Bears meeting next Friday and then join
us Saturday for a protest march at the zoo?”) before asking them to pay a smaller
cost (“Okay then, could you at least contribute five dollars to our
organization?”).
==========
2:13:05 PM
Because it is so much easier for me to remember the past than to generate new
possibilities, I will tend to compare the present with the past even when I ought
to be comparing it with the possible.
==========
2:14:18 PM
Because it is easier to compare a vacation package’s price with its former price
than with the price of other things one might buy, we end up preferring bad deals
that have become decent deals to great deals that were once amazing deals.
==========
2:15:04 PM
Nonetheless, our stubborn insistence on comparing the present to the past leads us
to reason differently about these functionally equivalent cases.
==========
2:16:19 PM
Alas, we are all too easily fooled by such side-by-side comparisons, which is why
retailers work so hard to ensure that we make them.
==========
2:16:53 PM
Our side-by-side comparisons can be influenced by extreme possibilities such as

extravagant wines and dilapidated houses, but they can also be influenced by the
addition of extra possibilities that are identical to those we are already
considering.
==========
2:17:32 PM
Apparently, adding another equally effective medication to the list of

possibilities made it difficult for the physicians to decide between the two
medications, thus leading many of them to recommend neither.
==========
8:30:38 PM
if we want to predict how something will make us feel in the future, we must
consider the kind of comparison we will be making in the future and not the kind of
comparison we happen to be making in the present.
==========
8:37:46 PM
What you would be failing to realize is that once you owned my car, your frame of
reference would shift, you would be making the same comparison that I am now
making, and that the car would be worth every penny you paid for it. What I would
be failing to realize is that once I didn’t own the car, my frame of reference
would shift, I would be making the same comparison that you’re making now, and that
I’d be delighted with the deal because, after all, I’d never pay $2,000 for a car
that was identical to the one I just sold you.
==========
8:38:45 PM
And yet, the temptation to view the past through the lens of the present is nothing
short of overwhelming.
==========
8:39:21 PM
Because predictions about the future are made in the present, they are inevitably
influenced by the present.
==========
8:51:33 PM
Meanings matter for even the most basic psychological processes,

==========
8:52:18 PM
people respond to stimuli as they are represented in the mind.

==========
PM
ha
==========
8:53:44 PM
we respond to the meanings of such stimuli and not to the stimuli themselves.
==========
8:56:59 PM
we respond to meanings—and context, frequency, and recency are three of the factors
that determine which meaning we will infer when we encounter an ambiguous stimulus.
==========
8:57:11 PM
we often prefer that an ambiguous stimulus mean one thing

==========
8:59:33 PM
Definers were able to set the standards for talent, and not coincidentally, they
were more likely to meet the standards they set. One of the reasons why most of us
think of ourselves as talented, friendly, wise, and fair-minded is that these words
are the lexical equivalents of a Necker cube, and the human mind naturally exploits
each word’s ambiguity for its own gratification.
==========
9:02:02 PM
our brains would automatically exploit the ambiguity of that food’s identity and
allow us to think of it in a way that pleased us
==========
9:03:00 PM
A toaster, a firm, a university, a horse, and a senator are all just fine and
dandy, but when they become our toaster, firm, university, horse, and senator they
are instantly finer and dandier.
==========
9:05:20 PM
The world is this way, we wish the world were that way, and our experience of the
world—how we see it, remember it, and imagine it—is a mixture of stark reality and
comforting illusion.
==========
9:07:45 PM
We need to be defended—not defenseless or defensive—and thus our minds naturally

look for the best view of things while simultaneously insisting that those views
stick reasonably closely to the facts.
==========
9:13:57 PM
Our tendency to expose ourselves to information that supports our favored

conclusions is especially powerful when it comes to choosing the company we keep.
==========
9:14:26 PM
that when we turn to the folks we know for advice and opinions, they tend to
confirm our favored conclusions—either because they share them or because they
don’t want to hurt our feelings by telling us otherwise.35
==========
9:17:28 PM
the brain has agreed to believe what the eye sees, but in return the eye has agreed
to look for what the brain wants.
==========
9:21:49 PM
When facts challenge our favored conclusion, we scrutinize them more carefully and
subject them to more rigorous analysis. We also require a lot more of them.
==========
9:22:16 PM
When we want to believe that someone is smart, then a single letter of

recommendation may suffice; but when we don’t want to believe that person is smart,
we may demand a thick manila folder full of transcripts, tests, and testimony.
==========
9:23:52 PM
Apparently it doesn’t take much to convince us that we are smart and healthy, but
it takes a whole lotta facts to convince us of the opposite.
==========
Simple Rules (Donald Sull)
5:44:45 PM
Simple rules allow people to act without having to stop and rethink every decision.
==========
9:42:13 PM
By limiting the number of guidelines, simple rules help maintain a strict focus on
what matters most while remaining easy to remember and use.
==========
9:43:56 PM
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” By “food” Pollan means real food—
vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and meat and fish—rather than what he calls
“edible food-like substances” found in the processed-food aisles of the grocery
store.
==========
9:45:04 PM
To be used, rules have to be remembered, and limiting the number to a handful makes
this possible.
==========
9:45:17 PM
simple rules are tailored to the situations of the particular people who will use
them,
==========
9:48:19 PM
Simple rules leave room to exercise creativity and pursue unanticipated

opportunities.
==========
9:55:59 PM
they allow individuals and organizations to pursue a wide range of possible

opportunities. Yet their rules also gave the activities of the early Jesuits
consistency and coherence.
==========
9:56:40 PM
Both flexibility and consistency have their advantages, but increasing one reduces
the other.
==========
10:02:25 PM
Fitting a model too closely to historical data hardwires error into the model,
which is known as overfitting.
==========
10:03:13 PM
In contrast to complicated models, simple rules focus on only the most critical
variables.
==========
10:03:22 PM
By ignoring peripheral factors and tenuous correlations, rules of thumb eliminate a

great deal of noise.
==========
10:05:18 PM
In contrast, their classmates who considered more variables actually made worse
decisions
==========
10:05:38 PM
Simple rules minimize the risk of overweighing peripheral considerations by

focusing on the criteria most crucial for making good decisions.
==========
10:06:36 PM
Simple rules not only trigger people to act, they also keep them from abandoning a
decision once they have made it.
==========
10:07:08 PM
If we deploy willpower on one decision, we have less self-control available for our
next decision.
==========
10:17:20 PM
First, they allow for flexibility in the pursuit of new opportunities, avoiding the
rigidity of too many rules and the chaos of none at all.
==========
10:17:32 PM
Second, simple rules can produce decisions that match or outperform more
sophisticated decision models across a wide variety of possible scenarios, and do
so quickly, with limited data requirements, and when cause and effect are
imperfectly understood.
==========
10:17:43 PM
Finally, collective action, like the honeybees’ choice of nest, can emerge from
simple rules even when individuals’ mental capacity is limited and no one member
understands the situation in its entirety.
==========
10:21:40 PM
Boundary rules can help you decide between two mutually exclusive alternatives,
like whether bail should be granted or denied.
==========
10:26:55 PM
Prioritizing rules rank options to decide which alternatives will receive limited
resources, such as medical care during battle or cash in a startup.
==========
10:27:07 PM
Stopping rules dictate when to reverse a decision. They provide guidance, for
example, on when to sell a stock, end the search for a mate, or descend from a
treacherous mountaintop.
==========
10:31:11 PM
First, the project must further the quest for fundamental scientific understanding,
and second, it must have a practical use.
==========
10:38:06 PM
Prioritizing rules are useful when a large number of opportunities meet the
threshold of the boundary rules, but resources are limited.
==========
10:40:36 PM
(1) removed bottlenecks to growing revenues, (2) provided benefits immediately

(rather than paying off in the long term), (3) minimized up-front expenditures, and
(4) reused existing resources.
==========
10:44:21 PM
total available funds are prioritized with equal ranking across the total number of
asset classes.
==========
10:45:50 PM
They are especially powerful when applied to a bottleneck, an activity or decision

that keeps individuals or organizations from reaching their objectives.
==========
10:50:40 PM
The secret weapon of Loeb’s investing strategy was a simple but powerful stopping
rule: “If an investment loses 10 percent of its initial value, sell it.”
==========
10:55:52 PM
Decision rules—boundary, prioritizing, and stopping—provide clear guidelines for

making better decisions across many situations and in the most challenging
circumstances. They help answer the question of what to do—what is acceptable to
do, what is more important to do, and what to stop doing.
==========
7:59:37 AM
In contrast, process rules, the focus of this chapter, are more about how to do
things better, and center on getting the job at hand done.
==========
7:59:56 AM
Simply put, process rules are useful whenever flexibility trumps consistency.
==========
8:00:08 AM
How-to rules guide the basics of executing tasks, from playing golf to designing
new products.
==========
8:03:19 AM
A good commentator, he explained, should: set the scene; describe the action; give
the score or results, regularly and succinctly; explain, without interrupting, the
stadium’s reaction to the game’s event; share “homework,” such as historical facts
and figures or personal information; and assess the significance of the
==========
8:03:28 AM
A good commentator, he explained, should: set the scene; describe the action; give
the score or results, regularly and succinctly; explain, without interrupting, the
stadium’s reaction to the game’s event; share “homework,” such as historical facts
and figures or personal information; and assess the significance of the occasion
and key moments.
==========
8:12:05 AM
How-to rules can also accelerate creativity.

==========
8:12:54 AM
The winners selected a critical process—such as new-product development,

acquisitions, or geographic expansion—that put the company in the flow of growth
opportunities.
==========
8:17:41 AM
“Look for eccentricity,” because it often correlates with creativity; “Look for
strong referrals from other Google employees,” because top people want to work with
other top people and are always looking for that kind of talent; and “Avoid anyone
with even the smallest inaccuracy on their resumé,” to help ensure only high-
integrity employees. Google used these rules and a few others to hire the right
talent.
==========
8:19:56 AM
Coordination rules work by clarifying what to do in relation to others.

==========
8:22:07 AM
When individuals follow coordination rules, collective behavior emerges.

==========
8:23:57 AM
The best-known rule is to build on whatever is said or done just beforehand by

saying, “Yes, and . . .”
==========
8:24:25 AM
The rule to make others look good underscores the importance of helping other
players shine.
==========
8:27:11 AM
“Get up at the same time every morning,” which turns out to be more crucial than a
regular bedtime for establishing a restful sleep pattern.
==========
8:27:52 AM
Timing rules sometimes specify taking action when some triggering event happens.
==========
8:28:09 AM
Known as event pacing, this kind of rule links actions to events, such as getting
drowsy in the insomniacs’ rule of going to bed when tired.
==========
8:28:54 AM
Known as time pacing, these timing rules create deadlines and rhythms, like the
morning drumbeat of the insomniacs’ rule to get up at the same time every day.
==========
8:33:16 AM
A surprising benefit of the rule was its unforgiving deadlines, since many creative
people simply cannot resist fine-tuning their art without hard stops.
==========
8:34:40 AM
According to the rule, when there is a crisis—and precisely when everyone else is
most likely to freeze, panic, and give up hope on an asset—do the opposite and
invest.
==========
8:36:28 AM
The six types of rules—boundary, prioritizing, stopping, how-to, coordination, and

timing—are often used in combination.
==========
9:04:45 AM
If they believe the rules will help them to do a better job on something that
really matters, they will use them.
==========
9:06:33 AM
This approach to developing rules works especially well when it draws on a deep
pool of experience.
==========
9:06:56 AM
The experience of others can be as valuable as one’s own experience in shaping

people’s simple rules.
==========
9:08:22 AM
Since analogies are rarely a perfect fit, they are often most useful as a starting
point for simple rules, not an endpoint.
==========
9:10:36 AM
(1) begin by searching randomly in many directions for food; (2) when you find
food, thicken the tube; and (3) when you don’t find food, shrink the tube.
==========
9:13:54 AM
(1) turn when you hit an object; (2) spiral when caught in a corner; and (3) return
to the docking station when power is about to run out.
==========
9:15:24 AM
The superficial details the groups received were not relevant to the choice of
political strategy, and yet the participants were easily swayed by these details to
draw an unhelpful analogy.
==========
9:16:06 AM
One way to develop simple rules is to review a body of scientific research, sort
through to determine the most consistent findings across studies, and distill these
findings into a few simple rules.
==========
9:17:40 AM
They then analyzed each diagnostic rule to see how accurately the rule either
spotted a serious infection or ruled it out.
==========
9:19:45 AM
By focusing on the most consistent findings, scientists can be more comfortable

advocating them, without qualification, as practical advice.
==========
9:21:36 AM
“What simple rules should we use to decide which programs to run?”

==========
2016 9:31:18 AM
the negotiated process made the rule more likely to be followed.

==========
2016 9:34:35 AM
that the best way to understand something is to try to change it.

==========
2016 9:35:14 AM
how to translate their broad objectives into a strategy that would shape employees’
behavior on a day-to-day basis.
==========
2016 9:39:32 AM
Figure out what will move the needles. Choose a bottleneck. Craft the rules.
==========
2016 9:41:20 AM
Without a clear understanding of what their company is trying to achieve,

executives struggle to identify where to apply simple rules, let alone what the
rules should be.
==========
2016 9:42:07 AM
Willingness to pay works better than alternative measures, such as revenues or

price, because it anchors the analysis in the customer’s point of view and forces
managers to consider what customers value and what alternatives they have.
==========
2016 9:43:17 AM
The gap between the needles represents economic value created.

==========
2016 9:43:49 AM
Focusing on how managers can move the needles cuts through peripheral
considerations to hone in on the underlying drivers of value creation.
==========
2016 9:47:10 AM
fundamental to any company’s ability to create economic value: Who will we target
as customers? What product or service will we offer? How will we provide this
product at a profit?
==========
2016 9:48:51 AM
Crystallizing your who, what, and how defines which game you are going to play.
==========
2016 9:49:43 AM
The slowest step in an automobile assembly line, for example, is the bottleneck
that sets the pace for the overall manufacturing process.
==========
2016 9:53:02 AM
The menu must be fixed by noon on Wednesday for the following week; three of the
five dishes every day must have been bestsellers in the past; the chefs had to
ensure that at least two dishes are offered across all cafeterias the same day; and
90 percent of the fruits and vegetables must be seasonal or sourced locally.
==========
2016 9:54:06 AM
(1) discover and qualify opportunities; (2) develop a pre-proposal; (3) design a
solution; and (4) conduct pre-sales planning.
==========
2016 9:54:48 AM
This analysis revealed that design was the key bottleneck limiting profitable
growth.
==========
2016 9:55:20 AM
When searching for the right bottleneck, it helps to look for a critical activity
where the number of opportunities exceeds the available resources, such as when
sales opportunities outstrip a company’s ability to meet demand.
==========
2016 9:58:06 AM
Choosing external partners is another bottleneck where opportunities often exceed a

firm’s capacity to pursue them.
==========
2016 10:39:56 AM
Developing rules from the top down is a big mistake.

==========
2016 10:41:26 AM
Having users make the rules confers several advantages.

==========
2016 10:41:34 AM
best positioned to codify experience into usable rules.

==========
2016 10:44:06 AM
To come up with their rules, each team member walked through examples of projects
where Herkimer’s bid had proved particularly successful or unsuccessful.
==========
2016 10:44:54 AM
After the workshop, three of the Herkimer team members agreed to test the rules
against twenty historical deals to see whether the initial rules would have
selected promising requests and screened out unattractive ones.
==========
2016 10:44:58 AM
Testing the first-cut rules is critical to ensure that they work.

==========
2016 10:45:12 AM
evaluate current customer requests.

==========
2016 10:46:27 AM
It is critical to test your first-cut rules in a rigorous fashion, and refine them
in light of your findings.
==========
2016 10:47:46 AM
They began by analyzing their database of current and past customers and discovered
that 10 percent of their customers accounted for over half of the company’s
revenues.
==========
2016 10:50:26 AM
A strategy that doesn’t influence critical decisions on a day-to-day basis,

however, is not a strategy—it is a book report.
==========
2016 10:50:38 AM
Strategy, in our view, lives in the simple rules that guide an organization’s most
important activities.
==========
2016 10:52:01 AM
(1) decide what will move your personal needles and increase the gap between what
energizes you and what stresses you out, (2) identify a bottleneck that keeps you
from creating personal value, and (3) develop simple rules that work for you.
==========
2016 10:53:00 AM
You can raise the top needle by doing more of what makes life worth living, such as
spending time with your children, for example, or contributing to your community.
==========
2016 10:53:26 AM
You can also create personal value by lowering the bottom needle, which represents
problematic areas, such as money worries or poor health, that prevent you from
getting the most out of life. Mitigating
==========
2016 10:53:43 AM
You can also create personal value by lowering the bottom needle, which represents
problematic areas, such as money worries or poor health, that prevent you from
getting the most out of life.
==========
2016 10:54:05 AM
Personal value consists of the gap between those activities that bring you the most
happiness and those that keep you from enjoying life to the fullest.
==========
2016 11:00:26 AM
A bottleneck provides the focal point for the simple rules, and by managing the
bottleneck the simple rules should create personal value.
==========
2016 11:01:01 AM
Which activities or decisions keep you from achieving your objective? Where will
rules have the greatest impact?
==========
2016 11:02:15 AM
Simple rules work particularly well in situations where the number of alternatives
exceeds available resources, such as making investment decisions, deciding which
home repairs to make, or choosing how to spend limited free time.
==========
2016 11:02:39 AM
If the problem stems from forgetting rote activities, like packing for a business
trip, a checklist is a better alternative.
==========
2016 11:04:13 AM
well suited for activities, like diet, exercise, and saving money, that require
short-term sacrifices for long-term gains.
==========
2016 11:04:30 AM
As you search for a bottleneck, remember that you are looking for something that
stands in the way of achieving one of your personal goals.
==========
2016 11:05:49 AM
insight allowed for a narrow definition of his bottleneck as after-dinner snacking.

==========
2016 11:06:01 AM
Willpower is a reservoir, not a river, and when it runs out (as it often does at
the end of a long day), rules can be effective tools for imposing limits on
behavior.
==========
2016 11:07:24 AM
rules for good writing.

==========
2016 11:07:36 AM
rules for good writing. On a personal level, if you know someone who is
particularly good at managing the bottleneck you have decided to address, you would
be wise to consult him or her.
==========
2016 11:07:59 AM
First, you can explain how you manage your identified bottleneck, and ask them what
they do differently.
==========
2016 11:08:16 AM
It’s also productive to tease out extremes, by asking if there are things that they
always do or never do when managing the target activity.
==========
2016 11:08:27 AM
People typically find it easier to describe their rules in the context of concrete
examples rather than in abstract terms.
==========
2016 11:08:34 AM
Another way to explore your role model’s tacit rules is to ask them to walk you
through a few recent decisions—what they did and why.
==========
2016 11:08:44 AM
great starting point is to assemble comprehensive data on your recent experience.

==========
2016 11:09:24 AM
If you skip the data collection altogether, you are likely to make false
assumptions that will result in ineffective simple rules.
==========
2016 11:09:36 AM
Once you have some data to work from, you can divide the past examples into three
categories—those that worked well in terms of moving the needles, those that worked
poorly, and everything in between.
==========
2016 11:11:20 AM
The simple rules process is, at its heart, informed trial and error.
==========
2016 11:11:26 AM
By drawing on research, advice from friends, past data, and your own experience,
you can make better choices of the bottleneck and first-cut rules.
==========
2016 11:11:40 AM
You can also limit your rules to two or three, as we have seen elsewhere in the
book, to increase the odds that you will remember and follow them.
==========
2016 11:11:54 AM
Measuring impact allows you to pinpoint what is and isn’t working, and evidence of
success also provides more motivation to stick with the rules.
==========
2016 11:12:10 AM
Apps have made collecting data and tracking progress easier than at any other time
in history.
==========
2016 11:17:50 AM
Once you have gathered enough data to assess progress, you can step back and refine
your rules.
==========
2016 11:19:07 AM
was important to get his profile right, but simple rules could be more effectively
applied elsewhere, Harry decided.
==========
2016 11:20:17 AM
Harry decided that the biggest bottleneck in his dating life was the initial step
of reading profiles and writing introductory emails.
==========
2016 11:24:18 AM
This was probably true in a few cases, he reasoned, but now he developed a new
theory for how introductory messages worked—they flagged attention.
==========
2016 11:24:54 AM
Sending short messages to establish interest, then following up with gradually

longer ones, was a better course of action.
==========
2016 11:25:49 AM
This observation based on experience led to Harry’s second rule: “Only pursue her
if you would like to see her tonight.”
==========
2016 11:27:28 AM
Less common greetings, like “What’s up?,” “Yo,” “Howdy,” and “Hola” had
significantly higher response rates
==========
2016 11:27:50 AM
Indeed, the most effective salutation, “How’s it going?,”

==========
2016 11:27:59 AM
The rule the study advocated was “Use an unusual greeting,” but Harry replaced that
rule with “Ask her how it’s going.”
==========
2016 11:32:49 AM
bottleneck—challenging negative thoughts when they occur—and

==========
2016 11:38:29 AM
“Carry yourself like a king”—calm, comfortable, and without excessive nodding,

==========
2016 11:38:34 AM
First, “Imagine the person you are talking to is the sympathetic star in a film you
are watching.”
==========
2016 11:38:48 AM
“Make and maintain soft eye contact,” which means relaxing your eyes and face when
you look at someone.
==========
2016 11:38:57 AM
Daniel’s story illustrates an effective solution to a common problem: how to

translate a self-help book into action.
==========
2016 11:41:09 AM
So although the better rule “Listen to others” produced better results, an

apparently irrelevant rule also stimulated some of the same beneficial behaviors.
==========
2016 11:44:56 AM
As Shannon put it, “The difference for me was that I didn’t place that much value
on the records because I didn’t see that they correlated positively to success in
the sport.”
==========
2016 11:51:08 AM
Running a fast forty-yard sprint or bench-pressing hundreds of pounds is easy to

measure, but irrelevant if it does not improve game-day performance.
==========
2016 11:53:49 AM
(1) eat breakfast, (2) stay hydrated, and (3) eat as much as you want of anything
that can be picked, plucked, or killed.
==========
2016 11:54:51 AM
initial rules are often automatic, obvious, and generally weak.

==========
2016 11:55:16 AM
Over time, three things happen. First, their content shifts from superficial and
convenient rules to strategic and abstract ones that prove more effective over a
broader range of activities and decisions. Second, the different types of rules are
learned in a specific sequential order.
==========
2016 11:55:29 AM
Boundary and how-to rules usually come first, while the other rule types follow and
are harder to learn. Third, the rules go through simplification cycling in which
their number grows, and then shrinks and becomes constant.
==========
2016 11:55:59 AM
Key learning processes like consciously reflecting on past experience and engaging
in varied but related experiences accelerate improvement, and combining multiple
learning processes is the most potent approach to improvement of all.
==========
2016 11:56:25 AM
His rules became strategic—related to winning football games—and abstract, fitting

across many sports.
==========
2016 11:59:37 AM
best simple rule was an abstract one that covered many concrete situations: “Sell
to organizations with large amounts of proprietary data and the ability to pay.”
==========
2016 12:00:01 PM
People begin with boundary and how-to rules. Next, they figure out prioritizing,
timing, and coordination rules, and learn stopping rules last.
==========
2016 12:02:00 PM
Novices use simple rules that are superficial and easy to learn, whereas experts
graduate to strategic and abstract ones.
==========
2016 12:02:56 PM
These rules—prioritizing, timing, and coordination—all involve tying together

multiple experiences. People
==========
2016 12:04:05 PM
Experts keep their number of rules to a handful and information streamlined by
frequently (and often automatically) reorganizing their information and chunking
that information into large and more abstract patterns, in a process of progressive
adaptation similar to simplification cycling.
==========
2016 12:04:32 PM
In other words, success came to the teams with rules, especially rules like timing,
prioritizing, and stopping.
==========
2016 12:09:48 PM
write an analysis of his play (regardless of the outcome) in a journal after every
casino trip—a lot like what Shannon Turley and the successful internationalizing
entrepreneurs did.
==========
2016 12:11:39 PM
reading famous books on poker, and improved—becoming more strategic and successful—
as he reflected on his experience.
==========
2016 12:12:19 PM
specialized practice, mirrors the old saying “Practice makes perfect,” and repeats
the same activity.
==========
2016 12:12:27 PM
massed practice, in which individuals take periodic breaks to do something

completely different from what they are trying to learn.
==========
2016 12:12:38 PM
related experience, which is what Shannon did by coaching different sports and
Raghu did by practicing different kinds of poker playing.
==========
2016 12:13:22 PM
Finally, people improved most quickly when they played both go and reversi, a board
game similar to go but not the same. In other words, the best strategy for
improving was doing something else when that something else was related experience.
==========
2016 12:15:35 PM
these companies face what are known as network effects—in other words, the
positively reinforcing cycle in which more buyers attract more sellers and vice
versa.
==========
2016 12:17:20 PM
counterintuitive—forget about growing Airbnb, and instead focus on creating the

perfect Airbnb experience.
==========
2016 12:18:04 PM
The founders coupled these activities with disciplined experiments to learn about
specific practices, like testing whether professional photographs of lodging
options were effective in luring guests.
==========
2016 12:18:51 PM
Airbnb’s initial rule of targeting the host cities of major conferences was a
reasonable place to start, but like most people and organizations, Joe and Brian
needed time and real-world experience to craft better simple rules.
==========
2016 12:19:32 PM
Yet by pursuing many avenues of learning, the founders improved their odds of
experiencing the aha moments.
==========
2016 12:19:38 PM
Multitasking in learning also works because when people learn the same lesson in
different ways, the learning is reinforced and better learned.
==========
2016 12:23:20 PM
The lesson is that major disruptions drive fundamental changes to rules, and that
the best thing to do is to change quickly, all at once.
==========
2016 12:26:54 PM
The A’s insight was that when a team has a player who can perform one side of the
split well and a different player who excels at the opposite split, the two
positives can create a cheap composite player.
==========
2016 12:29:23 PM
Major disruptions call for understanding the new situation beyond a superficial
level and creating a reimagined vision with brand-new simple rules,
==========
2016 12:30:33 PM
willingness to shift his mindset from his prior sea experiences to the land, learn
about land travel at the poles, and craft new simple rules.
==========
2016 12:31:08 PM
“Eat fresh meat to avoid scurvy,” and dog handling, such as “Have a lead skier whom
the dogs can follow.” As the trek to the South Pole unfolded, he added timing
rules, including a consistent daily mileage that balanced progress with rest, and
hourly stops to keep the dogs fresh.
==========
2016 12:32:38 PM
Most of us tend to overattribute our successes to ourselves rather than to the

circumstances, and conversely underattribute our failures to ourselves.
==========
2016 12:34:36 PM
the key is to recognize that the change is happening and to study its implications
well beyond a surface understanding, then break the old rules and move on to the
new ones quickly.
==========
2016 12:34:54 PM
unwise to wait passively for the next big change. In these situations, it makes
sense to be the disruption, proactively shifting the bottlenecks to success and
breaking the rules for everyone else.
==========
2016 12:36:00 PM
One was to develop characters with very distinct personality traits. The idea was
to give the audience a sense of predictability and familiarity with each character.
==========
2016 12:36:16 PM
In later seasons the writers purposefully surprised the audience by occasionally

having the characters behave in the opposite way to what was expected.
==========
2016 12:47:01 PM
developing simple rules requires ruthless prioritization—honing in on the essential

and decluttering the peripheral.
==========
2016 12:47:11 PM
You must identify which of many objectives will move the needles, identify the
specific activity or decision that represents a critical bottleneck, and prune
dozens of potential rules down to a handful.
==========
2016 12:49:53 PM
As we have seen throughout this book, simple rules work because they provide a
threshold level of structure while leaving ample scope to exercise discretion.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 179 | Location 2739-2740 | Added on Friday, July 1, 2016
2:18:20 AM
We’ll listen to the suggestions and recommendations that are generated by our own
behavior in order to hear, to see who we are.
==========
2:19:41 AM
But digital technology unbundles those forms into their elements so they can be
recombined in new ways.
==========
2:21:44 AM
Take any one of these genres and multiply it. Then marry and crossbreed them.
==========
2:22:25 AM
Text, sound, motion will continue to merge. With the coming new tools we’ll be able
to create our visions on demand. It will take only a few seconds to generate a
believable image of a turquoise rose, glistening with dew, poised in a trim golden
vase—perhaps even faster than we could write these words.
==========
2:27:27 AM
Now you will perform all these literary actions on moving images, in a new visual
language.
==========
2:30:08 AM
The databases of component images form a whole new grammar for moving images.
==========
2:31:25 AM
For instance, quotation symbols make it simple to indicate where one has borrowed
text from another writer. We don’t have a parallel notation in film yet, but we
need one.
==========
2:31:49 AM
Someday soon with AI we’ll have a way to index the full content of a film.
==========
2:33:13 AM
We don’t have the equivalent of a hyperlink for film yet. With true screen fluency,
I’d be able to cite specific frames of a film or specific items in a frame.
==========
2:34:35 AM
But is there a way to reduce the contents of a movie into imagery that could be
grasped quickly, as we might see in a table of contents for a book?
==========
2:35:12 AM
The holy grail of visuality is findability—the ability to search the library of all
movies the same way Google can search the web, and find a particular focus deep
within.
==========
2:40:55 AM
Immersive environments and virtual realities in the future will inevitably be able
to scroll back to earlier states.
==========
2:42:17 AM
But more and more of what happens in public will be recorded—and re-viewable—via
phone cams, dashboard-mounted webcams on every car, and streetlight-mounted
surveillance cams.
==========
2:42:34 AM
The everyday routines of politicians and celebrities will be subject to scrolling
back from multiple viewpoints, creating a new culture where everyone’s past is
recallable.
==========
2:46:49 AM
The more powerful the invention or creation, the more likely and more important it
is that it will be transformed by others.
==========
2:55:47 AM
In most ways, the AR class will be superior to a real-world class.

==========
3:00:23 AM
Laptops and even tablets and phones are largely ignorant of their owners’ use of
them. That is starting to change with cheap eye tracking mechanisms like the one in
the VR headsets.
==========
3:01:48 AM
It could tell if I was distracted while viewing a long video. Since this perception
is in real time, the smart software can adapt it to what I’m viewing.
==========
3:02:07 AM
We are equipping our devices with senses—eyes, ears, motion—so that we can interact
with them.
==========
3:05:45 AM
A person mumbling to herself while her hands dance in front of her will be the
signal in the future that she is working on her computer.
==========
3:08:19 AM
The satin touch of a device’s surface, the liquidity of its flickers, the presence
or lack of its warmth, the quality of its build, the temperature of its glow will
come to mean a great deal to us.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 211 | Location 3223-3225 | Added on Sunday, July 3, 2016
10:48:41 AM
Of course, everything will get eyes (vision is almost free), and hearing, but one
by one we can add superhuman senses such as GPS location sensing, heat detection,
X-ray vision, diverse molecule sensitivity, or smell.
==========
11:04:33 AM
The convergence of maximum interaction plus maximum presence is found these days in
free-range video games.
==========
11:10:35 AM
AI is seeping into VR and AR in other ways as well. It will be used to “see” and
map the physical world you are really standing in so that it can transport you to a
synthetic world.
==========
11:11:28 AM
Implicit in VR is the fact that everything—without exception—that occurs in VR is

tracked. The virtual world is defined as a world under total surveillance, since
nothing happens in VR without tracking it first. That makes it easy to gameify
behavior—awarding points, or upping levels, or scoring powers, etc.—to keep it fun.
==========
11:12:26 AM
You get points for picking up litter or recycling. Ordinary life, not just virtual
worlds, can be gameified.
==========
11:12:36 AM
As we are tracked by our surroundings and indeed as we track our quantified selves,
we can use the same interaction techniques that we use in VR.
==========
11:12:46 AM
We can use the same gameifications to create incentives, to nudge participants in

preferred directions in real life.
==========
11:14:20 AM
With AR on I can summon earlier historical views layered on top of whatever place I
am looking at, a nifty trick I used extensively in Rome.
==========
11:15:00 AM
Almost any subject I care about has an overlay app that displays it as an
apparition.
==========
11:16:36 AM
In AR I slipped my hands into the position of the teacher’s ghostly virtual guide
hands in order to correctly grip the virtual welding rod held against the virtual
steel tube. I tried to move my hands to follow the ghost hands.
==========
11:17:26 AM
I rehearsed my moves with 360-degree motion on a real field, shadowing a model

shadow body. I also spend a lot of time practicing plays in VR in a room.
==========
11:21:51 AM
it usually took a person only four minutes to completely rewire the feet/arm
circuits in their brain. Our identities are far more fluid than we think.
==========
11:22:28 AM
The most valuable asset that Facebook owns is not its software platform but the
fact that it controls the “true name” identities of a billion people, which are
verified from references of the true identities of friends and colleagues.
==========
11:22:48 AM
The normal tests we used to prove who we are in digital worlds, such as passwords
and captchas, no long work very well. A captcha is a visual puzzle that was easy
for humans to solve, but hard for computers. Now humans have trouble solving them,
while machines find it easier.
==========
11:23:02 AM
Your body is your password. Your digital identity is you.

==========
11:23:57 AM
I were to meet you and was asked if we had met before, my subconscious mind would
churn through a spectrum of subtle attributes—voice, face, body, style, mannerisms,
bearing—before aggregating them into a recognition or not.
==========
5:20:11 PM
The achievable dream in the near future is to use this very personal database of
your body’s record (including your full sequence of genes) to construct personal
treatments and personalized medicines.
==========
5:28:58 PM
the long term this is the destiny of many of the constant streams of data flowing
from our bodily sensors. They won’t be numbers; they will be new senses.
==========
5:31:45 PM
Our streams become richly braided with incredible complexity, but the strict
chronological nature of each one means that they are easy to navigate.
==========
5:39:28 PM
Making sense of the data is an immense, time-consuming problem. You have to be

highly numerate, technically agile, and supremely motivated to extract meaning from
the river of data you generate.
==========
5:40:38 PM
But the internet of things is much bigger, and billions of things will track
themselves too. In the coming decades nearly every object that is manufactured will
contain a small sliver of silicon that is connected to the internet.
==========
5:52:52 PM
The more data we capture, the more data we generate upon it. This metadata is
growing even faster than the underlying information and is almost unlimited in its
scale.
==========
6:45:23 PM
Ubiquitous surveillance is inevitable. Since we cannot stop the system from

tracking, we can only make the relationships more symmetrical.
==========
6:50:58 PM
it is that the human impulse to share overwhelms the human impulse for privacy.
==========
6:55:20 PM
Rather, privacy can be gained only by trust, and trust requires persistent
identity.
==========
6:56:57 PM
trillion is essentially the difference in weight between a dust mite, too small to
see and too light to feel, and an elephant. It’s the difference between $50 and a
year’s economic output for the entire human race. It’s the difference between the
thickness of a business card and the distance from here to the moon.”
==========
6:58:26 PM
Navigating zillions of bits, in real time, will require entire new fields of
mathematics, completely new categories of software algorithms, and radically
innovative hardware. What wide-open opportunities!
==========
Houpert)
11:47:07 PM
Charisma is broadcast in the same way as John’s good mood. It’s a myriad of tiny
shifts in word choice, body language, tonality, eye contact, and facial movement.
When we see it, we’re not aware of all the ingredients. We just feel it.
==========
Houpert)
11:47:40 PM
And even more importantly, we certainly can’t “see” the critical thought patterns
that underpin their charisma. We just feel it.
==========
Houpert)
11:48:18 PM
You need to connect with people. You need people to like you. And you need to
like them back.
==========
Houpert)
11:49:46 PM
The beliefs with greater conviction win.

==========
The Name of this Book Is Secret (Pseudonymous Bosch)
- Your Highlight on page 3 | Location 35-36 | Added on Wednesday, July 6, 2016
8:54:57 PM
And, make no bones about it, this is a very dangerous book.

==========
9:20:53 AM
We haven’t seen the limits of wiki-ized intelligence. Can it make textbooks, music,
and movies? What about law and political governance?
==========
9:39:15 AM
These incredible eruptions are the result of large-scale collaboration, and massive
real-time social interacting, which in turn are enabled by omnipresent instant
connection between billions of people at a planetary scale.
==========
9:40:52 AM
These social instruments are what makes us human—and what makes our behavior
“impossible” from the vantage point of animals.
==========
9:41:48 AM
Strangers could sell to strangers at a great distance because we now had a

technology to quickly assign persistent reputations to those beyond our circle.
==========
9:42:30 AM
We are also just in the infancy of being able to invent institutions at a truly
global scale. When we weave ourselves together into a global real-time society,
former impossibilities will really start to erupt into reality.
==========
9:42:41 AM
It is only necessary that we connect everyone to everyone else—and to everything

else—all the time and create new things together.
==========
9:44:09 AM
First, there is no invention that cannot be subverted in some way to cause harm.
==========
9:48:03 AM
And crap constitutes 80 percent of everything.

==========
11:29:51 AM
The negative, too, will become increasingly cognified, remixed, and filtered.
==========
12:52:57 PM
So henceforth rather than be surrounded by ordinariness we’ll float in

extraordinariness—as it becomes mundane.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 264 | Location 4033-4034 | Added on Saturday, July 9, 2016
6:51:42 PM
This one machine, this one huge platform, this gigantic masterpiece is disguised as
a trillion loosely connected pieces. The unity is easy to miss.
==========
6:52:31 PM
And 100 billion dumb RFID chips embedded into goods on the shelves of Walmart. This
is the internet of things, the emerging dreamland of everything we manufacture that
is the new platform for the improbable. It is built with data.
==========
6:55:48 PM
People didn’t know how valuable instant answers were until they had access to them.
==========
6:58:09 PM
Part of the increasing ease in providing answers lies in the fact that past
questions answered correctly increase the likelihood of another question.
==========
6:58:23 PM
At the same time, past correct answers increase the ease of creating the next
answer, and increase the value of the corpus of answers as a whole.
==========
6:58:33 PM
We are headed to a future where we will ask several hundred questions per day.
==========
6:59:38 PM
Answers become cheap and questions become valuable—the inverse of the situation
now.
==========
7:01:12 PM
A good question may be the last job a machine will learn to do.
==========
7:02:28 PM
This is the time when inhabitants of this planet first linked themselves together
into one very large thing.
==========
7:02:53 PM
It was in these years that humans began animating inert objects with tiny bits of
intelligence, weaving them into a cloud of machine intelligences and then linking
billions of their own minds into this single supermind.
==========
7:03:41 PM
Aspects of this dawning real-time global mind are either dismissed as nonsense or
feared.
==========
7:04:35 PM
By holos I include the collective intelligence of all humans combined with the
collective behavior of all machines, plus the intelligence of nature, plus whatever
behavior emerges from this whole.
==========
7:05:35 PM
And our brains are not doubling in size every few years. The holos mind is.
==========
7:06:51 PM
At current rates of technological adoption I estimate that by the year 2025 every
person alive—that is, 100 percent of the planet’s inhabitants—will have access to
this platform via some almost-free device. Everyone will be on it. Or in it. Or,
simply, everyone will be it.
==========
7:07:18 PM
Although minimal access will be universal, higher bandwidth will be uneven and
clumped around urban areas.
==========
7:08:31 PM
But, in fact, as all these qualities keep steadily increasing, just as temperature
and pressure slowly creep higher, we pass an inflection point, a complexity
threshold, where the change is discontinuous—a phase transition—and suddenly we are
in a new state: a different world with new normals.
==========
7:09:03 PM
While it seems as if we are tracked too much already, we’ll be tracking a thousand
times as much in the coming decades.
==========
7:10:48 PM
rather AI and robots and filtering and tracking and all the technologies I outline
in this book converge—humans plus machines—and together we move to a complex
interdependence.
==========
7:11:09 PM
We are marching inexorably toward firmly connecting all humans and all machines
into a global matrix.
==========
7:31:49 PM
“Are you going to be a fool? Are you going to let this money puff you up?” (However
small it was.) “Keep your eyes open,” he admonished himself. “Don’t lose your
balance.”
==========
7:32:02 PM
What a pitiful thing it is when a man lets a little temporary success spoil him,
warp his judgment, and he forgets what he is!”
==========
7:32:15 PM
Receive feedback, maintain hunger, and chart a proper course in life.

==========
7:34:38 PM
“The first product of self-knowledge is humility,”

==========
7:34:59 PM
What am I missing right now that a more humble person might see? What am I
avoiding, or running from, with my bluster, franticness, and embellishments?
==========
7:35:17 PM
Privately thinking you’re better than others is still pride.

==========
7:35:25 PM
“That on which you so pride yourself will be your ruin,”

==========
7:37:03 PM
is more directly “Don’t boast.” There’s nothing in it for you.

==========
7:38:00 PM
The distinction between a professional and a dilettante occurs right there—when you
accept that having an idea is not enough; that you must work until you are able to
recreate your experience effectively in words on the page.
==========
7:38:16 PM
poet’s function . . . is not to experience the poetic state: that is a private

affair. His function is to create it in others.”
==========
7:38:58 PM
“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do,” was how Henry Ford put
it.
==========
7:41:20 PM
Do you have any idea just how much work there is going to be? Not work until you
get your big break, not work until you make a name for yourself, but work, work,
work, forever and ever.
==========
7:41:44 PM
hours—that to get where we want to go isn’t about brilliance, but continual effort.
==========
7:41:59 PM
Within reach?! it complains. That means you’re saying I don’t have it now. Exactly
right. You don’t. No one does.
==========
7:42:22 PM
Our ego wants the ideas and the fact that we aspire to do something about them to
be enough. Wants the hours we spend planning and attending conferences or chatting
with impressed friends to count toward the tally that success seems to require.
==========
7:42:32 PM
Where we decide to put our energy decides what we’ll ultimately accomplish.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 68 | Location 1040-1041 | Added on Thursday, July 14, 2016
12:38:11 AM
Do we love practice, the way great athletes do? Or do we chase short-term attention
and validation—whether that’s indulging in the endless search for ideas or simply
the distraction of talk and chatter?
==========
12:40:14 AM
Every time you sit down to work, remind yourself: I am delaying gratification by
doing this. I am passing the marshmallow test. I am earning what my ambition burns
for. I am making an investment in myself instead of in my ego.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 49 | Location 739-740 | Added on Tuesday, July 19, 2016
12:41:56 AM
Boundary rules work well for categorical choices, like a judge’s yes-or-no decision
on a defendant’s bail, and decisions requiring many potential opportunities to be
screened quickly.
==========
Knack, The - Norm Brodsky & Bo Burlingham
- Your Highlight on page 8-8 | Added on Sunday, August 7, 2016 8:17:43 PM
They confuse cash flow with sales or with having money in the bank
==========
The whole idea is to make sure, number one, that you have enough capital to begin
with, and, number two, that it will last long enough to determine whether or not
the business is viable.
==========
Number one, protect your capital. Spend it only on things you are certain will
generate positive cash flow in the short term. Number two, maintain the highest
monthly gross- profit margin you are capable of achieving. Do not go after any low-
margin sales.
==========
Point Two: Make sure you understand what cash flow is and figure out in advance where
it’s going to come from.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 43-43 | Added on Monday, August 8, 2016 1:54:35 PM
I’m talking about a business in which most compa nies are out of step with the
customer
==========
- Your Highlight on page 50-50 | Added on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 1:31:50 PM
What is the concept? (2) How are you going to market it? (3) How much do you think
it will cost to produce and deliver what you’re selling? (4) What do you expect
will happen when you actually go out and start making sales? The
==========
Bold (Peter H. Diamandis)
- Your Highlight on page 45 | Location 684-685 | Added on Saturday, August 13, 2016
7:12:34 AM
democratization of manufacturing, wherein a new car design does not require a new
plant to be built.”
==========
7:19:56 AM
“Once the design is right, we then print the final product using large 3D Systems
printers on the cloud.
==========
7:20:19 AM
“Any industry where the end product can be customized is vulnerable,”

==========
7:24:40 AM
“Hackers [have begun] using increasingly inexpensive sensors and open source
hardware—like the Arduino controller—to add intelligence to ordinary objects.”
==========
7:43:35 AM
“By 2020, a chip with today’s processing power will cost about a penny,”
==========
7:45:47 AM
“The cloud is democratizing our ability to leverage computing on a massive scale,”

==========
7:47:51 AM
And what is true for go-karts is also true for anything else one wants to create.
==========
7:50:26 AM
“It’s a shift from computers having only logical intelligence to ones that also
have emotional intelligence,” says Kurzweil. “Once that occurs, AIs will be funny,
get your jokes, be sexy, be loving, and even be creative.” Along these lines, in
March 2013, I stood
==========
7:50:44 AM
“It’s a shift from computers having only logical intelligence to ones that also
have emotional intelligence,” says Kurzweil.
==========
7:51:33 AM
“Here’s the concept,” said Anderson. “An XPRIZE for TED to be awarded to the first
artificial intelligence to appear on this stage and present a TED talk so
compelling that it commands a standing ovation from you the audience.”
==========
7:52:59 AM
80 percent of jobs revolve around the service industry,30 which in turn can be
broken down into four fundamental skills: looking, reading, writing, and
integrating knowledge.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 68 | Location 1039-1041 | Added on Saturday, August 13,
2016 7:57:42 AM
Watson in the cloud, tied to an openly available API, is the beginning of one such
moment, the potential for a Mosaic-like interface explosion, opening AI to all
sorts of new businesses and heralding its transition from deceptive to disruptive
growth.
==========
2016 8:10:02 AM
synthetic biology is on the verge of developing the ultimate enabling technology

and leveler of the playing field—a set of user-friendly interfaces.
==========
2016 8:12:01 AM
robotics, which enables lightning-fast sequencing; AI and machine learning, which

can make sense of petabytes of raw genomic data; cloud computing and networks for
transmitting, handling, and storing that data; and synthetic biology for correcting
and rewriting the corrupted genome of our aging stem cells.
==========
2016 12:00:56 PM
And it’s the difficult nature of those goals that is actually the first secret to
skunk success.
==========
2016 12:01:32 PM
“then big goals lead to the best outcomes.

==========
2016 12:05:07 PM
“Fail early, fail often, fail forward.”8

==========
2016 12:05:18 PM
here—require this kind of experimental approach. Yet as most experiments fail, real
progress requires trying out tons of ideas, decreasing the lag time between trials,
and increasing the knowledge gained from results. This is rapid iteration.
==========
2016 12:06:37 PM
skunk has focused on big goals, isolation, and rapid iteration as strategies for
tuning psychology and increasing productivity.
==========
2016 12:09:57 PM
Three in particular stand out: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

==========
2016 12:14:02 PM
“You assume that going 10x bigger is going to be ten times harder,” he continues,
“but often it’s literally easier to go bigger.
==========
2016 12:15:42 PM
GoogleX demands that all their projects be measurable and testable. They won’t
start a project if they don’t have ways to judge its progress.
==========
2016 12:16:47 PM
But more often than not, if you can show progress along the way, smart investors
will come on some pretty crazy rides.”
==========
2016 12:19:54 PM
first thing to know is that flow follows focus. It is a state of total absorption.
Thus all seventeen triggers are ways of heightening and tightening focus, of
driving attention into the now and thus driving flow.
==========
2016 12:20:52 PM
High consequences are the first in this category. As mentioned above, flow follows
focus, and consequences catch our attention.
==========
2016 12:21:44 PM
If you’re not incentivizing risk, you’re denying access to flow—which is the only
way to keep pace in a breakneck world.
==========
2016 12:22:30 PM
Simply increase the amount of novelty, complexity, and unpredictability in the

environment.
==========
2016 12:23:44 PM
Deep embodiment is a kind of total physical awareness. It means paying attention

with multiple sensory streams at once.
==========
2016 12:26:05 PM
clear goals, immediate feedback, and the challenge/skills ratio as the three most
critical.
==========
2016 12:26:19 PM
Clear goals, meanwhile, concern all the baby steps it’s going to take to achieve
those big goals.
==========
2016 12:26:25 PM
clarity is of the utmost importance for staying present and finding flow.
==========
2016 12:27:37 PM
If creating more flow is the aim, then the emphasis falls on clear, not goals.
Clarity gives us certainty.
==========
2016 12:27:57 PM
Applying this idea in our daily life means breaking tasks into bite-size chunks and
setting goals accordingly.
==========
2016 12:28:39 PM
Implementing this in business is fairly straightforward: Tighten feedback loops.

Practice agile design. Put mechanisms in place so attention doesn’t have to wander.
Ask for more input.
==========
2016 12:31:30 PM
The more flow created by a start-up team, the higher the chance of success.
==========
2016 12:32:07 PM
It means everybody is always on the same page, and when novel insights arise,
momentum is not lost due to the need for lengthy explanation.
==========
2016 12:32:30 PM
It’s about getting to choose your own challenges

==========
2016 12:32:43 PM
It’s about getting to choose your own challenges and having the necessary skills to
surmount them.
==========
2016 12:34:42 PM
Always say “yes, and . . . ,” means interactions should be additive more than
argumentative.
==========
2016 12:47:06 PM
“Big goals only increase motivation,” explains Latham,14 “when the person setting
those goals is confident in their ability to achieve them. This means breaking big
goals apart into achievable subgoals.”
==========
2016 12:49:42 PM
The stones are, of course, your big bold ideas; the contributions of the villagers,
the capital, resource, and intellectual support offered by investors and strategic
partners. Everyone who adds a small amount to your stone soup is in fact helping to
make your dreams come true.
==========
2016 12:54:24 PM
laws—principles and truisms that have guided me in times of difficulty and

opportunity.
==========
2016 12:56:53 PM
When someone says no, it’s often because they’re not empowered to say yes.
==========
2016 12:59:36 PM
doing it. The ratio of something to nothing is literally infinite. So make a plan.
Set subgoals. Get busy. Even if the path is unclear, you’ll use what you’ve learned
taking that first step to build toward the next, and the next after that. Results
always follow.
==========
2016 1:02:49 PM
The Creed of the Persistent and Passionate Mind

==========
2016 1:08:51 PM
Passion and purpose scale—always have, always will.

==========
2016 1:09:25 PM
“It’s not going to be easy, but it’s really important to solicit negative feedback
from friends.
==========
2016 1:11:06 PM
Loss aversion is the idea that humans are more sensitive to losses—even small
losses—than gains, while narrow framing is our tendency to treat every risk we
encounter as an isolated incident.
==========
2016 1:19:40 PM
‘protect the downside.’

==========
2016 1:20:12 PM
Make bold moves but make sure to have a way out if things go wrong.”
==========
2016 1:25:53 PM
“What’s not going to change in the next ten years?”

==========
2016 1:26:24 PM
When you have something that you know is true, even over the long term, you can
afford to put a lot of energy into it.
==========
2016 1:28:14 PM
if you’re going to increase the number of experiments, you’re also going to

increase the number of failures.
==========
2016 1:30:00 PM
“It’s so hard to catch something that everybody already knows is hot,” says Bezos.
“Instead, position yourself and wait for the wave to come to you. So then you ask,
Position myself where?
==========
2016 1:32:54 PM
Are you working on something that can change the world? Yes or no? The answer for
99.99999 percent of people is no. I think we need to be training people on how to
change the world.”
==========
2016 1:33:49 PM
know it sounds kind of nuts, but it’s often easier to make progress when you’re
really ambitious. Since no one else is willing to try those things, you don’t have
any competition.
==========
2016 1:36:13 PM
So where does the next 10x come from?

==========
2016 1:36:21 PM
intersection of long-term thinking and customer-centric thinking:

==========
2016 1:36:58 PM
And if you’re doubling things, no matter where you start from, it starts to add up
pretty quickly.
==========
2016 1:38:06 PM
We didn’t succeed in creating an AI, but we did come up with AdSense, where we
target search ads against web pages, which has become a good chunk of our revenue.
So we failed at making AI, but we got distracted by something useful. Pretty much
100 percent of these things have gone that way.”
==========
- Your Highlight on page 208 | Location 3190-3191 | Added on Sunday, August 14,
2016 7:16:46 AM
what most people want to hear is why your product/service/idea will improve their
life—why it is significant, cool, and important to them and the world.
==========
2016 7:17:18 AM
Georgia Tech published a study in which they examined over nine million words and
phrases used on Kickstarter to determine which language leads to success.25
==========
2016 7:23:51 AM
Identify three use cases.

==========
2016 7:24:07 AM
Put faces to ideas.
==========
2016 7:29:27 AM
Video Tip: Get feedback. “Before we launched Pebble,” says Migicovsky, “more than a
hundred people had watched our video, seen the page, and given feedback.”27 Not
only did it make their video better, but it also validated their ideas and helped
shape the focus of the campaign.
==========
2016 7:35:03 AM
The lesson? Find your most enthusiastic fans and put them to work. They love
helping, and their contribution can be invaluable.
==========
2016 7:40:38 AM
Launch timing means understanding that people follow schedules. Fewer folks are on
their computers during the summer and on weekends. Take into account school
holidays, religious practices, and even sports schedules when choosing the best
time to launch.
==========
2016 7:45:34 AM
tailgating and camping and picnics and Jimmy Buffet and such. When you understand
your buyer, the targeting power for some of these advertising platforms is
astounding.”
==========
2016 7:49:02 AM
In other words, our online reputations have real-world consequences.

==========
- Your Note on page 123 | Location 1881 | Added on Monday, August 15, 2016 6:26:39
PM
make own rules and stick to them

==========
- Your Highlight on page 123 | Location 1880-1881 | Added on Monday, August 15,
2016 6:26:39 PM
5. Do it by the book . . . but be the author!

==========
[Rachel_Schutt,_Cathy_O'Neil]_Doing_Data_Science_(BookZZ.org)
- Your Highlight on page 20-20 | Added on Wednesday, September 14, 2016 5:46:04 PM
But put that image out of your head, because in statistical inference population
isn’t used to simply describe only people. It could be any set of objects or units,
such as tweets or photographs or stars
==========
we’d have a complete set of observations, and the con‐ vention is to use N to
represent the total number of observations in the population
==========
Then a single observation could be a list of things: the sender’s name, the list of
recipients, date sent, text of email, number of characters in the email, number of
sentences in the email, number of verbs in the email, and the length of time until
first reply. When we take a sample, we take a subset of the units of size n in
order to examine the observations to draw conclusions and make inferences about the
population. There are different ways you might go about getting this subset of
data, and you want to be aware of this sampling mechanism because it can introduce
biases into the data, and distort it, so that the subset is not a “mini-me” shrunk-
down version of the population. Once that happens, any conclusions you draw will
simply be wrong and distorted. In the BigCorp email example, you could make a list
of all the em‐ ployees and select 1/10th of those people at random and take all the
email they ever sent, and that would be your sample. Alternatively, you could
sample 1/10th of all email sent each day at random, and that would be your sample.
Both these methods are reasonable, and both methods yield the same sample size. But
if you took them and counted how many email messages each person sent, and used
that to estimate the underlying distribution of emails sent by all indiviuals at
BigCorp, you might get entirely different answers. So if even getting a basic thing
down like counting can get distorted when you’re using a reasonable-sounding
sampling method, imagine what can happen to more complicated algorithms and models
if you haven’t taken into account the process that got the data into your hands. 20
| Chapter 2: Statistical Inference, Exploratory Data Analysis, and the Data Science
Process
==========
When we take a sample, we take a subset of the units of size n in order to examine
the observations to draw conclusions and make inferences about the population
==========
How much data you need at hand really depends on what your goal is: for analysis or
inference purposes, you typically don’t need to store all the data all the time. On
the other hand, for serving purposes you might: in order to render the correct
information in a UI for a user, you need to have all the information for that
particular user, for example
==========
The only conclusion you can actually draw is that this is what Hurricane Sandy was
like for the subset of Twitter users
==========
Note, too, that in this case, if you didn’t have context and know about Hurricane
Sandy, you wouldn’t know enough to interpret this data properly
==========
However, if we resampled we’d get a different set of observations. The uncertainty

created by such a sampling process has a name: the sampling distribution
==========
How do you sample from a network and preserve the complex network structure
==========
The 4 Vs: Volume, variety, velocity, and value. Many people are cir‐ culating this
as a way to characterize Big Data. Take from it what you will.
==========
matter is that it often gets translated into the idea that data is objective. It is
wrong to believe either that data is objective or that “data speaks,” and beware of
people who say otherwise.
==========
He was using it to mean data models—the representation one is choosing to store

one’s data
==========
talking about statistical models, which is what much of this book is about
==========
Statisticians and data scientists capture the uncertainty and randomness of data-
generating processes with mathematical functions that express the shape and
structure of the data itself
==========
A model is our attempt to understand and represent the nature of reality through a
particular lens, be it architectural, biological, or mathematical
==========
So, for example, if you have two columns of data, x and y, and you think there’s a
linear relationship, you’d write down y = β0 + β1x
==========
After all, this is the part of the modeling process where you have to make a lot of
assumptions about the underlying structure of reality, and we should have standards
as to how we make those choices and how we explain them
==========
what functional form the data should take

==========
One place to start is exploratory data analysis (EDA), which we will cover in a
later section
==========
For example, you can (and should) plot histograms and look at scat‐ terplots to
start getting a feel for the data
==========
When you write it down, you force yourself to think: does this make any sense? If
not, why? What would make more sense
==========
hear the sales rep talk about them, she has about five different types of people
she talks about”—then taking your words and trying to express them as equations and
code
==========
Oftentimes the crude, simple model gets you 90% of the way there and only takes a
few hours to build and fit,
==========
Some of the building blocks of these models are probability distributions.

==========
The classical example is the height of hu‐ mans, following a normal distribution—a
bell-shaped curve, also called a Gaussian distribution, named after Gauss
==========
Fitting a model means that you estimate the parameters of the model using the
observed data. You are using your data as evidence to help approximate the real-
world mathematical process that generated the data
==========
Overfit‐ ting is the term used to mean that you used a dataset to estimate the
parameters of your model, but your model isn’t that good at capturing reality
beyond your sampled data
==========
Now the key here that makes data science special and distinct from statistics is
that this data product then gets incorporated back into the real world, and users
interact with that product, and that generates more data, which creates a feedback
loop
==========
Take this loop into account in any analysis you do by adjusting for any biases your
model caused. Your models are not just predicting the future, but causing it
==========
Machine learning algorithms are largely used to predict, classify, or cluster

==========
general, machine learning algorithms that are the basis of artificial intelligence
(AI) such as image recognition, speech recognition, rec‐ ommendation systems,
ranking and personalization of content— often the basis of data products—are not
usually part of a core statistics curriculum or department
==========
Think of those in mathematical terms, and then think about the algorithms you know
and how they map to this type of problem. If you’re not sure, it’s good to talk it
through with someone who does. So ask a coworker, head to a meetup group, or start
one in your area! Also, maintain the attitude that it’s not obvious what to do and
that’s what makes it a problem, and so you’re going to approach it circum‐ spectly
and methodically. You don’t have to be the know-it-all in the room who says, “Well,
obviously we should use linear regression with a penalty function for
regularization,” even if that seems to you the right approach. 54 | Chapter 3:
Algorithms
==========
Think of those in mathematical terms, and then think about the algorithms you know
and how they map to this type of problem.
==========
These are all numerical outcomes, which mean linear regression would be a wise
choice, at least for a first pass at your problem
==========
The intuition behind linear regression is that you want to find the line that
minimizes the distance between all the points and the line
==========
while you’ve so far modeled the trend, you haven’t yet modeled the variation
==========
The Power of Now (Tolle, Eckhart)
- Your Highlight on page 31 | Location 464-465 | Added on Thursday, October 13,
2016 3:31:10 PM
You can take the first step right now. Start listening to the voice in your head as
often as you can.
==========
2016 3:31:22 PM
When you listen to that voice, listen to it impartially.

==========
2016 3:31:54 PM
So when you listen to a thought, you are aware not only of the thought but also of
yourself as the witness of the thought. A new dimension of consciousness has come
in. As
==========
Meditations (Marcus Aurelius;Gregory Hays)
2016 12:49:16 PM
Throw away your books; stop letting yourself be distracted.

==========
2016 12:54:05 PM
Discard your thirst for books, so that you won’t die in bitterness, but in
cheerfulness and truth, grateful to the gods from the bottom of your heart.
==========
2016 12:55:07 PM
You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life? If
you can manage this, that’s all even the gods can ask of you.
==========
2016 12:55:33 PM
People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and
impulse toward are wasting their time—even when hard at work.
==========
The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness
(Jeff Olson)
- Your Highlight on page 156 | Location 2385-2385 | Added on Sunday, October 30,
2016 9:44:55 AM
The upper curve is the formula for success: a few simple disciplines, repeated
every day.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 9:46:32 AM
For things to get better, you’ve got to get better. It’s easy to do. But then, it’s
just as easy not to do.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 9:47:05 AM
Taking responsibility liberates you; in fact, it is perhaps the single most

liberating thing there is.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 9:47:32 AM
It’s how we react, how we view those circumstances and conditions, that makes the
difference between success and failure—and that is completely within our control.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 9:50:29 AM
And they view themselves as the cause for what comes next in their life.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 9:52:32 AM
I’ll just say this: when you do have a clear picture of the future and consciously
put time every day into letting yourself be drawn forward by that future, it will
pull you through whatever friction
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:46:52 AM
Have you let go of the capacity to make up a goal, go for it, and get it?
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:47:36 AM
“and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a
burning desire to possess it.”
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:49:36 AM
They’d rather not hear about the vision you have, because it reminds them of the
one they’ve lost.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:51:27 AM
If you can solve big problems, you can graduate to big pay—because the size of your
income will be determined by the size of the problems you solve, too. What
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 7:08:30 PM
It’s easy to stay active. It’s also easy not to. And if you stop, it won’t kill you
today—but that simple error in judgment, compounded over time, will destroy the
getting of any goal you’re after.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 17 | Location 249-251 | Added on Sunday, October 30, 2016
7:13:14 PM
Meditation had such a profound effect on my productivity because it allowed me to

slow down enough so that I could work deliberately and not on autopilot.
==========
Houpert)
- Your Highlight on page 122 | Location 1856-1857 | Added on Tuesday, November 1,
2016 1:56:54 PM
I don’t need to convince people I dare to go there first in …

==========
Houpert)
2016 1:57:40 PM
Broaching taboo subjects

==========
Houpert)
2016 1:57:46 PM
Praising others
==========
Houpert)
2016 1:58:08 PM
Breaking down physical barriers
==========
(Jeff Olson)
- Your Highlight on page 233 | Location 3572-3573 | Added on Thursday, November 3,
2016 2:48:16 PM
The way to accomplish it is to replace the unwanted habit with another habit that
you do want.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 2:48:53 PM
Do the thing, and you shall have the power.

==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 2:50:04 PM
80 percent of success is showing up every day.

==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 2:58:23 PM
The price of neglect is much worse than the price of the discipline.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 3:00:25 PM
Show up consistently with a positive outlook. Be prepared for and committed to the
long haul. Cultivate a burning desire backed by faith. Be willing to pay the price.
And do the things you’ve committed to doing—even when no one else is watching.
==========
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy (William Braxton Irvine)
- Your Highlight on page 26 | Location 391-392 | Added on Sunday, November 27, 2016
4:42:06 AM
The Stoics enjoyed whatever “good things” happened to be available, but even as
they did so, they prepared themselves to give up the things in question.Zeno’s
==========
- Your Highlight on page 30 | Location 458-459 | Added on Sunday, November 27, 2016
4:49:05 AM
Stoic tranquility was a psychological state marked by the absence of negative

emotions, such as grief, anger, and anxiety, and the presence of positive emotions,
such as joy.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 37 | Location 553-555 | Added on Monday, November 28, 2016
12:40:52 AM
“must, whether he wills or not, necessarily be attended by constant cheerfulness
and a joy that is deep and issues from deep within, since he finds delight in his
own resources, and desires no joys greater than his inner joys.”
==========
12:56:56 AM
This means that besides finding a way to forestall the adaptation process, we need
to find a way to reverse it.
==========
12:57:31 AM
How, after all, can we convince ourselves to want the things we already have?
==========
12:59:44 AM
While enjoying the companionship of loved ones, then, we should periodically stop
to reflect on the possibility that this enjoyment will come to an end. If nothing
else, our own death will end it.
==========
12:23:38 PM
As we go about our day, we should periodically pause to reflect on the fact that
we will not live forever and therefore that this day could be our last.
==========
12:25:36 PM
As long as he retains his health, his circumstances could again be worse—a point
worth considering.
==========
12:29:47 PM
After expressing his appreciation that his glass is half full rather than being
completely empty, he will go on to express his delight in even having a glass: It
could, after all, have been broken or stolen. And if he is atop his Stoic game, he
might go on to comment about what an astonishing thing glass vessels are: They are
cheap and fairly durable, impart no taste to what we put in them, and—miracle of
miracles!—allow us to see what they contain.
==========
12:30:07 PM
Because of adaptation, we take our life and what we have for granted rather than
delighting in them.
==========
12:30:17 PM
By consciously thinking about the loss of what we have, we can regain our
appreciation of it, and with this regained appreciation we can revitalize our
capacity for joy.
==========
12:33:02 PM
They analyze their circumstances not in terms of what they are lacking but in terms
of how much they have and how much they would miss it were they to lose it.
==========
12:34:39 PM
What, I would ask, could possibly be worth sacrificing satisfaction in order to

obtain?
==========
12:35:34 PM
have trouble imagining such things, though, we can practice negative visualization
by paying attention to the bad things that happen to other people and reflecting on
the fact that these things might instead have happened to us.14
==========
2016 12:57:53 AM
But now that we know they cannot be repeated, they will likely become extraordinary
events:
==========
2016 12:58:11 AM
By contemplating the impermanence of everything in the world, we are forced to

recognize that every time we do something could be the last time we do it, and this
recognition can invest the things we do with a significance and intensity that
would otherwise be absent.
==========
2016 1:03:39 AM
There are things over which we have complete control and things over which we don’t
have complete control.
==========
2016 1:04:22 AM
There are things over which we have complete control, things over which we have no
control at all, and things over which we have some but not complete control. Each
of the “things” we encounter in life will fall into one and only one of these three
categories.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 67 | Location 1027-1028 | Added on Wednesday, November 30,
2016 12:32:33 AM
things over which we have complete control? To begin with, I think we have complete
control over the goals we set for ourselves.
==========
2016 12:33:42 AM
It will clearly make sense for us to spend time and energy setting goals for
ourselves and determining our values.
==========
2016 12:34:00 AM
Marcus thinks the key to having a good life is to value things that are genuinely
valuable and be indifferent to things that lack value.
==========
2016 12:34:19 AM
Marcus thinks that by forming opinions properly—by assigning things their correct
value—we can avoid much suffering, grief, and anxiety and can thereby achieve the
tranquility the Stoics seek.9
==========
2016 12:36:57 AM
he will be careful to set internal rather than external goals. Thus, his goal in
playing tennis will not be to win a match (something external, over which he has
only partial control) but to play to the best of his ability in the match
(something internal, over which he has complete control).
==========
2016 12:37:36 AM
goals we consciously set for ourselves can have a dramatic impact on our subsequent
emotional state.
==========
2016 9:10:20 AM
Instead, my goal should be an internal goal: to behave, to the best of my ability,

in a lovable manner.
==========
2016 9:12:44 AM
even if the internalization process is a mind game, it is a useful mind game.

==========
2016 9:14:27 AM
Their goal was not to change the world, but to do their best to bring about certain
changes.
==========
2016 9:17:32 AM
We cannot choose our role in this play, but regardless of the role we are assigned,
we must play it to the best of our ability.
==========
2016 9:23:48 AM
When a person is fatalistic with respect to the past, she adopts this same attitude
toward past events. She will keep firmly in mind, when deciding what to do, that
her actions can have no effect on the past.
==========
2016 9:29:16 AM
the best way to gain satisfaction is not by working to satisfy whatever desires we
find within us but by learning to be satisfied with our life as it is—by learning
to be happy with whatever we’ve got.
==========
2016 9:29:55 AM
One of the things we’ve got, though, is this very moment, and we have an important
choice with respect to it: We can either spend this moment wishing it could be
different, or we can embrace this moment.
==========
2016 9:31:04 AM
We have no control over the past; nor do we have any control over the present, if
by the present we mean this very moment. Therefore, we are wasting our time if we
worry about past or present events.
==========
2016 9:31:36 AM
In engaging in negative visualization, we think of the ways our situation could be

worse, and our goal in doing so is to make us value whatever we have.
==========
2016 9:34:00 AM
although the Stoics didn’t seek worldly success, they often gained it
anyway. Indeed,
==========
2016 9:34:31 AM
Besides contemplating bad things happening, we should sometimes live as if they had
happened.
==========
2016 9:36:28 AM
choosing to be cold and hungry when we could be warm and well fed—we harden
ourselves against misfortunes that might befall us in the future.
==========
2016 9:36:49 AM
Alternatively, voluntary discomfort can be thought of as an insurance premium

which, if paid, makes us eligible for benefits:
==========
2016 9:37:47 AM
person who periodically experiences minor discomforts will grow confident that he
can withstand major discomforts as well, so the prospect of experiencing such
discomforts at some future time will not, at present, be a source of anxiety for
him.
==========
2016 9:38:23 AM
It is, of course, nice to be in a warm room when it is cold and blustery outside,
but if we really want to enjoy that warmth and sense of shelter, we should go
outside in the cold for a while and then come back in. Likewise,
==========
2016 8:49:51 PM
we should abstain from those pleasures that can capture us in a single encounter.
==========
Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency (Douglas Adams)
- Your Highlight on page 109 | Location 1664-1667 | Added on Saturday, December 3,
2016 7:55:07 PM
He wore a heavy old light brown suit which looked as if it has been worn
extensively for bramble hacking expeditions in some distant and better past, a red
checked shirt which failed entirely to harmonise with the suit, and a green striped
tie which refused to speak to either of them. He also wore thick metalrimmed
spectacles, which probably accounted at least in part for his dress sense.
==========
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Daniel H. Pink)
- Your Highlight on page 20 | Location 294-294 | Added on Sunday, December 4, 2016
9:13:53 AM
But in some sense, the engine of commerce has been fueled equally by carrots and
sticks.
==========
9:14:09 AM
The way to improve performance, increase productivity, and encourage excellence is

to reward the good and punish the bad.
==========
9:21:43 AM
“In a world of perfect information and low transaction costs, the parties will
bargain to a wealth-maximizing result.”
==========
9:29:37 AM
“Intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity; controlling extrinsic motivation

is detrimental to creativity.”
==========
9:32:21 AM
When he conducts job interviews, he tells prospective employees: “If you need me to
motivate you, I probably don’t want to hire you.”
==========
9:38:19 AM
“that Work consists of whatever a body is OBLIGED to do, and that Play consists of
whatever a body is not obliged to do.”
==========
9:40:57 AM
Over and over again, they discovered that extrinsic rewards—in particular,
contingent, expected, “if-then” rewards—snuffed out the third drive.
==========
9:41:43 AM
“When institutions—families, schools, businesses, and athletic teams, for example—

focus on the short-term and opt for controlling people’s behavior,” they do
considerable long-term damage.3
==========
[Josh Waitzkin] The Art of Learning A Journey in (Book4You) - Unknown
- Your Highlight on page 12-12 | Added on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 1:37:56 AM
stuf f t ha t is buried in you r unconscious- I had [his issue when I wrote my

firsr book, At fmkilll-: Chess. In order to wrire for btginnt rs, I had to b reak
dow n rny chess knowl edge incr ement a l ly, whe reas for years I had bee n cul t
ivat ing a seamless integ ration
==========
Tools of Titans (Timothy Ferriss)
- Your Highlight on page 33 | Location 504-505 | Added on Wednesday, December 7,
2016 7:31:36 PM
“No one owes you anything.”

==========
2016 7:45:56 PM
3 MOVEMENTS EVERYONE SHOULD PRACTICE

==========
- Your Highlight on page 75 | Location 1139-1139 | Added on Thursday, December 8,
2016 12:26:26 AM
“acroyoga” on youtube.com/timferriss.
==========
2016 1:03:11 AM
learned this from Mingyur Rinpoche, whose book, The Joy of Living, I most highly
recommend.
==========
2016 9:21:39 AM
With “Just Note Gone” we train the mind to notice that something previously
experienced is no more.
==========
2016 9:22:16 AM
note I mean clearly acknowledge when you detect the transition point between all of
it being present and at least some of it no longer being present.
==========
2016 9:25:51 AM
It took 10 seconds of secretly wishing for two other people to be happy for 8
repetitions, a total of 80 seconds of thinking.
==========
2016 9:28:05 AM
Repeat this cycle once per minute: Bring to mind someone for whom you can very
easily feel loving-kindness. Wish for him or her to be happy. The joy of loving-
kindness may arise, and if that happens, bring full attention to the joy until it
fades away. For the rest of the minute, just rest the mind.
==========
2016 8:52:05 PM
The solution is to think long-term.

==========
2016 8:55:44 PM
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

==========
2016 8:56:16 PM
His recommendation is to talk to a few people who are currently where you think you
want to be and ask them for the pros and cons.
==========
2016 9:06:58 PM
For each item, ask yourself: “If this were the only thing I accomplished today,
would I be satisfied with my day?” “Will moving this forward make all the other to-
dos unimportant or easier to knock off later?” Put another way: “What, if done,
will make all of the rest easier or irrelevant?”
==========
2016 9:08:17 PM
What you do is more important than how you do everything else, and doing something
well does not make it important.
==========
2016 9:13:51 PM
“The Tail End”

==========
2016 9:17:45 PM
“The CEO of Automattic on Holding ‘Auditions’ to Build a Strong Team” from the
April 2014 issue of the Harvard Business Review (find it on hbr.org).
==========
2016 9:18:05 PM
He recommended I read the book Words That Work, written by Republican political
strategist Frank
==========
2016 9:20:52 PM
I now routinely listen to her. To have your mind explode, search “Tchaikovsky Piano
Concerto No 1 FULL Argerich Charles Dutoit” and check out minute 31.
==========
2016 9:23:56 PM
“It’s a belief: Life is always happening for us, not to us. It’s our job to find
out where the benefit is. If we do, life is magnificent.”
==========
2016 9:27:46 PM
“STATE → STORY → STRATEGY” at the top of each page for the next several weeks. It’s
a reminder to check the boxes in that order.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 241 | Location 3681-3682 | Added on Friday, December 9,
2016 5:26:06 PM
now often ask myself, “Is this really a problem I need to think my way out of? Or
is it possible I just need to fix my biochemistry?”
==========
2016 5:28:08 PM
The second 3 minutes: “Total focus on feeling the presence of God, if you will,
however you want to language that for yourself. But this inner presence coming in,
and feeling it heal everything in my body, in my mind, my emotions, my
relationships, my finances. I see it as solving anything that needs to be solved. I
experience the strengthening of my gratitude, of my conviction, of my
passion. . . .” The last 3 minutes: “Focusing on three things that I’m going to
make happen, my ‘three to thrive.’ . . . See it as though it’s already been done,
feel the emotions, etc. . . .
==========
2016 5:29:17 PM
“His first question to every business is, ‘What’s the downside? And how do I
protect against it?’
==========
2016 5:31:21 PM
simply means they’re looking to use the least amount of risk to get the max amount
of upside,
==========
Early Retirement Extreme: A philosophical and practical guide to financial
independence (Fisker, Jacob Lund;Averbach, Zev;Beaver, Ann)
- Your Highlight on Location 197-198 | Added on Friday, December 9, 2016 10:27:21
PM
This only happens when the concepts are constantly applied and one starts "thinking
like a physicist."
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A wage slave is a wage earner who is entirely dependent on their wages. While the
wage slave is free to leave the current job, he isn't free to leave the job market
altogether and he can likely not imagine the possibility of doing so. He is still
entirely focused on the wall.
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This endless working and paying is called "making a living," yet people are so busy
"making a living" that they have no time for living.
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Society has made it very easy to spend money. Shopping centers line every street.
Many creative means of spending money have been devised.
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Similarly, many of the ways we used to do things have been redesigned to ensure
that instead of doing it ourselves, we can buy some gadget or some service to have
it done for us. This is convenient, because we're usually too busy working to pay
for it to do it ourselves. This is the gist of the service economy; presumably, if
we didn't create enough problems to spend time solving them, the economy would
collapse.
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Success and power are equated with spending money.

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Is spending the most productive years of your life chained to the job market to
collect a lot of rarely used stuff that gathers dust in the closet or takes up
space in junkyards a wise choice?
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Alternatively, it's also possible to return to the cave for a few months every year
to earn money for the next adventure out of the cave. This is living on the
economy, so to speak, rather than living in the economy.
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To paraphrase Einstein, you can't solve your problems with the same mindset that
created them.
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To live well, one must go beyond lists and start thinking creatively about solving
problems.
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One must start thinking creatively about how to solve problems. Most of life's
challenges can be thought of as problems with solutions.
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Some problems are self-created; one must learn to avoid these.

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Instead, use the rules to play a different game. Remember that the shadows on the
wall are just a part of life. There's no reason to only follow the rules of the
shadows.
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We're all different and it's up to each of us to develop, grow, and walk our unique
path. This is what it means to be human. One thing is certain, though: conspicuous
consumption is not a natural state for all of us.
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Many people get married, start a family, or buy a home without a solid financial
foundation based on savings. Instead they borrow heavily hoping to make up the
difference later. This can easily turn into a lifetime of struggling to make ends
meet because such a large fraction of the income goes towards paying interest on
past consumption when it instead could be used to live better.
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If successful, working for yourself can be more remunerative than working for
others, because you receive the full benefit of your efforts.
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Many people, particularly young people, are starting to realize that the pursuit of
happiness isn't found through the pursuit of accumulating things. They don't drop
out, they opt out and forge their own path, starting up Internet companies,
traveling the world, and retiring early from the rat race so they can spend their
lives living rather than just buying stuff.
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there's another way: Don't accept the chains; leave the cave.
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In other words, you need to believe in your lifestyle as an end rather than as a
means to an end.
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To navigate a map, you must first understand your present environment objectively;
that is, your reality must match the reality.
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Many people associate their ideas and thoughts with who they are as a person.
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The most common counter-arguments are that the barriers to the proposed behavior
are too high:
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Hence, to convince you of something, I either have to convince you of the benefits
of the proposed behavior (see Foundations of economics and finance). the
surmountability of the barriers to the proposed behavior (see A renaissance
lifestyle). the marginal benefits of the competing behavior (see The lock-in). the
foolhardiness of the barriers to the competing behavior (see The lock-in).
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Barriers represent a cost which must be paid. The willingness to pay depends on a
combination of dissatisfaction with the present situation, vision of the future
situation, and the practicality of changing from the present situation to the
future situation.
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- Your Highlight on Location 532-532 | Added on Saturday, December 10, 2016
12:01:28 AM
To get things done, it's much better to have a plan than to have passion, at least
insofar as you act on it.
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12:04:10 AM
Recently, much attention has been paid to great kitchens and great kitchen
appliances, while less attention is paid to great cooking and great cooks, except
those on TV.
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12:06:59 AM
For $150 you can buy a propane grill at the supermarket or you can spend $300 to
have a plumber fix a drain, but a person doing these things has learned nothing.
Make a habit out of this and you'll become helpless and deadly afraid of losing
your income, as the work-spend method only works as long as there is sufficient
income.
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12:07:49 AM
We create problems, spend the next day solving them, and then claim we have made
progress.
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12:08:57 AM
To break away mentally, one needs to be conscious of the fact that one is chained
to the floor in Plato's Cave.
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12:10:59 AM
If it wasn't for this behavioral training, the limited subject matter that is
actually taught could be accomplished much more quickly.
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12:14:38 AM
Critical thinking has been replaced by opinions derived from pundits and political
and religious leaders since people prefer having other people think for them.
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12:17:08 AM
As universities keep lowering their standards and thus decreasingly serve as

centers of higher learning, they increasingly function as issuers of credentials,
where students have little purpose other than trying to maximize their grade point
average once they get in.
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12:19:05 AM
The ambitious and smart people realize this, drop out and go start their own
companies.
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12:24:06 AM
Thanks to advertising, nobody knows when enough is enough, even though running out
of space in the garage should serve as an indication. Material wants are
universally believed to be infinite in scope.
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12:26:50 AM
Similarly, the career track selects people who are willing to give up their lives
for the sake of work.
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12:28:09 AM
Having several income streams is in fact highly dangerous to worker motivation.

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12:28:44 AM
Unlike a bachelor, a husband would need a job to take care of his dependents. Today
this is no longer the case and being single is more of a lock-in since the family
income isn't diversified by a working spouse.
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12:30:00 AM
Given the limitations of human intelligence and lifespan, specialization is the

only way to rapidly produce sophisticated products.
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12:32:09 AM
It's important to realize, though, that just because humans are getting more
specialized doesn't mean they're getting smarter.
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12:32:31 AM
However, the individual specialist is subject to the risk of being stuck with a
useless skill if the demand for their particular skill suddenly vanishes due to
outsourcing, or stagnating wages due to competition.
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12:33:44 AM
The means to survival for a specialist is his ability to rapidly learn new
subjects, quickly produce saleable works, and then move on.
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12:38:32 AM
Specialization makes people replaceable either directly through advances in

technology or through competition between many others with similar skills.
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12:39:34 AM
The changing focus--from better to more--signaled the transition from a producer

economy to a consumer economy.
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12:41:28 AM
Economic growth--how quickly resources are converted into consumer goods--is

considered desirable by the economic profession, while biologists, psychologists,
and sociologists are tallying up the losses.
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12:42:34 AM
Now go and look again, but pay attention to the number of books on the bookshelves,
the tools for the hobby projects, the work in progress spread out on the desk.
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12:44:05 AM
An expensive shirt leads to the purchase of an expensive suit; the car must match
the expensive home.
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12:44:19 AM
When you identify with an object, you're defined by the object, then controlled by
it, and ultimately owned by
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12:44:40 AM
When you identify with an object, you're defined by the object, then controlled by
it, and ultimately owned by it. If you relate to your possessions, you're owned by
your stuff, and it will make many of your decisions for you. This trap is not only
mental, but also physical.
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12:47:38 AM
When the automobile was made affordable to the masses, people moved further away
from work and further away from stores. While transportation speed increased,
transportation distance increased proportionally, keeping transportation time
constant.
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12:48:22 AM
Consequently, people spend time working to buy products rather than learning and
doing the activity themselves.
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12:48:38 AM
The more things consumers think they need, the more control they relinquish over
their lives and the more their lives are shaped by the products they own.
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- Your Highlight on Location 952-953 | Added on Saturday, December 10, 2016 1:08:42
AM
Unlike businesses, consumers rarely use debt to invest and generate an income.
Instead, they use debt to purchase consumables like vehicles, houses, furniture,
and electronics, which don't generate income.
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- Your Highlight on Location 962-964 | Added on Saturday, December 10, 2016 1:10:42
AM
This way, a single decision just after leaving school turns into a lifelong
commitment that can be very hard to escape, given that the borrowed money has been
spent on increasing consumption rather than increasing production.
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1:28:22 AM
The real problem is not how much we earn; it's how much we waste, perhaps to
demonstrate our supposed wealth, when we spend it.
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- Your Note on Location 1171 | Added on Saturday, December 10, 2016 9:55:08 AM
linear
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9:55:08 AM
An outside observer can count on the fact that, given twice as much time and
energy, the assembly worker can construct twice as many predictably identical
components.
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9:59:19 AM
Combining the experience of similar solutions with the current problem results in
new and creative solutions,
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10:00:09 AM
Adapting to complex situations makes it possible to substantially increase the

level of resources and the number of possible solutions.
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10:08:54 AM
The public perception of a link between cost of living and quality of life is
strong.
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10:16:52 AM
However, the businessman still relies on other people to turn assets into profit as
well as for his income.
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10:20:38 AM
Renaissance man is a person who is competent in a wide range of fields, covering

intellectual areas as well as the arts, physical fitness, and social
accomplishments.
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10:21:57 AM
The main purpose of the Renaissance man is to solve a problem as a human rather
than as a part of the "work-spend" system.
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10:33:48 AM
A person becomes a millionaire by becoming the sort of person who "deserves" $1

million.
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10:34:18 AM
Rather, it means that attitudes combined with actions lead to habits which, over
time, tend to deliver certain deserved outcomes.
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10:44:32 AM
Yet while there is no physical connection between wishing for something and
actually achieving it, there's no denying that by making something a priority and
constantly thinking about it, you will influence your actions.
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10:44:42 AM
First, you must pick the right actions; second, your vision must lead to a
mission--that is, actions must be initiated.
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10:45:11 AM
The right way is to realize that in order to become a millionaire, you must earn at
least $1 million more than you spend.
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10:45:39 AM
Conversely, my dream was financial independence, which means that investment income
safely covers expenses.
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11:03:04 AM
Combined with self-confidence, agency is the attitude that any problem can be
fixed, given enough resources in the form of time, effort, and determination.
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11:04:46 AM
We are aware of large-scale problems, but most of us believe that we can't do

anything about them. Instead, we believe in a mythical They who will find a
solution, just like They have provided all this wonderful technology we surround
ourselves with.
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11:29:37 AM
We live in a consumer society where the focus is on service and finance, due to a
declining natural resource base.
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11:30:59 AM
In my opinion, the modern ideal of a polymath should therefore not be an absolute

measure of mastery in all subjects. Instead, the objective should be to strive for
competence in a range of important subjects.
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11:31:20 AM
With a process-oriented attitude you'll eventually master several subjects. Once a

threshold is reached, the synergy between different subjects will help you create
new solutions.
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11:31:41 AM
Perhaps now more than ever there's a need for people who understand and are able to
connect different interdisciplinary topics, lest we end up in a Tower of Babel
situation where specialists and experts no longer understand each other.
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11:33:24 AM
Given the lack of diversity of individuals' skills, the popular measure of how well
we're doing is given by a single number: Our net worth, or salary for those who
don't have a net worth.
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11:33:48 AM
Net worth is only useful as a measuring stick if everybody plays the same game and
has the same form of consumption.
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11:36:24 AM
It is curious that experts recommend that investments be broadly diversified, while

at the same time recommending that job skills should be highly concentrated.
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11:36:43 AM
Selling isn't the point, though. Rather than focusing on how to sell, it's often
more efficient to focus on how not to buy! And a wide assortment of skills can
substitute for a lot of otherwise required income.
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11:37:27 AM
For our modern purposes, the fields can perhaps be grouped into seven generic
fields--physiological, economical, intellectual, emotional, social, technical, and
ecological.
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11:43:07 AM
principles of rational thought are not taught. Yet without critical thinking
skills, there's no way of correctly solving problems yourself (see Building blocks)
and no way of critically questioning your life and your surroundings.
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11:43:19 AM
Yet without critical thinking skills, there's no way of correctly solving problems
yourself (see Building blocks) and no way of critically questioning your life and
your surroundings.
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11:44:18 AM
In general, the wider the scope of one's knowledge, the greater one's ability to
think laterally and the more creative the solutions become.
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11:45:57 AM
Being aware of one's values (see Emotional), wants and needs, and being able to
prioritize one's efforts to achieve specific goals is the most efficient and least
expensive way to live a good life.
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11:47:18 AM
Value is psychological; price is determined by the market.

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11:51:24 AM
develop a passion, appreciate the arts and what it means to be human, rather than
just a "human resource".
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11:52:33 AM
Unlike in the rest of the world, we have no social capital; only financial capital.
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11:52:47 AM
Multiply this by practically every other activity that people now do alone and one
realizes that the replacement of community requires a tremendous amount of
resources.
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11:53:49 AM
Thanks to specialization, the average person uses many more kinds of technology
than he actually understands. This lack of understanding makes us unable to
distinguish quality and allows marketing and slogans to influence purchases.
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11:54:32 AM
It's commonly thought that independence is mainly achieved through a large income.
Rather than working to establish such a large income, it can, however, just as
easily be gained by acquiring skills instead.
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11:57:51 AM
Learning must become a habit (see Ergodicity and destiny) that is applied to all
aspects of life before it can be said that a person is truly an educated person.
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12:01:31 PM
You must experiment systematically to understand the underlying fundamental

principle.
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12:01:48 PM
Don't be afraid to try new things. Education also requires being open-minded.
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12:06:29 PM
This implies that there is an optimal point of functionality where the efficiency--
that is, the ratio of functionality to maintenance and storage cost--peaks.
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- Your Note on Location 1834 | Added on Saturday, December 10, 2016 12:11:29 PM
what
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12:11:29 PM
The maintenance costs simply grow larger and larger, and if no complexity is
created, adding another fact, thing, or relation to the "collection" will
eventually grow functionally by O(1)--that is, not at all, due to the "one thing at
a time"-constraint, whereas the maintenance costs will grow by O(N).
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4:49:53 PM
Only the combination of skills and coordination will unleash the creativity of an
expert.
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4:50:16 PM
What this means is that any kind of human understanding is based on a small number
of representations that are repeated over and over.
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4:51:13 PM
Strategy is about defining the end-goals. Tactics is about the means to those ends.
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4:52:31 PM
Therefore, it's important to base a plan or a framework on the correct principles.

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6:23:06 PM
As indicated in the diagram, the Renaissance strategy is based on a combination of

consilience--a specific way of weaving widely different tools and ideas together to
solve complex problems--and resilience, which is based on the principles of
modularity, diversity, and slack (loosely coupled feedback processes).
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6:42:20 PM
towers.The solution is to reverse the outsourcing of ordinary life skills and

gradually insource skills that were previously acquired in the marketplace to
become less dependent on a single source of income. become less dependent on a
multitude of store services.
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6:44:28 PM
very common and very good piece of career advice is not to work to earn money but
to work to learn new skills, gain new connections, and create new opportunities.
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6:44:49 PM
This way, saving money won't be seen as consumer deprivation but as producer
manifestation;
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6:45:51 PM
Therefore, a requirement is to make each project self-supported.

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6:46:52 PM
It's of primary importance that a project produces value, even if that value isn't
money, and doesn't destroy value.
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6:55:29 PM
When focusing on a single goal, side effects are ignored. For instance, the most
popular single goal is building a career. This goal tends to ignore the sometimes
adverse side effects such as complete dependence on the job, complete
identification with the job, alienation from the spouse and any children, failing
physical health, stress, and so on.
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7:23:01 PM
Sometimes the solution is the cause of a new problem, but thanks to short-term
thinking, the focus is often on responding to problems rather than preventing them.
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7:39:24 PM
To simplify problem-solving, it's paramount that problems remain "small, slow, and
diversified."
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7:56:25 PM
Indeed, if you map out a typical lifestyle, you will probably find a lot of
counterproductivity.
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7:59:28 PM
The same vehicle gets different gas mileages depending on the driver. Similarly,
money gets different mileage depending on who is spending it.
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- Your Highlight on Location 2236-2237 | Added on Sunday, December 11, 2016 1:13:16
AM
Interconnected goal structure. Each square, triangle, or semi-circle represent

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On the meta level, a process-oriented strategy is primarily aimed at living, with

goals being accomplished as side effects, whereas a goal-oriented strategy is aimed
at goals, with living as a side effect.
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As an individual or a business, the focus should be on the process rather than sub-
goals, lest the long-term perspective be lost.
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The principle is to define a need or want and then proceed to fulfill that need or
want with an appropriate response
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There are no such things as needs and wants.

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Completing these lists is left as an exercise for the reader. In fact, such an
exercise is highly recommended.
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and a value which is individually unique. The ultimate goal is maximizing total
value while minimizing the total price.
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For instance, instead of choosing a career in a cubicle, a five-bedroom/three-

bathroom home on a 30-year mortgage, and a new TV on credit, one may choose
financial independence and early retirement.
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Rather, it means considering what kind of utility a product provides and what kind
of need or want you have, and then think of other more economical means of solving
a specific problem by using a different way of putting the blocks together.
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AM
Focusing on utility rather than consumer products or instructions is a key tactic.

Success is then redefined from accumulating and consuming the maximum number of
products or the most expensive products to deriving the maximum utility.
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AM
Having been raised on products, a key challenge for recovering consumers is to

identify their actual core needs and wants. The reason that this can be challenging
is that consumers are used to associating needs with products.
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Approach the world without prejudice, start seeing things for what they are and
what they can be used for, not what you've been told they're intended for.
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The challenge is thus to distinguish between the need (for example, keeping warm)
and the frills (for example, keeping the entire house warm) and then find an
efficient--that is, economical-solution
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Can any given shirt in your wardrobe be combined with any given pair of pants and
look good?
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Most wants are internal, so focusing internally and "doing without" is often a less
complicated way to solve a problem
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It's quickly realized (after about a month) that happiness does not stem from being
surrounded by possessions, but that being surrounded by them is the result of an
addictive habit.
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It's quickly realized (after about a month) that happiness does not stem from being
surrounded by possessions, but that being surrounded by them is the result of an
addictive habit. Thus, it can be tremendously liberating not to "need" something to
be happy.
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Once you've developed a greater freedom to choose by changing some "needs" into
"wants," you can tailor your wants to areas that are supplied freely or at least
inexpensively.
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The most important thing to remember is that the price of anything is not
determined by how much effort went into the production.
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It's strictly determined by how much the seller can get.

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AM
Only issue "limit orders"--that is, don't buy until the price falls below some
predetermined level.
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Let current purchases determine what problem you're currently solving rather than
the other way around; adapt your plans to what is on sale.
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This means that anything done more than once is worth doing yourself.
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The experienced money handler knows exactly where and how to spend money to get the
maximum out of it. An unskilled money handler spends money everywhere, too much on
some things, too little on other things, with much going to waste.
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Invest $1 at 8% and wait 30 years to get $10. This is hardly a worthwhile sum for
30 years of waiting. But invest $100,000 at 8% for 30 years and you get $1,000,000.
That is real money. To get anywhere, it's thus very important to quickly build a
substantial foundation.
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Conversely, putting in a large initial effort is a guaranteed way of seeing

immediate and growing returns.
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The optimal life strategy is to maximize total "production" for all the things you
engage in or whatever the curves are measuring--presumably
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- Your Highlight on Location 2598-2598 | Added on Sunday, December 11, 2016
10:27:23 PM
Freedom is attained by creating a large gap between production (revenue) and

consumption (expenses).
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- Your Highlight on Location 2623-2623 | Added on Sunday, December 11, 2016
10:29:40 PM
Focus on developing skills rather than on passive entertainment.

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- Your Highlight on Location 2673-2673 | Added on Wednesday, December 14, 2016
10:21:44 AM
Things are much harder to get rid of than they are to acquire in the first place.
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10:23:30 AM
For commonly used items, a higher quality tends to pay off in the long run.
Surprisingly, disposability is quite important. If you buy things that can be sold
again at a price which will recover most of your cost, you haven't paid a lot.
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10:24:44 AM
giant libraries of stuff I can "rent" for a while at the cost of depreciation.
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10:26:20 AM
For instance, buying a food processor for $75 and selling it for $15 three years
later equals a depreciation cost of ($75-$15)/3=$20/year. However, if it was only
used 15 times during the 3 years, a more telling calculation
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10:26:38 AM
For instance, buying a food processor for $75 and selling it for $15 three years
later equals a depreciation cost of ($75-$15)/3=$20/year. However, if it was only
used 15 times during the 3 years, a more telling calculation would be ($75-
$15)/15=$4/use. That's one expensive food processor
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10:28:15 AM
The choice is therefore between using a high-quality item and rarely or never
replacing it, or a typical, low-quality item and replacing it often.
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10:28:44 AM
For now, use whatever you currently have. When what you currently have breaks down
or wears out, replace it with something great.
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10:31:16 AM
Realize that the strong desire to acquire new things can be replaced with an
equally strong desire to avoid acquiring new things.
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10:31:40 AM
Don't buy anything unless it has been on the wish list for at least 30 days.
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10:32:35 AM
The most helpful thought for avoiding new stuff is to realize that you have lived
fine without it for this long, so why get it now?
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10:33:32 AM
Go through all your possessions. For each possession, each book, each tool, each
appliance, each toy, try to recall when you last used it and put it into one of the
following categories.
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10:37:20 AM
the value is higher, things can be sold. Everything I own is for sale, always. Ask
me and I will give you a quote. Not only does this constantly remind me of the
value of my possessions, but it prevents me from developing an attachment to the
thing in question.
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10:47:11 AM
It seems to be a fact of life that very few people will take the initiative to
establish something new, but many will gladly go along once someone proposes it.
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10:55:42 AM
The most optimal method is to shop for ingredients, and then, based on the
ingredients one has available, determine a recipe.
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11:05:24 AM
Many exchange most of their time for money.

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11:05:59 AM
Money can also be invested to get more money to spend, thus avoiding having to
exchange time.
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11:08:58 AM
In particular, some will realize that they can get further ahead through office
politics and career management than conscientious work, some will realize that
showing up and doing the minimum amount of work will pay equally well, and some
will not realize either one.
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11:09:46 AM
most important piece of which is, in my opinion, to pursue something you're good at
rather than something you're passionate about--these are not
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7:24:58 PM
Here the savings rate is 20%, needs are 20% and wants are 60%. Here it takes 1
month of savings to replace 1 month of spending on needs.
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7:27:03 PM
All you need is to identify your needs relative your income, your savings relative
to your income, and the expected duration of your emergency
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The 10 Pillars of Wealth: Mind-Sets of the World's Richest People (Alex Becker)
- Your Highlight on page 33 | Location 500-501 | Added on Friday, December 16, 2016
4:49:27 PM
The only real challenge is having to reduce your lifestyle while waiting to hit
success, which, once again, is only for a limited time.
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4:50:18 PM
Jordan understood how to separate his time from making money, which led him to get
rich quickly.
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4:51:16 PM
Because of this, when we want to get rich quickly, the first step is setting up a
business in which we can separate our time from money.
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4:53:22 PM
If you think of a potential business, you need to ask the following questions
before you dive in: Can this business make money while I am not present? Can this
moneymaking process be done by others or automated by machines? If this business
becomes successful, could I train someone else to run it? Would it be possible to
make the process of delivering on $100 in sales the same as delivering on $1
million in sales? Can I scale this business without having to increase my time
involvement?
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6:28:05 PM
It is far better to have a profit margin of 30 percent on a business that can be

scaled to $10 million a year and sold for tens of millions of dollars than to have
100 percent of an unsellable business that is plateauing at $200,000 a year.
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6:28:30 PM
What part of my business can be automated by a staff or technology? Is there a way

to get people with my skill set to work for me and sell their time instead of mine?
What skill sets do I lack that are needed to grow this business, and what skill
sets do my new employees need to possess?
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6:29:46 PM
With proper automation and business planning, any time-intensive business can
become a time-separated moneymaking machine.
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6:31:53 PM
Building your business must be your number-one priority in life for you to actually
succeed.
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6:32:33 PM
Having the skills and the tools to win won’t mean squat unless you believe you are
in the top 1 percent.
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6:33:31 PM
If you think differently, then you are done before you even get started. If you are
part of the 99 percent and never change your belief system, all this book will be
is amusing, wishful toilet reading.
==========
6:34:50 PM
The belief that you are great, and accepting the fact that you must be great, is
the third pillar. In fact, if you only remember one pillar from this whole book,
make sure it’s this one.
==========
6:39:22 PM
The only thing that separates them from other average people is the belief that
they can do it. It happens all the time.
==========
6:40:49 PM
What we want to do is adopt the blind confidence of a moron while adopting the
practicality of a rocket scientist.
==========
6:48:55 PM
So, how do you get the result of incredible wealth? You create a business that is
better than 99 percent of other businesses. And how do you create a great and
successful business? The answer: You believe and accept the fact that you have to
be great.
==========
6:50:10 PM
“I must believe and accept the fact that I am great.”

==========
6:50:36 PM
Accept the fact that you are going to have to work hard and become really fucking
good at whatever niche you choose.
==========
6:50:44 PM
Once you accept this, it becomes very clear what you need to do. All you have to do
is whatever it takes to become great (yes, it’s that easy).
==========
6:51:08 PM
Eventually, if you work hard enough at something, you will become good—dare I say
great—at it. Then it will be much easier to accept the fact that you are great.
==========
7:01:45 PM
Desiring to be wealthy means that you are aiming to be anything but average. You
are actually working towards being better at making money than almost every other
being on the planet. There’s no room for people that do not believe in themselves.
You can’t sneak into the top 1 percent with skills or ideas alone.
==========
7:21:12 PM
You need to believe, act, and make decisions based on the idea that you are already
great.
==========
7:26:16 PM
When you run into a problem, you need to ask yourself the question, “If I were a
freak-of-nature genius business master capable of anything in the world, how would
I handle this situation?”
==========
7:26:52 PM
“What would a successful person do?” Suddenly, it will become brutally apparent
that you have no option but to become a skilled communicator.
==========
7:28:12 PM
You will instinctively start going for the kill and believing you can get the kill,
==========
7:28:20 PM
You will instinctively start going for the kill and believing you can get the kill,
resulting in you actually getting the kill.
==========
7:30:19 PM
The true answer to this question is, “You have to be great to have a business like
mine.” You need to put an extreme amount of time and investment into: Improving
your brand. Improving your marketing. Improving your product. Improving every
single thing you do.
==========
7:57:44 PM
After admitting to myself that I have to be great to succeed, my thoughts shifted

to: I need to master making software. I need to hire a superior staff. I need to
learn advertising.
==========
2016 7:58:18 PM
If you simply sit down and admit to yourself that you need to be the best
regardless of the investment or time involved, you will have a hard time staying in
that comfort zone.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 394 | Location 6037-6038 | Added on Tuesday, December 20,
2016 11:01:27 AM
In this way, as we throw our wealth at an abstract notion called “lifestyle,”
travel becomes just another accessory—a
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:06:47 AM
began to see that the seeds of both beach bum and millionaire lay in the simple
actions I took every day.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:11:53 AM
very same activities that had rescued me from failure, that had carried me from the
failure line up to the survival line, would also rescue me from average and carry
me from the survival line to the success line—if I would just keep doing them.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:12:43 AM
if we would just keep doing the things that got us from failure up to survival in
the first place, the things we already know how to do and were already doing, they
would eventually carry us all the way to success.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:13:19 AM
The things that take you out of failure and up toward survival and success are
simple. So simple, in fact, that it’s easy to overlook them. Extremely easy to
overlook them. It’s easy to overlook them because when you look at them, they seem
insignificant.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:14:55 AM
Essential Points from Chapter 1

==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:16:47 AM
No matter how much information there is, and no matter how good that information
is, if the person consuming it doesn’t have the right catalyst, the catalyst that
will allow them to apply that information effectively, then success will still
elude their grasp.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:17:29 AM
In every case, I’ve done the exact same thing every time, using ridiculously simple
strategies made up of ridiculously simple lists of ridiculously simple actions.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:18:48 AM
Because the answer is only the answer—it isn’t actually doing the thing. It isn’t
applying the answer, living the answer. It’s only information.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:19:27 AM
The secret ingredient is your philosophy.

==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:19:44 AM
By “your philosophy,” all I mean is changing the way you think about simple
everyday things. Once you do, then you will take the steps you need to take, to
lead you to the how-to’s you need.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:20:25 AM
Focusing on the actions, the what-to-dos and the how-to-do-its, is not enough,
because it’s the attitude behind the actions that keep those actions in place.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:20:38 AM
You may get inspired by that uplifting story or inspirational pep talk, but you
can’t freeze that feeling or glue the emotions of the moment into place. Emotions
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:21:09 AM
To find the path to success, you have to back up one more step. It’s the
understanding behind the attitudes that are behind the actions.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:21:28 AM
Your philosophy is what you know, how you hold it, and how it affects what you do.
How you think about simple, everyday things.
==========
(Jeff Olson)
2016 11:22:09 AM
Do the thing, and you shall have the power.

==========
- Your Highlight on page 408 | Location 6254-6255 | Added on Saturday, January 7,
2017 7:18:26 AM
Law 16: The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live.
==========
2017 7:19:30 AM
There are two elements that tie very much to human longevity. It’s strange. . . .
One is those people who floss and, second, those people who have a higher VO2 max.”
==========
2017 7:44:16 AM
The whole becomes much bigger than the sum of its parts.
==========
2017 7:51:39 AM
26. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

==========
The Daily Stoic (Holiday, Ryan;Hanselman, Stephen)
- Your Highlight on page 12 | Location 179-179 | Added on Sunday, January 8, 2017
11:58:54 PM
BE RUTHLESS TO THE THINGS THAT DON’T MATTER

==========
11:59:05 PM
foolish joy,
==========
11:59:12 PM
greedy desire,
==========
11:59:24 PM
social amusements—how
==========
- Your Highlight on page 14 | Location 202-204 | Added on Monday, January 9, 2017
12:03:21 AM
Control your perceptions. Direct your actions properly. Willingly accept what’s
outside your control.
==========
12:05:28 AM
Have you taken the time to get clarity about who you are and what you stand for? Or
are you too busy chasing unimportant things, mimicking the wrong influences, and
following disappointing or unfulfilling or nonexistent paths?
==========
Houpert)
- Your Highlight on page 161 | Location 2459-2459 | Added on Tuesday, January 10,
2017 1:51:12 PM
Charisma is a comfortableness with the world. We feel it when we sense that

someone is real.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 17 | Location 261-261 | Added on Thursday, January 12,
2017 10:59:20 PM
You don’t control the situation, but you control what you think about it.
==========
2017 3:32:27 PM
if you want clarity, proper judgment is the best way.

==========
2017 4:08:57 PM
According to the Stoics, the circle of control contains just one thing: YOUR MIND.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 52 | Location 787-789 | Added on Friday, January 20, 2017
7:39:14 AM
Pain avoidance is a powerful habit. You get immediate relief when you defer
something painful. The penalty—helpless regret at a life you wasted—won’t come
until far in the future. This is why most people can’t move forward and live life
to the fullest.
==========
The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters (Emily Esfahani Smith)
2017 6:08:18 PM
In the knowledge that I am an inalienable part of this great, wonderful, upward

movement called life, and that nothing, neither pestilence, nor physical
affliction, nor depression—nor prison—can take away from me my part, lies my
consolation, my inspiration, and my treasure.”
==========
2017 6:09:30 PM
To be productive and in the service of another person was a first step toward
reengaging with life.
==========
12:11:00 AM
We all need to give and receive affection. We all need to find our tribe.
==========
12:11:10 AM
a sense of belonging clocks in as the most important driver of meaning.

==========
12:12:29 AM
When other people think you matter and treat you like you matter, you believe you
matter, too.
==========
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (Walter Isaacson)
2017 3:44:09 PM
“Industry and frugality,” he wrote in describing the theme of Poor Richard’s

almanacs, are “the means of procuring wealth and thereby securing virtue.”
==========
2017 3:09:33 PM
tight relationship between identity and purpose, and they’ve found that knowing
oneself is one of the most important predictors of meaning
==========
2017 3:12:38 PM
Indeed, many great thinkers have argued that in order for individuals to live
meaningful lives, they must cultivate the strengths, talents, and capacities that
lie within them and use them for the benefit of others.
==========
2017 3:14:38 PM
To Kant, the question is not what makes you happy. The question is how to do your
duty, how to best contribute—or, as the theologian Frederick Buechner put it, your
vocation lies “where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
==========
- Your Highlight on page 410 | Location 6277-6278 | Added on Thursday, February 2,
2017 7:27:24 AM
“A day that ends well is one that started with exercise.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 415 | Location 6359-6360 | Added on Friday, February 3,
2017 9:23:31 PM
B.J. likes and recommends two podcasts related to debating, the second of which is
completely farcical: Intelligence Squared and The Great Debates.
==========
2017 9:33:49 PM
I have no delusions otherwise.

==========
- Your Highlight on page 434 | Location 6641-6643 | Added on Sunday, February 5,
2017 9:59:48 AM
“He who suffers before it is necessary suffers more than is necessary.” —Seneca
==========
2017 10:14:38 AM
It really made it so palpable that we as human beings, as long as we’re in this

body, are feeling machines. If we’re cut off, if our senses are choked off, we are
choked off.
==========
2017 11:54:20 AM
“If you want to be tougher mentally, it is simple: Be tougher. Don’t meditate on

it.”
==========
2017 12:21:49 PM
Own it all.”
==========
2017 12:23:10 PM
#0445club
==========
- Your Highlight on page 33 | Location 493-493 | Added on Monday, February 6, 2017
9:15:44 AM
First, we must consider what we should desire and what we should be averse to.
==========
9:18:23 AM
Next, we must examine our impulses to act—that is, our motivations. Are we doing
things for the right reasons? Or do we act because we haven’t stopped to think? Or
do we believe that we have to do something?
==========
10:31:58 AM
One of the most powerful things you can do as a human being in our hyperconnected,
24/7 media world is say: “I don’t know.”
==========
- Your Note on page 35 | Location 526 | Added on Monday, February 6, 2017 10:32:32
AM
know what you give a fuck about

==========
10:32:32 AM
Or, more provocatively: “I don’t care.”

==========
2017 9:49:58 PM
‘Who would you die for? What would you die for?
==========
- Your Highlight on page 465 | Location 7116-7117 | Added on Saturday, February 18,
2017 7:18:25 AM
To get in the zone, Samy likes to code to AudioMolly.com, The Glitch Mob, and
Infected Mushroom.
==========
Why Time Flies (Alan Burdick)
- Your Highlight on Location 64-64 | Added on Saturday, February 18, 2017 11:55:43
PM
“You spoke and things were made. By your word you made them.”
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 103-104 | Added on Wednesday, February 22, 2017
1:22:28 AM
How is it that I’m more productive when I have too much to do, whereas when I have
all the time in the world, I seem to get nothing done?
==========
2:15:18 PM
This provided a handy definition of the second: 32,768 vibrations of a quartz

crystal. By the nineteen-sixties, when scientists
==========
2:15:27 PM
This provided a handy definition of the second: 32,768 vibrations of a quartz
crystal.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 37 | Location 555-556 | Added on Wednesday, February 22,
2017 4:33:06 PM
Try to remember that when you find yourself getting mad. Anger is not impressive or
tough—it’s a mistake. It’s weakness.
==========
2017 4:40:15 PM
there’s a plate of cookies in front of us, we have to eat them. If someone does
something we dislike, we have to get mad about it. When something bad happens, we
have to be sad, depressed, or worried. But if something good happens a few minutes
later, all of a sudden we’re happy, excited, and want more.
==========
2017 9:36:42 PM
“Who then is invincible? The one who cannot be upset by anything outside their
reasoned choice.”
==========
2017 9:46:12 PM
“I hope this is making you feel better.”

==========
2017 10:50:07 PM
Meanwhile, if you could step back and see it objectively, you’d probably see that
not everything they’re asking for is unreasonable.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 7 | Location 97-97 | Added on Wednesday, February 22, 2017
11:01:48 PM
It will fix your head and force you to believe the truth: making money is something
that you, yes YOU, can accomplish.
==========
2017 11:37:02 PM
In my opinion, having a high quality of life is about being happy and content with
your thoughts and actions.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 54 | Location 821-822 | Added on Thursday, February 23,
2017 7:33:31 AM
So stop acting like getting worked up is having an impact on a given situation.

Situations don’t care at all.
==========
Houpert)
2017 12:05:25 AM
It’s a series of nearly imperceptible gains. Sometimes you’re not even sure you’re
moving forward.
==========
7:58:35 AM
Today, we will be unable to improve, unable to learn, unable to earn the respect of
others if we think we’re already perfect, a genius admired far and wide.
==========
8:01:31 AM
The longest and the shortest life, then, amount to the same, for the present moment
lasts the same for all and is all anyone possesses.
==========
8:10:33 AM
Someone can’t frustrate you, work can’t overwhelm you—these are external objects,
and they have no access to your mind. Those emotions you feel, as real as they are,
come from the inside, not the outside.
==========
2017 11:54:20 PM
The point is not to wish for these adversities, but for the virtue that makes
adversities bearable.”
==========
2017 11:55:53 PM
Which is why when it knocks on our door—as it very well may this morning—let’s make
sure we’re prepared to answer. Not the way we are when a surprise visitor comes
late at night, but the way we are when we’re waiting for an important guest:
dressed, in the right head space, ready to go.
==========
2017 11:57:54 PM
For nowhere can you find a more peaceful and less busy retreat than in your own
soul—especially if on close inspection it is filled with ease, which I say is
nothing more than being well-ordered.
==========
2017 12:14:11 AM
What lapses in judgment might your vices be causing you? What “sicknesses” might
you have?
==========
2017 12:22:02 AM
Understand not only your ruling reason—the watchmen—but whoever and whatever rules
that too.
==========
2017 12:23:19 AM
The good things in life cost what they cost. The unnecessary things are not worth
it at any price. The key is being aware of the difference.
==========
2017 12:32:00 AM
Don’t try to make it up on the fly. Have a plan.

==========
Houpert)
2:04:55 AM
The most charismatic people know to lead with their purpose. It’s not something
they wait for you to ask about. They share their purpose with everyone and they
share it passionately.
==========
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big (Scott Adams)
8:14:04 PM
The way I approach the problem of multiple priorities is by focusing on just one
main metric: my energy.
==========
8:22:48 PM
And when you talk to a cheerful person who is full of energy, you automatically
feel a boost. I’m suggesting that by becoming a person with good energy, you lift
the people around you.
==========
8:25:27 PM
For our purposes I’ll define your personal energy as anything that gives you a
positive lift, either mentally or physically.
==========
8:28:55 PM
My proposition is that organizing your life to optimize your personal energy will
add up to something incredible that is more good than bad.
==========
8:30:25 PM
For example, when I first wake up, my brain is relaxed and creative.
==========
8:32:37 PM
I prefer simplicity whenever I’m choosing a system to use. People can follow simple
systems better than complicated ones.
==========
8:32:46 PM
If you can’t tell whether a simple plan or a complicated one will be the best,
choose the simple one.
==========
8:33:41 PM
Simple systems are probably the best way to achieve success. Once you have success,
optimizing begins to have more value. Successful people and successful businesses
have the luxury of being able to optimize toward perfection over time.
==========
8:34:46 PM
You might think a topic is too complicated to master for your use, but you might
learn otherwise in less than a minute if you bother to check.
==========
8:35:06 PM
My business mistakes, of which there have been plenty, were rarely caused by not
being able to find the information that I knew I needed. Most of my problems were
caused by my own bad decisions, lack of skill, and bad luck.
==========
8:38:00 PM
If you could control your attitude directly, as opposed to letting the environment
dictate how you feel on any given day, it would be like a minor superpower.
==========
8:38:14 PM
positive attitude is an important tool. It’s important to get it right.

==========
8:38:35 PM
Exercise, food, and sleep should be your first buttons to push if you’re trying to
elevate your attitude and raise your energy.
==========
8:39:16 PM
Imagination is the interface to your attitude. You can literally imagine yourself
to higher levels of energy.
==========
8:39:31 PM
Your body and your mind will respond automatically to whatever images you spend the
most time pondering. If you imagine winning a Nobel Prize, buying your own private
island, or playing in the NBA, don’t worry that those things are unlikely. Putting
yourself in that imagination-fueled frame of mind will pep you up.
==========
8:40:28 PM
You might have a patent idea, a product idea, or a process idea that could change
the world.
==========
8:40:48 PM
Let your ideas for the future fuel your energy today. No matter what you want to do
in life, higher energy will help you get there.
==========
8:53:05 PM
Understanding this two-way causation is highly useful for boosting your personal
energy.
==========
8:55:12 PM
I’m better than 99 percent of the world* in each of those games because I put in
more practice time than 99 percent of the world. There’s no magic to it.
==========
8:55:34 PM
A great strategy for success in life is to become good at something, anything, and
let that feeling propel you to new and better victories. Success can be habit-
forming.
==========
8:56:33 PM
Our brains have a limited capacity to know the true nature of reality.
==========
8:57:39 PM
In many cases, it’s your point of view that influences your behavior, not the
universe.
==========
8:58:03 PM
My main point about perceptions is that you shouldn’t hesitate to modify your
perceptions to whatever makes you happy, because you’re probably wrong about the
underlying nature of reality anyway.
==========
8:59:03 PM
When you can release on your ego long enough to view your perceptions as incomplete
or misleading, it gives you the freedom to imagine new and potentially more useful
ways of looking at the world.
==========
8:59:27 PM
What you do know for sure is that some ways of looking at the world work better
than others. Pick the way that works, even if you don’t know why.
==========
9:00:00 PM
No matter what reality delivers in the future, my imagined version of the future
has great usefulness today.
==========
9:02:35 PM
So congratulations on being a person who studies the mechanics of success.

==========
9:04:31 PM
No matter how you explain the perception, it leaves room for hope, and hope has a
lot of practical utility.
==========
9:06:32 PM
My idea was to rewire my brain gradually, to relearn that I can touch pen to paper
and not spasm. I was literally trying to hack my brain. My hypnosis training*
suggested this might be possible.
==========
9:09:13 PM
All of this was possible because I had access to a smart friend who told me how to
find the simple entry point into the speaking circuit. All I needed to do was
overprice myself and see what happened.
==========
9:09:43 PM
It’s a cliché that who you know is helpful for success. What is less obvious is
that you don’t need to know CEOs and billionaires. Sometimes you just need a friend
who knows different things than you do.
==========
9:14:29 PM
Another clue to talent involves tolerance for risk.

==========
9:15:50 PM
Where there is a tolerance for risk, there is often talent.

==========
9:17:23 PM
The smartest system for discerning your best path to success involves trying lots
of different things—sampling, if you will. For entrepreneurial ventures it might
mean quickly bailing out if things don’t come together quickly.
==========
9:17:51 PM
Things that will someday work out well start out well. Things that will never work
start out bad and stay that way.
==========
9:20:20 PM
The predictor is that customers were clamoring for the bad versions of the product
before the good versions were even invented.
==========
9:22:08 PM
What you’re looking for is an unusually strong reaction from a subset of the
public, even if the majority hates it.
==========
1:00:25 AM
One of the best ways to detect the x factor is to watch what customers do about
your idea or product, not what they say. People tend to say what they think you
want
==========
1:00:44 AM
One of the best ways to detect the x factor is to watch what customers do about
your idea or product, not what they say.
==========
1:02:46 AM
There’s no denying the importance of practice. The hard part is figuring out what
to practice.
==========
1:04:02 AM
You simply need to pick a life strategy that rewards novelty seeking more than
mindless repetition.
==========
1:24:21 AM
typical book is focused on a single topic to make it easier to sell and packed with
filler to get the page count up.
==========
1:24:34 AM
The formula, roughly speaking, is that every skill you acquire doubles your odds of
success.
==========
1:26:00 AM
Sometimes an entirely inaccurate formula is a handy way to move you in the right
direction if it offers the benefit of simplicity.
==========
1:27:02 AM
When you accept without necessarily believing that each new skill doubles your odds
of success, you effectively hack (trick) your brain to be more proactive in your
pursuit of success.
==========
1:29:53 AM
Everything you learn becomes a shortcut for understanding something else.

==========
1:31:19 AM
Don’t think of the news as information. Think of it as a source of energy.

==========
1:34:34 AM
could give a dozen more tennis examples where the odds are exactly the opposite of
how they feel when you are on the court.
==========
1:34:59 AM
The idea I’m promoting here is that it helps to see the world as math and not
magic.
==========
1:41:55 AM
On a scale of one to ten, the importance of understanding psychology is a solid

ten.
==========
1:43:47 AM
The reality is that reason is just one of the drivers of our decisions, and often
the smallest one.
==========
1:45:48 AM
Rational behavior is especially useless in any situation that is too complex for a
human to grasp.
==========
3:21:33 AM
You’re wasting your time if you try to make someone see reason when reason is not
influencing the decision.
==========
12:55:27 PM
A lie that makes a voter feel good is more effective than a hundred rational
arguments
==========
12:55:45 PM
arguments
==========
12:55:47 PM
arguments
==========
12:55:54 PM
arguments
==========
1:01:20 PM
Nothing is easier than talking about one’s self. I would go so far as to say that
99 percent of the general public love talking about themselves.
==========
1:02:10 PM
The point of conversation is to make the other person feel good. If

==========
1:02:16 PM
The point of conversation is to make the other person feel good. If

==========
1:02:21 PM
The point of conversation is to make the other person feel good.

==========
1:03:42 PM
It starts by smiling and keeping your body language open. After that, just ask
questions and listen as if you cared, all the while looking for common interests.
==========
1:04:54 PM
You’ll need to take your conversation skills up a notch. And that means becoming
the master of short but interesting stories.
==========
1:06:02 PM
For example, if I know I’ll be seeing friends in a few days, I make a special note
to myself to turn my recent experiences into story form because I know I’ll have a
reason to bust one out. The most popular type of stories is . . . funny stories.
==========
1:06:18 PM
If something story-worthy happens to you, spend some time developing the story
structure in your head—
==========
4:11:30 PM
If you don’t have a twist, it’s not a story. It’s

==========
4:11:38 PM
That’s the plot twist. If you don’t have a twist, it’s not a story. It’s
==========
4:11:46 PM
That’s the plot twist. If you don’t have a twist, it’s not a story. It’s
==========
4:11:50 PM
That’s the plot twist. If you don’t have a twist, it’s not a story.
==========
4:14:02 PM
You should also try to figure out which people are thing people and which ones are
people people. Thing people enjoy hearing about new technology and other clever
tools and possessions. They also enjoy discussions of processes and systems,
including politics. People people enjoy only conversations that involve humans
doing interesting things.
==========
4:14:35 PM
also find it helpful to remind myself that every human is a mess on the inside.
==========
4:15:06 PM
The more you put yourself in potentially embarrassing situations, the easier they
all become.
==========
4:22:17 PM
Repeat your claim of disinterest as often as it takes to end the conversation. You
might be surprised how effective this method
==========
4:23:02 PM
Instead, say something along the lines of “I have a rule of only doing one-on-one
lunches with clients.”
==========
4:23:59 PM
“I just wanted to clarify . . .”

==========
4:24:57 PM
The question frames you as the helpless victim and the person you are trying to
persuade as the hero and problem solver. That’s a self-image that people like to
reinforce when they have the chance.
==========
4:26:21 PM
humans as the quality of the treats matters to dogs. If you want people to like
you, for business or for your personal life, pay special attention to
==========
4:26:28 PM
If you want people to like you, for business or for your personal life, pay special
attention to the quality of your thanks. Thank-you notes sent
==========
4:26:33 PM
If you want people to like you, for business or for your personal life, pay special
attention to the quality of your thanks.
==========
4:27:59 PM
Sharing a confidence is a fast-track

==========
4:28:04 PM
Sharing a confidence is a fast-track way to cause people to like and trust you.
==========
4:29:13 PM
only guessing which path will be best. Anyone who is confident in the face of great
complexity is insane. However, some people act much more decisively than others.
And that can be both persuasive and useful. Decisiveness looks like leadership.
Keep in mind that most normal people are at least a little bit uncertain when
facing unfamiliar and complicated situations. What people crave in that sort of
environment
==========
4:29:18 PM
when facing unfamiliar and complicated situations. What people crave in that sort
of environment
==========
4:29:24 PM
you can deliver an image of decisiveness, no matter how disingenuous, others will
see it as leadership.
==========
4:31:39 PM
The way fake insanity works in a negotiation is that you assign a greater value to
some element of a deal than an objective observer would consider reasonable. For
example, you might demand that a deal be closed before the holidays so you can
announce it to your family as a holiday present. When you bring in an emotional
dimension, people know they can’t talk you out of it. Emotions don’t bend to
reason. So wrap your arguments in whatever emotional blankets you can think of to
influence others. A little bit of irrationality is a powerful thing.
==========
4:32:13 PM
In some cases you have a moral obligation to be manipulative if you know it will
create a good result for all involved. For example, manipulating coworkers to do
better work is usually good for everyone.
==========
4:34:53 PM
think my fake professional voice and body language were at least half of the reason
I was seen as having management potential.
==========
4:42:22 PM
I believe exercise makes people smarter, psychologically braver, more creative,

more energetic, and more influential.
==========
4:43:15 PM
People who enjoy humor are simply more attractive than people who don’t.
==========
7:09:17 PM
My point then and now is that you don’t need to know why something works to take
advantage of it.
==========
7:15:21 PM
I did something similar. I tried a lot of different ventures, stayed optimistic,

put in the energy, prepared myself by learning as much as I could, and stayed in
the game long enough for luck to find
==========
7:18:31 PM
But I did make it easier for luck to find me, and I was thoroughly prepared when it
did. Luck won’t give you a strategy or a system—you have to do that part yourself.
==========
7:21:46 PM
affirmations only worked when I had a 100 percent unambiguous desire for success.
==========
7:26:32 PM
If your gut feeling (intuition) disagrees with the experts, take that seriously.
==========
2017 12:27:20 AM
To change yourself, part of the solution might involve spending more time with the
==========
2017 12:27:27 AM
To change yourself, part of the solution might involve spending more time with the
people who represent the change you seek.
==========
2017 12:29:39 AM
The only reasonable goal in life is maximizing your total lifetime experience of
something called happiness.
==========
2017 12:30:31 AM
happiness is that it’s a feeling you get when your body chemistry is producing
pleasant sensations in your mind.
==========
2017 12:31:15 AM
The big part—the 80 percent of happiness—is nothing but a chemistry experiment. And
==========
2017 12:31:20 AM
The big part—the 80 percent of happiness—is nothing but a chemistry experiment.

==========
2017 2:14:07 AM
For starters, the single biggest trick for manipulating your happiness chemistry is
being able to do what you want, when you want.
==========
2017 2:14:49 AM
It’s important to look at happiness in terms of timing because timing is easier to

control than resources.
==========
2017 2:14:54 AM
It’s important to look at happiness in terms of timing because timing is easier to

control than resources.
==========
2017 2:15:07 AM
Step one in your search for happiness is to continually work toward having control
of your schedule.
==========
2017 2:15:44 AM
I’ve transformed work into pleasure simply by having control over when I do it.
==========
2017 2:16:20 AM
You won’t all become work-at-home cartoonists, but you can certainly find a boss
who values your productivity over your attendance.
==========
2017 2:16:41 AM
Happiness has more to do with where you’re heading than where you are.
==========
2017 2:17:05 AM
We tend to feel happy when things are moving in the right direction and unhappy
when things are trending bad.
==========
2017 2:17:34 AM
you are lucky enough to have career options, and only one of them affords a path of
continual improvement, choose that one, all else being equal.
==========
2017 2:18:04 AM
I like to imagine a future that is spectacular and breathtaking.

==========
2017 2:18:07 AM
I like to imagine a future that is spectacular and breathtaking.

==========
2017 2:18:22 AM
Let your imagination be the user interface to steer your reality.

==========
2017 2:19:04 AM
Happiness is the natural state for most people whenever they feel healthy, have
flexible schedules, and expect the future to be good.
==========
2017 2:19:51 AM
No one wants to believe that the formula for happiness is as simple as daydreaming,
controlling your schedule, napping, eating right, and being active every day. You’d
==========
2017 2:19:58 AM
controlling your schedule, napping, eating right, and being active every day.
==========
2017 2:20:04 AM
controlling your schedule, napping, eating right, and being active every day.
==========
2017 2:20:37 AM
I predict you’ll observe that your good moods are highly correlated with exercise,
diet, and sleep.
==========
2017 2:22:11 AM
Of the big five factors in happiness—flexible schedule, imagination, diet,

exercise, and sleep—
==========
2017 2:22:16 AM
Of the big five factors in happiness—flexible schedule, imagination, diet,

exercise, and sleep—my pick for the most important is exercise.
==========
2017 2:27:16 AM
My experience is that cravings can be manipulated.

==========
2017 2:28:07 AM
that I can change my food preferences by thinking of my body as a programmable

robot as opposed to a fleshy bag full of magic.
==========
2017 2:29:09 AM
Your mood is a function of chemistry in your body, and food may be a far more
dominant contributor to your chemistry than what is happening around you, at least
during a normal day.
==========
2017 2:30:45 AM
Eat fruits, veggies, nuts, salad, fish, or chicken. Now see how you feel a few
hours after eating. I’ll bet the idea of exercising will sound more appealing after
eating those types of foods compared with the day of your Mexican-food experiment.
==========
2017 2:31:12 AM
You should also have a healthy skepticism about diet studies because they are
notoriously bad at sorting out correlation from causation.
==========
2017 5:12:59 AM
You should also have a healthy skepticism about diet studies because they are
notoriously bad at sorting out correlation from causation.
==========
2017 5:13:37 AM
Which foods make you energetic and which ones make you sleepy?
==========
2017 5:16:07 AM
better approach, as I mentioned, is to think of your body as a moist, programmable

robot whose outputs depend on its inputs, not magic.
==========
7:10:47 PM
If you want success, figure out the price, then pay it.
==========
7:10:52 PM
If you want success, figure out the price, then pay it.
==========
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (Carlo Rovelli)
11:21:56 PM
intensely: Mozart’s Requiem; Homer’s Odyssey; the Sistine

==========
1:26:50 AM
the gravitational field is not diffused through space; the gravitational field is
that space itself.
==========
1:30:42 AM
magical richness of the theory opens up into a phantasmagorical

==========
1:31:43 AM
all turned out to be true. To begin with, the equation describes how space bends
around a star. Due to this curvature, not only
==========
1:32:27 AM
But it isn’t only space that curves; time does too.

==========
1:38:01 AM
is the result of an elementary intuition: that space and gravitational field are
the same thing.
==========
1:38:05 AM
space and gravitational field are the same thing.

==========
1:43:43 AM
But general relativity is a compact gem: conceived by a single mind, that of Albert
Einstein, it’s a simple and coherent vision of gravity, space and time.
==========
1:47:16 AM
The answer is that each element corresponds to one solution of the main equation of
quantum mechanics. The whole of chemistry emerges from a single equation.
==========
1:48:39 AM
‘real’: an electron is a set of jumps from one interaction to another.

==========
1:49:25 AM
In quantum mechanics no object has a definite position, except when colliding
headlong with something else.
==========
1:50:14 AM
It is not possible to predict where an electron will reappear, but only to

calculate the probability that it will pop up here or there. The question of
probability goes to the heart of physics, where everything had seemed to be
regulated by firm laws which were universal and irrevocable.
==========
1:52:13 AM
For they do not describe what happens to a physical system, but only how a physical
system affects another physical system.
==========
2:10:10 AM
Quantum mechanics and experiments with particles have taught us that the world is a
continuous, restless swarming of things; a continuous coming to light and
disappearance of ephemeral entities.
==========
2:10:31 AM
A world of happenings, not of things.

==========
2:15:27 AM
handful of types of elementary particles, which vibrate and fluctuate constantly

between existence and non-existence and swarm in space even when it seems that
there is nothing there, combine together to infinity like the letters of a cosmic
alphabet to tell the immense history of galaxies, of the innumerable stars, of
sunlight, of mountains, woods and fields of grain, of the smiling faces of the
young at parties, and of the night sky studded with stars.
==========
2:40:58 AM
The twentieth century has given us the two gems of which I have spoken: general
relativity and quantum mechanics.
==========
2:41:17 AM
The twentieth century has given us the two gems of which I have spoken: general
relativity and quantum mechanics. From the first cosmology developed, as well as
astrophysics, the study of gravitational waves, of black holes, and much else
besides. The second provided the foundation for atomic physics, nuclear physics,
the physics of elementary particles, the physics of condensed matter, and much,
much more.
==========
2:43:35 AM
Newton discovered universal gravity by combining Galileo’s parabolas with the

ellipses of Kepler.
==========
2:51:04 AM
Space is created by the linking of these individual quanta of gravity. Once again
the world seems to be less about objects than about interactive relationships.
==========
2:52:17 AM
The passage of time is internal to the world, is born in the world itself in the
relationship between quantum events that comprise the world and are themselves the
source of time.
==========
9:54:30 AM
thinking of it as a kind of fluid, called ‘caloric’; or two fluids, one hot and one
cold. The idea turned out to be wrong. Eventually James Maxwell and the Austrian
physicist Ludwig Boltzmann understood. And what they understood is very beautiful,
strange and profound – and takes us into regions which are still largely
unexplored. What they came to understand is that a hot substance
==========
9:54:37 AM
hot substance is a substance in which atoms move more quickly.

==========
9:55:13 AM
Heat, as we know, always moves from hot things to cold.

==========
10:39:33 AM
every case in which heat exchange does not occur, or when the heat exchanged is
negligible, we see that the future behaves exactly like the past.
==========
10:41:00 AM
The difference between past and future only exists when there is heat.
==========
10:42:18 AM
statistically more probable that a quickly moving atom of the hot substance
collides with a cold one and leaves it a little of its energy,
==========
10:47:40 AM
probabilistic nature of heat and temperature, that is to say, thermodynamics.

==========
10:48:42 AM
Probability does not refer to the evolution of matter in itself. It relates to the
evolution of those specific quantities we interact with.
==========
10:49:54 AM
We don’t have the equations to describe the thermal vibrations of a hot space-time.
What is a vibrating time?
==========
10:50:43 AM
But in physics there is nothing that corresponds to the notion of the ‘now’.
==========
10:51:08 AM
is uttered, and is also classed as ‘indexical’. But no one would dream of saying
that things ‘here’ exist, whereas things which are not ‘here’ do not exist.
==========
10:51:12 AM
But no one would dream of saying that things ‘here’ exist, whereas things which are
not ‘here’ do not exist.
==========
10:52:43 AM
It is possible to imagine a world without colours, without matter, even without

space, but it’s difficult to imagine one without time.
==========
10:54:09 AM
where does it come from, our vivid experience of the passage of time? I think that
the answer lies in the intimate connection between time and heat.
==========
10:54:57 AM
The flow of time emerges thus from physics, but not in the context of an exact
description of things as they are. It emerges, rather, in the context of statistics
and of thermodynamics.
==========
10:55:57 AM
But due to the limitations of our consciousness we only perceive a blurred vision
of the world,
==========
11:00:20 AM
between what we can reconstruct and understand with our limited means – and the
reality of which we are part, there exist countless filters: our ignorance, the
limitations of our senses and of our intelligence.
==========
11:01:05 AM
We not only learn, but we also learn to gradually change our conceptual framework
and to adapt it to what we learn.
==========
11:02:32 AM
The border is porous. Myths nourish science, and science nourishes myth. But the
value of knowledge remains. If we find the antelope we can eat.
==========
11:04:44 AM
How can the continuous exchange of information in nature produce us, and our
thoughts?
==========
11:06:04 AM
We still have no convincing and established solution to the

==========
11:06:09 AM
(unconscious). It’s still at the developmental phase. We still have

==========
11:06:13 AM
We still have no convincing and established solution to the problem of how our
consciousness is formed.
==========
11:07:49 AM
There is nothing in us in violation of the natural behaviour of things. The whole

of modern science – from physics to chemistry, and from biology to neuroscience –
does nothing but confirm this observation.
==========
11:08:46 AM
There is not an ‘I’ and ‘the neurons in my brain’. They are the same thing.
==========
11:10:38 AM
The study of our psychology becomes more sophisticated through our understanding of
the biochemistry of the brain. The study of theoretical physics is nourished by the
passions and emotions which animate our lives.
==========
11:13:40 AM
this, wonderfully: … we are all born from the

==========
11:13:48 AM
We are born and die as the stars are born and die, both individually and
collectively. This is our reality. Life is precious to us because it is ephemeral.
==========
Spellbound (David Kwong)
improvements on Apple I? When Maestro Gustavo

==========
improvements on Apple I? When Maestro Gustavo

==========
Thus, where there are incomplete objects, we see them as whole.

==========
Thus, where there are incomplete objects, we see them as whole. Where there are
gaps, we fill them with contours to create shapes we can recognize.
==========
Thus, where there are incomplete objects, we see them as whole. Where there are
gaps, we fill them with contours to create shapes we can recognize.
==========
Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency (Douglas Adams)
9:37:50 PM
You said I should call you if I was free this evening and I said I'd rather be dead
in a ditch,
==========
UNSCRIPTED: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Entrepreneurship (MJ DeMarco)
- Your Highlight on Location 244-245 | Added on Tuesday, June 13, 2017 3:13:38 AM
The paradigm shift is realizing that the paradigm is shit.

==========
Their mission, like mine, is appeasement: to bribe themselves into believing that
they are different from the other 20,000 souls enslaved by the same paradigm
imprisoning me.
==========
You see, like Steve Jobs, who wasn’t trapped by the dogma of conventional wisdom,
the rich get richer because the rich aren’t bound by the SCRIPT—they’re the ones
profiting from
==========
You see, like Steve Jobs, who wasn’t trapped by the dogma of conventional wisdom,
the rich get richer because the rich aren’t bound by the SCRIPT—they’re the ones
profiting from it.
==========
If I accept average advice from average people living average lives, can I expect
to be anything but average?
==========
before the SCRIPT clawed into you, you were once

==========
before the SCRIPT clawed into you, you were once free.
==========
They want what they think is best for you, and unfortunately, what’s best in their
eyes is “normal” and “safe.”
==========
Unless you have carefully cultivated your friends and coworkers, chances are they
don’t want you succeeding beyond their own success.
==========
The truth is, some parents would rather enjoy the prestige of having their kid be a
miserable doctor ready to jump off a cliff over a happy human being.
==========
In high school and throughout college, the SCRIPTED worldview

==========
In high school and throughout college, the SCRIPTED worldview targets its primary
nemesis: critical thinking.
==========
Unfortunately, by the time we hit grade school, the SCRIPT’s corporate seeder has
us believing happiness and social hierarchy are determined by brand consumption.
==========
To entice your fiscal future into the grip of hope-and-pray—three uncontrollable

and unpredictable markets: the job market, the stock market, and the housing
market.
==========
Well, since your RAS sees once it’s made aware, awareness holds the key for
transforming subconsciousness to reality.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 973-974 | Added on Tuesday, June 13, 2017 5:07:34 PM
SCRIPT’s real power isn’t from its seeders; it

==========
However, the SCRIPT’s real power isn’t from its

==========
Beneath the named-days scheme is a man-made illusion your mind has made real—the
illusion that your life’s limited and precious time must be systematically
segregated by days, with each day’s title designating whether work or play is
expected.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 1020-1021 | Added on Wednesday, June 14, 2017 2:05:30
AM
The Earth simply takes twenty-four hours to rotate on its axis, and the Earth has
no idea if that rotation happens on Sunday or Thursday.
==========
AM
You buy what you want without regard to credentials.

==========
AM
If there are no businesses and no entrepreneurs—society’s redheaded whipping boys—

there will be no jobs.
==========
AM
A college degree doesn’t produce jobs out of thin air. It entitles you to NOTHING.
I repeat, NOTHING.
==========
AM
Hyper-personality is a person’s public image, a facade projected by fame or social

media, a carefully crafted mirage that does not represent the real, humanized
version of the individual.
==========
AM
With easily accessible social media tools—Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat—crafting

our own fakery is so easy a caveman could do
==========
AM
By sharing only life’s highlights and cloaking the rest, we cast a pseudo reality.
==========
AM
Hyper-personality has you dwelling on the lives of others, instead of dwelling on
your own.
==========
AM
There’s a war for your mind and your money. Unchecked and unaware, your brain laps
it up like a thirsty dog.
==========
AM
Make life your game: you acquire experience points, gold, money, cars, assets,
liabilities; you weigh decisions, act, not act, solve problems, and overall, manage
yourself as a player.
==========
AM
At the end of the day, the game was just entertainment. I have zero emotional
attachment to the outcome because my life is more important.
==========
AM
Money, the world’s dominant hyperreality, is a mutually shared belief that physical
money (a stack of paper bills) or virtual digital money (a number on a computer
screen) is valuable and
==========
AM
Money, the world’s dominant hyperreality, is a mutually shared belief that physical
money (a stack of paper bills) or virtual digital money (a number on a computer
screen) is valuable and that the person possessing it is equally valuable.
==========
AM
Unfortunately, time is merciless and it doesn’t care how you define it, how you see
it, or how you treat it.
==========
AM
Temporal prostitution is one of the greatest tragedies of humanity.

==========
AM
The things I wanted, specifically my amp, really didn’t cost money; they cost me
fragments of my life.
==========
AM
money” principle to time, we come to the same conclusion: Free time today is better
than free time tomorrow.
==========
AM
When we project the same “time value of money” principle to time, we come to the
same conclusion: Free time
==========
AM
trading today to earn freedom tomorrow? When we project the same “time value of
money” principle to time, we come to the same conclusion: Free time today is better
than free time tomorrow.
==========
AM
MJ, on the other hand, invests his life’s work in a system that honors time. He
experiences twenty-three indentured years while enjoying a whopping forty-two years
of free time, mostly experienced after he retired in his thirties.
==========
AM
Let me repeat that: Children necessitate consumption, where it’s no longer a

fashionable choice but a requirement.
==========
AM
Does selling five decades of youthful time so you can buy ten elderly years sound
smart?
==========
AM
UNSCRIPTED is about what you don’t have versus what you do have.
==========
AM
is not just to be, but to become. The “fuck you” of liberty has five primary
freedoms. They are: 1. Freedom from work 2. Freedom from
scarcity and fiscal constraint 3. Freedom from hyperrealistic influence
4. Freedom from hope and dependence 5. Freedom from ordinary
and routine
==========
AM
The very definition of UNSCRIPTED means not being influenced by SCRIPTED

trivialities. Pop culture, celebrity worship, and pro athletes are “no contest” to
the life I’m leading.
==========
AM
While I respect pro athletes for their process, I pay attention to their
livelihoods as much as they pay attention to mine. My life is too short, too
important, and too valuable to get wrapped up in SCRIPTED zombification.
==========
AM
Adopt conventional thinking in this area and I guarantee, you will live
conventionally.
==========
AM
“We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of
regret.”
==========
AM
The problem is, these people *like* the idea of entrepreneurship as much as they
like the idea of winning free money. But they don’t honor the effort or expectation
required to make it
==========
AM
this person doesn’t have a money problem—he has a decision-making problem. And
until that changes, nothing will change, no matter what my advice is.
==========
AM
this person doesn’t have a money problem—he has a decision-making problem. And
until that changes, nothing will change, no matter what my advice is.
==========
AM
My point is this: Responsibility necessitates consumption.
==========
AM
Then there are the brave souls who act and document their failures, giving the
community a great gift: we learn from their failings and accelerate our own
learning curve.
==========
AM
Studying success isn’t very helpful—we should be studying failures.

==========
AM
recurring revenues are much more important than one-time sales.

==========
AM
It’s how you interpret luck and how you *think* it happens. It’s what you *think*
when you see a young kid driving a Ferrari.
==========
AM
As an action, one workout has ZERO effect on your appearance. It’s a random macro-
event. However, working out 290 times in the next year—the macro-process—will give
you those abs.
==========
AM
Macro-processes are repeated and modified actions. The words “repeated” and
“modified” are critical to results, changing the action from an event (a solitary
action changing nothing) to a process (an action chain that changes everything).
==========
AM
The reality is, most people like these fail, NOT because they lack the correct
MACRO-processes but because they lack the correct MICRO-processes.
==========
AM
Your mind delivers a psychological impact—so impactful that it must be

scientifically accounted.
==========
AM
response imbued with a true belief is actionable knowledge. A response compelled by

a false belief manifests as a mistake, an illusion, or an inaction.
==========
AM
On the flip side, false beliefs do the opposite: they produce either inaction or
errant action. In self-help
==========
AM
On the flip side, false beliefs do the opposite: they produce either inaction or
errant action. In self-help circles, such lies are called “limiting beliefs.”
==========
AM
Simply put, the road to “fuck you” starts with unfucking the things that are
fucking you.
==========
AM
When universal ideas are repeated and lived by the majority, they are rarely
questioned.
==========
AM
WHY do couples rush to get married based on their age, not based on the quality of
their relationship?
==========
AM
Beliefs are merely concepts, ideas, and thoughts that we regard as true. And
==========
AM
Instead, we seek to ratify them through a collective groupthink.

==========
AM
Common 99 percent thinking won’t get you uncommon 1 percent results.

==========
AM
The shortcut scam is the idea that extraordinary results can be achieved by
uncovering a secret bypass or a miracle weapon, and such can skirt the real hard
work that actually creates the extraordinary results.
==========
AM
It denies process, overlooking the necessity of daily rituals and habits and,
instead, expects fantastic results effortlessly. Conversely, the process-principle
is an intelligent awareness that extraordinary results require an extraordinary
effort consisting of daily habits, routines, and sacrifices. TLDR; To put it
another way, the shortcut doesn’t exist.
==========
AM
The UNSCRIPTED understand that uncomfortable processes precede progress which

causes the event. Without it, progress can’t exist and the event never arrives.
==========
AM
Just like Facebook, these movies present the sanitized version of marriage, the
shared experience, the party—the event. Swept aside is the real process that must
come afterwards: the compromise, the growing old together, and the hard work that
marriage naturally requires of its partners—the process.
==========
AM
and process becomes the proverbial redheaded

==========
AM
action that is NOT a part of a bigger process. Instead, you’re acting not to imbue
real change but to “feel good” by momentarily fooling yourself about progress.
==========
AM
The word “diet” implies temporary. It implies failure. It

==========
AM
The word “diet” implies temporary. It implies failure.

==========
AM
The sad truth is your brain is not wired for process but for event-oriented
shortcuts intended for efficiency.
==========
AM
The visual result of a fit and healthy body is the event.

==========
AM
This exercise gives you the ability to do the impossible: you can witness a process
before the process occurs.
==========
AM
In other words, you can’t lose weight because you can’t find the shortcut to lose
weight. No wonder it’s so difficult! And the research proves America’s resistance
==========
AM
In other words, you can’t lose weight because you can’t find the shortcut to lose
weight. No wonder it’s so difficult!
==========
AM
Success is simpler than you think: ax the shortcut, honor the

==========
AM
Success is simpler than you think: ax the shortcut, honor the process-principle,
and do the necessary work. Dump
==========
AM
and do the necessary work.
==========
AM
and do the necessary work.
==========
AM
The hardest part of the process-principle is repetition; greatness is a lot of

small things done daily.
==========
AM
The battle isn’t fought in the kitchen but at the grocery store. The instant you
put this crap in your shopping cart is the instant you lost the war.
==========
AM
Take disciplined action until a feedback loop kicks on.

==========
AM
Once your effort strikes echoes, it reaffirms your actions, becoming habit,
sometimes addictive, and as automatic as brushing your teeth.
==========
AM
The special scam is a double-edged belief that our innate talents are enough to
accomplish our dreams—OR that our innate talents are immovable, fixed
characteristics immune from improvement.
==========
AM
fixed mindset is the belief that talent alone causes success and that your basic
qualities of intelligence, athleticism, and even rhythm are fixed traits that
cannot be changed or improved.
==========
AM
new skills can be acquired and mastered regardless of your current level of talent
or intelligence.
==========
AM
Have you done something today, no matter how small, to improve whatever needs
improving?
==========
AM
Have you done something today, no matter how small, to improve whatever needs
improving?
==========
PM
value your statue at $50,000 and you value losing it at $50,000.

==========
PM
Perceived value did not translate into actual value.

==========
PM
Money’s velocity is only predicated on perceived value, not actual value.

==========
PM
Most people are broke and remain broke because the money scam has made them
perpetual chasers of something that cannot be chased—it can only be attracted by
offering perceived value.
==========
PM
==========
PM
==========
AM
However, flip the magnet and forget about money

==========
AM
However, flip the magnet and forget about money and focus on value—and the magnets
attract.
==========
AM
Guess how many registrants mention “value”? Solving problems? Helping others?
==========
AM
For the UNSCRIPTED, perceived value and actual value match.

==========
AM
be happy someone, somewhere, is rich because of that convenience.

==========
AM
Great value precedes great wealth. If you want to make millions, impact millions.
==========
AM
investing it into risky assets touted by the mainstream.

==========
AM
When life’s chaos diffuses into outcomes, probability becomes clouded and
superstitious explanations
==========
AM
When life’s chaos diffuses into outcomes, probability becomes clouded and
superstitious explanations become likely.
==========
AM
Hitting heads on one coin flip is 50 percent, but ten flips moves the probability
to 99.4 percent.
==========
AM
Within the UNSCRIPTED 3(B)s, our objective is to change your gumball machine’s
contents. A Slowlane or Sidewalk existence cranks for mostly everything but gold.
==========
AM
Play games with better odds and returns without accepting more risk.
==========
AM
Want to be lucky? Add variation, do something different, crank the spoke of the
wheel!
==========
AM
killed someone or myself. Bad luck? No way. You choose the interpretation of your
life events and then you choose how to act on that interpretation.
==========
AM
You choose the interpretation of your life events and then you choose how to act on
that interpretation.
==========
AM
And to have outflows, one must first have inflows.

==========
AM
Years of disciplined, focused work channeled into the right business system can
make
==========
AM
make
==========
AM
make it happen. Easy is not a part of the equation.
==========
AM
if you own a software service, you can conceivably grow your user base by 1,000
percent and, subsequently, your income can grow by the same metric;
==========
AM
matter which, income is capped and measuredly limited by the number of hours in a
day, or years in a life. Creating massive wealth quickly requires this relationship
to disintegrate.
==========
AM
An extraordinary life is won on offense; it is then preserved through defense. With

==========
AM
An extraordinary life is won on offense; it is then preserved through defense.

==========
AM
In all of recorded history, not one person has gone from zero to $50 million in ten
years because they invested in the S&P 500.
==========
AM
The compound-interest scam is temporal prostitution’s pimp—a gambled trade where

your young-years are sacrificed on the pedestal of patient mediocrity while hoping
to get paid old-years later.
==========
AM
The compound-interest scam is temporal prostitution’s pimp—a gambled trade where

your young-years are sacrificed on the pedestal of patient mediocrity while hoping
to get paid old-years later.
==========
AM
When wealth now is traded for a promise of wealth later, you’re snipping body
parts.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 3743-3745 | Added on Friday, June 16, 2017 3:18:08 AM
I’m not using the markets for how they’re marketed—to create wealth—but instead I
use them for what they are: the buying and selling of capital in exchange for
income (interest) or equity (appreciation).
==========
And when you have a lot of money to deploy, suddenly compound interest reverses its
tide; it becomes an effective tool for creating 100 percent reoccurring passive
income.
==========
You can activate compound interest’s praised power only if you can earn and save
millions fast, not when you use it to turn nickels into dimes as the compound-
interest scam implores.
==========
Just as there are greedy rich people, there are greedy poor people.
==========
The problem is whatever you want to see is what you will see.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 4274-4275 | Added on Friday, June 16, 2017 12:38:07 PM
Unfortunately, when money is removed from a real-world existence, idealism turns

into a nightmare—a repeated reality found in every civilized country worldwide:
bills, fees, taxes, life overhead, and money problems.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 4276-4277 | Added on Friday, June 16, 2017 12:38:17 PM
He didn’t save, prepare, or produce in excess of consumption. Money buys happiness

when you let it buy your freedom.
==========
Unfortunately, when money is removed from a real-world existence, idealism turns

into a nightmare—a repeated reality found in every civilized country worldwide:
bills, fees, taxes, life overhead, and money problems.
==========
same goal: freedom with his friends and family. That's worthy. Unfortunately, when
money is removed from a real-world existence, idealism turns into a nightmare—a
repeated reality found in every civilized country worldwide: bills, fees, taxes,
life overhead, and money problems.
==========
Unfortunately, calling your venture a “start-up” puts you no closer to your first
customer, your first dollar of revenue, or your first conversion any
==========
Want to believe in shortcuts? There’s a shortcut-and-loopholes guru who will tell

you all the secret special “hacks” to accomplish anything while bypassing the
difficult steps.
==========
The paradox of practice is the art of selling a strategy that the author doesn’t
really use or that isn’t responsible for making him rich.
==========
The only true test to guru believability is this: authenticity. Authenticity is

congruence. Truth over lies. Practicing what you preach.
==========
The only true test to guru believability is this: authenticity. Authenticity is

congruence. Truth over lies. Practicing what you preach.
==========
And authenticity is the only true test of gurudom, whether the individual knows it
or not. When Kevin O’Leary gives advice, I know I'm not being greased for a sales
funnel or a back-end agenda. When Peter Thiel speaks or writes a book, I listen
because I hear authenticity—I
==========
Republican? Still want to buy the cure?

==========
As you can see, when someone has what you desperately want or need, their backstory
becomes irrelevant.
==========
Money’s velocity is driven by one simple question: do you have something I want,
and if so, what will it cost me?
==========
You see, when your identity shifts from what you WANT TO BE to WHAT YOU ARE, your
actions will fight to maintain the identity.
==========
Willpower and motivation have been proven ineffective as depleting resources. They
rarely work at creating habits, the agents of permanent change.
==========
Real change comes from identity and self—not

==========
Basically, you have to BE what you want to become FIRST so the actions can follow.
Don’t TALK about it; BE about it. BE. ACT on being. Then HAVE.
==========
First, identify what you want to be and label yourself as such. Unfortunately,
==========
First, identify what you want to be and label yourself as such.

==========
Second, reinforce and ratify your identity

==========
Second, reinforce and ratify your identity by taking regular action, no matter how
small.
==========
James Clear, author of Transform Your Habits (recommended read) says “prove your
identity” daily.
==========
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of entrepreneurship live and die in your head—
reversing beliefs, unbinding biases, and confronting bullshit.
==========
Entrepreneurship is a tough but rewarding sport. But it must be lived, not tried.
==========
So where does this kind of commitment come from?

==========
commitment had a spark plug, it would be meaning-and-purpose—the core reasons WHY

you act and continue to act, even through hardship, criticism, failure, and
seemingly impossible odds.
==========
So where does this kind of commitment come from?

==========
commitment had a spark plug, it would be meaning-and-purpose—the core reasons WHY

you act and continue to act, even through hardship, criticism, failure, and
seemingly impossible odds.
==========
Meaning-and-purpose is the fuel that powers the motivation cycle—the heat that
churns your soul, torpedoing you forward when others crawl back to bed.
==========
While rewritten 3Bs inspire starting, your meaning-and-purpose and its motivation
cycle inspire finishing.
==========
Unfortunately, entrepreneurship, along with life and liberty, is a tale of periodic

pain now or perpetual regret later.
==========

pain now or perpetual regret later. Namely, how bad do you want it?
==========

pain now or perpetual regret later. Namely, how bad do you want
==========

pain now or perpetual regret later. Namely, how bad do you want it? How much are
you willing to give up for it? Everyone wants
==========
pain now or perpetual regret later. Namely, how bad do you want it? How much are
you willing to give up for it?
==========
Without a purpose obsessively cored as identity, you won’t survive.

==========
- Your Highlight on Location 4544-4545 | Added on Monday, June 19, 2017 12:29:25 AM
You see, at the end of the day, no one cares about the motives driving you. No one
gives a shit that you love what you do! No
==========
You see, at the end of the day, no one cares about the motives driving you. No one
gives a shit that you love what you do!
==========
you have something that hasn’t been commodified and you effectively communicate its
value to me, you get my money.
==========
the moment you straddle the wonder twins as your life compass, the fiduciary
principle is violated and selfishness becomes your navigator.
==========
The market is one selfish rat, and if you insist on being selfish yourself, you
don’t have a prayer. When passion doesn’t solve people’s problems, passion doesn’t
pay bills.
==========
Does a market even exist for what you love? Do other people need what you love, and
if so, are you exceptional at it while communicating a unique value proposition? If
you aren’t, be prepared to prostitute your love in the name of paying bills.
==========
I had no passion for that particular space other than the process of adding value
to
==========
yet I had no passion for that particular space other than the process of adding
value to it.
==========
Namely, once you get paid extrinsic rewards for something you once did freely due
to sheer intrinsic motives, your interest in that activity suffers.
==========
Once rewards are no longer offered, interest in the activity is lost; prior
==========
Once rewards are no longer offered, interest in the activity is lost;

==========
So, if you’re doing something freely because you’re passionate about it, suddenly
getting paid for it might poison that passion.
==========
Don’t “do what you love,” because even if you are lucky to make a living doing it,
you won’t love it for very long. You should love the value you create.
==========
And this highlights the ultimate irony: the secret to success isn’t “do what you
love” but “do what you hate.”
==========
for two hours—meaning-and-purpose gets me

==========
Better career advice may be “do what contributes” -- focus on the beneficial value
created for other people vs just one’s own ego.
==========
He instead gave us insight into the joy and love one receives when the world values
your value. Notably,
==========
He instead gave us insight into the joy and love one receives when the world values
your value.
==========
Notably, when the world kicks on your feedback loop and says “This is awesome” or
“I like this; here’s my cash,” you too will love what you do.
==========
The feedback loop drives passion, which drives action, which drives results.
==========
Could it be real love—the real passion—doesn’t come from “doing” but from having
your creative contribution validated?
==========
You see, the mechanism underneath Jobs’s statement is neither love nor passion for
specific work, but having love and passion for the positive RESULTS of your work.
In a Prager
==========
You see, the mechanism underneath Jobs’s statement is neither love nor passion for
specific work, but having love and passion for the positive RESULTS of your work.
==========
Winning inspires passion; losing does not.

==========
Nonetheless, work’s positive results spawn more passion.

==========
That purpose drives you into action, which in itself can be extremely difficult and
discomforting.
==========
Your positive impact generates passion. Don’t be passionate about what needs to be
done; be passionate about what you WILL BECOME.
==========
passion isn’t something you follow; it’s something that ebbs and flows within you.
==========
And therein lies the chasm between interests or commitment; shallow desires don’t
compel sacrifice, whereas a committed purpose sacrifices everything. It borders
obsession.
==========
You see, meaning-and-purpose sit in the driver’s seat; passion rides shotgun.
==========
affections of a past love. Except his fortune

==========
With meaning, this shit cannot compete.

==========
Once you own that reality is steeled by meaning-and-purpose, hyperrealistic

distractions are, well, distracting.
==========
Or it could be an uninvolved parent who curses, “You’ll never amount to anything.”

Many times, your “fuck this” event (FTE) is enough to clarify purpose.
==========
After winning the fortune, what specifically would you do? I’m not talking about
“travel the world” or “buy a fleet of exotic cars”—I’m talking about AFTER you’ve
done all that. AFTER you’ve bought everything and seen everything—what would be
next? Writing? Philanthropy? Making movies? Whatever it is, it’s a clue into what
gives your life meaning or purpose.
==========
call it the value challenge: Start by simply smiling at a complete stranger—and

==========
Continue the value challenge by helping one person in the next thirty days. Add
==========
Continue the value challenge by helping one person in the next thirty days.
==========
Whatever you do, the key is to create value for someone else AND do it by a new
process (or skill) that you must learn on the fly.
==========
Also, you must do this by learning a new skill, or something unfamiliar to you. DO
NOT STOP UNTIL ACCOMPLISHED.
==========
This same feeling happens in entrepreneurship once your feedback loop transforms
into a value
==========
into a value loop. I
==========
into a value loop.
==========
Perhaps buried deep behind our “whys,” we all have the same generic meaning-and-
purpose—to simply solve each other’s problems and make the world a better place.
==========
The great happiness secret is autonomy. Freedom.

==========
Money buys autonomy, or it buys a down payment on debt and anti-autonomy.

==========
Psychologists say parents can never be happier than their least happy child.75
==========
Having a strong sense of controlling one’s life is a more dependable predictor of

positive feelings of well-being than any of the objective conditions of life we
have considered.
==========
others. And if you can’t find the job that hits the sweet spot, what better way to
monetize those needs than entrepreneurship?
==========
how empowered (or disempowered) you feel to control the events of situations around
you.
==========
you understand choices are a powerful human endowment, capable of manipulating

outcomes—and you’re not about to waste it.
==========
With an external locus of control, life happens TO you; YOU do not happen to life.
==========
- Your Note on Location 4852 | Added on Monday, June 19, 2017 3:12:52 AM
am i skipping out on scheduling becaus i lose autonomy?

==========
updated
==========
- Your Note on Location 4852 | Added on Monday, June 19, 2017 3:15:37 AM
am i skipping out on scheduling becaus i lose autonomy?

autonomy: haaving the rihht to create my own schedule
==========
First, a meaning-and-purpose without an internal locus is a fairy tale.

==========
In the end, everything is a choice, including how you perceive the circumstance.
==========
Whereas a meritocracy pulls power to the skilled, a productocracy pulls money to

the value creators, businesses who grow organically through peer recommendations
and repeat customers, compelled by a distinguished product/service not readily
offered elsewhere.
==========
Once a small group is cured, your product’s growth would snowball by raves and
recommendations. News organizations would stampede your office with billions in
free publicity.
==========
productocracy is what separates average, survive-the-month, zero-growth businesses

who are ad dependent from ones who grow exponentially through an expansion loop, or
network effects.
==========
Conversely, the pull in the push-pull polarity is a productocracy where products or

services have gravity. Customers come to you.
==========
Each time the product/service is used, its gravity strengthens. The essence of a
pull is word of mouth, social proof, and satisfied users.
==========
What was important was spotting gravitons, or instances validating a

productocracy’s pull.
==========
And if advertising is needed to drive sales, sorry, you’ve got a product problem.
==========
Instead, buying decisions are made through social media, personal recommendations,
and peer reviews.
==========
Advertising might get me looking, but reviews compel me to buy.

==========
The product sold itself by being recommendable.

==========
A scammer’s primary weapon for explosive growth is a fake productocracy! Remember,

perceived value is the only requirement
==========
A scammer’s primary weapon for explosive growth is a fake productocracy! Remember,

perceived value is the only requirement of a money exchange, not actual value.
==========
When your product sucks and no one reorders, or most customers leave bad reviews,
advertising is the only card you can play in the deck.
==========
Instead of selling actual value, push entrepreneurs are selling perceived value.
==========
copywriting are probably the most critical life skills you can have.
==========
fact, sales, advertising, marketing, and copywriting are probably the most critical
life skills you can have.
==========
In a product-centered organization, advertising doesn’t float the boat; it steams

the boat.
==========
As a newbie entrepreneur, whether you live in Menlo Park or in Podunk Park, your
number-one goal shouldn’t be sales, but a confirmation of a productocracy.
==========
Commandment of Control requires that your entire operation, from product

development, to marketing, to distribution, to other operational components, be
within your sphere of influence, or diversified from influence.
==========
events that can derail your gig overnight. In effect, the Commandment of Control is
risk mitigation allowing you to sleep well as a shark.
==========
is there one person or entity that can instantly kill your business with one
decision?
==========
fans are disciples, and disciples are loyal to you, not the channel through which
they buy your work.
==========
Control represents the land you build upon. Do you own it? Or is it leased or
rented from someone else? Can someone misrepresent or ruin it? Change its terms of
use? Not renew its terms?
==========
For example, every billionaire on the planet has become one through a method of
control.
==========
As you can see, control does not always equate to ownership.

==========
the Commandment of Entry states: As entry barriers to any business or start-up

process weaken or become “easified,” so does the strength or the potential of the
opportunity.
==========
Conversely, the harder something is to solve, the greater the opportunity.

==========
If business longevity (and profitability) is your goal, as it should be, your entry
barriers represent the strength of current, and future, competition.
==========
Entrepreneurship is about problem-solving, creating convenience, satisfying

desires, and becoming valuable.
==========
want to be an entrepreneur,” what you’re really saying is, “I want to be a lifetime

problem-solver.”
==========
If you’re an entrepreneur scoping for ideas, the best are the hard ones because the
difficulty represents the opportunity.
==========
The magnitude of the problem solved is the magnitude of the money you can make.
==========
The churn and burn of “easy” attracts stampedes of easified entrepreneurs.
==========
In many cases, easy entry is a part of a shark’s business model—for example, if you
make your living on eBay, Etsy, or Amazon.
==========
Underneath these successes is the only thing that can overcome the Commandment of
Entry: executional excellence. If you insist on violating
==========
Underneath these successes is the only thing that can overcome the Commandment of
Entry: executional excellence.
==========
Executional excellence is simply being better than everyone else.

==========
You see, the process-principle also holds that if you’re not going to sacrifice to
get into the game, you’re going to need to sacrifice to win the game.
==========
There isn’t anything in the world that can’t be made better.

==========
The Commandment of Need states that if you own a controlled and entry-barred
enterprise that provides relative value, satisfying needs or wants, you will win
growth, profits, and possibly, passive income for life.
==========
“I want to provide massive value when I grow up! I want to produce for society!”
==========
Its laser-like focus is centered on one fundamental truth: What value are you to
me?
==========
What can I get from you that I can’t get elsewhere, or am not getting well enough?
==========
What can I get from you that I can’t get elsewhere, or am not getting well enough?
Why do I need you or your business?
==========
Your pizza might be darn good, but relative value doesn’t exist because more than
likely, a few other pizza joints are also darn good.
==========
What’s the no-brainer value proposition? I’d sell hundred-dollar bills for fifty
dollars.
==========
And therein lies the secret to becoming needful (although not necessarily
profitable) through the power of relative worth: skewing
==========
And therein lies the secret to becoming needful (although not necessarily
profitable) through the power of relative worth: skewing value.
==========
You see, everything you buy is subject to a value competition: a weighted

evaluation with respect to your preferences.
==========

==========

==========
Unfortunately, in real marketplace exchanges, the value competition isn’t so

clearly defined.
==========
The net gain in net buying power didn’t justify the other potentialities. The value
competition
==========
The net gain in net buying power didn’t justify the other potentialities.
==========
The point is: this competition strikes everyone differently.

==========
Altogether, the value array and its attributes frame the offer to the consumer, who
then subjectively evaluates it against other options.
==========
You NEVER know which attribute is the lynchpin that causes someone to buy or not to
buy.
==========
Here is just a sample list of value attributes that could frame your offer in the
mind of your potential customer.
==========
the value array can be used to exploit potentially potent business opportunities.
==========
We can own the skew by exposing and reverse engineering any product through its
value array.
==========
They’ve dissected the value array and skewed value on two additional transactional
attributes—faster processing and risk mitigation—while providing the exact same
product.
==========
Whenever a company grows exponentially, look

==========
Whenever a company grows exponentially, look no further than the value array and
its attributes.
==========
To dominate markets and win sales, engineer a value skew. It starts by identifying
the value array and its attributes. Here’s how: First, examine both your
==========
To dominate markets and win sales, engineer a value skew. It starts by identifying
the value array and its attributes.
==========
You see, your job is to identify every value attribute in the global pool, with the
explicit intent to uncover skewing opportunities.
==========
In business, the isolation myth is the figurative equivalent of going to a gunfight

with one bullet in the barrel, evaluating value and opportunity contingent on one
sliding variable:
==========
In business, the isolation myth is the figurative equivalent of going to a gunfight

with one bullet in the barrel, evaluating value and opportunity contingent on one
sliding variable: price.
==========
When business is isolated by one value attribute, price, it becomes commodified.

Think gas stations. A ream of paper, flash drives, and commercial air travel. As
consumers, we usually buy these items based on the best price because the outcomes
remain uniformly predictable.
==========
As Peter Drucker said, “In a commodity market, you can only be as good as your
dumbest competitor.”
==========
value. As an entrepreneur, you must always ask, why do you exist in the
marketplace? What value are you skewing? And who will yearn for your company should
you close up shop? Or would your sudden market absence be met with eerie silence?
When
==========
As an entrepreneur, you must always ask, why do you exist in the marketplace? What
value are you skewing? And who will yearn for your company should you close up
shop? Or would your sudden market absence be met with eerie silence?
==========
He searches Amazon for products that sell well but have poor reviews. He then dives
into the complaints and determines if he can solve those complaints at the
manufacturing level.
==========
Geographic arbitrage can also involve anything sourced in your area and presented
==========
Geographic arbitrage can also involve anything sourced in your area and presented
globally for sale via any online marketplace:
==========
Geographical arbitrage is also a powerful bootstrapping method if you need both

experience and capital. Any value-adding experience is good experience.
==========
landscaping—the value-added parts will exceed the sum.

==========
Seeking Wisdom- From Darwin to Munger - Peter Bevelin
- Your Highlight on page 13-13 | Added on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 4:19:42 AM
Our anatomy, physiology and biochemistry are the fundamental bases for our
behavior. I f we
==========
is our brain, its anatomy, physiology and biochemistry and how these parts function
tha t set the limits for how we think. But since our brain's parts also interact wi
th our body's anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, we mus t see brain and body
together. They are pa r t of the same system
==========
brain is a product of evolution

==========
Certain individuals survive because they have structural, physiological, behavioral

or othe r characteristics that prevent
==========
Certain individuals survive because they have structural, physiological, behavioral
or othe r characteristics that prevent them from being eliminated. Those that don't
have these characteristics are eliminated. Heredity enhances the likelihood tha t
the non-eliminated or "selected" variations 12
==========
We are driven by our need to avoid pain (and puni shment ) and a desire to gain
pleasure (and reward
==========
Evolution has made any behavior tha t helps us survive and reproduce feel
pleasurable or rewarding. Behavior tha t is bad for us feels painful or punishing.
Feelings of pain and pleasure are a useful guide to wha t is good or bad for us. I
f we eat, we feel pleasure. I f we starve ourselves, we feel pain. Ha rm avoidance
first. Our brain is equipped to register pain more sensitively than any othe r emot
ion. We also remember negatively arousing stimuli better. 16
==========
pleasurable or rewarding. Behavior tha t is bad for us feels painful or punishing.
Feelings of pain and pleasure are a useful guide to wha t is good or bad for us. I
f we eat, we feel pleasure. I f we starve ourselves, we feel pain. Ha rm avoidance
first. Our brain is equipped to register pain more sensitively than any othe r emot
ion. We also remember negatively arousing stimuli better. 16
==========
pleasurable
==========
However many ways there may be of being alive, it is certain there are vastly more
ways of being dead, or rather
==========
fear ofloss is much greater than the desire to gain

==========
Essentially wha t we do today is a function of wha t worked in the past

==========
do pattern recognition. Even though we are capable of logic, our brain does not
operate by the principles oflogic. I t operates by selection of pa t t e rn
recognition. It's a dynamic network. It's not an "if-then" logic machine.
==========
Because what worked in the past is mos t likely to work in the future. Warren
Buffett follows up with: The r e was a great article in the New Yorker magazine ...
when the FischerlSpassky chess matches were going on. And it got into this
speculation of whether or not humans would ever be able to take on computers in
chess. He r e were these computers doing hundreds of thousands of calculations a
second. And the article asked, "When all you're really looking at is the results
from various moves in the future, how can a human mind deal wi th a comput e r
that's thinking at speeds tha t are so unbelievable?" 18
==========
Because what worked in the past is mos t likely to work in the future
==========
was eliminating about 99.99% of the possibilities wi thout even thinking about 'em.
50 it wasn't
==========
was eliminating about 99.99% of the possibilities wi thout even thinking about 'em.
50 it wasn't tha t they could out think the computer in terms of speed, but they
had this ability of wha t you might call "grouping" or "exclusion", where
essentially they just got right down to the few possibilities out of these zillions
of possibilities tha t really had any chance of success
==========
Yes, one basic trait tha t aU individuals share is self-interest. We are interested
in protecting our close family and ourselves. Why? Since natural selection is about
survival and reproduction, and individuals either survive or die and reproduce or
not, i t makes sense tha t individuals are predisposed to act in ways tha t enhance
their own prospects for survival and reproduction. The ancestral envi ronment
consisted of limited resources, including reproductive resources, and fierce
competition. Self-interest came naturally. Wha t i f our ancestors were compos ed
of altruists - individuals tha t he lped others a t the i r own expense? Altruistic
individuals are a t a disadvantage. They are always vulnerable to some mut ant s
tha t take advantage of them. Altruistic behavior c annot evolve by natural
selection since na tur a l selection favors individuals tha t are best a t promot
ing the i r own survival and reproductive success. Only behavior tha t is selfish
or for the mutua l good is in an individual's self-interest and therefore favored
by na tur a l selection. Some behavior may unde r certain conditions look like
altruism but can of t en be explained by self-benefit. Social recognition,
prestige, fear of social disapproval, shame, relief from distress, avoidance of
guilt, a be t t e r after-life or social expectations are some reasons behind
"altruistic" acts. But how did our social and moral qualities develop? As Charles
Darwin wrote in chapter four of The Descent of Man: "Why should a man feel that he
ought to obey one instinctive desire rather than another? Why does he bitterly
regret i fhe has yielded to the strong sense of self-preservation, and has not
risked his life to save that of a fellowcreature; or why does he regret having
stolen food from severe hunger?" In chapter five of the book, Darwin wrote that
there is a: "powerful stimulus to the development of the social virtues, namely,
the praise and the blame of our fellow-men." 21
==========
Yes, one basic trait tha t aU individuals share is self-interest. We are interested
in protecting our close family and ourselves. Why? Since natural selection is about
survival and reproduction, and individuals either survive or die and reproduce or
not, i t makes sense tha t individuals are predisposed to act in ways tha t enhance
their own prospects for survival and reproduction. The ancestral envi ronment
consisted of limited resources, including reproductive resources, and fierce
competition. Self-interest came naturally. Wha t i f our ancestors were compos ed
of altruists - individuals tha t he lped others a t the i r own expense? Altruistic
individuals are a t a disadvantage. They are always vulnerable to some mut ant s
tha t take advantage of them. Altruistic behavior c annot evolve by natural
selection since na tur a l selection favors individuals tha t are best a t promot
ing the i r own survival and reproductive success. Only behavior tha t is selfish
or for the mutua l good is in an individual's self-interest and therefore favored
by na tur a l selection. Some behavior may unde r certain conditions look like
altruism but can of t en be explained by self-benefit. Social recognition,
prestige, fear of social disapproval, shame, relief from distress, avoidance of
guilt, a be t t e r after-life or social expectations are some reasons behind
"altruistic" acts. But how did our social and moral qualities develop? As Charles
Darwin wrote in chapter four of The Descent of Man: "Why should a man feel that he
ought to obey one instinctive desire rather than another? Why does he bitterly
regret i fhe has yielded to the strong sense of self-preservation, and has not
risked his life to save that of a fellowcreature; or why does he regret having
stolen food from severe hunger?" In chapter five of the book, Darwin wrote that
there is a: "powerful stimulus to the development of the social virtues, namely,
the praise and the blame of our fellow-men." 21
==========
? Since natural selection is about survival and reproduction, and individuals

either survive or die and reproduce or not, i t makes sense tha t individuals are
predisposed to act in ways tha t enhance their own prospects for survival and
reproduction. The ancestral envi ronment consisted of limited resources, including
reproductive resources, and fierce competition. Self-interest came naturally. Wha t
i f our ancestors were compos ed of altruists - individuals tha t he lped others a
t the i r own expense? Altruistic individuals are a t a disadvantage. They are
always vulnerable to some mut ant s tha t take advantage of them. Altruistic
behavior c annot evolve by natural selection since na tur a l selection favors
individuals tha t are best a t promot ing the i r own survival and reproductive
success. Only behavior tha t is selfish or for the mutua l good is in an
individual's self-interest and therefore favored by na tur a l selection. Some
behavior may unde r certain conditions look like altruism but can of t en be
explained by self-benefit. Social recognition, prestige, fear of social
disapproval, shame, relief from distress, avoidance of guilt, a be t t e r after-
life or social expectations are some reasons behind "altruistic" acts. But how did
our social and moral qualities develop? As Charles Darwin wrote in chapter four of
The Descent of Man: "Why should a man feel that he ought to obey one instinctive
desire rather than another? Why does he bitterly regret i fhe has yielded to the
strong sense of self-preservation, and has not risked his life to save that of a
fellowcreature; or why does he regret having stolen food from severe hunger?" In
chapter five of the book, Darwin wrote that there is a: "powerful stimulus to the
development of the social virtues, namely, the praise and the blame of our fellow-
men." 21
==========
basic trait tha t aU individuals share is self-interest. We are interested in

protecting our close family and ourselves. Why
==========
Cassandra Clare City of Bones The Mortal Instruments
- Your Highlight on page 159-159 | Added on Thursday, June 22, 2017 6:51:08 PM
he said, "you should not have summoned me here."

==========
Models_ Attract Women Through H - Mark Manson
- Your Highlight on page 55-55 | Added on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 12:34:28 PM
Connecting with women in this way, by being vulnerable -- as opposed to

compensating or becoming a fake alpha -- will result in the some of the best
interactions and relationships of your life. In the past three years I’ve had women
thank me for having a one night stand with them; women tell me that our week
together meant more to them than their entire four-year relationship with their
exboyfriend; women ask me to take their virginity because I was the first guy they
had ever met who they trusted enough to do it. I have beautiful women from all over
the world that I keep in touch with years later and share wonderful memories with
-- some of whom I spent less than 48 hours with. Vulnerability is the path of true
human connection and becoming a truly attractive person. As Psychologist Robert
Glover says: 55
==========

interactions and relationships
==========
The sub-communication is, “I’m totally OK with the idea of you rejecting me,
otherwise I would not be approaching you like this.” Think about it, if a guy
wasn’t comfortable with the prospect of a woman rejecting him, he wouldn’t have
been honest in the first place. In fact, he would have pretended that he wasn’t
actually interested in her! The fact that he honestly approached her with his
intentions, that he puts his nuts on the chopping block and makes himself
vulnerable to her immediately, actually sub-communicates a non-neediness and an 66
==========
being needy for more than a moment. The only women you will manage to fake are
women
==========
are who you are who you are. Even if you lie about yourself or act, this is
actually saying much more about you and your character than the content of your
statements. The truth is always shining through and people will eventually sense a
disconnect. You can tell women that you’re a record producer and are friends with
Jay-Z, but chances are, unless you’re a really good actor, people are going to
sense subtle inconsistencies in your behavior to back that up. Sooner or later,
they will. Then your true identity will shine through, your lack of vulnerability
with shine through, your neediness will shine through, and you will be a sad,
pathetic and unattractive man. This is an extreme example, but it plays itself out
the same way on a smaller scale. Let’s take a classic example of pretending not to
be interested in a girl to get her interested in you. If you pretend you don’t like
a girl, ignore her, act like what she says is stupid or uninteresting, when in fact
you do like her, and you are interested in what she says, subtle cues in your
behavior and body language will slowly but surely tip you off. It’ll be apparent
that 71
==========
cannot fake truth. Truth has to be a gift, given with no conditions or

expectations. You are
==========
are who you are who you are. Even if you lie about
==========
about yourself or act, this is actually saying much more about you and your
character than the content of your statements. The truth is always shining through
and people will eventually sense a disconnect. You can tell women that you’re a
record producer and are friends with Jay-Z, but chances are, unless you’re a really
good actor, people are going to sense subtle inconsistencies in your behavior to
back that up. Sooner or later, they will. Then your true identity will shine
through, your lack of vulnerability with shine through, your neediness will shine
through, and you will be a sad, pathetic and unattractive man. This is an extreme
example, but it plays itself out the same way on a smaller scale. Let’s take a
classic example of pretending not to be interested in a girl to get her interested
in you. If you pretend you don’t like a girl, ignore her, act like what she says is
stupid or uninteresting, when in fact you do like her, and you are interested in
what she says, subtle cues in your behavior and body language will slowly but
surely tip you off. It’ll be apparent that 71
==========
about yourself or act, this is actually saying much more about you and your
character than the content of your statements. The truth is always shining through
and people will eventually sense a disconnect. You can tell women that you’re a
record producer and are friends with Jay-Z, but chances are, unless you’re a really
good actor, people are going to sense subtle inconsistencies in your behavior to
back that up. Sooner or later, they will. Then your true identity will shine
through, your lack of vulnerability with shine through, your neediness will shine
through, and you will be a sad, pathetic and unattractive man. This is an extreme
example, but it plays itself out the same way on a smaller scale. Let’s take a
classic example of pretending not to be interested in a girl to get her interested
in you. If you pretend you don’t like a girl, ignore her, act like what she says is
stupid or uninteresting, when in fact you do like her, and you are interested in
what she says, subtle cues in your behavior and body language will slowly but
surely tip you off. It’ll be apparent that 71
==========
Impossible to Ignore: Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions (Carmen
Simon)
You are a choreographer of delayed intentions.

==========
Impossible to Ignore: Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions (Carmen
Simon)
“What do CMOs care about?” After a survey, we discovered CMOs considered three
things to be important for corporate websites: content, community, and commerce.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 55-55 | Added on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 6:13:26 AM

interactions and relationships
==========
- Your Highlight on page 66-66 | Added on Thursday, June 29, 2017 3:16:37 AM
==========
==========
==========
sub-communication is, “I’m totally OK with the idea of you rejecting me, otherwise
I would not be approaching you like this.” Think about it, if a guy wasn’t
comfortable with the prospect of a woman rejecting him, he wouldn’t have been
honest in the first place. In fact, he would have pretended that he wasn’t actually
interested in her! The fact that he honestly approached her with his intentions,
that he puts his nuts on the chopping block and makes himself vulnerable to her
immediately, actually sub-communicates a non-neediness and an 66
==========
sub-communication is, “I’m totally OK with the idea of you rejecting me, otherwise
==========
otherwise I would not be approaching
==========
When you say, “You’re cute and I wanted to meet you,” that translates roughly to,
“Hi, I want to be with you and am officially invested in the prospect of it
happening
==========
What you actually say doesn’t matter; WHY you say it matters
==========
Always. No exceptions
==========
What I learned is that regardless of what you say to a woman, the intention and
implications of WHY you are saying it are far more powerful
==========
You can say the lamest and grossest (or funniest, depending on your perspective)
thing to women, and if the sub-communication is, “I really don’t care if you laugh
or run away horrified, but here’s who I am, take it or leave it,” this sub-
communicates a rock-bottom low level of neediness, and an incredibly high level of
vulnerability
==========
This is because the truth is always shining through. You can’t fake vulnerability
and you can’t fake honesty. By their very definition, it’s impossible
==========
And not only does she know we’re hitting on her, the fact that we seemed so
concerned about not getting rejected turns her off. The fact that we had to
contrive lines and fake stories in order to start a conversation with her, whether
consciously or not, signals to her that we are highly invested and not a truly
attractive man. You cannot fake not being needy for more than a moment. The only
women you will manage to fake are women who are drunk or high or who are extremely
needy themselves. Truth. Confident and truly high quality women who are less
invested in the attention they receive from men are not going to have much patience
for your lines and games. They will either see through them and see you for who you
really are: scared to expose your vulnerability; or 70
==========
And not only does she know we’re hitting on her, the fact that we seemed so
concerned about not getting rejected turns
==========
You cannot fake vulnerability. You cannot fake truth. Truth has to be a gift, given
with no conditions or expectations
==========
You are who you

==========
- Your Highlight on page 73-73 | Added on Friday, June 30, 2017 6:23:46 AM
provision that she stays and talks to him. The compliments are spoken with the
provision that she show him affection in return. This is a subtle form of
manipulation, and therefore at its core, dishonest. Once again, most high value,
non-needy women will see through this immediately and not hang around a man who
does this. In fact, the only women who will go for a man like this are women who
are superficial and willing to trade their affection for material and superficial
gain -- these women are soulless and suppress their emotions as much, if not more
than the men who buy things for them. True honesty is only possible when it is
unconditional. The truth is only the truth when it is given as a gift -- when
nothing is expected in return. When I tell a girl that she is beautiful, I say it
not expecting anything in return. Whether she rejects me or falls in love with me,
what’s important is that I’m expressing my feelings to her. I don’t use my
compliments as a bargaining tool. I give them genuinely. A needy man will give a
girl a compliment without knowing her and wait expectantly for her to repay him in
either her 73
==========
2:50:21 AM
That price might be sacrificing your personal life to get good grades in school,
pursuing a college major that is deadly boring but lucrative, putting off having
kids, missing time with your family, or taking business risks that put you in
jeopardy for embarrassment, divorce, or bankruptcy.
==========
2:50:27 AM
Successful people don’t wish for success; they decide to pursue it.
==========
2:50:43 AM
If you pick the right system, the price will be a lot nearer what you’re willing to
pay.
==========
2:51:36 AM
As a selfish successful person, you can be a role model for others.

==========
2:52:07 AM
The most important form of selfishness involves spending time on your fitness,
eating right, pursuing your career, and still spending quality time with your
family and friends.
==========
2:54:06 AM
The problem is that our obsession with generosity causes people to think in the
short term.
==========
2:54:33 AM
I’m giving you permission to take care of yourself first, so you can do a better
job of being generous in the long run.
==========
2:57:18 AM
I assume some or even most successful people started out selfishly, but success
changes you.
==========
2:57:38 AM
If you pursue your selfish objectives, and you do it well, someday your focus will
turn outward.
==========
2:57:56 AM
I make choices that maximize my personal energy because that makes it easier to
manage all of the other priorities.
==========
4:24:32 AM
So taking care of your own health is job one.
==========
4:24:40 AM
The next ring—and your second-biggest priority—is economics. That includes your
job, your investments, and even your house.
==========
4:26:17 AM
When you’re on the right path, it feels right, literally.

==========
4:29:37 AM
It’s smarter to see your big-idea projects as part of a system to improve your
energy, contacts, and skills.
==========
2:57:03 PM
Energy is good. Passion is bullshit.

==========
4:22:31 PM
In our messy, flawed lives, the nearest we can get to truth is consistency.
==========
5:34:37 PM
It’s a good place to be because failure is where success likes to hide in plain
sight.
==========
6:19:31 PM
do want my failures to make me stronger, of course, but I also want to become

smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized.
==========
6:25:42 PM
Success is entirely accessible, even if you happen to be a huge screwup 95 percent

of the time.
==========
10:43:02 PM
Chances are the best job for you won’t become available at precisely the time you
declare yourself ready. Your best bet, he explained, was to always be looking for
the better deal.
==========
10:47:23 PM
at each turn. The systems people are feeling good

==========
10:22:05 AM
The system was to continually look for better options. And

==========
10:22:10 AM
The system was to continually look for better options.

==========
12:54:40 PM
I was in college, since it said so on my résumé, so why not

==========
5:22:52 PM
Goal-oriented people exist in a state of continuous presuccess failure at best, and

permanent failure at worst if things never work out. Systems people succeed every
time they apply their systems, in the sense that they did what they intended to
==========
5:23:26 PM
In business, making a million dollars is a goal, but being a serial entrepreneur is

a system.
==========
5:23:40 PM
system is something you do on a regular basis that increases your odds of happiness
in the long run.
==========
5:24:13 PM
whereas a system is something you do on a regular basis with a reasonable

expectation that doing
==========
5:24:30 PM
whereas a system is something you do on a regular basis with a reasonable

expectation that doing so will get you to a better place in your life.
==========
5:24:54 PM
I think you’ll find a system at the bottom of it all, and usually some
extraordinary luck.
==========
8:20:42 PM
general strategy and some degree of focus. The world offers so many alternatives
that you need a quick filter to eliminate some options and pay attention to others.
Whatever your plan, focus is always important.
==========
8:20:47 PM
The world offers so many alternatives that you need a quick filter to eliminate
some options and pay attention to others. Whatever your plan, focus is always
important.
==========
8:22:08 PM
But being systems oriented, I felt myself growing more capable every day, no matter
the fate of the project
==========
10:39:06 PM
Successful people don’t wish for success; they decide to pursue it.
==========
6:08:03 PM
On the whole, capitalism channels selfishness in a direction that benefits

civilization, not counting a few fat cats who have figured out how to game the
system.
==========
6:08:41 PM
That’s the trade-off. Like capitalism, some forms of selfishness are enlightened.
==========
6:10:29 PM
You can accomplish more by the time other people
==========
6:10:34 PM
You can accomplish more by the time other people wake up than most people
accomplish all day.
==========
6:11:54 PM
I prefer simplicity whenever I’m choosing a system to use. People can follow simple
systems better than complicated ones.
==========
3:36:28 PM
Another big advantage of simplification is that it frees up time, and time is one
of your most valuable resources in the world. If
==========
3:36:34 PM
Another big advantage of simplification is that it frees up time, and time is one
of your most valuable resources in the world.
==========
3:48:00 PM
Priorities are the things you need to get right so the things you love can thrive.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 93 | Location 1423-1424 | Added on Tuesday, August 1, 2017
3:03:37 PM
The simple knowledge that I had become an official professional cartoonist had a
profound effect on unlocking whatever talent I had.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 93 | Location 1423-1424 | Added on Tuesday, August 1, 2017
3:03:41 PM
The simple knowledge that I had become an official professional cartoonist had a
profound effect on unlocking whatever talent I had.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 185 | Location 2831-2832 | Added on Tuesday, August 8,
2017 2:36:01 PM
The biggest component of luck is timing.

==========
- Your Highlight on page 99-99 | Added on Wednesday, August 16, 2017 12:41:20 AM
Because a man who does not act on his sexual urges is a man who is needy and
therefore unattractive. A classic, yet painful
==========
- Your Highlight on page 125-125 | Added on Wednesday, August 23, 2017 11:49:56 PM
express our vulnerability by sharing our

==========
- Your Highlight on page 127-127 | Added on Wednesday, August 23, 2017 11:56:25 PM
your lifestyle, the more you take care of your appearance and your health, the
higher quality of women you will attract and the greater percentage of Receptive
women you’ll meet
==========
- Your Highlight on page 132-132 | Added on Thursday, August 24, 2017 12:01:35 AM
The better your lifestyle, the easier everything else will be

==========
dating advice out there today. This absolutely boggles my mind since social
interactions are always contextual and therefore picking up women is always
contextual. The fact is that some books tell a 40-year-old divorced banker meeting
women at an art gallery the same thing that they tell a 19- year-old college kid
sneaking into house parties. This is stupid. These two guys have completely
different priorities, life experiences, personalities, interests, and the women
they’re going to meet in those two locations are going to be different in age,
education, values, emotional development, appearance and interests. That some books
would give these men the exact same lines or strategies to use just goes to show
how completely out of tune a lot of men’s dating advice and pick up theory is
today. In fact, time has shown that great swarths of men have become disgruntled
and repeatedly unsuccessful with a lot of this advice, and I think most of this
vast lack of success can be attributed to ignoring demographics. The theory of
demographics is simple and easy to remember: like attracts like. If you’re a
successful professional who likes fine wine, studied abroad and dresses well,
chances are the type of women you’re going to naturally meet and attract in your
every day life are going to be similarly-educated, similar-looking women with
similar interests and similar success. When demographics don’t match up, then it
causes friction. And as we learned in Chapter 4, friction prevents attraction from
turning into hooking up. 138
==========
social interactions are always contextual

==========
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Violate Them at Your Own Risk (Al Ries, Jack
Trout)
- Your Highlight on page 32 | Location 476-476 | Added on Sunday, August 27, 2017
3:35:00 PM
possible because it would have taken

==========
- Your Highlight on page 63 | Location 960-961 | Added on Sunday, September 3, 2017
6:33:41 AM
==========
- Your Highlight on page 63 | Location 960-961 | Added on Sunday, September 3, 2017
6:33:47 AM
==========
- Your Highlight on page 74 | Location 1124-1124 | Added on Sunday, September 3,
2017 6:52:10 AM
If you can’t tell whether a simple plan or a complicated one will be the best,
choose the simple one.
==========
2017 8:45:20 PM
There’s a strong connection between what interests you and what you’re good at.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 130 | Location 1979-1980 | Added on Tuesday, September 5,
2017 7:11:04 PM
When you understand the power of honest praise (as opposed to bullshitting,
flattery, and sucking up), you realize that withholding it borders on immoral.
==========
2017 8:56:00 PM
The sudden improvement was entirely due to

==========
2017 8:56:31 PM
The sudden improvement was entirely due to Sarah’s compliment of my artistic

ability.
==========
2017 9:54:02 PM
Apple owes much of its success to Steve Jobs’s understanding that the way a product
makes users feel trumps
==========
2017 9:54:08 PM
Apple owes much of its success to Steve Jobs’s understanding that the way a product
makes users feel trumps most other considerations, including price.
==========
2017 10:21:10 PM
When you deputize someone to be your problem solver, you create a situation in
which he or she has a clear payoff: Helping nice people always feels good.
==========
2017 10:23:07 PM
For example, “Thank you so much for the ride. I was worried all day about how I
would get everything done while my car is in the shop. You really saved me.”
==========
- Your Highlight on page 171 | Location 2610-2611 | Added on Friday, September 15,
2017 6:28:33 AM
If you are an amateur player with only two games compared with your opponent’s
five, it helps a great deal to know you have something like a 40 percent chance of
prevailing.
==========
2017 6:31:12 AM
I’m talking about the extra energy and vitality that good health brings.
==========
2017 6:31:45 AM
treat success as a learnable skill.

==========
2017 6:36:00 AM
women tend to laugh at stories involving bad things happening to people,

==========
2017 6:36:26 AM
know I can turn the cleverness spigot on full. It’s

==========
2017 6:36:43 AM
It’s a good idea to test an approach before committing.

==========
2017 6:38:04 AM
In general, you want your punch line to inspire listeners to complete the story—
including the bad part—in their own minds.
==========
2017 6:41:00 AM
The details of affirmations probably don’t matter much because the process is about
improving your focus, not summoning magic.
==========
2017 6:55:19 AM
It’s tempting to imagine happiness as a state of mind caused by whatever is

happening in your life. By that way of thinking, we’re largely victims of the cold,
cold world that sometimes rewards our good work and sometimes punishes us for no
reason. That’s a helpless worldview and it can blind you to a simple system for
being happier.
==========
2017 9:50:23 AM
food drives your mood

==========
2017 9:53:30 AM
You need to experiment to know for sure. Just

==========
2017 9:53:33 AM
You need to experiment to know for sure. Just remember

==========
2017 9:53:46 AM
Just remember that it is chemistry, not magic controlling your energy.

==========
2017 10:38:43 AM
eliminate your risk of drinking and driving. You

==========
2017 10:38:56 AM
You can often get good results from inaccurate worldviews.

==========
2017 2:07:31 PM
Rolling your foot on top of a golf ball on the floor to increase “hamstring”
flexibility.
==========
2017 2:15:15 PM
“hamstring series”
==========
The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and
Living the Good Life (Timothy Ferriss)
- Your Highlight on Location 558-558 | Added on Friday, September 15, 2017 11:16:25
PM
how badly can you mangle the recipe and still get something incredible?
==========
PM
The secret is in sequencing.

==========
PM
extremes inform the mean, but

==========
PM
the extremes inform the mean, but not vice versa.

==========
PM
Everything needs to be flawless to win 18 gold medals.

==========
PM
The Shinji Takeuchis, on the other hand—the rare anomalies who’ve gone from zero to
the global top 5% in record time, despite mediocre raw materials—are worth their
weight in gold.
==========
PM
MATERIAL BEATS METHOD In 1992, I was 15 years old and had landed
==========
PM
MATERIAL BEATS METHOD In 1992, I was 15 years old and had landed
==========
PM
MATERIAL BEATS METHOD

==========
PM
what you study is more important than how you study.

==========
PM
The principles transferred to everything.

==========
- Your Highlight on Location 1700-1701 | Added on Wednesday, September 20, 2017
2:55:54 PM
By limiting himself to a few simple pieces, he mastered something limitless: high-

level concepts
==========
2:55:59 PM
By limiting himself to a few simple pieces, he mastered something limitless: high-

level concepts he could apply anytime against anyone.
==========
2:56:34 PM
“Do as little as needed, not as much as possible.”

==========
3:00:33 PM
I went over tapes like a boxer researching the greats. What did the maestros have
in common, and what did they rely on when the stakes were highest?
==========
3:00:52 PM
There was clearly explicit expertise (what they told me to do) and implicit
expertise (what they did under pressure that they weren’t aware of or couldn’t
verbalize).
==========
3:01:12 PM
Third, I identified what I could become good at quickly if I leveraged past

experience.
==========
3:01:32 PM
What are commonalities among the best competitors? Which of these aren’t being
actively taught (i.e., implicit) in most classes? Which neglected skills (answers
to #2) could I get good at abnormally quickly?
==========
3:03:26 PM
“It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we
dare not venture that they are difficult.”
==========
3:04:08 PM
creating incentives and assigning accountability are the

==========
3:04:13 PM
creating incentives and assigning accountability are the two most important keys to
achieving a goal.
==========
3:07:38 PM
Making effective decisions—and learning effectively—requires massive elimination

and the removal of options.
==========
3:09:32 PM
task will swell in complexity to fill the time you allot it, a phenomenon often
referred to as Parkinson’s Law.
==========
3:10:03 PM
the wonderful one-pager.

==========
3:24:35 PM
How you do anything is how you will do everything.

==========
3:24:57 PM
‘Details create success’

==========
3:27:37 PM
Setting up your mise en place (or meez) is #1: everything must be

==========
3:27:41 PM
Setting up your mise en place (or meez) is #1: everything must be ready and in its
place before you start.
==========
3:28:27 PM
CRITICAL: Forget about “cooking” as one activity. Think of it henceforth as 1) prep

and 2) pickup.
==========
3:34:19 PM
Pick your world-class (top 5%) objective, and set your timeline. For this example,
we’ll use Spanish in one month (28 days). Use deconstruction, 80/20, and everything
in META-LEARNING to nail your materials, determine your sequence, and map out your
calendar. To forecast different milestones, work backward from your total allotted
time of 28 days.
==========
3:40:42 PM
Converting the unfamiliar and unwieldy into the familiar and manageable.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 49 | Location 744-745 | Added on Saturday, September 23,
2017 5:07:34 PM
Dom gifted Tony Robbins’s (page 210) Personal Power audio set to all of his
undergrad lifting buddies. Two contacted him years later to thank him for changing
their lives.
==========
2017 5:28:51 PM
metformin decreases the liver’s ability to make and deposit glucose into the
bloodstream.
==========
2017 5:35:15 PM
Do ~40 repetitions of the following breathing exercise: Max inhale (raise chest)
and “let go” exhale (drop chest sharply). The let-go exhale can be thought of as a
short “hah.” If you’re doing this correctly, after 20 to 30 reps you might feel
loose, mild lightheadedness, and a little bit of tingling. The tingling is often
felt in the hands first.
==========
- Your Note on page 70 | Location 1067 | Added on Saturday, September 23, 2017
5:35:39 PM
anulom vilom
==========
2017 5:36:41 PM
cold exposure as a tool. It can improve immune function, increase fat loss
(partially by increasing levels of the hormone adiponectin), and dramatically
elevate mood.
==========
2017 5:38:22 PM
To use the lingo of the cool kids: He has practiced

==========
2017 5:38:47 PM
use the lingo of the cool kids: He has practiced intermittent fasting for decades
now.
==========
2017 5:41:47 PM
During that same training session, I went from my normal 45-second breath hold time
to 4 minutes and 45 seconds with no perceptible side effects.
==========
2017 5:45:03 PM
delicious tea for us to drink during recording. It’s sometimes called “duck shit
fragrance tea.”
==========
2017 5:46:31 PM
me. “I assume the best in people. I assume that

==========
2017 5:46:36 PM
assume the best in people. I assume that I can trust them until they prove me
wrong.
==========
2017 5:47:49 PM
“Let go of what’s not working and really assess what is

==========
2017 5:47:54 PM
“Let go of what’s not working and really assess what is working and ‘what can I be
excited about?’
==========
2017 5:48:13 PM
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: “I love really condensed, shakti [empowerment]-

filled, energy-filled statements—something that you can read in a few minutes or
you can read for your whole life.”
==========
2017 5:48:32 PM
author’s illustrations.] Tao Te Ching by

==========
2017 5:48:37 PM
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: Jason travels with this book. “Oftentimes before
meditation,
==========
2017 5:49:15 PM
Stephen Mitchell.
==========
2017 5:49:56 PM
I had to prescribe two things to improve health and happiness in the world, it’d be
movement and play.
==========
2017 5:52:49 PM
getting inverted). Good rule for Acro and for life: Tell people what you want, not
what you don’t want, and keep it simple. In
==========
2017 5:52:54 PM
Tell people what you want, not what you don’t want, and keep it simple.
==========
2017 5:55:55 PM
“The quality of your questions determines the quality of your life.”

==========
2017 5:57:48 PM
You can often find past gold and silver medalists willing to answer these via Skype
for $50 to $100 per hour, which is an incredible steal and could save you years of
wasted effort.
==========
2017 5:58:00 PM
that many of the basketball principles (e.g., determining eye dominance to move
your vertical “center line”) applied to the lane, too.
==========
2017 6:00:49 PM
He still enters ketosis at least once per week as a result of fasting (one primary
meal per day at ~6 to 8 p.m.), and he feels he is at his best on a ketogenic diet.
His
==========
2017 6:06:00 PM
of bang for your buck, is going to be really

==========
2017 6:06:07 PM
terms of bang for your buck, is going to be really high-intensity, heavy strength
training. Strength
==========
2017 6:06:53 PM
and biases in human thinking. Peter wants to ensure he goes through life without
being too sure of himself, and this book helps him to recalibrate.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 100 | Location 1532-1533 | Added on Saturday, September
23, 2017 6:09:00 PM
The story is contained in Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!, the most-gifted book
of several people in this book, as well as in a wonderful short documentary called
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out.
==========
23, 2017 6:09:38 PM
Can I see the lineal alba [vertical separation] on your

==========
23, 2017 6:09:43 PM
Can I see the lineal alba [vertical separation] on your abs?

==========
23, 2017 6:10:13 PM
Can I see the lineal alba [vertical separation] on your abs? In other words, can I
see all ab rows? One ab row doesn’t count; you’ve got to see them all. In other
words, you have to have penis skin on your abs.”
==========
23, 2017 6:11:25 PM
“I really like macadamia nuts, but I vary that so I don’t develop

intolerances. . . .
==========
23, 2017 6:13:22 PM
magnesium threonate,
==========
23, 2017 6:14:47 PM
Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute by Richard

==========
23, 2017 6:14:53 PM
59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute by Richard Wiseman (for

==========
23, 2017 6:16:31 PM
“Ag walks with rear support”

==========
23, 2017 6:17:46 PM
Halos Grasp a weight with both hands and rotate it around your head to loosen up
the shoulder girdle. I use a 25- to 45-pound kettlebell or plate for this and
perform 5 slow reps in each direction. Start light.
==========
23, 2017 6:18:19 PM
“Anything more than 5 reps is bodybuilding. . . . If you want to be strong, you

want
==========
23, 2017 6:18:24 PM

want to keep your reps at 5 and under.”
==========
23, 2017 6:18:26 PM

want to keep your reps at 5 and under.”
==========
23, 2017 6:30:03 PM
how much force he or she puts into the ground per pound of body weight. Then
==========
23, 2017 6:30:08 PM
how much force he or she puts into the ground per pound of body weight.
==========
23, 2017 6:30:24 PM
deadlifts with heavy weights, low reps, low volume, and a de-emphasized negative.
==========
23, 2017 6:31:13 PM
The Basic Technique: Deadlift to your knees and then drop the bar. I used a “sumo-
style” stance, but conventional is fine. Format: 2 to 3 sets of 2 to 3 reps each,
each set followed by plyometrics
==========
23, 2017 6:33:19 PM
One-arm swing Turkish get-up (TGU)

==========
23, 2017 6:33:25 PM
One-arm swing Turkish get-up (TGU) Goblet squat

==========
23, 2017 6:34:35 PM
strength that makes all other values possible.”

==========
23, 2017 6:37:35 PM
Fresh-squeezed turmeric root, chaga mushroom, liquid pepper extract, raw honey,
apple cider vinegar, and water (dilute to taste).
==========
23, 2017 6:38:07 PM
Natural Born Heroes by Christopher McDougall Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales,

which Laird calls “an incredible book about fear and dealing with fear.”
==========
23, 2017 6:38:34 PM
They’re ready, but you have to go first, because now we’re being trained in this
world [to opt out]—nobody’s going first anymore.”
==========
23, 2017 6:43:36 PM
you flexible people should go bang some iron, and all you big weight lifters should
go do some yoga. . . . We always gravitate toward our strengths because we want to
be in our glory.”
==========
23, 2017 6:44:14 PM
don’t hold yourself back.

==========
23, 2017 6:47:43 PM
Personally, I prefer the whole-plant sources that have been used for millennia.
==========
23, 2017 6:49:00 PM
100 mcg is useful for creative problem solving with non-personal matters (e.g.,
physics, biomechanics, or architecture). A number of Nobel Prize laureates in
chemistry, biology, and elsewhere attribute breakthroughs to LSD.
==========
23, 2017 6:53:58 PM
Keeping it simple, Dan suggests you start with 2 to 3 floats inside of 1 month.
==========
23, 2017 6:54:13 PM
flotation therapy
==========
23, 2017 6:56:33 PM
and said, ‘I wanna do that.’ The coach said, ‘Okay. Is that a dream or a goal?
Because there’s a difference.’
==========
23, 2017 6:56:36 PM
and said, ‘I wanna do that.’ The coach said, ‘Okay. Is that a dream or a goal?
Because there’s a difference.’
==========
23, 2017 6:57:20 PM
all?’ and he goes, ‘Why would I be wound up? I’m either ready or I’m not. Worrying
about it right now ain’t gonna change a damn thing.
==========
23, 2017 6:57:31 PM
“My work isn’t done tonight. My work was done 3
==========
23, 2017 6:57:36 PM
something similar, on big standup specials: “My work isn’t done tonight. My work
was done 3 months ago, and I just have to show up.”
==========
23, 2017 6:58:03 PM
“I’ve learned an important trick: To develop foresight, you need to practice

hindsight.”
==========
23, 2017 6:58:17 PM
of the New York Times bestseller Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better
==========
23, 2017 6:59:03 PM
G4M3RS: A Documentary
==========
23, 2017 6:59:09 PM
Most-gifted or recommended books Finite and Infinite Games by

==========
23, 2017 6:59:25 PM
‘When it comes to the future, it’s far more important to be imaginative than to be
right’ by
==========
23, 2017 7:00:14 PM
‘What do you think about that really gets you excited?’

==========
23, 2017 7:00:39 PM
Advice to your 30-year-old self? “I would say to have no fear. I mean, you’ve got
one chance here to do amazing things, and being afraid of being wrong or making a
mistake or fumbling is just not how you do something of impact. You just have to be
fearless.”
==========
23, 2017 7:01:20 PM
He also wrote The Happy Body, which contains the morning mobility work that both
Naval Ravikant (page 546, who introduced us) and I do on a near-daily basis.
==========
23, 2017 7:02:50 PM
ever given in my books and podcasts, the ChiliPad had the biggest impact on their
quality of life.
==========
23, 2017 7:03:00 PM
Honey + ACV: My go-to tranquilizer beverage is simple: 2 tablespoons of apple cider

vinegar (I use Bragg brand) and 1 tablespoon honey,
==========
23, 2017 7:04:10 PM
“Visual overwriting” is what I do right before bed to crowd out anything replaying
or looping in my mind that will inhibit sleep (e.g., email, to-do lists, an
argument,
==========
23, 2017 7:04:21 PM
Escape to River Cottage, Season One.

==========
23, 2017 7:05:57 PM
“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of
the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do
another task and another and another.
==========
23, 2017 7:07:58 PM
you see an external distraction (speaking personally), you end up creating an

internally distracted state.
==========
7:08:15 PM
pleaswe please please follow this

==========
23, 2017 7:08:27 PM
Both are done in the morning: A) read a few pages of stoicism, like Marcus
Aurelius’s Meditations, and B) control at least a few things you can control. I’ll
elaborate.
==========
23, 2017 7:09:05 PM
Sometimes I will do “Happy Body” mobility exercises from Jerzy Gregorek (introduced
to me by Naval Ravikant, page 546)
==========
23, 2017 7:09:24 PM
The 5 to 10 reps here are not a workout. They are intended to “state prime” and
wake me up.
==========
23, 2017 7:09:41 PM
My preferred exercise is push-ups with ring turn out (RTO) (see page 16), as it
nicely lights up the nervous system. I’ll
==========
23, 2017 7:09:47 PM
nicely lights up the nervous system. I’ll often take a 30- to 60-second pure cold
shower after this,
==========
23, 2017 7:09:56 PM
shower after this,
==========
23, 2017 7:10:01 PM
shower after this,
==========
23, 2017 7:13:27 PM
use two types of journaling and alternate between them: Morning Pages and The 5-
Minute Journal (5MJ). The former I use primarily for getting unstuck or problem
solving (what should I do?); the latter I use for prioritizing and gratitude (how
should I focus and execute?). I
==========
23, 2017 7:13:45 PM
To be answered in the morning: I am grateful for . . . 1. __________ 2. __________

3. __________ What would make today great? 1. __________ 2. __________ 3.
__________ Daily affirmations. I am . . . 1. __________ 2. __________ 3. __________
To be filled in at night: 3 amazing things that happened today . . . 1. __________
2. __________ 3. __________ (This is similar to Peter Diamandis’s “three wins”
practice; see page 373.) How could I have made today better? 1. __________ 2.
__________ 3. __________
==========
23, 2017 7:14:12 PM
practicing appreciation, even for 2 to 3 minutes, is counter-balancing medicine.

==========
23, 2017 7:15:58 PM
If I could only choose one physical exercise for the body, it would probably be the
hex-bar deadlift or two-handed kettlebell swing. If I could only choose one
exercise for the mind, it would be 10 to 20 minutes of meditation at least once
daily.
==========
7:16:11 PM
this is what ikm here for

==========
23, 2017 7:16:23 PM
Transcendental Meditation (TM), and substantially more women end up at vipassana.

==========
23, 2017 7:17:24 PM
That was unfounded; meditation simply helps you channel drive toward the few things
that matter, rather than every moving target and imaginary opponent that pops up.
==========
23, 2017 7:17:59 PM
consider using accountability partners or betting through a service like Coach.me

or Stickk.com.
==========
23, 2017 7:19:18 PM
We suggest finding a “mindfulness buddy” and committing to a 15-minute conversation

every week,
==========
23, 2017 7:19:32 PM
The reason is to keep the practice from becoming a burden.

==========
23, 2017 7:19:44 PM
“Meditation is an indulgence.”
==========
23, 2017 7:20:03 PM
Breathe in and breathe out mindfully, and your commitment for the day is fulfilled.
Everything else is a bonus.
==========
23, 2017 7:20:41 PM
At the end of an experience of emotion—joy, anger, sadness,

==========
23, 2017 7:20:49 PM
the end of an experience of emotion—joy, anger, sadness, or anything else—notice it

is over. Gone. This practice is, without a doubt, one of the most important
meditation practices of all time.
==========
23, 2017 7:21:36 PM
wish for this person to be happy, and I wish for that person to be happy.”
==========
23, 2017 7:21:45 PM
This is the joy of loving-kindness.

==========
23, 2017 7:21:53 PM
all you have to do is randomly wish for somebody else to be happy.

==========
23, 2017 7:26:30 PM
Dealing with the temporary frustration of not making progress is an integral part
of the path towards excellence.
==========
23, 2017 7:26:40 PM
fact, this impatience in dealing with frustration is the primary reason that most
people fail to achieve their goals.
==========
23, 2017 7:26:51 PM
Achieving the extraordinary is not a linear process. The secret is to show up, do
the work, and go home.
==========
23, 2017 7:27:00 PM
blue collar work ethic married to indomitable will.

==========
23, 2017 7:27:16 PM
quality long-term results require quality long-term focus.

==========
23, 2017 7:27:21 PM
Learn to enjoy and appreciate the process.

==========
23, 2017 7:27:29 PM
This is especially important because you are going to spend far more time on the
actual journey than with those all too brief moments of triumph at the end.
==========
23, 2017 7:27:41 PM
In fact, if you are not encountering defeat on a fairly regular

==========
23, 2017 7:27:45 PM
learn from defeats when they happen. In fact, if you are not encountering defeat on
a fairly regular
==========
23, 2017 7:27:49 PM
fact, if you are not encountering defeat on a fairly regular basis, you are not
trying hard enough.
==========
23, 2017 7:28:02 PM
And absolutely refuse to accept less than your best. Throw out a timeline. It will
take what it takes.
==========
23, 2017 7:28:12 PM
take what it takes.
==========
23, 2017 7:28:15 PM
take what it takes.
==========
23, 2017 7:29:45 PM
The single decision is one of the most powerful tools in the toolbox.
==========
23, 2017 7:32:04 PM
my podcast, including I Seem to Be a Verb by Buckminster Fuller.

==========
23, 2017 7:32:41 PM
wanted to go on offense. I wanted to have the time to focus, to learn the things I
wanted to learn, to build what I wanted to build, and to really invest in
relationships that I wanted to grow, rather than just doing a day of coffee after
coffee after coffee.”
==========
23, 2017 7:33:19 PM
embarrassed myself with Euro-style Speedos.] I borrow the cash for a 3-bedroom
house and get a lifetime’s worth of pals and a hugely successful business in
return?
==========
23, 2017 7:33:34 PM
Which of those did you assign yourself, and which of those are you doing to please
someone else? Your inbox is a to-do list to which
==========
23, 2017 7:33:39 PM
Which of those did you assign yourself, and which of those are you doing to please
someone else? Your inbox is a to-do list to which anyone in the world can add an
action item.
==========
23, 2017 7:34:20 PM
Read all the other notes you can find on the company, and gain a general knowledge
that your very limited job function may not offer you. Just make yourself useful
and helpful by doing so.
==========
23, 2017 7:35:18 PM
knowing which companies to invest in. Part of the process is ensuring founders know
who you are.
==========
23, 2017 7:35:48 PM
“Experience often deeply embeds the assumptions that need to be questioned in the
first place. When
==========
23, 2017 7:35:53 PM
“Experience often deeply embeds the assumptions that need to be questioned in the
first place.
==========
23, 2017 7:36:04 PM
When you have a lot of experience with something, you don’t notice the things that
are new about it. You don’t notice the idiosyncrasies that need to be tweaked. You
don’t notice where the gaps are, what’s missing, or what’s not really working.”
==========
23, 2017 7:36:54 PM
learned so much and developed so much confidence, and really honed my storytelling
skills.
==========
23, 2017 7:38:55 PM
all still emotionally driven human beings. We want to attach ourselves to

narratives.
==========
23, 2017 7:39:07 PM
The core of it was to be your unapologetically weird self. I think authenticity is
one of the most lacking things out there these days.”
==========
23, 2017 7:40:25 PM
Is your product any good if people won’t pay more for it?”
==========
23, 2017 7:40:42 PM
We didn’t have a fancy word for it. We just called it a fuck-up.

==========
23, 2017 7:55:00 PM
‘What would you have done differently had you known X?’ I never, ever play that
game because you didn’t know X.
==========
23, 2017 7:55:53 PM
We don’t revisit past decisions. We don’t second guess.

==========
23, 2017 7:56:11 PM
One of the things I think you want to look for as both a founder and as an investor
is things that are out of consensus, something very much opposed to the
conventional wisdom. . . . Then, if you’re going to start a company around that, if
you’re going to invest in that, you better have strong conviction because you’re
making a very big bet of time or money or both.
==========
23, 2017 7:56:19 PM
but you need to be able to adapt in light of new information.

==========
23, 2017 7:56:40 PM
Marc and I are both huge fans of Steve Martin’s autobiography, Born Standing Up: A
Comic’s Life. Marc
==========
23, 2017 7:56:45 PM
‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’”

==========
23, 2017 7:56:53 PM
“Smart people should make things.”

==========
23, 2017 7:57:20 PM
“Get inside the heads of the people who made things in the past and what they were
actually like, and then realize
==========
23, 2017 7:57:25 PM
actually like, and then realize that they’re not that different from you. At
==========
23, 2017 7:57:29 PM
actually like, and then realize that they’re not that different from you.
==========
23, 2017 8:11:47 PM
everything around you that you call ‘life’ was made up by people that were no
smarter than you.
==========
23, 2017 8:12:13 PM
And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that
other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
==========
23, 2017 8:12:59 PM
But what both schools have in common is an orientation toward, I would say,
original thinking in really being able to view things as
==========
23, 2017 8:13:04 PM
But what both schools have in common is an orientation toward, I would say,
original thinking in really being able to view things as they are as opposed to
what everybody says about them, or the way they’re believed to be.”
==========
23, 2017 8:13:19 PM
My goal is to succeed over the long run.

==========
23, 2017 8:13:29 PM
“To do original work: It’s not necessary to know something nobody else knows. It is
necessary to believe something few other people believe.”
==========
23, 2017 8:13:42 PM
For every metric, there should be another ‘paired’ metric that addresses adverse
consequences of the first metric.”
==========
23, 2017 8:14:42 PM
One of his favorite documentaries is Brooklyn Castle, a film about chess in inner-
city schools.
==========
23, 2017 8:15:37 PM
“My confidence came from my vision. . . . I am a big believer that if you have a
very clear vision of where you want to go, then the rest of it is much easier.
==========
23, 2017 8:15:49 PM
Because you always know why you are training 5 hours a day, you always know why you
are pushing and going through the pain barrier, and why you have to eat more, and
why you have to struggle more, and why you have to be more disciplined. . . . I
felt that I could win it, and that was what I was there for. I wasn’t there to
compete. I was there to win.”
==========
23, 2017 8:18:01 PM
Naturally, when you have a competition, you use all this. You ask people if they
were sick for a while. They look a little leaner.
==========
23, 2017 8:18:36 PM
felt if I was smart with real estate and took my little money that I made in
bodybuilding and in seminars and selling my courses through the mail, I could save
up enough to put down money for an apartment building.
==========
23, 2017 8:19:11 PM
of my favorite negotiating maxims: “In negotiation, he who cares the least wins.”
==========
23, 2017 8:19:16 PM
one of my favorite negotiating maxims: “In negotiation, he who cares the least
wins.”
==========
23, 2017 8:19:22 PM
one of my favorite negotiating maxims: “In negotiation, he who cares the least
wins.”
==========
23, 2017 8:19:28 PM
negotiation, he who cares the least wins.”

==========
23, 2017 8:21:51 PM
Can I trade a short-term, incremental gain for a potential longer-term, game-

changing upside?
==========
23, 2017 8:23:47 PM
“Even today, I still benefit from that because I don’t merge and bring things
together and see everything as one big problem. I
==========
23, 2017 8:24:21 PM
have my mind inside the bicep when I do my curls. I have my mind inside the
pectoral muscles when I do my bench press. I’m really inside, and it’s like I gain
a form of meditation, because you have no chance of thinking or concentrating on
anything else at that time.”
==========
23, 2017 8:25:37 PM
Awaken the Giant Within

==========
23, 2017 8:25:59 PM
“HOW TO THRIVE IN AN UNKNOWABLE FUTURE? CHOOSE THE PLAN WITH THE MOST OPTIONS. THE
BEST PLAN IS THE ONE THAT LETS
==========
23, 2017 8:26:03 PM
“HOW TO THRIVE IN AN UNKNOWABLE FUTURE? CHOOSE THE PLAN WITH THE MOST OPTIONS. THE
BEST PLAN IS THE ONE THAT LETS YOU CHANGE YOUR PLANS.”
==========
23, 2017 8:26:15 PM
This is one of Derek’s “Directives,” which are his one-line rules for life,
distilled from hundreds of books and decades of lessons learned. Others include “Be
expensive” (see Marc Andreessen, page 170), “Expect disaster” (see Tony Robbins,
page 210), and “Own as little as possible” (see Jason Nemer, page 46, and Kevin
Kelly, page 470).
==========
23, 2017 8:26:44 PM
‘When you think of the word “successful,” who’s the third person that comes to
mind? Why are they actually more successful than the first person that came to
mind?’
==========
23, 2017 8:28:17 PM
You can do everything you want to do. You just need foresight and patience.”
==========
23, 2017 8:29:31 PM
could give people a discount, which they love. So $35 setup fee, $4 per CD sold,
and then, Tim, for the next 10 years, that was it. That was my entire business
model, generated in 5 minutes by walking down to the local
==========
23, 2017 8:29:36 PM
$35 setup fee, $4 per CD sold, and then, Tim, for the next 10 years, that was it.
That was my entire business model, generated in 5 minutes by walking down to the
local
==========
23, 2017 8:29:58 PM
You need to figure out whether you’re feeling like, “Fuck yeah!” or “No.” ’
==========
23, 2017 8:30:11 PM
I’m on top of it. ‘Busy,’ to me, seems to imply ‘out of control.’

==========
23, 2017 8:30:14 PM
I’m on top of it. ‘Busy,’ to me, seems to imply ‘out of control.’

==========
23, 2017 8:30:33 PM
Lack of time is lack of priorities. If I’m “busy,” it is because I’ve made choices
that put me in that position, so I’ve forbidden myself to reply to “How are you?”
with “Busy.” I have no right to complain. Instead, if I’m too busy, it’s a cue to
reexamine my systems and rules.
==========
23, 2017 8:30:58 PM
think I would make a billboard that says, ‘It Won’t Make You Happy,’ and I would
place it outside any big shopping mall or car dealer.
==========
23, 2017 8:33:35 PM
“We could do the math, [but] whatever, 93-something-percent of my huffing and

puffing, and all that red face and
==========
23, 2017 8:33:40 PM
“We could do the math, [but] whatever, 93-something-percent of my huffing and

puffing, and all that red face and all that stress was only for an extra 2 minutes.
==========
23, 2017 8:34:37 PM
I believe you shouldn’t start a business unless people are asking you to.
==========
23, 2017 8:37:05 PM
‘We are whatever we pretend to be.’”

==========
23, 2017 8:38:24 PM
When you’re thinking of how to make your business bigger, it’s tempting to try to
think all the big thoughts, the world-changing, massive-action plans. But please
know that it’s often the tiny details that really thrill someone enough to make
them tell all their friends about you.
==========
23, 2017 8:44:17 PM
‘You are a rounding error,’
==========
23, 2017 8:45:00 PM
It just requires you to gives lots of damns, which not enough people do.”
==========
23, 2017 8:45:10 PM
“Wow . . . if you can inject this life into your software, into the copy, into the
whatever, you can connect with people.”
==========
23, 2017 8:48:08 PM
“What are you doing that the world doesn’t realize is a really big fucking deal?”
==========
23, 2017 8:50:51 PM
Wake up at least 1 hour before

==========
23, 2017 8:50:55 PM
Wake up at least 1 hour before you have to be at a computer screen.

==========
23, 2017 8:51:31 PM
TO BE CLEAR: Block out at 2 to 3 HOURS to focus on ONE of them for today. This is
ONE BLOCK OF TIME. Cobbling together 10 minutes here and there to add up to 120
minutes does not work. No phone calls or social media allowed. If you get
distracted or start procrastinating, don’t freak out and downward-spiral; just
gently come back to your ONE to-do. Congratulations! That’s it.
==========
23, 2017 8:51:44 PM
I have 10 important things to do in a day, it’s 100% certain

==========
23, 2017 8:51:49 PM
If I have 10 important things to do in a day, it’s 100% certain nothing important

will get done that day.
==========
23, 2017 8:52:29 PM
Being busy is a form of laziness—lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Being
busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding the few critically important but
uncomfortable actions.
==========
23, 2017 8:53:50 PM
We’re both big fans of Peter Drucker and his book The Effective Executive, as well
as Alain de Botton’s (page 486) How Proust Can Change Your Life.
==========
23, 2017 8:54:36 PM
“The people who download your book as a bad PDF aren’t your customers. They would
never buy it in the first place. Look at it as free advertising.”
==========
23, 2017 8:54:58 PM
“getting upset won’t help things.”

==========
23, 2017 8:55:14 PM
‘Okay, if we do X today, what does that result in tomorrow, a year from now, ten
years from now?’
==========
23, 2017 8:55:30 PM
I find it just as often on the entrepreneurial side. People don’t plan for
success.”
==========
23, 2017 8:56:37 PM
On a hike in San Francisco, Matt recommended I read “The Tail End” by Tim Urban on
the Wait But Why blog—if you only read one article this month, make it that one.
==========
23, 2017 8:57:17 PM
That time has passed, so try the Dvorak layout instead, which is easier on your
tendons and helps prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. Read The Dvorak Zine
(dvzine.org). Colemak is even more efficient, if you dare. Within Automattic, Matt
has held speed-typing challenges, where the loser has to switch to the winner’s
layout. So
==========
23, 2017 8:57:27 PM
That time has passed, so try the Dvorak layout instead, which is easier on your
tendons and helps prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. Read The Dvorak Zine
(dvzine.org). Colemak is even more efficient, if you dare. Within Automattic, Matt
has held speed-typing challenges, where the loser has to switch to the winner’s
layout. So far, Dvorak has always beaten QWERTY.
==========
23, 2017 8:58:06 PM
Wunderlist: To-do management app/tool to help you get stuff done.

==========
23, 2017 8:58:29 PM
There’s no excuse. I often find I just need to get over that initial hump with
something that’s almost embarrassingly small as a goal, and then that can become a
habit.”
==========
23, 2017 8:59:28 PM
It’s purely based on the care and effort that they put into this email. We’ve tried
forms and things they fill out before, and we’ve gone back to just a freeform email
because I want to see what kind of attachment they use.
==========
23, 2017 8:59:42 PM
“You know something I can say, you asked about what we look for in candidates:
clarity of writing. I think clarity of writing indicates clarity of thinking.”
==========
23, 2017 9:00:12 PM
“If someone likes that book, then I might point them to George Lakoff. He has a
great seminal work from the 1980s called Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things.” He
loves books about framing and language.
==========
23, 2017 9:00:32 PM
“Slow down. I think a lot of the mistakes of my youth were mistakes of ambition,
not mistakes of sloth.
==========
23, 2017 9:00:39 PM
“Slow down. I think a lot of the mistakes of my youth were mistakes of ambition,
not mistakes of sloth.
==========
23, 2017 9:01:38 PM
“Franz Liszt is one of the great romantic composers of piano literature.

==========
23, 2017 9:02:29 PM
geranium oil
==========
23, 2017 9:02:54 PM
Unlimited Power
==========
23, 2017 9:02:59 PM
Then, just out of college, I listened to a used cassette set of Personal Power II
during my commute
==========
23, 2017 9:03:37 PM
“I DIDN’T SURVIVE, I PREPARED.”

==========
23, 2017 9:04:52 PM
“Losers react, leaders anticipate.”

==========
23, 2017 9:05:01 PM
“Mastery doesn’t come from an infographic. What you know doesn’t mean shit. What do
you do consistently?”
==========
23, 2017 9:05:05 PM
“Mastery doesn’t come from an infographic. What you know doesn’t mean shit. What do
you do consistently?”
==========
23, 2017 9:05:51 PM
you let your learning lead to knowledge, you become a fool. If you let your
learning lead to action, you become wealthy.”
==========
23, 2017 9:06:16 PM
“The quality of your life is the quality of your questions.” Questions determine
your focus.
==========
23, 2017 9:06:47 PM
you’re suffering, that survival software is there. The reason you’re suffering is
you’re focused on yourself.
==========
23, 2017 9:06:57 PM
you’re suffering, that survival software is there. The reason you’re suffering is
you’re focused on yourself. People
==========
23, 2017 9:07:02 PM
The reason you’re suffering is you’re focused on yourself.

==========
23, 2017 9:07:17 PM
Then, I learned the dead simple “loving-kindness meditation” exercise from my

friend Chade-Meng Tan (page 157), which had a profound effect after just 3 to 4
days. Try it.
==========
23, 2017 9:07:53 PM
so wound up I can’t even think straight?”). To fix

==========
23, 2017 9:08:06 PM
I so wound up I can’t even think straight?”). To fix this, he encourages you to

“prime” your state first. The biochemistry will help you proactively tell yourself
an enabling story. Only then do you think on strategy, as you’ll see the options
instead of dead ends.
==========
23, 2017 9:08:29 PM
I’ve started doing 1–2 minutes of calisthenics—or kettlebell swings (see Justin
Boreta, page 356)—in the morning to set my state for the day.
==========
23, 2017 9:08:54 PM
Sometimes, you think you have to figure out your life’s purpose, but you really
just need some macadamia nuts and a cold fucking shower.
==========
23, 2017 9:09:07 PM
to produce a rapid change in his physiology: “To me, if you want a primetime life,
you’ve got to prime daily.”
==========
23, 2017 9:09:12 PM
Cold-water plunge (I use a quick cold shower, which could be just 30 to 60 seconds)
==========
23, 2017 9:09:39 PM
He does 3 sets of 30 reps. His seated technique is similar to the rapid nasal
“breath of fire” in yoga, but he adds in rapid overhead extension of the arms on
the inhale, with the elbows dropping down the rib cage on the exhale.
==========
23, 2017 9:10:03 PM
The first 3 minutes: “Feeling totally grateful for three things. I make sure that
one of them is very, very simple: the wind on my face, the reflection of the clouds
that I just saw.
==========
23, 2017 9:10:10 PM
It’s impossible to be angry and grateful simultaneously.

==========
23, 2017 9:12:49 PM
‘How do I get no risk and get huge rewards?’ and because you ask a question
continuously and you believe [there’s an] answer, you get it.”
==========
23, 2017 9:19:09 PM
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl The Fourth Turning by William Strauss
(Also, Generations by William Strauss, which was gifted to Tony by Bill Clinton)
==========
23, 2017 9:19:18 PM
Mindset by Carol Dweck (for parenting) As a Man Thinketh by

==========
23, 2017 9:19:43 PM
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Casey’s favorite book is The Second World War by
John Keegan.
==========
23, 2017 9:20:09 PM
reading this textbook. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is Casey’s favorite
movie, made during World War II.
==========
23, 2017 9:21:26 PM
When in doubt about your next creative project, follow your anger (see
==========
23, 2017 9:22:59 PM
you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things
worth reading, or do things worth writing.”
==========
23, 2017 9:23:06 PM
It’s modeled after Ben Franklin’s excellent advice: “If you would not be forgotten
as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things
worth writing.”
==========
23, 2017 9:23:53 PM
“You realize that you will never be the best-looking person in the room. You’ll
never be the smartest person in the room. You’ll never be the most educated, the
most well-versed. You can never compete on those levels. But what you can always
compete on, the true egalitarian aspect to success, is hard work. You can always
work harder than the next guy.”
==========
23, 2017 9:24:12 PM
The video goes live at exactly 8 a.m., 7 days a week.

==========
23, 2017 9:24:49 PM
much time you spend doing what you love. It’s

==========
23, 2017 9:24:54 PM
“What is the ultimate quantification of success? For me, it’s not how much time you
spend doing what you love. It’s how little time you spend doing what you hate.
==========
23, 2017 9:26:08 PM
“You can sacrifice quality for a great story. . . . I’ll watch shaky camera footage
now . . . so long as it’s a great story and I’m engaged.”
==========
23, 2017 9:28:53 PM
HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY. LUCK IS NOT A FACTOR. FEAR IS NOT AN OPTION.

==========
23, 2017 9:29:15 PM
‘You can’t be afraid to show your scars.’ That’s who you are, and he said you have
to continue to stay true to that.
==========
23, 2017 9:29:23 PM
The Living Gita: The Complete Bhagavad Gita—A Commentary for Modern Readers by Sri
Swami Satchidananda
==========
23, 2017 9:29:37 PM
The Fog of War (Errol Morris)—Many guests recommend this. It’s incredible and has
an unbelievable 98% average on Rotten Tomatoes. Brother’s Keeper (Joe Berlinger and
Bruce Sinofsky) Hoop Dreams (Steve James) Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room and
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (Alex Gibney) WHAT MY MORNING
JOURNAL LOOKS LIKE History is littered with examples of successful (and
unsuccessful) people who kept daily journals, ranging from Marcus Aurelius to Ben
Franklin, and from Mark Twain to George Lucas.
==========
23, 2017 9:29:51 PM
The Fog of War (Errol Morris)—Many guests recommend this. It’s incredible and has
an unbelievable 98% average on Rotten Tomatoes. Brother’s Keeper (Joe Berlinger and
Bruce Sinofsky) Hoop Dreams (Steve James) Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room and
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (Alex Gibney) WHAT MY MORNING
JOURNAL LOOKS LIKE History is littered with examples of successful (and
unsuccessful) people who kept daily journals, ranging from Marcus Aurelius to Ben
Franklin, and from Mark Twain to George Lucas. But what
==========
23, 2017 9:31:12 PM
pu-erh tea, and green tea. Next, I crack open The Artist’s Way: Morning Pages
Journal by Julia Cameron.
==========
23, 2017 9:31:28 PM
Morning pages are, as author Julia Cameron puts it, “spiritual windshield wipers.”
It’s the most cost-effective therapy I’ve ever found. To
==========
23, 2017 9:31:38 PM
“Once we get those muddy, maddening, confusing thoughts [nebulous worries, jitters,
and preoccupations] on the page, we face our day with clearer eyes.”
==========
23, 2017 9:31:53 PM
There are huge benefits to writing, even if no one—yourself included—ever reads

what you write. In other words, the
==========
23, 2017 9:31:58 PM
There are huge benefits to writing, even if no one—yourself included—ever reads

what you write. In other words, the process matters more than the product.
==========
23, 2017 9:32:47 PM
I’m just caging my monkey mind on paper so I can get on with my fucking day.
==========
23, 2017 9:35:00 PM
Avalon Hill board games,

==========
23, 2017 9:35:23 PM
Ludwig Wittgenstein,
==========
23, 2017 9:35:29 PM
you’re trying to talk to someone else about some problem, and you’re trying to make
progress, how do you make language as positive an instrument as possible? What are
the ways that language can work, and what are the ways that language doesn’t work?”
==========
23, 2017 9:35:38 PM
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” (Die

==========
23, 2017 9:35:46 PM
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” (Die Grenzen

==========
23, 2017 9:35:50 PM
all-time favorite quotes from dear Ludwig is: “The limits of my language mean the
limits of my world.”
==========
23, 2017 9:35:54 PM
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”

==========
23, 2017 9:36:45 PM
have come to learn that part of the business strategy is to solve the simplest,
easiest, and most valuable problem.
==========
23, 2017 9:37:29 PM
Make “easy” your next criterion. Which of these highest-value activities is the
easiest for me to do?
==========
23, 2017 9:37:47 PM
part of doing strategy is to solve the easiest problem,

==========
23, 2017 9:38:33 PM
key thing that I want to think about: a product design, a strategy, a solution to a
problem that one of my portfolio companies is looking at,”
==========
23, 2017 9:38:55 PM
pre-sleep gestation period of a few hours is important, as he doesn’t want to be

consciously thinking about
==========
23, 2017 9:39:06 PM
Reid budgets 60 minutes for the following: “The very first thing I do when I get
up, almost always, is to sit down and work on that problem [I’ve set the day
before] because that’s when I’m freshest.
==========
23, 2017 9:39:23 PM
following quote at the top of my notebook: “Never go to sleep without a request to

your subconscious.”—Thomas
==========
23, 2017 9:39:28 PM
“Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.”—Thomas

==========
23, 2017 9:39:32 PM
“Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.”—Thomas Edison

==========
23, 2017 9:57:42 PM
Reid’s First Principle Is Speed

==========
23, 2017 9:58:13 PM
‘In order to move fast, I expect you’ll make some foot faults. I’m okay with an
error rate of 10 to 20%—times when I would have made a different decision in a
given
==========
23, 2017 9:58:17 PM
‘In order to move fast, I expect you’ll make some foot faults. I’m okay with an
error rate of 10 to 20%—times when I would have made a different decision in a
given situation—if it means you can move fast.’
==========
23, 2017 9:58:46 PM
They should suggest modifications to the plan based on their closeness to the
details.”
==========
23, 2017 9:59:54 PM
The Start-Up of You [Reid’s book]

==========
23, 2017 10:00:06 PM
‘There needs to be one decisive reason, and then the worthiness of the trip needs
to be measured against that one reason. If I go, then we can backfill into the
schedule all the other secondary activities. But if I go for a blended reason, I’ll
almost surely come back and feel like it was a waste of time.’ ”
==========
23, 2017 10:01:19 PM
Notice how often he reframes the question (examines whether the question is the
right question) before answering. In several cases, how he dissects wording is as
interesting as his answers.
==========
23, 2017 10:01:36 PM
that guide thousands of smaller decisions. His answers are worth reading a few
times each, asking yourself afterward, “If I believed this, how would it affect my
decisions in the next week? Over the next 6 to 12 months?”
==========
23, 2017 10:01:51 PM
wish I would have known that there was no need to wait.

==========
23, 2017 10:01:59 PM
But not until I started PayPal did I fully realize that you don’t have to wait to
start something. So
==========
23, 2017 10:02:06 PM
But not until I started PayPal did I fully realize that you don’t have to wait to
start something. So if you’re planning to do something with your life, if you have
a 10-year plan of how to get there, you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6
months? Sometimes, you have to actually go through
==========
23, 2017 10:02:14 PM
So if you’re planning to do something with your life, if you have a 10-year plan of
how to get there, you should
==========
23, 2017 10:02:21 PM
So if you’re planning to do something with your life, if you have a 10-year plan of
how to get there, you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?
==========
23, 2017 10:03:32 PM
And once you have many people doing something, you have lots of competition and
little differentiation.
==========
23, 2017 10:03:47 PM
I think trends are often things to avoid. What I prefer over trends is a sense of
mission.
==========
23, 2017 10:04:50 PM
But what I have said is that not everybody should do the same thing.
==========
23, 2017 10:08:43 PM
are all of these granular questions like: What is it that we’re learning? Why are
you learning it?
==========
23, 2017 10:08:48 PM
What is it that we’re learning? Why are you learning it?

==========
23, 2017 10:09:17 PM
And when you’re very competitive, you get good at the thing you’re competing with
people on. But it comes at the expense of losing out on many other things.
==========
23, 2017 10:09:39 PM
‘How do I become less competitive in order that I can become more successful?’ ”
==========
23, 2017 10:09:58 PM
‘What do people agree merely by convention, and what is the truth?’

==========
23, 2017 10:10:17 PM
always what I get at with this indirect question: ‘Tell me something that’s true
that very few people agree with you on.’
==========
23, 2017 10:10:57 PM
“What problem do you face every day that nobody has solved yet?”
==========
23, 2017 10:11:01 PM
“What is a great company no one has started?”

==========
23, 2017 10:11:08 PM
with you on” question to podcast guests: “What do you believe that other people
think is insane?”
==========
23, 2017 10:11:12 PM
“What do you believe that other people think is insane?”

==========
23, 2017 10:11:43 PM
There are 7 questions that Peter recommends all startup founders ask themselves.
Grab Zero to One for all of them, but here are the 3 I revisit often:
==========
23, 2017 10:12:07 PM
“It’s always the hard part that creates value.”

==========
23, 2017 10:12:26 PM
“Trust and attention—these are the scarce items in a post-scarcity world.”

==========
2017 3:40:50 PM
You can tell yourself any story you want about money, and it’s better to tell
yourself a story about money that you can happily live with.”
==========
2017 3:41:08 PM
You can tell yourself any story you want about money, and it’s better to tell
yourself a story about money that you can happily live with.”
==========
2017 3:41:55 PM
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep track of the other stuff? To keep track of all
the times it worked? All the times we took a risk? All the times we were able to
brighten someone else’s day?
==========
2017 3:42:04 PM
using it? The narrative isn’t done to you; the narrative is something that you
choose.
==========
2017 3:42:08 PM
narrative is something that you choose.

==========
2017 3:43:55 PM
tell ten people, show ten people, share it with ten people; ten people who already
trust you and already like you. If they don’t tell anybody else, it’s not that good
and you should start over. If they do tell other people, you’re on your way.”
==========
2017 3:46:44 PM
Because smallest is achievable. Smallest feels risky. Because if you pick smallest
and you fail, now you’ve really screwed up. “We want to pick big. Infinity is our
friend. Infinity is safe. Infinity gives us a place to hide. So, I want to
encourage people instead to look for the small.
==========
2017 3:49:28 PM
think we need to teach kids two things: 1) how to lead, and 2) how to solve
interesting problems.
==========
2017 3:51:13 PM
“For me, if you are feeling stuck, it’s all about The War of Art and The Art of
Possibility.
==========
2017 3:51:40 PM
Goals: Setting and Achieving Them on Schedule, How to Stay Motivated, and Secrets
of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar:
==========
2017 3:55:10 PM
to see if they had an airplane he could lease. No idea is so big that you can’t
take the first step.
==========
2017 3:55:13 PM
No idea is so big that you can’t take the first step.

==========
Houpert)
2017 5:36:49 AM
The spotlight was pointed at Clinton because of his position and presence. Yet he
took that as an opportunity to shine attention on other people.
==========
Houpert)
2017 5:55:13 AM
Deliberate practice.
==========
Trump.vp (Unknown)
- Your Highlight on page 4 | Location 51-52 | Added on Sunday, October 1, 2017
6:45:53 PM
Always be your own best and most competent financial adviser

==========
Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)
- Your Highlight on page 13 | Location 197-197 | Added on Tuesday, October 17, 2017
1:19:04 PM
immigrant from Abkhazia trying to operate a microwave was like a deep-sea tube
==========
1:19:10 PM
immigrant from Abkhazia trying to operate a microwave was like a deep-sea tube worm
doing brain surgery.
==========
1:49:59 PM
Any number that can be created by fetishistically multiplying 2s by each other, and
subtracting the occasional 1, will be instantly recognizable to a hacker.
==========
1:53:35 PM
Real estate acumen does not always extend across universes.
==========
1:54:52 PM
curve of the globe, he is

==========
1:55:37 PM
Real estate acumen does not always extend across universes.

==========
Houpert)
- Your Highlight on page 122 | Location 1856-1857 | Added on Saturday, November 25,
2017 7:00:03 PM
I don’t need to convince people I dare to go there first in …

==========
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise (Anders Ericsson;Robert Pool)
- Your Highlight on page 7 | Location 96-97 | Added on Tuesday, December 12, 2017
2:25:18 PM
Even the lucky few people who are born with a gift for perfect pitch would have to
do something—in particular, some sort of musical training while young—to develop
==========
2:26:16 PM
The clear implication is that perfect pitch, far from being a gift bestowed upon
only a lucky few, is an ability that pretty much anyone can develop with the right
exposure and training.
==========
2:27:31 PM
They were all endowed with a brain so flexible and adaptable that it could, with
the right sort of training, develop a capability that seems quite magical to those
of us who do not possess
==========
2:27:44 PM
In short, perfect pitch is not the gift, but, rather, the ability to develop
perfect pitch is the gift—and, as nearly as we can tell, pretty much everyone is
born with that gift.
==========
2:28:16 PM
brain—even the adult brain—is far more adaptable than anyone ever imagined, and
this gives us a tremendous amount of control over what our brains are able to
==========
2017 2:30:01 PM
winners of some genetic lottery.

==========
2017 2:30:07 PM
They know what is required to develop the extraordinary skills that they possess
because they have experienced it firsthand.
==========
2017 2:31:37 PM
Thus the purpose of teaching or training becomes helping a person reach his or her
potential—to fill the cup as fully as possible.
==========
2017 2:31:59 PM
The brain is adaptable, and training can create skills—such as perfect pitch—that
did not exist before.
==========
2017 2:33:07 PM
The right sort of practice carried out over a sufficient period of time leads to
improvement. Nothing else.
==========
2017 2:34:42 PM
Because deliberate practice was developed specifically to help people become among
the best in the world at what they do and not merely to become “good enough,” it is
the most powerful approach to learning that
==========
2017 2:34:47 PM
Because deliberate practice was developed specifically to help people become among
the best in the world at what they do and not merely to become “good enough,” it is
the most powerful approach to learning that has yet been discovered.
==========
2017 2:44:39 PM
What the second half of the twentieth century did see was a steady increase in the
amount of time that people in different areas devoted to training, combined with a
growing sophistication of training techniques.
==========
2017 2:46:31 PM
or chess or something else, the most effective types of practice all follow the
same set of general principles. There is no obvious reason
==========
2017 2:46:35 PM
the most effective types of practice all follow the same set of general principles.
==========
2017 12:25:06 AM
But no. Research has shown that, generally speaking, once a person reaches that
level of “acceptable” performance and automaticity, the additional years of
“practice” don’t lead to improvement.
==========
2017 12:25:09 AM
But no. Research has shown that, generally speaking, once a person reaches that
level of “acceptable” performance and automaticity, the additional years of
“practice” don’t lead to improvement.
==========
2017 12:26:28 AM
Purposeful practice is, as the term implies, much more purposeful, thoughtful, and
focused than this sort of naive practice.
==========
2017 12:26:46 AM
well-defined, specific goals. Our hypothetical music student would have been much
more successful with a practice
==========
2017 12:26:51 AM
Purposeful practice has well-defined, specific goals. Our hypothetical music

student would have been much more successful with a practice goal something like
this: “Play the piece all the way through at the proper speed without a mistake
three times in a row.” Without such a goal, there was no way to judge whether the
practice session had been a success. In Steve’s
==========
2017 12:26:56 AM
Purposeful practice has well-defined, specific goals. Our hypothetical music

student would have been much more successful with a practice goal something like
this: “Play the piece all the way through at the proper speed without a mistake
three times in a row.” Without such a goal, there was no way to judge whether the
practice session had been a success.
==========
2017 12:31:19 AM
The key thing is to take that general goal—get better—and turn it into something
specific that you can work on with a realistic expectation of improvement.
==========
2017 12:32:50 AM
from the study of effective practice: You seldom improve much without giving the
task your full attention.
==========
2017 12:33:00 AM
Purposeful practice involves feedback. You have to know whether you are doing
something right and, if not, how you’re going wrong.
==========
2017 12:33:29 AM
By recognizing where his weaknesses were, he could switch his focus appropriately
and come up with new memorization techniques that would address those weaknesses.
==========
2017 12:38:48 AM
Purposeful practice requires getting out of one’s comfort zone.

==========
2017 12:40:53 AM
Finding ways around these barriers is one of the hidden keys to purposeful
practice.
==========
2017 12:41:01 AM
Generally the solution is not “try harder” but rather “try differently.” It is a
technique issue, in other words.
==========
2017 12:42:04 AM
The best way to get past any barrier is to come at it from a different direction,
which is one reason it is useful to work with a teacher or coach. Someone who is
already familiar with the sorts of obstacles you’re likely to encounter can suggest
ways to overcome them.
==========
2017 12:43:46 AM
Maintaining the focus and the effort required by purposeful practice is hard work,
and it is generally not fun.
==========
2017 12:44:13 AM
once he started to see improvement after the first few sessions, he really enjoyed
seeing his memory scores go up. It felt good, and he wanted to keep feeling that
way.
==========
2017 12:44:27 AM
Generally speaking, meaningful positive feedback is one of the crucial factors in

maintaining motivation.
==========
2017 12:45:24 AM
So here we have purposeful practice in a nutshell: Get outside your comfort zone
but do it in a focused way, with clear goals, a plan for reaching those goals, and
a way to monitor your progress. Oh, and figure out a way to maintain your
motivation.
==========
2017 12:46:49 AM
As we shall see, the key to improved mental performance of almost any sort is the
development of mental structures that make it possible to avoid the limitations of
short-term memory and deal effectively with large amounts of information at once.
==========
2017 12:49:52 AM
Although there is still a tremendous amount to learn in this area, we already know
enough to have a clear idea of how purposeful practice and deliberate practice work
to increase both our physical and mental capabilities and make it possible to do
things that we never could before.
==========
2017 12:56:24 AM
most dramatic evidence we have that the human brain grows and changes
==========
2017 12:56:29 AM
most dramatic evidence we have that the human brain grows and changes in response
to intense training.
==========
2017 12:58:20 AM
In short, the human body is incredibly adaptable.

==========
2017 12:59:27 AM
If you practice something enough, your brain will repurpose neurons to help with
the task even if they already have another job to do.
==========
2017 6:29:55 PM
With such practice you are modifying the parts of the brain you use when playing
music and, in a sense, increasing
==========
2017 6:30:05 PM
With such practice you are modifying the parts of the brain you use when playing
music and, in a sense, increasing your own musical “talent.”
==========
2017 6:31:17 PM
would suggest that the increased size was a product of extended mathematical
thinking, not something the person was born with.
==========
2017 6:35:17 PM
But it’s important to remember that the option exists. If you wish to become
significantly better at something, you can.
==========
2017 6:36:13 PM
If you improve your muscles’ energy reserves, your lung capacity, your heart’s
pumping capacity, and the capacity of your circulatory system, you build your
endurance.
==========
2017 6:44:11 PM
They’re not random; they mean something, and meaning aids memory.
==========
2017 6:45:34 PM
called these patterns “chunks,” and the important thing about them is that they are
held in long-term memory.
==========
2017 6:47:33 PM
They allow a chess master to glance at a game in progress and get an immediate
sense of which side has the advantage, which directions the game might take, and
what a good move or moves might be.
==========
2017 6:48:18 PM
opponent—the representations also allow the master to zero in on individual pieces

and mentally move them around the board to see how such moves would change the
patterns.
==========
2017 6:50:19 PM
Even when the skill being practiced is primarily physical, a major factor is the
development of the proper mental representations.
==========
2017 6:50:22 PM
Even when the skill being practiced is primarily physical, a major factor is the
development of the proper mental representations.
==========
2017 6:50:33 PM
Much of the practice is devoted to forming a clear mental picture of what the dive
should look like at every moment and, more importantly, what it should feel like in
terms of body positioning and momentum.
==========
2017 6:52:07 PM
Indeed, one could define a mental representation as a conceptual structure designed

to sidestep the usual restrictions that short-term memory places on mental
processing.
==========
2017 6:52:10 PM
Indeed, one could define a mental representation as a conceptual structure designed

to sidestep the usual restrictions that short-term memory places on mental
processing.
==========
2017 6:52:40 PM
To do all this he needed mental representations not just for the three- and four-
digit groups of numbers that he was holding on to but also for the retrieval
structure itself, which he visualized as a sort of two-dimensional tree with the
three- and four-digit groups placed at the ends of the individual branches.
==========
2017 6:55:06 PM
These representations allow them to make faster, more accurate decisions and
respond more quickly and effectively in a given situation. This, more than anything
else, explains the difference in performance between novices and experts.
==========
2017 6:56:15 PM
The main thing that sets experts apart from the rest of us is that their years of
practice have changed the neural circuitry in their brains to produce highly
specialized mental representations, which in turn make possible the incredible
memory, pattern recognition, problem solving, and other sorts of advanced abilities
needed to excel in their particular specialties.
==========
2017 6:58:20 PM
We concluded that the advantage better players had in predicting future events was
related to their ability to envision more possible outcomes and quickly sift
through them and come up
==========
2017 6:58:25 PM
We concluded that the advantage better players had in predicting future events was
related to their ability to envision more possible outcomes and quickly sift
through them and come up with the most promising action.
==========
2017 7:03:46 PM
But if you understand the sport, you’ve already established a mental structure for
making sense of it, organized the information, and combined it with all the other
relevant information you’ve already assimilated.
==========
2017 7:04:00 PM
The new information becomes part of an ongoing story, and as such it moves quickly
and easily into your long-term memory, allowing you to remember far more of the
information in an article than you could if you were unfamiliar with the game it
describes.
==========
2017 7:08:35 PM
This doctor must do at least three different things: assimilate facts about the
patient, recall relevant medical knowledge, and use the facts and medical knowledge
to identify possible diagnoses and choose the right one. For all of these
activities, a more sophisticated mental representation makes the process faster and
more efficient—and sometimes makes it possible, period.
==========
2017 7:11:31 PM
deal more information at once. Research on expert diagnosticians has found that
they tend to see symptoms and other relevant data not as isolated bits of
information but as pieces of larger patterns—in much the same way that grandmasters
see patterns among chess pieces
==========
2017 7:11:53 PM
This ability to generate a number of likely diagnoses and carefully reason through
them distinguishes expert diagnosticians from the rest.
==========
2017 7:13:04 PM
The key to the successful diagnosis wasn’t merely having the necessary medical
knowledge, but having that knowledge organized and accessible in a way that allowed
the doctor to come up with possible diagnoses
==========
2017 7:13:15 PM
The superior organization of information is a theme that appears over and over
again in the study of expert performers.
==========
2017 7:13:19 PM
The key to the successful diagnosis wasn’t merely having the necessary medical
knowledge, but having that knowledge organized and accessible in a way that allowed
the doctor to come up with possible diagnoses
==========
2017 7:13:47 PM
much more highly developed “if . . . then” structures: if these things are true
about a client, then say this or do that.
==========
2017 7:15:49 PM
Answering questions like these gave us our first rough mental representation
==========
2017 7:16:20 PM
We prepared an outline of chapters, each focused on a particular topic and covering

various aspects of that topic.
==========
2017 7:18:37 PM
The main purpose of deliberate practice is to develop effective mental

representations, and, as we will discuss shortly, mental representations in turn
play a key role in deliberate practice. The
==========
2017 7:18:51 PM
The main purpose of deliberate practice is to develop effective mental

representations, and, as we will discuss shortly, mental representations in turn
play a key role in deliberate practice. The key change that occurs in our adaptable
brains in response to deliberate practice is the development of better mental
representations, which in turn open up new possibilities for improved performance.
==========
2017 7:19:28 PM
The more effective the mental representation is, the better the performance will
be.
==========
2017 7:20:14 PM
to write well, develop a mental representation ahead of time to guide your efforts,
then monitor and evaluate your efforts and be ready to modify that representation
as necessary.
==========
2017 7:21:49 PM
In particular, they use their mental representations to provide their own feedback
so that they know how close they are to getting the piece right and what they need
to do differently to improve.
==========
2017 7:23:24 PM
differences among the students most likely lay, in large part, in how well the
students were able to detect their mistakes—that
==========
2017 7:23:30 PM
differences among the students most likely lay, in large part, in how well the
students were able to detect their mistakes—that is, how effective their mental
representations of the musical pieces were.
==========
2017 7:27:28 PM
The implication is that they were using their mental representations not only to
spot mistakes but also to match appropriate practice techniques with the types of
difficulties they were having with the music.
==========
2017 7:27:44 PM
In any area, not just musical performance, the relationship between skill and
mental representations is a virtuous circle: the more skilled you become, the
better your mental representations are, and the better your mental representations
are, the more effectively you can practice to hone your skill.
==========
2017 7:32:49 PM
Your existing mental representations guide your performance and allow you to both
monitor and judge that performance.
==========
2017 7:34:03 PM
In every area, some approaches to training are more effective than others.
==========
2017 7:35:09 PM
if there is no agreement on what good performance is and no way to tell what

changes would improve performance, then it is very difficult—often impossible—to
develop effective training methods.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 108 | Location 1652-1653 | Added on Wednesday, December
13, 2017 7:57:42 PM
As with the violinists, the only significant factor determining an individual

ballet dancer’s ultimate skill level was the total number
==========
13, 2017 7:57:52 PM
As with the violinists, the only significant factor determining an individual
ballet dancer’s ultimate skill level was the total number of hours devoted to
practice.
==========
13, 2017 7:58:21 PM
same thing. By now it is safe to conclude from many studies on a wide variety of
disciplines that nobody develops extraordinary abilities without putting in
tremendous amounts of practice.
==========
13, 2017 7:58:26 PM
By now it is safe to conclude from many studies on a wide variety of disciplines

that nobody develops extraordinary abilities without putting in tremendous amounts
of practice.
==========
13, 2017 8:00:28 PM
These are not areas where you’re likely to find accumulated knowledge about
deliberate practice, simply because there are no objective criteria for superior
performance.
==========
13, 2017 8:01:01 PM
Deliberate practice is purposeful practice that knows where it is going and how to
get there.
==========
13, 2017 8:01:28 PM
Once an overall goal has been set, a teacher or coach will develop a plan for
making a series of small changes that will add up to the desired larger change.
==========
13, 2017 8:02:19 PM
very specialized form of practice. You need a teacher or coach who assigns practice
techniques designed to help you improve on very specific skills.
==========
13, 2017 8:02:27 PM
You need a teacher or coach who assigns practice techniques designed to help you
improve on very specific skills. That teacher or coach must draw from a highly
developed body of knowledge about the best way to teach these skills. And the field
itself must have a highly developed set of skills that are available to be taught.
There are relatively few fields—musical performance, chess, ballet, gymnastics, and
the rest of the usual suspects—in which all of these things are true and it is
possible to engage in deliberate practice in the strictest sense.
==========
13, 2017 8:02:36 PM
There are relatively few fields—musical performance, chess, ballet, gymnastics, and
the rest of the usual suspects—in which all of these things are true and it is
possible to engage in deliberate practice in the strictest sense. But not
==========
13, 2017 8:02:45 PM
==========
13, 2017 8:03:57 PM
it was clear to me that his method was similar to Steve’s in spirit but quite
different—and much more carefully designed—in its details.
==========
13, 2017 8:05:20 PM
While they may lack teachers to design their practice sessions, they can draw on
the advice previous experts have
==========
13, 2017 8:05:29 PM
While they may lack teachers to design their practice sessions, they can draw on
the advice previous experts have recorded in books or interviews.
==========
13, 2017 8:05:42 PM
element—learning from the best predecessors—and

==========
13, 2017 8:05:52 PM
This is the basic blueprint for getting better in any pursuit: get as close to
deliberate practice as you can.
==========
13, 2017 8:06:10 PM
In practice this often boils down to purposeful practice with a few extra steps:
first, identify the expert performers, then figure out what they do that makes them
so good, then come up with training techniques that allow you to do it, too.
==========
13, 2017 8:09:13 PM
The lesson here is clear: be careful when identifying expert performers. Ideally
you want some objective measure of performance with which to compare people’s
abilities.
==========
13, 2017 8:10:05 PM
Once you’ve identified the expert performers in a field, the next step is to figure
out specifically what they do that separates them from other, less accomplished
people in the same field, and what training methods helped them get there.
==========
13, 2017 8:10:25 PM
In many fields it is the quality of mental representations that sets apart the best
from the rest, and mental representations are, by their nature, not directly
observable.
==========
13, 2017 9:32:12 PM
Lesson: Once you have identified an expert, identify what this person does
differently from others that could explain the superior performance.
==========
13, 2017 9:32:26 PM
place to start. In all of this keep in mind that the idea is to inform your
purposeful practice and point it in directions that
==========
13, 2017 9:32:38 PM
The better you are able to tailor your training to mirror the best performers in
your field, the more effective your training is likely to be.
==========
13, 2017 9:40:07 PM
But an hour of playing in front of a crowd, where the focus is on delivering the
best possible performance at the time, is not the same as an hour of focused, goal-
driven practice that is designed to address certain weaknesses and make certain
improvements—the sort of practice that was the key factor in explaining the
abilities of the Berlin student violinists.
==========
13, 2017 9:42:22 PM
thousand or more hours of practice. There is no point at which performance maxes

out and additional practice does not lead to further improvement.
==========
13, 2017 9:46:18 PM
What is the best way to improve performance among people who are already
==========
13, 2017 9:46:22 PM
What is the best way to improve performance among people who are already trained
and on the job?
==========
13, 2017 9:50:13 PM
unless you are using practice techniques specifically designed to improve those
particular skills, trying hard will not get you very far. The deliberate-practice
==========
13, 2017 9:50:17 PM
unless you are using practice techniques specifically designed to improve those
particular skills, trying hard will not get you very far.
==========
13, 2017 9:50:27 PM
If you are not improving, it’s not because you lack innate talent; it’s because
you’re
==========
13, 2017 9:50:32 PM
you’re not practicing the right way.
==========
13, 2017 9:51:06 PM
you’re not practicing the right way.
==========
The Last Black Unicorn (Tiffany Haddish)
- Your Highlight on page 138 | Location 2104-2104 | Added on Monday, December 18,
2017 4:04:57 PM
my apartment with my ornery

==========
Tribe of Mentors (Timothy Ferriss)
2017 4:27:10 AM
My father encouraged me to take a course called “Money and You,” devised around the
ideas of Buckminster Fuller. I attended the four-day course in Kuala Lumpur.
==========
The ONE Thing (Gary Keller)
2017 4:42:39 AM
Then, each time you ask it, you see your next priority.
==========
Insight (Tasha Eurich)
2:45:29 PM
While a precise definition is more complex than it first seems, self-awareness is,
at its core, the ability to see ourselves clearly—to understand who we are, how
others see us, and how we fit into the world around us.*1
==========
2:46:24 PM
among other things, we gained the ability to examine our own thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors, as well as to see things from others’ points of view (as we will
learn, both of these processes are absolutely critical for self-awareness). Not
==========
2:47:06 PM
There is strong scientific evidence that people who know themselves and how others
see them are happier. They make smarter decisions.
==========
2:48:30 PM
would go so far as to say that self-awareness is the meta-skill of the twenty-first

century.
==========
2:48:44 PM
As you’ll read in the pages ahead, the qualities most critical for success in
today’s world—things like emotional intelligence, empathy, influence, persuasion,
communication, and collaboration—all stem from self-awareness.
==========
2:49:25 PM
For most people, it’s easier to choose self-delusion—the antithesis of self-
awareness—over the cold, hard truth.
==========
2:53:05 PM
Whether it’s at work, at home, at school, or at play, we’re quick to accuse others
of being unaware, but we rarely (if ever) ask ourselves whether we have the same
problem.
==========
2:54:43 PM
But being overconfident about our abilities isn’t the only way that low self-
awareness can play out. Sometimes we lack clarity about our values and goals,
causing us to perpetually make choices that aren’t in our best interests. Other
times, we fail to grasp the impact we’re having on the people around us, alienating
our colleagues, friends, and families without even knowing it. Now, if that’s what
unawareness
==========
2:54:48 PM
our colleagues, friends, and families without even knowing
==========
2:54:53 PM
our colleagues, friends, and families without even knowing it.
==========
2:55:43 PM
Internal self-awareness has to do with seeing yourself clearly. It’s an inward

understanding of your values, passions, aspirations, ideal environment, patterns,
reactions, and impact on others.
==========
2:56:13 PM
External self-awareness is about understanding yourself from the outside in—that

is, knowing how other people see you.
==========
2:57:38 PM
The bottom line is that to become truly self-aware, you have to understand yourself
and how others see you—and
==========
2:57:54 PM
research (mine and others’) has often shown no relationship between them—and some
studies have even shown an inverse one!
==========
3:00:44 PM
“more than most, Washington’s biography is the story of a man constructing

himself.”
==========
4:16:24 PM
If self-awareness is a journey, insights are the “aha” moments along the way.
They’re the fuel powering the souped-up sports car on the highway of self-
awareness:
==========
4:20:52 PM
That’s the thing about unicorns—they know that self-awareness isn’t a one-and-done
exercise. It’s a continual process of looking inward, questioning, and discovering
the things that have been there all along.
==========
4:21:21 PM
Throughout my career and my life, there has been one essential truth: the biggest
opportunity for improvement—in business, at home, and in life—is awareness.”
==========
4:30:35 PM
people who have a clear understanding of themselves enjoy more successful careers
and better lives—they’ve developed an intuitive understanding of what matters to
them, what they want to accomplish, how they behave, and how others see them.
==========
4:31:28 PM
self-awareness is the will and the skill to understand yourself and how others see
you. More
==========
4:31:37 PM
self-awareness is the will and the skill to understand yourself and how others see
you.
==========
4:38:49 PM
“The goals aren’t important,” his investor said. “What’s important is the process
of getting there.”
==========
4:39:02 PM
What did he really want out of life? He eventually came to realize that the answer
was simple: to experience as much of the world as he could with the people he
loved.
==========
4:39:33 PM
Instead of asking, “What do I want to achieve?” the better question is, “What do I
really want out of life?”
==========
4:41:30 PM
When we determine where we fit, the type of environment we require to be happy and
engaged, we get more done with less effort, and end the day feeling like our time
was well spent.
==========
4:42:02 PM
many ways, the pillar of fit builds on the ones before it: only by knowing what you
value, what you’re passionate about, and what you want to experience in life can
you start to create a picture of your ideal surroundings.
==========
4:42:35 PM
Our patterns are our consistent ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving across
situations.
==========
4:44:54 PM
Whether it’s an irrational luggage-separation anxiety or anything else, recognizing

our patterns—especially our self-defeating ones—helps us take charge.
==========
4:45:33 PM
The point is to first detect the pattern, then be able to identify it when it’s
happening, and then experiment by making different—and better—choices.
==========
7:07:42 PM
But to be truly self-aware, we must also build on that to understand our impact:
that is, how our behavior affects others.
==========
7:10:41 PM
With Evelio’s help, she began to invest in really getting to know them, organizing
Friday socials, convening a Fun at Work Committee, and, with my help, holding an
offsite meeting with her leadership team. She also found every possible excuse to
spend time with her client, appearing at their office just in time for coffee or
lunch in the cafeteria. In weeks, she noticed a new and palpable feeling of trust.
==========
7:11:38 PM
The key skill we must develop to read our impact is perspective-taking, or the
ability to imagine what others are thinking and feeling (this is different from
empathy, which involves actually experiencing others’ emotions).
==========
7:12:23 PM
those who were instructed to write about how a “neutral third party who wants the
best for all” would view the conflict saw the decline in marital satisfaction
reverse completely over the following year. By rising above their own perspective
and seeing their
==========
7:12:30 PM
those who were instructed to write about how a “neutral third party who wants the
best for all” would view the conflict saw the decline in marital satisfaction
reverse completely over the following year. By rising above their own perspective
and seeing their problems through their spouses’ eyes, they could be more level-
headed and less defensive.
==========
7:13:58 PM
a tool developed by psychologist Richard Weissbourd called “Zoom In, Zoom Out.” To
successfully take others’ perspectives in highly charged situations, Weissbourd
advises, we should start by “zooming in” on our perspective to better understand
==========
7:14:39 PM
But armed with only our own observations, even the most dedicated students of self-
awareness among us risk missing key pieces of the puzzle.
==========
7:15:21 PM
other people are the only truly reliable source of information about how we come
across. The bottom line is that self-awareness isn’t one truth. It’s a complex
interweaving of information from two distinct, and sometimes even competing,
viewpoints. There is the inward perspective—your internal self-awareness—and the
outward perspective, external self-awareness, or how other people see you.
==========
7:15:35 PM
And remember, not only is there little to no relationship between internal and
external self-awareness, having one without the other can often do more harm than
good.
==========
7:16:40 PM
Typically, our own views can be especially helpful for pillars that aren’t as
visible to others: our values, passions, aspirations, and fit.
==========
7:16:52 PM
The reverse is true for the pillars that are more visible to others, like our
patterns, reactions, and impact.
==========
7:17:03 PM
But the truth is that for all seven pillars, it is critical to gain both an
internal and external perspective.
==========
7:18:12 PM
Where most people choose to hide or run for cover, self-awareness unicorns use
their experiences to help power and fuel their internal and external self-
knowledge.
==========
7:20:53 PM
Sometimes, alarm clock events boost our internal self-awareness by helping us see
ourselves in a new or different light; other times, they give us new data on how
we’re coming across to the outside world.
==========
7:21:11 PM
The first is new roles or rules. When we are asked to play a new role at work or in
life, or play by a new set of rules, it stretches our comfort zone and demands more
from us, and therefore can supercharge our self-knowledge.
==========
7:21:39 PM
The second type of alarm clock event is an earthquake. Earlier,

==========
7:21:53 PM
Because earthquake events are so life-shattering, they all but force us to confront
the truth about ourselves.
==========
7:22:40 PM
However, absorbing the truth isn’t enough; we have to put that insight into action,
not just owning our mistakes and limitations but also committing to correcting
them.
==========
7:23:43 PM
turning new information into energy to effect real and lasting change.
==========
7:27:18 PM
“dead” and it would be just as true of our world today. The scene reminds us that
self-delusion—that is, seeing only what we want to see—is all around us.
==========
7:27:22 PM
The scene reminds us that self-delusion—that is, seeing only what we want to see—is
all around us.
==========
7:32:49 PM
Making matters worse, the least competent people tend to be the most confident in
their abilities, a finding first reported by Stanford psychology
==========
7:32:53 PM
Making matters worse, the least competent people tend to be the most confident in
their abilities,
==========
7:34:58 PM
identifying other people’s mistakes and shortcomings is much easier and far more
enjoyable than facing our own. But when people are steeped in self-delusion, they
are usually the last to find out.
==========
7:35:55 PM
Our first awareness milestone is therefore to gain an understanding of ourselves as

separate from the world around us. Just when we’re strong
==========
7:35:59 PM
Our first awareness milestone is therefore to gain an understanding of ourselves as

separate from the world around us.
==========
7:39:13 PM
We just have to know where to start—which, at least foundationally, means

understanding the obstacles that prevent us from seeing ourselves clearly.
==========
7:41:55 PM
a series of studies, they discovered that the opinions we have about our abilities
in specific situations are based less on how we perform and more on the general
beliefs we have about ourselves and our underlying skills.
==========
7:44:47 PM
Our inner roadblocks don’t just create blindness about what we think we know—they
distort our perceptions about what we think we feel.
==========
2017 8:12:52 PM
The main danger of Emotion Blindness is that we often make decisions, even
important ones, from a place of emotion without even realizing
==========
2017 8:14:22 PM
Which brings us to Behavior Blindness, our final blindspot. It’s also one that most
of us experience far more often than we realize. A few years back, I was invited to
deliver the closing
==========
2017 8:14:26 PM
Which brings us to Behavior Blindness, our final blindspot. It’s also one that most
of us experience far more often than we realize.
==========
2017 8:15:22 PM
Psychologists used to think the inability to see our own behavior clearly or
objectively was the result of a perspective problem; that we literally can’t see
ourselves from the vantage point that others can.
==========
2017 8:18:41 PM
When it comes to the way we see ourselves, we must be brave enough to spread our
wings, but wise enough not to fly too high, lest our blindspots send us soaring
straight into the sun.
==========
2017 10:09:18 PM
Indeed, the commitment to learn and accept reality is one of the most significant
differences between the self-aware and, well, everybody else.
==========
2017 10:09:31 PM
The self-aware exert great effort to overcome their blindspots and see themselves
as they really are. Through examining our assumptions, constantly learning, and
seeking feedback, it’s possible
==========
2017 10:09:36 PM
The self-aware exert great effort to overcome their blindspots and see themselves
as they really are. Through examining our assumptions, constantly learning, and
seeking feedback, it’s possible to overcome a great many barriers to insight.
==========
2017 10:12:15 PM
contrast, the process of double-loop learning involves confronting our values and
assumptions and, more importantly, inviting others to do so as well.
==========
2017 10:12:40 PM
Every time he would make an important decision, he would write down what he
expected to happen.
==========
2017 10:12:49 PM
Then, when the chickens had come home to roost, he would compare what actually
happened with what he had predicted.
==========
2017 10:13:03 PM
Another tool comes from decision psychologist Gary Klein, who suggests doing what
he calls a pre-mortem by asking the following question: “Imagine that we are a year
into the future—we have implemented the plan as it now exists. The outcome was a
disaster. Write a brief history of that disaster.”
==========
2017 10:13:35 PM
true commitment to ongoing learning—saying to ourselves, the more I think I know,

the more I need to learn—is a powerful way to combat knowledge blindness and
improve our effectiveness in the process.
==========
2017 10:13:56 PM
And as such, we need to surround ourselves with those who will tell us the truth,
both at work and at home.
==========
2017 10:25:41 PM
Great leaders have people around them who call them out, and failed leaders almost
never do.)
==========
2017 10:25:54 PM
seeking feedback can be one of the most intimidating and terrifying things you’ll
ever do.
==========
2017 10:27:13 PM
“The most fundamental…harm we can do to ourselves is to remain ignorant by not

having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.”
==========
2017 10:31:00 PM
Cults tend to show a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or

thing, and this cult has chosen an irresistible figurehead: you! Frankly, it’s easy
to see why the promise that the Cult of Self makes can be too tempting to resist.
It lulls us into thinking that we are unique, special, and superior.
==========
2017 10:31:50 PM
In the eighteenth century, the United States (which now boasts some of the Cult of
Self’s most enthusiastic members) was founded on the very principles of hard work,
grit, and resilience. This Age of Effort lasted hundreds of years, arguably peaking
with the so-called Silent Generation (born between 1900 and 1945) and the events of
the early 20th century—World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II.
==========
2017 10:32:12 PM
Age of Effort started to give way to the Age of Esteem. The seeds were first sown
with the humanistic psychology movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Carl Rogers, for
instance, argued that humans could only achieve their potential by seeing
themselves with “unconditional positive regard.”
==========
2017 10:34:45 PM
Though no one wanted to admit it, the idea that self-esteem predicted life success
was, to put it bluntly, a total and complete farce.
==========
2017 10:54:08 PM
boosting the self-esteem of the unsuccessful hurt their performance rather than
improved it.
==========
2017 10:59:27 PM
In the workplace, for example, the best-case scenario is that people who see
themselves as special and amazing annoy those who have to work with them. In the
worst case, they are woefully ill-equipped to deal with the tiniest bit of
criticism, crushed in the face of the smallest screw-up, and devastated by the
minor setbacks on the path to their predestined greatness.
==========
2017 11:00:09 PM
the more delusional we are about our skills and abilities, the less likely we are
to succeed.
==========
2017 11:01:23 PM
Here, the choice that resulted from her overconfidence got in the way of her far
sounder future plans.
==========
2017 11:01:48 PM
when optimism is unfounded, those rose-colored glasses can really obscure insight.
The odds, for example, that a small business will survive for five years after
being founded are 35 percent.
==========
2017 11:02:48 PM
A good rule of thumb is that when we need to bounce back from constant challenges,
or where we can succeed through sheer persistence, the Feel-Good Effect can be
helpful.
==========
2017 11:03:22 PM
You have to read the signs that your path could be a dead end and be ready to
change course if you’re not getting anywhere.
==========
2017 11:04:17 PM
But if our unicorns indulged in a little self-delusion from time to time, it was
only temporary. When they were ready, they bravely faced the music and resumed
their self-awareness journey.
==========
2017 11:04:38 PM
Where failure is not an option, you don’t have the luxury of blissful ignorance.
==========
2017 11:06:49 PM
But what we don’t always realize is that paradoxically, an intense self-focus not
only obscures our vision of those around us; it distorts our ability to see
ourselves for what we really are.
==========
2017 11:07:22 PM
there is an inverse relationship between how special we feel and how self-aware we
are.
==========
2017 11:08:43 PM
Our growing “me” focus can be found everywhere from contemporary literature to
social media, even in the Oval Office.
==========
2017 11:09:37 PM
Why do we use social media in the first place?

==========
2017 11:09:54 PM
But an interesting pattern has emerged suggesting that as self-presentation

increases, empathy decreases.
==========
2017 11:12:22 PM
Research shows that narcissists tend to have brief but intense friendships and
romances that end once the other person sees their true nature. They feel entitled
to things they haven’t earned and are unable to tolerate criticism.
==========
2017 11:12:24 PM
Research shows that narcissists tend to have brief but intense friendships and
romances that end once the other person sees their true nature. They feel entitled
to things they haven’t earned and are unable to tolerate criticism.
==========
2017 11:12:39 PM
while narcissistic leaders can be confident setting a clear vision, they tend to
overrate their performance, dominate decision processes, seek excessive
recognition, show less empathy, and are more likely to behave unethically.
==========
2017 11:13:53 PM
Paradoxically, this incessant promotion of our hoped-for self can be ego-crushing,

especially when the “actual” and “hoped for” versions don’t match up
==========
2017 11:15:21 PM
But no matter what your score, if you want to move away from self-absorption and
toward self-awareness, it’s worth examining the following three strategies:
becoming an informer, cultivating humility, and practicing self-acceptance.
==========
2017 11:15:40 PM
Overwhelmingly, their conversations (online and offline) focus more on others—

friends, co-workers, the events taking place in the wider world, etc.
==========
2017 11:17:52 PM
The message here is clear: to move from self-absorption to self-awareness, try

being an Informer—that is, focusing less on you and more on engaging and connecting
with others.
==========
2017 11:18:40 PM
qualities, or in other words, cultivate humility. Because it means appreciating our

weaknesses and keeping our successes in
==========
2017 11:18:45 PM
We also need to take a more realistic view of our own qualities, or in other words,
cultivate humility. Because it means appreciating our weaknesses and keeping our
successes in perspective, humility is a key ingredient of self-awareness.
==========
2017 11:22:21 PM
Because they work hard and don’t take things for granted. Because they admit when
they don’t have the answers. Because they are willing to learn from others versus
stubbornly clinging to their views. As a result, people on teams with humble
leaders are more engaged, more satisfied with their jobs, and less likely to leave.
==========
2017 11:23:15 PM
Because they work hard and don’t take things for granted. Because they admit when
they don’t have the answers. Because they are willing to learn from others versus
stubbornly clinging to their views. As a result, people on teams with humble
leaders are more engaged, more satisfied with their jobs, and less likely to leave.
==========
2017 11:24:42 PM
Thankfully, the alternative to boundless self-esteem doesn’t have to be self-

loathing but rather self-acceptance—our third approach to fighting the Cult of
Self.
==========
2017 11:24:53 PM
Where self-esteem means thinking you’re amazing regardless of the objective
reality, self-acceptance (also called self-compassion by some researchers) means
understanding our objective reality and choosing to like ourselves anyway.
==========
2017 11:25:20 PM
only people high in self-acceptance hold positive views of themselves that aren’t
dependent on external validation
==========
2017 11:25:57 PM
So how can you increase your self-acceptance? One step you can take is to better
monitor your inner monologue. Organizational
==========
2017 11:26:09 PM
So how can you increase your self-acceptance? One step you can take is to better
monitor your inner monologue.
==========
2017 11:26:49 PM
helpful question to ask can sometimes be, “Would I say what I just said to myself
to someone whom I like and respect?”*4
==========
2017 11:28:12 PM
“The more committed you are to building self-awareness, the more empathy and grace
you learn to extend to yourself.”
==========
2017 11:30:37 PM
there was no relationship between introspection and insight. The act of thinking
about ourselves wasn’t correlated with knowing ourselves.
==========
2017 11:30:53 PM
In other words, we can spend endless amounts of time in self-reflection but emerge
with no more self-insight than when we started.
==========
2017 11:33:10 PM
most people believe that the answers to our inner mysteries lie deep within us, and
that it’s our job to uncover them—either on our own or with the help of a therapist
or loved one. Yet as my research revealed, the assumption that introspection begets
self-awareness is a myth.
==========
2017 11:33:16 PM
In truth, it can cloud and confuse our self-perceptions, unleashing a whole host of
unintended consequences.
==========
2017 11:33:41 PM
Introspection can also lull us into a false sense of certainty that we have
identified the real issue, as it did for Karen.
==========
2017 11:34:03 PM
In other words, we eagerly pounce on whatever “insights” we find without

questioning their validity or value. And even though they might feel helpful, on
their own they’re unlikely to actually help us improve our internal self-awareness.
==========
2017 11:34:18 PM
The problem with introspection, it turns out, isn’t that it’s categorically
ineffective, but that many people are doing it completely wrong.
==========
2017 11:36:55 PM
Our subconscious, in other words, is less like a padlocked door and more like a
hermetically sealed vault.
==========
2017 11:37:13 PM
the most important predictor of success isn’t the technique the therapist uses, but
the relationship she has with her client.
==========
2017 11:37:34 PM
to choose the right approach—one that focuses less on the process of introspection
and more on the outcome of insight
==========
2017 11:38:21 PM
One such approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT.

==========
2017 11:38:46 PM
Another tip is to adopt a flexible mindset,

==========
2017 11:39:51 PM
Though most of us think we’re a credible authority on our thoughts, feelings, and
behavior, there is a stunning amount of evidence showing that we’re often
remarkably mistaken.
==========
2017 11:42:11 PM
The bottom line is that when we ask why, that is, examine the causes of our
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, we are generally searching for the easiest and
most plausible answer.
==========
2017 11:42:16 PM
Sadly, though, once we have found one, we generally stop looking—despite having no
way of knowing whether our answer is right or wrong.
==========
2017 11:42:28 PM
way of knowing whether our answer is right or wrong. Sometimes this
==========
2017 11:42:34 PM
way of knowing whether our answer is right or wrong. Sometimes this is a result of
something called “confirmation bias,” which can prompt us to invent reasons that
confirm our existing beliefs—and
==========
2017 11:42:36 PM
way of knowing whether our answer is right or wrong. Sometimes this is a result of
something called “confirmation bias,” which can prompt us to invent reasons that
confirm our existing beliefs—and
==========
2017 11:44:03 PM
asking why caused the participants to fixate on their problems and place blame
instead of moving forward in a healthy and productive way.
==========
2017 11:44:14 PM
some participants were given time to think about why they were the kind of person
they were and others were asked to think about what kind of person they were.
==========
2017 11:44:54 PM
When I feel anything other than peace, I say “What’s going on?” “What am I
feeling?” “What is the dialogue inside my head?” “What’s another way to see this
situation?” “What can I do to respond
==========
2017 11:46:47 PM
could have asked Dan why questions for hours and he’d likely have ended the
conversation with no more insight, and probably in a much worse mood. But less than
five minutes of what questions had drawn out a high-value discovery and a potential
solution to his problem.
==========
2017 11:46:56 PM
Why questions draw us to our limitations; what questions help us see our potential.
Why questions stir up negative emotions; what questions keep us curious. Why
questions trap us in our past; what questions help us create a better future.
==========
2017 11:47:05 PM
making the transition from why to what can be the difference between victimhood and
growth.
==========
2017 11:48:30 PM
Let’s say you’re in a terrible mood after work one day. We already know that asking
Why do I feel this way? should come with a warning label. It’s likely to elicit
such unhelpful answers as because I hate Mondays! or because I’m just a negative
person! What if you instead asked What am I feeling right now? Perhaps you’d
realize that you’re overwhelmed at work, exhausted, and hungry.
==========
2017 11:48:38 PM
Asking what instead of why forces us to name our emotions, a process that a strong
body of research has shown to be effective.
==========
2017 11:49:28 PM
good rule of thumb, then, is that why questions are generally better to help us
understand our environment and what questions are generally better to help us
understand ourselves.
==========
2017 11:49:35 PM
good rule of thumb, then, is that why questions are generally better to help us
understand our environment and what questions are generally better to help us
understand ourselves.
==========
2017 11:52:05 PM
Therefore, the first take-home in seeking insight from journaling is to explore the
negative and not overthink the positive.
==========
2017 11:52:24 PM
When we explore our negative events through expressive writing, we’ll generally get
the most payoff when we see it as an opportunity for learning and growth.
==========
2017 11:53:07 PM
True insight only happens when we process both our thoughts and our feelings.
==========
2017 11:53:45 PM
also help them understand their impact on others. Accordingly, our unicorns
==========
2017 11:53:54 PM
Accordingly, our unicorns who journaled often reported exploring other people’s
perspectives in their entries.
==========
2017 11:57:39 PM
This single-minded fixation on our fears, shortcomings, and insecurities has a

name: it’s called rumination, and it’s introspection’s evil twin.
==========
2017 11:58:33 PM
And when it comes to self-awareness, if introspection is disruptive, rumination is
disastrous.
==========
2017 11:59:50 PM
That’s why research shows that despite incessantly processing their feelings,
ruminators are less accurate at identifying their emotions: their minds are so
laser-focused on an incident, reaction, or personal weakness that they miss the
larger picture.
==========
2017 12:00:24 AM
But in reality, when we obsess over the causes and meaning behind negative events,
we keep the emotions that come with them at arm’s length, which can often be even
more painful for us than the act of ruminating.
==========
2017 12:02:16 AM
Since this realization, Marcia has learned to ask herself the following question
whenever she is about to fall down the rabbit hole: Does anyone else care about
this as much as I do?
==========
2017 12:02:29 AM
And in fact, reminding ourselves that people don’t generally care about our
mistakes as much as we think they do was one of our unicorns’ most commonly cited
rumination-busting strategies.
==========
2017 12:03:27 AM
The learn-well children, on the other hand, reacted completely differently to their
failure.
==========
2017 12:03:42 AM
And where the do-well kids fell into a spiral of self-loathing, the learn-well
kids’ self-confidence actually improved.
==========
2017 12:03:57 AM
A learn-well mindset—that is, channeling our thinking to focus on learning over

performance—is not only a great rumination-buster; it has also been
==========
2017 12:04:05 AM
A learn-well mindset—that is, channeling our thinking to focus on learning over

performance—is not only a great rumination-buster; it has also been shown to
improve work performance in adults.
==========
2017 12:05:45 AM
Thought-stopping can be especially helpful in combating something I call post-

decision rumination (or PDR for short). Once we’ve made a difficult decision, the
Ruminator loves to taunt us with questions like “Are you sure you made the right
call?”
==========
2017 12:06:04 AM
So when facing a difficult decision, by all means, deliberate over it as much as

you need to—weigh the pros and cons, evaluate different scenarios, seek advice. But
once you make it, you have to trust it and move forward. This doesn’t mean ignoring
the consequences of our decisions.
==========
2017 12:08:20 AM
Almost to a person, our unicorns reported that when in the grip of rumination, one
of the best things we can do is get a reality check from someone we trust.
==========
2017 12:08:54 AM
You’ve also learned how to carefully avoid the traps that can come along with them,
as well as five rumination-busting strategies you can use right away: remembering
that no one cares about our mistakes as much as we think, cultivating a learn-well
mindset, hitting pause, thought-stopping, and reality checks.
==========
2017 12:11:32 AM
mindfulness is the opposite: simply noticing what we’re thinking, feeling, and
doing without judgment or reaction.
==========
2017 12:14:40 AM
So what toll, exactly, does mindlessness take on us, and in particular on our
ability to be self-aware? For one, Langer’s research has found that distraction
decreases happiness. What’s more, we lose the ability to monitor and control our
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors—and this makes self-awareness virtually
impossible.
==========
2017 12:16:27 AM
Some researchers have even suggested that the reason mindfulness reduces stress,
anxiety, and depression is because it increases insight.
==========
2017 12:18:37 AM
Mindfulness seemed to have guarded against the defensiveness and anger that can
accompany critical feedback or perceived failure.
==========
2017 10:39:43 AM
Whatever you do to center yourself, make sure you spend that time actively noticing
new things rather than just mentally checking out.
==========
2017 10:39:58 AM
The process of drawing novel distinctions is, according to Langer, “the essence of
mindfulness.”
==========
2017 10:40:14 AM
When we’re in a strange place, we tend to notice new things in ourselves and the
world around us—the sights, the sounds, the people—versus our day-to-day lives,
where we tend to focus on the familiar and draw on the perspective we’ve always
had.
==========
2017 10:40:22 AM
we can get in the habit of mindfully noticing new things in ourselves or our world,
it can dramatically improve our self-knowledge.
==========
2017 10:40:34 AM
One way to do this is reframing, which simply means looking at our circumstances,
our behaviors, and our relationships from a new and different angle. Let’s look at
the story of Aviana, a unicorn, mother of two, and manager in the wireless
telecommunications industry whose courage in reframing her circumstances was a
major force in achieving greater self-knowledge; it even played a role in saving
her career. A few weeks after giving birth to her youngest son, she received
devastating news. The call center where she worked—no, loved to work—for the past
11 years would be closing, and everyone, including her, would be out of a job.
Worse yet, because her husband worked there too, her family was about to go from
two incomes to zero literally overnight. Aviana was panicked and afraid. She would
lie awake at night staring at the ceiling thinking, What am I going to do? She
decided to return early from her
==========
2017 10:40:42 AM
One way to do this is reframing, which simply means looking at our circumstances,
our behaviors, and our relationships from a new and different angle.
==========
2017 10:43:19 AM
Quite often, we gain valuable perspective by reframing when things are going right.
==========
2017 10:45:10 AM
What are the potential risks and how can I avoid them? What aspects of my strengths
could become weaknesses? What potential challenges can I find in my past successes?
What is one risk in my best personal or professional relationship, and how can I
mitigate it?
==========
2017 10:46:35 AM
Our second non-meditative mindfulness tool is comparing and contrasting. When we

compare and contrast, we’re looking for similarities and differences between our
experiences, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors over time.
==========
2017 10:50:02 AM
This denial, Jed realized, “flattened” him, blocking any kind of deeper connection.
==========
2017 10:52:49 AM
Instead of using the time to introspect—or worse, ruminate—we should use daily
check-ins to review the choices we made that day, look for patterns, and observe
what worked and what didn’t.
==========
2017 10:53:05 AM
What went well today? What didn’t go well? What did I learn and how will I be
smarter tomorrow?
==========
2017 10:54:39 AM
If the mindfulness tools you just read about will help you understand your present
self, the Life Story approach helps you look backward to learn how the sum total of
your past has shaped you.
==========
2017 10:56:42 AM
self-aware people appreciate the complicated nature of the key events in their
lives. Perhaps for this reason, complex life stories are associated with continued
personal growth and maturity years into the future.
==========
2017 11:05:10 AM
opportunity for redemption, even the most horrific experiences can help us learn,
grow, and improve. So when the time is right for you to write your life story,
don’t look at it as a neat, clean Hollywood narrative.
==========
2017 11:05:16 AM
if we view our challenges accurately and as an opportunity for redemption, even the
most horrific experiences can help us learn, grow, and improve.
==========
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (Roger Fisher;William L.
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 2:51:45 PM
The most common form of negotiation, illustrated by the above example, depends upon
successively
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 2:51:51 PM
The most common form of negotiation, illustrated by the above example, depends upon
successively taking—and then giving up—a sequence of positions.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 2:52:08 PM
When negotiators bargain over positions, they tend to lock themselves into those
positions. The
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 2:52:28 PM
The more you try to convince the other side of the impossibility of changing your
opening position, the more difficult it becomes to do so. Your ego becomes
identified with your position.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 3:03:47 PM
As illustrated in these examples, the more attention that is paid to positions, the
less attention is devoted to meeting the underlying concerns of the parties.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 3:04:00 PM
Agreement becomes less likely. Any agreement reached may reflect a mechanical
splitting of the difference between final positions rather than a solution
carefully crafted to meet the legitimate interests of the parties.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 4:52:33 PM
This second negotiation by and large escapes notice because it seems to occur
without conscious decision.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 4:52:42 PM
But whether consciously or not, you are negotiating procedural rules with every
move you make, even if those moves appear exclusively concerned with substance.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 4:53:38 PM
People: Separate the people from the problem. Interests: Focus on

interests, not positions. Options: Invent multiple options looking for mutual
gains before deciding what to do. Criteria: Insist that the result be based
on some objective standard.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 4:54:21 PM
Hence, even before working on the substantive problem, the “people problem” should
be disentangled from it and addressed on its own. Figuratively if not literally,
the participants should come to see themselves as working side by side, attacking
the problem, not each other. Hence
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 4:54:29 PM
Hence, even before working on the substantive problem, the “people problem” should
be disentangled from it and addressed on its own. Figuratively if not literally,
the participants should come to see themselves as working side by side, attacking
the problem, not each other. Hence the first proposition: Separate the people from
the problem.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2017 4:55:54 PM
Hence the third basic point: Before trying to reach agreement, invent options for
mutual gain.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:28:42 AM
That period can be divided into three stages: analysis, planning, and discussion.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:28:50 AM
During the analysis stage you are simply trying to diagnose the situation—to gather
information, organize it, and think about it.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:35:31 AM
are most important? And what are some realistic

==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:35:58 AM
problems? Of your interests, which are most important? And what

==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:36:06 AM
How do you propose to handle the people problems? Of your interests, which are most
important? And what are some realistic objectives? You will want to generate
additional options and additional criteria for deciding among them.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:42:41 AM
corporate and international transactions, is that you are dealing not with abstract
representatives
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:42:45 AM
A basic fact about negotiation, easy to forget in corporate and international

transactions, is that you are dealing not with abstract representatives of the
“other side,” but with human beings.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:43:12 AM
A working relationship where trust, understanding, respect, and friendship are

built up over time can make each new negotiation smoother and more efficient.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:43:29 AM
They have egos that are easily threatened. They see the world from their own
personal vantage point, and they frequently confuse their perceptions with reality.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:43:48 AM
The purpose of the game becomes scoring points, confirming negative impressions,
and apportioning blame at the expense of the substantive interests of both parties.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:44:08 AM
Whatever else you are doing at any point during a negotiation, from preparation to
follow-up, it is worth asking yourself, “Am I paying enough attention to the people
problem?”
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:44:49 AM
Most negotiations take place in the context of an ongoing relationship where it is

important to carry on each negotiation in a way that will help rather than hinder
future relations and future negotiations.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:45:35 AM
Anger over a situation may lead you to express anger toward some human being
associated with it in your mind. Egos tend to become involved in substantive
positions.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:53:42 AM
Base the relationship on mutually understood perceptions, clear two-way

communication, expressing emotions without blame, and a forward-looking, purposive
outlook.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:54:00 AM
To deal with psychological problems, use psychological techniques. Where

perceptions differ, look for ways to test assumptions and to educate.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:54:12 AM
To find your way through the jungle of people problems, it is useful to think in
terms of three basic categories: perception, emotion, and communication.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
9:54:52 AM
Their thinking is the problem. Whether you are making a deal or settling a dispute,
differences are defined by the difference between your thinking and theirs.
==========
8:56:08 AM
controlling our perceptions, the Stoics tell us, we can find mental clarity. In
directing our actions properly and justly, we’ll be effective. In utilizing and
aligning our will, we will find the wisdom and perspective to deal with anything
the world puts before us.
==========
8:59:21 AM
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to
change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
==========
- Your Highlight on page 12 | Location 176-177 | Added on Tuesday, January 2, 2018
9:23:41 AM
Education—reading and meditating on the wisdom of great minds—is not to be done for
its own sake. It has a purpose.
==========
9:24:10 AM
Knowledge—self-knowledge in particular—is freedom.

==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
- Your Highlight on page 43 | Location 658-659 | Added on Wednesday, January 3,
2018 6:22:52 PM
The ability to see the situation as the other side sees it, as difficult as it may
be, is one of the most important skills a negotiator can possess.
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2018 6:24:11 PM
Understanding their point of view is not the same as agreeing with it.
==========
2018 6:28:41 PM
Start by learning the power of “No!”—as in “No, thank you,” and “No, I’m not going
to get caught up in that,” and “No, I just can’t right now.”
==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2018 6:29:51 PM
But even if blaming is justified, it is usually counterproductive.

==========
Ury;Bruce Patton)
2018 6:30:07 PM
Assessing blame firmly entangles the people with the problem.

==========
- Your Highlight on Location 1813-1814 | Added on Wednesday, January 3, 2018
11:48:33 PM
Within the SCRIPTED OS, the holy trinity of retirement planning is tied to three
unpredictable and uncontrollable markets: the job market, the stock market, and the
housing market.
==========
11:56:19 PM
Still accepted, the modern five-day, forty-hour workweek is a SCRIPTED tool for
obedience, keeping you occupied, clothed, and fed, and it’s just enough to keep
weekends earmarked as a leisurely celebration officiated by consumption.
==========
11:56:58 PM
The next thing you know, Willie is job-trapped, as it’s needed to fund his
lifestyle.
==========
11:57:30 PM
When you experience how much the system sucks firsthand, the desire appears.
Warning people about a hot fire doesn’t work—they need to feel the burn for
themselves.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 2036-2036 | Added on Thursday, January 4, 2018
12:02:29 AM
What these fools can’t see is that pursuing the dream is the dream itself.
==========
12:03:04 AM
What you do need is better probabilities and a better system to fight the fight.
==========
12:14:18 AM
Delusional beliefs also cause erroneous inactions.

==========
12:19:07 AM
Once you become aware that neuroplasticity—your brain’s ability to form new neural
connections—is possible, intelligence and skill no longer await just the victors of
the genetic lottery.
==========
12:24:13 AM
Praise improvements, habits, growth, and efforts. Praise how far you’ve come, and
one day, you’ll praise your results.
==========
12:24:19 AM
Instead, praise the process-principle. Praise improvements, habits, growth, and

efforts. Praise how far you’ve come, and one day, you’ll praise your results.
==========
12:25:33 AM
the consumer scam—a belief where consumerism is perceived exclusively

interdependent of production. That is, we rarely link our consumption to its equal
or corresponding production necessity and the time it requires.
==========
12:27:47 AM
So the next time you’re stuck in traffic surrounded by new cars, remember those
numbers: 85 percent and 65 months. These aren’t life’s victors but victims of the
consumer
==========
12:28:49 AM
Debt, spending more than you earn, is consumption exceeding production. It isn’t
money owed; it’s a production deficit.
==========
12:30:36 AM
If I examined my life’s freedoms, I owe it to one truth: I’ve rejected consumerism

and hit the entrepreneurial G-spot by honoring production through producerism.
==========
12:30:52 AM
Producerism respects the interlinked relationship between consumption and

production. If you want to live well, produce well. The
==========
12:31:05 AM
First, expect your entrepreneurial efforts to produce far beyond your consumption.
==========
12:31:18 AM
You create and sell franchises, not

==========
12:31:35 AM
Producers don’t spend money on the latest hot trend; they’re inflaming and
profiting from the latest hot trend.
==========
12:31:44 AM
constantly put yourself in the shoes of a business owner. Watching an infomercial?

Think about the process from idea to prototype to on the air.
==========
12:34:22 AM
Remember, money is only a hyperreality. Just because you can see, touch, and smell
it doesn’t mean it’s tangible, other than its paper form.
==========
12:35:22 AM
In essence, money bridged and stored our perceived value assessments between two
vastly different items: I get a statue; you get a Cadillac or the “option” to buy a
Cadillac.
==========
12:36:13 AM
is just a transaction mediator where agreed perceived

==========
12:36:17 AM
money is just a transaction mediator where agreed perceived value is stored.

==========
12:40:45 AM
As a producer, start thinking of “money” as value-vouchers—a store of perceived

value produced, communicated, and delivered to the world.
==========
12:41:01 AM
valuable. Wanted. Demanded.

==========
12:42:44 AM
with these four building blocks: 1. Value (product/service creation)

2. Perceived value communicated to another party (marketing and
messaging) 3. A mutual agreement, an equilibrium with that party
(closing) 4. Actual value delivered (execution)
==========
12:50:48 AM
you buy because you perceive value, enough of it that it compels you to say, “Yes,
here’s my cash; give me what you have.”
==========
12:51:44 AM
Yes, every comfort, convenience, and functionality you now enjoy was once someone’s
idea. Someone’s work, dream, or passion. And now you benefit from that output.
==========
12:52:57 AM
And therein lies our polarizing principle that reverses the poverty scam: the
fiduciary principle—a resolution that as UNSCRIPTED entrepreneurs we will serve
selflessly to serve the selfish.
==========
12:53:07 AM
we’re too preoccupied with what WE want; we can’t see what OTHERS want.
==========
12:53:58 AM
value-vouchering.
==========
12:58:20 AM
These three traits are intuition, routine, and positivity.

==========
- Your Highlight on page 14 | Location 206-206 | Added on Saturday, January 6, 2018
4:48:08 PM
It’s not activity that disturbs people, but false conceptions of things that drive
them mad.”
==========
4:48:37 PM
Having an end in mind is no guarantee that you’ll reach it—no Stoic would tolerate
that assumption—but not having an end in mind is a guarantee you won’t.
==========
4:48:54 PM
When your efforts are not directed at a cause or a purpose, how will you know what
to do day in and day out?
==========
Got Your Attention?: How to Create Intrigue and Connect with Anyone (Sam Horn)
2018 12:42:51 PM
There Is NO Connection without Quality Attention

==========
2018 12:53:21 PM
The word imagine pulls people out of their preoccupation and helps them actively
process what you’re saying instead of passively hearing
==========
2018 12:53:51 PM
Do you see how we distilled her solution into a succinct ideal scenario that evoked
a “Who wouldn’t want that?” response?
==========
2018 11:49:32 AM
serenity and stability are results of your choices and judgment, not your
environment.
==========
Difficult Conversations (Douglas Stone)
2018 5:00:42 AM
If we try to avoid the problem, we’ll feel taken advantage of, our feelings will
fester, we’ll wonder why we don’t stick up for ourselves, and we’ll rob the other
person of the opportunity to improve things.
==========
2018 5:01:03 AM
Tact is good, but it’s not the answer to difficult conversations. Tact won’t make
conversations with your father more intimate or take away your client’s anger over
the increased bill.
==========
2018 5:01:16 AM
Delivering a difficult message is like throwing a hand grenade. Coated with sugar,
thrown hard or soft, a hand grenade is still going to do damage.
==========
2018 5:06:07 AM
the words reveal only the surface of what is really going on.
==========
2018 5:08:31 AM
And you know that just saying what you’re thinking would probably not make the
conversation any easier.
==========
2018 5:10:22 AM
Typically, instead of exploring what information the other person might have that
we don’t, we assume we know all we need to know to understand and explain things.
==========
2018 5:11:26 AM
As we argue vociferously for our view, we often fail to question one crucial
assumption upon which our whole stance in the conversation is built: I am right,
you are
==========
2018 5:11:30 AM
As we argue vociferously for our view, we often fail to question one crucial
assumption upon which our whole stance in the conversation is built: I am right,
you are wrong.
==========
2018 5:11:51 AM
The point is this: difficult conversations are almost never about getting the facts
right.
==========
2018 5:12:16 AM
They are not about what is true, they are about what is important.
==========
2018 5:12:36 AM
These are not questions of right and wrong, but questions of interpretation and
judgment.
==========
2018 5:12:44 AM
the quest to determine who is right and who is wrong is a dead end.
==========
2018 5:13:14 AM
It allows us to move away from delivering messages and toward asking questions,
exploring how each person is making sense of the world.
==========
2018 5:13:45 AM
we assume we know the intentions of others when we don’t.

==========
2018 5:14:01 AM
But our invented stories about other people’s intentions are accurate much less
often than we think.
==========
2018 5:15:36 AM
But in situations that give rise to difficult conversations, it is almost always

true that what happened is the result of things both people did — or failed to do.
==========
2018 5:16:11 AM
Focusing instead on understanding the contribution system allows us to learn about

the real causes of the problem, and to work on correcting them.
==========
2018 5:21:23 AM
Engaging in a difficult conversation without talking about feelings is like staging

an opera without the music.
==========
2018 5:21:42 AM
Jack never explicitly says that he feels mistreated or underappreciated,

==========
2018 5:22:03 AM
conversation without talking about feelings may save you time and reduce your
anxiety.
==========
2018 5:22:07 AM
In the short term, engaging in a difficult conversation without talking about

feelings may save you time and reduce your anxiety.
==========
2018 5:22:17 AM
if feelings are the issue, what have you accomplished if you don’t address them?
==========
Work Clean (Dan Charnas)
- Your Highlight on Location 61-62 | Added on Saturday, January 13, 2018 11:53:13
PM
And we’ll learn the three universal values of working clean: preparation, process,
and presence.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 127-127 | Added on Sunday, January 14, 2018 12:00:04
AM
whenever you work clean, you will be the best that you can be.
==========
AM
Make a mental diagram of where everything is and should be. Know the recipes. And
come to class every day with your timeline.
==========
AM
Without learning how to work, and work clean—meaning to do that work with economy
of time, space, motion, and thought—they can’t cook professionally.
==========
AM
Everything has been cleaned down, all my knives are clean, clean cutting board,
clear space to work, clear mind.”
==========
AM
Jeremy’s problem is this: He doesn’t have a philosophy and a system that will help
him do all the other things he does.
==========
AM
But his formal education never included instruction on how to organize and conduct
his workflow;
==========
AM
Near the top of that list for them, and for us, is how to prepare, how to create
order, and how to prioritize the work at hand.
==========
AM
Organizing is not an intellectual exercise. We must also know how to handle the
mental, emotional, and physical challenges and resistance we all encounter.
==========
AM
Even in the best corporate environments, tolerance for waste—waste of time, space,
talent, personal energy, and resources—is much higher than in kitchen culture.
==========
AM
the kind of backwards planning he was trained to do at the CIA.

==========
AM
But what Ruhlman retained from the kitchen was its sense of unrelenting honesty
about time and space, success and failure.
==========
AM
What are your standards? What habits make you successful? How strongly are you
willing to hold on to your regimen of good habits in a world that will tempt you to
ditch them, often without any immediate consequence? How much are you willing
==========
AM
What are your standards? What habits make you successful? How strongly are you
willing to hold on to your regimen of good habits in a world that will tempt you to
ditch them, often without any immediate consequence? How much are you willing to
keep your own focus despite the chaos around you?
==========
AM
To become a chef is to accept the fact that you will always have to think ahead,
and to be a chef means that thinking and preparation are as integral to the job as
cooking.
==========
AM
So they ensure excellent execution by tenacious pursuit of the best process to do

just about everything.
==========
AM
Chefs know that success is doing a job right once and then repeating it.
==========
AM
Awareness must be internal and external at once.

==========
- Your Highlight on Location 823-826 | Added on Monday, January 15, 2018 12:06:52
AM
being either in or out, on or off. When we work, we put our all into it. When we
play, we don’t hang on to work. Wherever we are, we’re there.
==========
AM
LiPuma spent more time on prep than anyone else in the kitchen. He started making
it through service. As his confidence and skill grew, his prep time shrank.
==========
AM
Wasn’t greeting your day better than fighting it? Why not
==========
AM
Wasn’t greeting your day better than fighting it?

==========
AM
You plan what you can so you can deal with what you can’t. He
==========
AM
You plan what you can so you can deal with what you can’t.
==========
AM
Thus, for chefs and cooks, the act of planning takes precedence; it must precede
cooking. Chefs become planning machines so they can become cooking machines.
==========
AM
Making a list is only half the job of planning. To complete the other half, the
chef must square that list with the clock. How
==========
AM
Making a list is only half the job of planning. To complete the other half, the
chef must square that list with the clock.
==========
AM
How much time will this take? How many things can I do in time given my resources?
==========
AM
How much time will this take? How many things can I do in time given my resources?
When, exactly, will I do them, and in what order?
==========
AM
Sequence is everything.
==========
AM
When they find themselves running behind or missing things in the kitchen, their
chefs refer to the students’ timelines. Usually, the chef can point to the error in
the students’ planning that caused the error in behavior.
==========
AM
“The only thing worse than failure,” Lopez says, “is passing by accident.”
==========
AM
times by adding more bodies, by getting help? Chefs’ backwards planning skills are
as applicable as they are enviable outside the kitchen.
==========
AM
Chefs’ backwards planning skills are as applicable as they are enviable outside the
kitchen.
==========
AM
The result of all that physical and mental energy they devote to planning is
excellence and calm execution—in
==========
AM
excellence and calm execution—in the face of both the expected challenges
==========
AM
excellence and calm execution—in the face of both the expected challenges and the
unexpected.
==========
AM
What we need is the chef’s mature sense of honesty about what we can and cannot do
with time, and of the consequences of surrendering or fighting something that
should just be met squarely.
==========
AM
1. Determining our daily actions 2. Ordering those actions in sequence

==========
AM
Knowing how long our actions take is harder for us to determine, but that
information is valuable. Creating an honesty log will help you understand how much
time your regular, recurring tasks actually require.
==========
AM
develop knowledge about this without gathering data. So for your most important
categories of tasks, log your times for a month on a piece of paper, a spreadsheet,
or a time-tracking app, and see if they average out in a meaningful way.
==========
AM
You won’t develop knowledge about this without gathering data. So for your most
important categories of tasks, log your times for a month on a piece of paper, a
spreadsheet, or a time-tracking app, and see if they average out in a meaningful
way.
==========
AM
For example, if you sometimes can get through a nine-item list, but can’t ever get
through a 10-item list, then your Meeze Point is 9.
==========
AM
From this practice, I know my Meeze Point is 10.

==========
AM
Being honest with time is another difference between the professional and amateur
cook, but practicing that honesty in the kitchen can engender honesty in the
planning you do at your desk or computer. HABITS: BEHAVIORS TO REPEAT CREATE A
DAILY MEEZE For chefs, a commitment to a daily practice of planning comes with
their jobs.
==========
AM
Being honest with time is another difference between the professional and amateur
cook, but practicing that honesty in the kitchen can engender honesty in the
planning you do at your desk or computer.
==========
AM
The “to-do” list without appointments lures us into packing lots of tasks onto it
without thinking about when they will actually get done; and a calendar with only
appointments on it misleads us into thinking we have an open schedule when in fact
we don’t.
==========
AM
Plan complex, multistep projects as chefs do: with the end in mind. Just as some
chefs begin a dish by drawing a plate, for your own projects, first envision the
moment of delivery, then plan backward from
==========
AM
moment of delivery, then plan backward from
==========
AM
moment of delivery, then plan backward from it. What
==========
AM
moment of delivery, then plan backward from it.
==========
AM
Where is “there”? Everywhere. How early? Fifteen minutes. Why? The dividends are
serenity and opportunity. Entering a space calmly, under your own control, and
without apology retains your power and dignity.
==========
AM
Getting there early applies especially to the appointments you make with yourself
because those are the appointments you are least likely to keep—having no one to
answer to but yourself.
==========
AM
Most of all, Eden forced Jarobi to bring order to his surroundings and restraint to
his movements: Where and how to stand. How to set his station. How to move his
hands and arms.
==========
AM
Ingredients should be close by and close together. Ingredients for each dish should
be arranged in the order that they go into the pan or plate, and they should all be
grouped together in “zones,”
==========
AM
Yui’s designs also follow another principle: Make the kitchen and the spaces within
it as small as possible.
==========
AM
Now I’m emptying the dishwasher in half the time. Life lesson learned: Use both
hands. But
==========
AM
Now I’m emptying the dishwasher in half the time. Life lesson learned: Use both
hands.
==========
AM
Every day, chefs cultivate the use of both sides of the body, both sides of a
space, and both sides of a motion.
==========
AM
But the culmination of perfected motion in the kitchen is the cook’s ability to
intertwine planning and movement: thinking while moving.
==========
AM
While cooks are handling task A, their minds envision task B. As a result, as they
finish task A, their body begins to move toward task B. While they are on task B,
they think about task C.
==========
AM
“You’re always thinking, ‘What am I doing next?

==========
AM
flow: an internalization of the sequence and order of tasks, derived from an active
mind that is always thinking one or two steps ahead.
==========
AM
If a cook can use one movement to get two things done, that’s one less thing to
worry about, which in turn makes her movements more focused and less fraught.
==========
AM
The less friction we have in our work, the easier it is to do, the more we can do,
and the quicker we can do it; and thus the more physical and mental energies we can
preserve for other things.
==========
AM
Our keyboards and screens require all manner of repetitive, automatized movements;
and we all suffer from time wasted by failing to apply our mental capacity to our
daily movements, and to the execution of complex processes, which are also
movements on a macro level.
==========
AM
Whether you call it task chaining, task stacking, or flow, being able to conceive
and envision your next move while making your current one can save time and turn
even drudge work into a moving meditation.
==========
AM
“If you can’t clean, you can’t cook,” Jean-Georges told him. “You cook the way you
look.”
==========
AM
cleaning spaces maintained an optimal mind state for a cook. Thus the most
important notion about cleaning was when cooks were supposed to do it: all the
time.
==========
AM
Thus the most important notion about cleaning was when cooks were supposed to do
it: all the time.
==========
AM
So the real work of mise-en-place isn’t being clean, but working clean: keeping
that system of organization no matter how fast and furious the work is. For chefs,
cleaning as you go is a commitment to keeping order through disorder.
==========
AM
Messy station equals messy mind, chefs say. Clean station equals clean mind.
==========
AM
Chefs see a direct correlation not only between the condition of one’s station and
one’s mind, but also between the tolerance of dirt and the tolerance of
distractions, and between the disposition of oneself to cleaning and to
responsibility in general.
==========
AM
This collective responsibility is why our best kitchens often look and feel cleaner
than our best hospitals. The chefs themselves—the “doctors” of the kitchen—do the
cleaning.
==========
AM
Mise-en-Place”.) So many of his problems during his dark day in the office could be
solved by this one behavior, cleaning as
==========
AM
So many of his problems during his dark day in the office could be solved by this
one behavior, cleaning as you
==========
AM
So many of his problems during his dark day in the office could be solved by this
one behavior, cleaning as you go.
==========
AM
Working clean on a regular basis would likely take only seconds in transitions
between tasks. But those seconds can make the difference between supporting and
disappointing people, between success and failure.
==========
PM
For 1 day, every hour on the hour that you are at your desk, take 1 minute to reset
both your physical and digital workspace, no matter what you are currently doing.
==========
PM
In the digital realm, zero point means closing windows, folders, or applications.
==========
PM
Develop a clear sense of the borderlines between individual projects and between
the segments of your day by resetting the
==========
PM
Develop a clear sense of the borderlines between individual projects and between
the segments of your day by resetting the table.
==========
PM
You’ll be tempted to leave the papers on your desk or leave that document open on
your computer desktop. Don’t do that. Will you lose a few seconds closing the
document? Sure you will. But you stand to gain much more than that in your return
to zero point: You’ll have the clear headspace that comes from a clean workspace.
==========
PM
Pile-o-maniacs and sticky note addicts, if afraid to actually put their work away,
can begin their cleaning practice by simply straightening the items on their desk:
You just take all that stuff and make everything neat. You create visual order out
of disorder.
==========
PM
Commit to maintaining your system. Always be cleaning.

==========
PM
Vongerichten implied a more esoteric concept: The first moments count more than
later ones.
==========
PM
To be ready, you have to make first moves.

==========
PM
He was trying to teach me a more subtle and profound notion about the nature of
time: The present has incalculably more value than the future.
==========
PM
action taken now has immeasurably more impact than a step taken later because the
reactions to that action have more time to perpetuate.
==========
PM
An action taken now has immeasurably more impact than a step taken later because
the reactions to that action have more time to perpetuate.
==========
PM
Furthermore, because our mind state has a huge effect on how we perceive time,
acting in the present releases psychological pressure and opens up more time.
Starting is, in effect, a shortcut.
==========
PM
A minute spent now may save 10 minutes, 20 minutes later on. The
==========
PM
A minute spent now may save 10 minutes, 20 minutes later on.

==========
PM
contrast, chefs and cooks cultivate a two-dimensional concept of time. A chef

thinks this way: In the foreground are the projects that need my presence: my
hands, my mind, my body. But in the background are the projects that don’t need my
continued presence, but need me to start or maintain them.
==========
PM
call “hands-on” time immersive time, because the projects that happen in it are
wholly executed by me and happen largely independent of external processes and
other people. The vegetables won’t chop themselves. Hands-on, immersive time aligns
with creative work—activity with which we engage fully. I call “hands-off” time
process time, because the tasks and projects therein are dependent on and linked to
external processes.
==========
PM
Immersive time is worth its face value. Five minutes of my energy now equals 5
minutes of my energy later. I can chop the vegetables for garnish now, or I can
chop them 5 minutes before service. Process time, however, can be worth much more
than it seems.
==========
PM
First, a first move can serve as a placeholder or a mark. When we don’t have time
to execute in the moment, a mark put in the right physical or digital place ensures
that we won’t forget an action and can subtly tilt us toward the task to be done.
==========
PM
Mastering the art of compounding time requires a fluency in time’s dual nature.
Making first moves, cultivating a sense of immersive and process time, means acting
immediately to set processes in motion and multiply your power and productivity.
==========
PM
Process time unlocks work on your behalf; delaying process tasks
==========
PM
Process time unlocks work on your behalf; delaying process tasks

==========
PM
Process time unlocks work on your behalf; delaying process

==========
PM
Process time unlocks work on your behalf; delaying process tasks will delay their
benefits to you and others.
==========
PM
Which of the following tasks are immersive and which are process? Ask this question
of each: If I don’t act now, do I stop a process on my behalf?
==========
PM
Do I stop other people’s work on my behalf? If the answer is yes, write “Process.”
If no, write “Immersive.”
==========
PM
4. Mark tasks in two ways: either directly onto your schedule or—if you don’t have
enough perspective on your priorities—onto your Action list for ordering and
scheduling later, during your Daily Meeze. (See Third Course: Working Clean as a
Way of Life for more details.)
==========
PM
The present has incalculably more value than the future. Starting is, in effect, a
shortcut.
==========
PM
Eden tries to make as many first moves as he can.

==========
PM
Do it now, don’t wait for later. Now I’m calm and steady and energetic; later I’m
stressed and jittery and exhausted. Now I’m moving perfectly, which saves me time;
later I’m making mistakes, which cost me time. One easy shortcut now can force me
into any number of bad shortcuts later.
==========
PM
She knew that if she indulged her restlessness—even with the intention to get
another project started—she would end up throwing her entire day off.
==========
PM
The very nature of the kitchen’s product demands that chefs develop a finishing
mentality. Dishes, for the most part, are all-or-nothing.
==========
PM
Ninety percent done is still zero percent done from the perspective of the
customer. So a cook must develop a delivery mind-set.
==========
PM
Momentum and aggregation are key rationales for continuing with an action until it
is done.
==========
PM
Finishing actions clears the mind as much as it clears the plate.

==========
PM
An accumulation of unfinished actions creates a mental clutter and a brain drain.

==========
PM
“Starting” is less about doing everything immediately and more about creating a
triage system to prioritize current and future actions. “Finishing” is not so much
about completing everything and more about not being distracted by the periodic
“starting” of other things. “Finishing” can also be stopping a project while it’s
incomplete but taking just an extra few seconds to wrap it up for resumption later
so as to not leave loose ends hanging.
==========
PM
What chefs attempt to avoid are orphaned tasks—things that take up physical and
mental space because they haven’t been tied up in the easiest possible form to be
resumed later. And since the polarities of starting and finishing generate tension
between them, we must always begin with the end in mind. When you start a project,
ask one question: How and when will I finish?
==========
PM
Better to enjoy the temporal, physical, and mental dividends of finishing than pay
the price later for not doing so.
==========
PM
Excellence is quality delivered.

==========
PM
Conscious finishing begins with conscious starting. Our chances of success grow
when we ask ourselves “What’s finishable?” at the start. We judge the finishable by
two parameters: ease and expectation. Ease is time plus energy: How quickly can we
finish something, modulated by how much or how little energy we expend in that
time? Expectation is deadline plus stakeholders: Who is waiting for our product,
and when do they expect it?
==========
PM
Thus process tasks usually have higher expectation and, because they often take
less time and thought, are easier to execute.
==========
PM
Process tasks are among the “low-hanging fruit” that we should look to pick when
conducting a triage for tasks to start or to
==========
PM
The key in conscious starting is to cultivate a balance between the finishable

tasks (high expectation/high ease) and the complex tasks (high expectation/low
ease).
==========
PM
Try this thought exercise for 1 day’s work, marking each task on your daily list
with one of the four categories listed in the delivery matrix above, and then
choosing which actions to deliver based on what yields the best combination of
practical and political benefit.
==========
PM
■ High-expectation and high-ease tasks are finishable. ■ Low-expectation and low-

ease tasks are delayable. ■ Low-expectation and high-ease tasks are distracting.
■ And high-expectation and low-ease tasks are the complex tasks that most need
scheduling. When you put these together, they form a different version of the
Eisenhower Matrix.
==========
PM
A delivery mentality means constant triage: keeping a nose for the deliverable and
a sense of the expectations into which you’re delivering.
==========
PM
Fear-related fatigue often needs a cup of coffee, a pep talk, or a kick in the
pants. Second, calculate the value of a pause. Will your work be so much more
efficient after a pause that it will make up for the time it takes to ramp up
again?
==========
PM
Or will stopping now—just a few minutes or hours away from the finish line—create
even more work for you later?
==========
PM
Or will stopping now—just a few minutes or hours away from the finish line—create
even more work for you later? Will the mental benefits of pushing through now allow
you to rest easier when the work is done?
==========
PM
Whether we doubt our skill or our will, the solution in the face of fear, anger, or
despair remains the same: to take small forward steps, to literally put one foot in
front of the other, or move your arms and keep the fingers moving. Move slowly. It
takes a while to discern whether our feelings are warranted or not, or whether
those fears merit a course correction.
==========
PM
Whether we doubt our skill or our will, the solution in the face of fear, anger, or
despair remains the same: to take small forward steps, to literally put one foot in
front of the other, or move your arms and keep the fingers moving. Move slowly. It
takes a while to discern whether our feelings are warranted or not, or whether
those fears merit a course correction. In any case, you can’t correct your course
without movement. So keep moving.
==========
PM
Until my project is done, I’m the assembly-line worker, not the executive. Remove
your freedom to do something else. Scatteredness confuses us.
==========
PM
Until my project is done, I’m the assembly-line worker, not the executive. Remove
your freedom to do something else.
==========
- Your Highlight on Location 2333-2335 | Added on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 1:28:40
AM
he could redeem the time we spent waiting at our origin in order to minimize the
time we spent waiting at our destination.
==========
AM
our goals at any stopping point are: (1) minimize the time spent waiting; and (2)
redeem any time we must wait by using it to minimize our wait period at the next
stopping point.
==========
AM
For the chef, the deadline is integral to quality. Without delivery, there’s no
feedback, severing the improvement loop that creates excellence. Excellence is
quality delivered.
==========
AM
So if you need to do more than one thing at a time, do two things, and don’t go on
to that third thing until you’re done.
==========
AM
Time is rigid until it’s malleable, finite until it’s infinite. Chefs know some
moments count more than others. And they know that one’s perception of time has a
lot to do with one’s relationship to space. Those concepts of time and space merge
in the almost quantum notion of slowing down to speed up.
==========
AM
Don’t rush; when you rush, your movements become sloppy. Don’t panic; when you
panic, you forget things.
==========
AM
Slowness is the only way a cook can access quality velocity.

==========
AM
movement won’t make that movement any more precise. In the

==========
AM
In the duality between speed and precision, precision must always precede speed,
==========
AM
They calm their minds and extend time by moving their bodies smoothly, and cover
the distance to the finish line by moving them steadily. They work clean with their
emotions.
==========
11:49:25 AM
The goal at the pinnacle of this hierarchy will be what I have called our grand
goal in living: It is the goal that we should be unwilling to sacrifice to attain
other goals.
==========
11:50:53 AM
The Stoic philosophy of life may be old, but it merits the attention of any modern
individual who wishes to have a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling—who
wishes, that is, to have a good life.
==========
11:51:35 AM
The Stoics realized that a life plagued with negative emotions—including anger,
anxiety, fear, grief, and envy—will not be a good life.
==========
11:52:50 AM
They both, for example, stress the importance of contemplating the transitory
nature of the world around us and the importance of mastering desire, to the extent
that it is possible to do so.
==========
11:57:41 AM
There was also agreement that one wonderful way to tame our tendency to always want
more is to persuade ourselves to want the things we already have.
==========
11:59:08 AM
We will reconsider our goals in living. In particular, we will take to heart the
Stoic claim that many of the things we desire—most notably, fame and fortune—are
not worth pursuing. We will instead turn our attention to the pursuit of
tranquility and what the Stoics called virtue.
==========
12:00:00 PM
We will, for example, take care to distinguish between things we can control and
things we can’t, so that we will no longer worry about the things we can’t control
and will instead focus our attention on the things we can control. We will also
recognize how easy it is for other people to disturb our tranquility, and we will
therefore practice Stoic strategies to prevent them from upsetting us.
==========
1:20:00 PM
They thought people should enjoy the good things life has to offer, including
friendship and wealth, but only if they did not cling to these good things. Indeed,
they thought we should periodically interrupt our enjoyment of what life has to
offer to spend time contemplating the loss of whatever it is we are enjoying.
==========
1:26:49 PM
He also advised his listeners to “pay attention to your enemies, for they are the
first to discover your mistakes.” Despite, or perhaps because of, his sharp wit,
==========
1:34:39 PM
virtuous individual is one who performs well the function for which humans were
designed. To be virtuous, then, is to live as we were designed to live; it is to
live, as Zeno put it, in accordance with nature.18
==========
3:25:40 PM
He never feels grief, since he realizes that grief is an “irrational contraction of

the soul.” His
==========
3:25:45 PM
He never feels grief, since he realizes that grief is an “irrational contraction of

the soul.” His
==========
3:31:41 PM
Thus, for the Roman Stoics, the pursuit of virtue and the pursuit of tranquility
are components of a virtuous circle—indeed, a doubly virtuous circle: The pursuit
of virtue results in a degree of tranquility, which in turn makes it easier for us
to pursue virtue.
==========
3:32:41 PM
a person understood what the truly good things were, he, being rational, would
necessarily pursue them and thereby become virtuous.
==========
3:43:50 PM
Elsewhere, we find Seneca telling his friend Lucilius that if he wishes to practice
Stoicism, he will have to make it his business to “learn how to feel joy.”
==========
3:52:25 PM
will use his reasoning ability to reflect on the human condition. He will then
discover the reason we were created and the role we play in the cosmic scheme.
==========
3:52:42 PM
He will therefore pursue virtue, in the ancient sense of the word, meaning that he
will strive to become an excellent human being.
==========
4:02:39 PM
Seneca therefore points to a second reason for contemplating the bad things that
can happen to us. If we think about these things, we will lessen their impact on us
when, despite our efforts at prevention, they happen: “He robs present ills of
their power who has perceived their coming beforehand.”1
==========
4:04:30 PM
The problem, though, is that once they fulfill a desire for something, they adapt
to its presence in their life and as a result stop desiring it—or at any rate,
don’t find it as desirable as they once did. They end up just as dissatisfied as
they were before fulfilling the desire.
==========
4:08:43 PM
Indeed, Seneca takes things even further than this: We should live as if this very
moment were our last.11
==========
4:09:51 PM
much we would miss them if they were not ours.12 Along these
==========
4:10:03 PM
Along these lines, we should think about how we would feel if we lost our material
possessions, including our house, car, clothing, pets, and bank balance; how we
would feel if we lost our abilities, including our ability to speak, hear, walk,
breathe, and swallow; and how we would feel if we lost our freedom.
==========
2018 12:09:34 AM
what is really foolish is to spend your life in a state of self-induced

dissatisfaction when satisfaction lies within your grasp,
==========
2018 12:09:56 AM
desirable than satisfaction. What, I would ask, could possibly be worth sacrificing
satisfaction in order to obtain?
==========
2018 12:11:52 AM
We are likely to get angry and have our tranquility disrupted by the incident. One
way to avert this anger is to think about how we would feel if the incident had
happened to someone else instead. If we were at someone’s house and his servant
broke a cup, we would be unlikely to get angry; indeed, we might try to calm our
host by saying “It’s just a cup; these things happen.”
==========
2018 12:15:43 AM
Furthermore, there is a difference between contemplating something bad happening
and worrying about it. Contemplation is an intellectual exercise, and it is
possible for us to conduct such exercises without its affecting our emotions.
==========
2018 12:18:15 AM
Thus, a father who practices negative visualization, if he does it correctly, will

come away with two conclusions: He is lucky to have a child, and because he cannot
be certain of her continued presence in his life, he should be prepared to lose
her.
==========
2018 12:19:09 AM
durable, that it will survive changes in our circumstances. Thus, by practicing

negative visualization, we can hope to gain what Seneca took to be a primary
benefit of Stoicism, namely, “a boundless joy that is firm and unalterable.”18
==========
2018 12:23:24 AM
They agree that if what you seek is contentment, it is better and easier to change
yourself and what you want than it is to change the world around you.
==========
2018 12:24:50 AM
In conclusion, whenever we desire something that is not up to us, our tranquility

will likely be disturbed: If we don’t get what we want, we will be upset, and if we
do get what we want, we will experience anxiety in the process of getting
==========
2018 12:27:15 AM
To begin with, it makes sense for us to spend time and energy concerning
==========
2018 12:27:19 AM
To begin with, it makes sense for us to spend time and energy concerning ourselves
with things over which we have complete control.
==========
2018 12:30:41 AM
Another thing I think we have complete control over is our values. We have complete
control, for example, over whether we value fame and fortune, pleasure, or
tranquility.
==========
2018 2:43:02 PM
It will clearly make sense for us to spend time and energy setting goals for
ourselves and determining our values. Doing this will take relatively little time
and energy. Furthermore, the reward for choosing our goals and values properly can
be enormous. Indeed, Marcus thinks the key to having a good life is to value things
that are genuinely valuable and be indifferent to things that lack value. He adds
that because we have it in our power to assign value to things, we have it in our
power to live a good life. More generally, Marcus thinks that by forming opinions
properly—by assigning things their correct value—we can avoid much suffering,
grief, and anxiety and can thereby achieve the tranquility the Stoics seek.9
==========
2018 2:54:06 PM
In the same way that a “virtuous” (or excellent) hammer is one that performs well
the function for which it was designed—namely, to drive nails—a virtuous individual
is one who performs well the function for which humans were designed. To be
virtuous, then, is to live as we were designed to live; it is to live, as Zeno put
it, in accordance with nature.18 The Stoics would add that if we do this, we will
have a good life.
==========
2018 2:54:25 PM
Stoic sage, according to Diogenes Laertius, is “free from vanity; for he is

indifferent to good or evil report.” He never feels grief, since he realizes that
grief is an “irrational contraction of the soul.” His
==========
2018 2:54:32 PM
Stoic sage, according to Diogenes Laertius, is “free from vanity; for he is

indifferent to good or evil report.” He never feels grief, since he realizes that
grief is an “irrational contraction of the soul.” His conduct is exemplary. He
doesn’t let anything stop him from doing his duty. Although he drinks wine, he
doesn’t do so in order to get drunk. The Stoic sage is, in short, “godlike.”21
==========
2018 2:54:52 PM
And by tranquility they did not have in mind a zombie-like state. (To advocate that
kind of tranquility, after all, would be a rejection of the rationality that the
Stoics thought essential to virtuous living.) Rather, Stoic tranquility was a
psychological state marked by the absence of negative emotions, such as grief,
anger, and anxiety, and the presence of positive emotions, such as joy.
==========
2018 2:55:58 PM
Elsewhere, we find Seneca telling his friend Lucilius that if he wishes to practice
Stoicism, he will have to make it his business to “learn how to feel joy.” He adds
that one of the reasons he wants Lucilius to practice Stoicism is because he does
not wish Lucilius “ever to be deprived of gladness.”7
==========
2018 2:56:37 PM
The person who does this won’t simply pursue pleasure, as an animal might; instead,
he will use his reasoning ability to reflect on the human condition. He will then
discover the reason we were created and the role we play in the cosmic scheme. He
will realize that to have a good life, he needs to perform well the function of a
human being, the function Zeus designed him to fulfill. He will therefore pursue
virtue, in the ancient sense of the word, meaning that he will strive to become an
excellent human being.
==========
2018 2:56:44 PM
God created him and live accordingly; he must, as Zeno put it, live in accordance
with nature.
==========
2018 2:56:53 PM
God created him and live accordingly; he must, as Zeno put it, live in accordance
with nature. The person who does this won’t simply pursue pleasure, as an animal
might; instead, he will use his reasoning ability to reflect on the human
condition. He will then discover the reason we were created and the role we play in
the cosmic scheme. He will realize that to have a good life, he needs to perform
well the function of a human being, the function Zeus designed him to fulfill. He
will therefore pursue virtue, in the ancient sense of the word, meaning that he
will strive to become an excellent human being.
==========
2018 2:58:22 PM
This means that besides finding a way to forestall the adaptation process, we need
to find a way to reverse it. In other words, we need a technique for creating in
ourselves a desire for the things we already have. Around the world and throughout
the millennia, those who have thought carefully about the workings of desire have
recognized this—that the easiest way for us to gain happiness is to learn how to
want the things we already have. This
==========
2018 3:01:48 PM
Among the deaths we should contemplate, says Epictetus, is our own.10 Along similar
lines, Seneca advises his friend Lucilius to live each day as if it were his last.
Indeed, Seneca takes things even further than this: We should live as if this very
moment were our last.11
==========
2018 3:02:20 PM
To them, living as if each day were our last is simply an extension of the negative
visualization technique: As we go about our day, we should periodically pause to
reflect on the fact that we will not live forever and therefore that this day could
be our last.
==========
2018 3:02:46 PM
Such reflection, rather than converting us into hedonists, will make us appreciate
how wonderful it is that we are alive and have the opportunity to fill this day
with activity. This in turn will make it less likely that we will squander our
days. In other words, when the Stoics counsel us to live each day as if it were our
last, their goal is not to change our activities but to change our state of mind as
we carry out those activities. In particular, they don’t want us to stop thinking
about or planning for tomorrow; instead they want us, as we think about and plan
for tomorrow, to remember to appreciate today.
==========
2018 3:03:01 PM
Why, then, do the Stoics want us to contemplate our own death? Because doing so can
dramatically enhance our enjoyment of life. And besides contemplating the loss of
our life, say the Stoics, we should contemplate the loss of our possessions.
==========
2018 3:04:03 PM
Because of adaptation, we take our life and what we have for granted rather than
delighting in them. Negative visualization, though, is a powerful antidote to
hedonic adaptation. By consciously thinking about the loss of what we have, we can
regain our appreciation of it, and with this regained appreciation we can
revitalize our capacity for joy.
==========
2018 3:08:12 PM
They analyze their circumstances not in terms of what they are lacking but in terms
of how much they have and how much they would miss it were they to lose it. Many of
them have been quite unlucky, objectively speaking, in their life; nevertheless,
they will tell you at length how lucky they are—to be alive, to be able to walk, to
be living where they live, and so forth.
==========
2018 3:10:02 PM
If you ask these malcontents for their opinion of the cheerful people just
described—or even worse, of those Stoic optimists who go on at length about what a
wonderful thing glass is—they are likely to respond with disparaging
==========
2018 3:10:17 PM
If you ask these malcontents for their opinion of the cheerful people just
described—or even worse, of those Stoic optimists who go on at length about what a
wonderful thing glass is—they are likely to respond with disparaging remarks: “Such
people are clearly fools. They shouldn’t be satisfied with so little. They should
want more and not rest content until they get it.” I would argue, though, that what
is really foolish is to spend your life in a state of self-induced dissatisfaction
when satisfaction lies within your grasp, if only you will change your mental
outlook. To be able to be satisfied with little is not a failing, it is a blessing—
if, at any rate, what you seek is satisfaction. And if you seek something other
than satisfaction, I would inquire (with astonishment) into what it is that you
find more desirable than satisfaction.
==========
2018 3:11:47 PM
The negative visualization technique, by the way, can also be used in reverse:
Besides imagining that the bad things that happened to others happen to us, we can
imagine that the bad things that happen to us happened instead to others.
==========
2018 3:12:57 PM
We are likely to get angry and have our tranquility disrupted by the incident. One
way to avert this anger is to think about how we would feel if the incident had
happened to someone else instead. If we were at someone’s house and his servant
broke a cup, we would be unlikely to get angry; indeed, we might try to calm our
host by saying “It’s just a cup; these things happen.” Engaging in projective
visualization, Epictetus believes, will make us appreciate the relative
insignificance of the bad things that happen to us and will therefore prevent them
from disrupting our tranquility.
==========
2018 3:14:35 PM
result. Finally, negative visualization, rather than making people glum, will
increase the extent to which they enjoy the world around them, inasmuch as it will
prevent them from taking that world for granted. Despite—or rather, because of—his
(occasional) gloomy thoughts, the Stoic will likely enjoy the picnic far more than
the other picnickers who refuse to entertain similarly gloomy thoughts; he will
take delight in being part of an event that, he fully realizes, might not have
taken place.
==========
2018 3:23:43 PM
Negative visualization, in other words, teaches us to embrace whatever life we

happen to be living and to extract every bit of delight we can from it. But it
simultaneously teaches us to prepare ourselves for changes that will deprive us of
the things that delight us. It teaches us, in other words, to enjoy what we have
without clinging to it. This in turn means that by practicing negative
visualization, we can not only increase our chances of experiencing joy but
increase the chance that the joy we experience will be durable, that it will
survive changes in our circumstances. Thus, by practicing negative visualization,
we can hope to gain what Seneca took to be a primary benefit of Stoicism, namely,
“a boundless joy that is firm and unalterable.”18
==========
2018 3:24:14 PM
Previously, when we thought we could repeat them at will, a meal at this restaurant
or a kiss shared with our lover might have been unre-markable. But now that we know
they cannot be repeated, they will likely become extraordinary events: The meal
will be the best we ever had at the restaurant, and the parting kiss will be one of
the most intensely bittersweet experiences life has to offer.
==========
2018 3:24:23 PM
Previously, when we thought we could repeat them at will, a meal at this restaurant
or a kiss shared with our lover might have been unre-markable. But now that we know
they cannot be repeated, they will likely become extraordinary events: The meal
will be the best we ever had at the restaurant, and the parting kiss will be one of
the most intensely bittersweet experiences life has to offer. By contemplating the
impermanence of everything in the world, we are forced to recognize that every time
we do something could be the last time we do it, and this recognition can invest
the things we do with a significance and intensity that would otherwise be absent.
==========
2018 3:25:49 PM
yourself and what you want than it is to change the world around you. Your primary
desire, says Epictetus, should be your desire not to be frustrated by forming
desires you won’t be able to fulfill. Your other desires should conform to this
desire, and if they don’t, you should do your best to extinguish them. If you
succeed in doing this, you will no longer experience anxiety about whether or not
you will get what you want; nor will you experience disappointment on not getting
what you want. Indeed, says Epictetus,
==========
2018 3:25:53 PM
yourself and what you want than it is to change the world around you. Your primary
desire, says Epictetus, should be your desire not to be frustrated by forming
desires you won’t be able to fulfill. Your other desires should conform to this
desire, and if they don’t, you should do your best to extinguish them. If you
succeed in doing this, you will no longer experience anxiety about whether or not
you will get what you want; nor will you experience disappointment on not getting
what you want.
==========
2018 3:26:29 PM
Since the thing is not up to us, there was a chance that we wouldn’t get it, and
this probably worried us. Thus, wanting things that are not up to us will disrupt
our tranquility, even if we end up getting them. In conclusion, whenever we desire
something that is not up to us, our tranquility will likely be disturbed: If we
don’t get what we want, we will be upset, and if we do get what we want, we will
experience anxiety in the process of getting it.
==========
2018 3:27:29 PM
n h i s stat e m e n t of the dichotomy of control, Epictetus suggests, quite

sensibly, that we are behaving foolishly if we spend time worrying about things
that are not up to us; because they are not up to us, worrying about them is
futile. We should instead concern ourselves with things that are up to us, since
we can take steps either to bring them about or prevent them from happening. On
restating the dichotomy of control as a trichotomy, though, we must restate his
advice regarding what is and isn’t sensible to worry about.
==========
2018 3:32:03 PM
which he has some but not complete control, such as winning a tennis match, he will
be very careful about the goals he sets for himself. In particular, he will be
careful to set internal rather than external goals. Thus, his goal in playing
tennis will not be to win a match (something external, over which he has only
partial control) but to play to the best of his ability in the match (something
internal, over which he has complete control).
==========
2018 3:32:11 PM
we have complete control are the goals we set for ourselves. I think that when a
Stoic concerns himself with things over which he has some but not complete control,
such as winning a tennis match, he will be very careful about the goals he sets for
himself. In particular, he will be careful to set internal rather than external
goals. Thus, his goal in playing tennis will not be to win a match (something
external, over which he has only partial control) but to play to the best of his
ability in the match (something internal, over which he has complete control).
==========
2018 3:32:16 PM
I think that when a Stoic concerns himself with things over which he has some but
not complete control, such as winning a tennis match, he will be very careful about
the goals he sets for himself. In particular, he will be careful to set internal
rather than external goals. Thus, his goal in playing tennis will not be to win a
match (something external, over which he has only partial control) but to play to
the best of his ability in the match (something internal, over which he has
complete control).
==========
2018 3:32:33 PM
I think that when a Stoic concerns himself with things over which he has some but
not complete control, such as winning a tennis match, he will be very careful about
the goals he sets for himself. In particular, he will be careful to set internal
rather than external goals. Thus, his goal in playing tennis will not be to win a
match (something external, over which he has only partial control) but to play to
the best of his ability in the match (something internal, over which he has
complete control). By choosing this goal, he will spare himself frustration or
disappointment should he lose the match: Since it was not his goal to win the
match, he will not have failed to attain his goal, as long as he played his best.
His tranquility will not be disrupted.
==========
2018 3:32:47 PM
The Stoics realized that our internal goals will affect our external performance,
but they also realized that the goals we consciously set for ourselves can have a
dramatic impact on our subsequent emotional state. In particular, if we consciously
set winning a tennis match as our goal, we arguably don’t increase our chances of
winning that match.
==========
2018 3:34:23 PM
other hand, we set playing our best in a match as our

==========
2018 3:35:06 PM
our goal, we arguably don’t lessen our chances of winning the match,
==========
2018 3:36:02 PM
our chances of being upset by the outcome of the match.

==========
2018 3:36:13 PM
Thus, internalizing our goals with respect to tennis would appear to be a no-
brainer: To set as our goal playing to the best of our ability has an upside—
reduced emotional anguish in the future—with little or no downside.
==========
2018 3:38:11 PM
Categories of Things Example Epictetus’s Advice Things over which we have complete
control The goals we set for ourselves, the values we form We should
concern ourselves with these things. Things over which we have no control at all
Whether the sun will rise tomorrow We should not concern ourselves with
these things. Things over which we have some but not complete control Whether we
win while playing tennis We should concern ourselves with these things,
==========
2018 4:06:32 PM
should have as her goal not something external over which she has little control,
such as getting her novel published, but something internal over which she has
considerable control, such as how hard she works on the manuscript or how many
times she submits it in a given period of time.
==========
2018 4:06:37 PM
By internalizing her goals with respect to novel writing. She should have as her
goal not something external over which she has little control, such as getting her
novel published, but something internal over which she has considerable control,
such as how hard she works on the manuscript or how many times she submits it in a
given period of time.
==========
2018 4:13:55 PM
practicing Stoic will keep the trichotomy of control firmly in mind as he goes
about his daily affairs. He will perform a kind of triage in which he sorts the
elements of his life into three categories: those over which he has complete
control, those over which he has no control at all, and those over which he has
some but not complete control.
==========
2018 4:14:10 PM
practicing Stoic will keep the trichotomy of control firmly in mind as he goes
about his daily affairs. He will perform a kind of triage in which he sorts the
elements of his life into three categories: those over which he has complete
control, those over which he has no control at all, and those over which he has
some but not complete control. The things in the second category—those over which
he has no control at all—he will set aside as not worth worrying about. In
doing this, he will spare himself a great deal of needless anxiety.
==========
2018 4:18:25 PM
According to Epictetus, we should keep firmly in mind that we are merely actors in
a play written by someone else—more precisely, the Fates. We cannot choose our role
in this play, but regardless of the role we are assigned, we must play it to the
best of our ability. If we are assigned by the Fates to play the role of beggar, we
should play the role well; likewise if we are assigned to play the role of king.
==========
2018 4:20:25 PM
More precisely, they are advising us to be fatalistic with respect to the past, to
keep firmly in mind that the past cannot be changed.
==========
2018 4:20:36 PM
When a person is fatalistic with respect to the future, she will keep firmly in
mind, when deciding what to do, that her actions can have no effect on future
events. Such a person is unlikely to spend time and energy thinking about the
future or trying to alter it. When a person is fatalistic with respect to the past,
she adopts this same attitude toward past events. She will keep firmly in mind,
when deciding what to do, that her actions can have no effect on the past. Such a
person is unlikely to spend time and energy thinking about how the past might be
different. When the Stoics advocate fatalism, they are, I think, advocating a
restricted form of the doctrine. More precisely, they are advising us to be
fatalistic with respect to the past, to keep firmly in mind that the past cannot be
changed.
==========
2018 4:21:29 PM
particular, she should not spend her days with a head full of “if only” thoughts:
“If only I had known she was eating the berries! If only I had taken her to a
doctor sooner!”
==========
2018 4:25:14 PM
One of the things we’ve got, though, is this very moment, and we have an important
choice with respect to it: We can either spend this moment wishing it could be
different, or we can embrace this moment. If we habitually do the former, we will
spend much of our life in a state of dissatisfaction; if we habitually do the
latter, we will enjoy our life.
==========
2018 4:26:45 PM
Stoic philosophy, while teaching us to be satisfied with whatever we’ve got, also
counsels us to seek certain things in life. We should, for example, strive to
become better people—to become virtuous in the ancient sense of the word. We should
strive to practice Stoicism in our daily life.
==========
2018 4:27:57 PM
Besides contemplating bad things happening, we should sometimes live as if they had
happened. In particular, instead of merely thinking about what it would be like to
lose our wealth, we should periodically “practice poverty”: We should, that is,
content ourselves with “the scantiest and cheapest fare” and with “coarse and rough
dress.”1
==========
2018 4:28:19 PM
Musonius takes this technique one step further: He thinks that besides living as if
bad things had happened to us, we should sometimes cause them to happen. In
particular, we should periodically cause ourselves to experience discomfort that we
could easily have avoided.
==========
2018 4:28:51 PM
The Stoics, by way of contrast, welcomed a degree of discomfort in their life. What
the Stoics were advocating, then, is more appropriately described as a program of
voluntary discomfort than as a program of self-inflicted discomfort.
==========
2018 4:29:24 PM
To begin with, by undertaking acts of voluntary discomfort— by, for example,

ourselves against misfortunes that might befall us in the future. If all we know is
comfort, we might be traumatized when we are forced to experience pain or
discomfort, as we someday almost surely will. In other words, voluntary discomfort
can be thought of as a kind of vaccine: By exposing ourselves to a small amount of
a weakened virus now, we create in ourselves an immunity that will protect us from
a debilitating illness in the future. Alternatively, voluntary discomfort can be
thought of as an insurance premium which, if paid, makes us eligible for benefits:
Should we later fall victim to a misfortune, the discomfort we experience then will
be substantially less than it
==========
2018 4:29:44 PM
To begin with, by undertaking acts of voluntary discomfort— by, for example,

ourselves against misfortunes that might befall us in the future. If all we know is
comfort, we might be traumatized when we are forced to experience pain or
discomfort, as we someday almost surely will. In other words, voluntary discomfort
can be thought of as a kind of vaccine: By exposing ourselves to a small amount of
a weakened virus now, we create in ourselves an immunity that will protect us from
a debilitating illness in the future. Alternatively, voluntary discomfort can be
thought of as an insurance premium which, if paid, makes us eligible for benefits:
Should we later fall victim to a misfortune, the discomfort we experience then will
be substantially less than it otherwise would have been. A second benefit of
undertaking acts of voluntary discomfort comes not in the future but immediately. A
person who periodically experiences minor discomforts will grow confident that he
can withstand major discomforts as well, so the prospect of experiencing such
discomforts at some future time will not, at present, be a source of anxiety for
him.
==========
2018 4:29:59 PM
third benefit of undertaking acts of voluntary discomfort is that it helps us

appreciate what we already have. In particular, by purposely causing ourselves
discomfort, we will better appreciate whatever comfort we experience. It is, of
course, nice to be in a warm room when it is cold and blustery outside, but if we
really want to enjoy that warmth and sense of shelter, we should go outside in the
cold for a while and then come back in. Likewise,
==========
2018 4:31:26 PM
Significantly, though, the Stoics’ mistrust of pleasure doesn’t end here. They also
counsel us to make a point of sometimes abstaining from other, relatively harmless
pleasures. We might, for example, make a point of passing up an opportunity to
drink wine—not because we fear becoming an alcoholic but so we can learn self-
control. For the Stoics—and, indeed, for anyone attempting to practice a
philosophy of life— self-control will be an important trait to acquire. After all,
if we lack self-control, we are likely to be distracted by the various pleasures
life has to offer, and in this distracted state we are unlikely to attain the goals
of our philosophy of life.
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2018 4:32:15 PM
Whereas the ordinary person embraces pleasure, the sage enchains it; whereas the
ordinary person thinks pleasure is the highest good, the sage doesn’t think it is
even a good; and whereas the ordinary person does everything for the sake of
pleasure, the sage does nothing.9
==========
2018 4:33:29 PM
They will, as a result, be thoroughly in control of themselves. This self-control

makes it far more likely that they will attain the goals of their philosophy of
life, and this in turn dramatically increases their chances of living a good life.
==========
2018 4:33:43 PM
What Stoics discover, though, is that willpower is like muscle power: The more they
exercise their muscles, the stronger they get, and the more they exercise their
will, the stronger it gets. Indeed, by practicing Stoic self-denial techniques over
a long period, Stoics can transform themselves into individuals remarkable for
their courage and self-control. They will be able to do things that others dread
doing, and they will be able to refrain from doing things that others cannot resist
doing.
==========
2018 4:33:47 PM
What Stoics discover, though, is that willpower is like muscle power: The more they
exercise their muscles, the stronger they get, and the more they exercise their
will, the stronger it gets. Indeed, by practicing Stoic self-denial techniques over
a long period, Stoics can transform themselves into individuals remarkable for
their courage and self-control. They will be able to do things that others dread
doing, and they will be able to refrain from doing things that others cannot resist
doing.
==========
2018 4:34:42 PM
The Stoics will then point out that exercising self-control has certain benefits
that might not be obvious. In particular, as strange as it may seem, consciously
abstaining from pleasure can itself be pleasant. Suppose, for example, that while
on a diet, you develop a craving for the ice cream you know to be in your
refrigerator. If you eat it, you will experience a certain gastronomic pleasure,
along with a certain regret for having eaten it. If you refrain from eating the ice
cream, though, you will forgo this gastronomic pleasure but will experience
pleasure of a different kind: As Epictetus observes, you will “be pleased and will
praise yourself ” for not eating
==========
2018 4:35:20 PM
“Water, barley-meal, and crusts of barley-bread,” Seneca tells us, “are not a
cheerful diet, yet it is the highest kind of pleasure to be able to derive pleasure
from this sort of food.”14
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2018 4:35:35 PM
This last pleasure, to be sure, is utterly unlike the pleasure that comes from
eating ice cream, but it is nevertheless a genuine pleasure. Furthermore, if we
paused to do a careful cost-benefit analysis before eating the ice cream—if we
weighed the costs and benefits of eating it against the costs and benefits of not
eating it—we might find that the sensible thing for us to do, if we wish to
maximize our pleasure, is not eat it. It is for just this reason that Epictetus
counsels us, when contemplating whether or not to take advantage of opportunities
for pleasure, to engage in this sort of analysis.13 Along similar lines, suppose we
follow Stoic advice to simplify our diet. We might discover that such a diet,
although lacking in various gastronomic pleasures, is the source of a pleasure of
an entirely different sort: “Water, barley-meal, and crusts of barley-bread,”
Seneca tells us, “are not a cheerful diet, yet it is the highest kind of pleasure
to be able to derive pleasure from this sort of food.”14 Leave
==========
2018 4:35:39 PM
This last pleasure, to be sure, is utterly unlike the pleasure that comes from
eating ice cream, but it is nevertheless a genuine pleasure. Furthermore, if we
paused to do a careful cost-benefit analysis before eating the ice cream—if we
weighed the costs and benefits of eating it against the costs and benefits of not
eating it—we might find that the sensible thing for us to do, if we wish to
maximize our pleasure, is not eat it. It is for just this reason that Epictetus
counsels us, when contemplating whether or not to take advantage of opportunities
for pleasure, to engage in this sort of analysis.13 Along similar lines, suppose we
follow Stoic advice to simplify our diet. We might discover that such a diet,
although lacking in various gastronomic pleasures, is the source of a pleasure of
an entirely different sort: “Water, barley-meal, and crusts of barley-bread,”
Seneca tells us, “are not a cheerful diet, yet it is the highest kind of pleasure
to be able to derive pleasure from this sort of food.”14 Leave
==========
2018 4:36:03 PM
praise yourself ” for not eating it.12 This last pleasure, to be sure, is utterly
unlike the pleasure that comes from eating ice cream, but it is nevertheless a
genuine pleasure. Furthermore, if we paused to do a careful cost-benefit analysis
before eating the ice cream—if we weighed the costs and benefits of eating it
against the costs and benefits of not eating it—we might find that the sensible
thing for us to do, if we wish to maximize our pleasure, is not eat it. It is for
just this reason that Epictetus counsels us, when contemplating whether or not to
take advantage of opportunities for pleasure, to engage in this sort of analysis.13
Along similar lines, suppose we follow Stoic advice to simplify our diet. We might
discover that such a diet, although lacking in various gastronomic pleasures, is
the source of a pleasure of an entirely different sort: “Water, barley-meal, and
crusts of barley-bread,” Seneca tells us, “are not a cheerful diet, yet it is the
highest kind of pleasure to be able to derive pleasure from this sort of food.”14
Leave it to the Stoics to realize
==========
2018 4:36:21 PM
praise yourself ” for not eating it.12 This last pleasure, to be sure, is utterly
unlike the pleasure that comes from eating ice cream, but it is nevertheless a
genuine pleasure. Furthermore, if we paused to do a careful cost-benefit analysis
before eating the ice cream—if we weighed the costs and benefits of eating it
against the costs and benefits of not eating it—we might find that the sensible
thing for us to do, if we wish to maximize our pleasure, is not eat it. It is for
just this reason that Epictetus counsels us, when contemplating whether or not to
take advantage of opportunities for pleasure, to engage in this sort of analysis.13
Along similar lines, suppose we follow Stoic advice to simplify our diet. We might
discover that such a diet, although lacking in various gastronomic pleasures, is
the source of a pleasure of an entirely different sort: “Water, barley-meal, and
crusts of barley-bread,” Seneca tells us, “are not a cheerful diet, yet it is the
highest kind of pleasure to be able to derive pleasure from this sort of food.”14
Leave it to the Stoics to realize that the act of forgoing pleasure can itself be
pleasant. They were, as I’ve said, some of the most insightful psychologists of
their time.
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2018 4:36:49 PM
To help us advance our practice of Stoicism, Seneca advises that we periodically

meditate on the events of daily living, how we responded to these events, and how,
in accordance with Stoic principles, we should have responded to them.
==========
2018 1:20:48 AM
He will think about the events of the day. Did something disrupt his tranquility?
Did he experience anger? Envy? Lust? Why did the day’s events upset him? Is there
something he could have done to avoid getting upset?
==========
2018 1:21:38 AM
Along similar lines, Marcus advises us to examine each thing we do, determine our
motives for doing it, and consider the value of whatever it was we were trying to
accomplish. We should continually ask whether we are being governed by our reason
or by something else. And when we determine that we are not being governed by our
reason, we should ask what it is that governs us.
==========
2018 1:22:13 AM
Do we, for example, periodically engage in negative visualization? Do we take time

to distinguish between those things over which we have complete control, those
things over which we have no control at all, and those things over which we have
some but not complete control? Are we careful to internalize our goals? Have we
refrained from dwelling on the past and instead focused our attention on the
future? Have we consciously practiced acts of self-denial? We can also use our
Stoic meditations as an opportunity to ask whether, in our daily affairs, we are
following the advice offered by the Stoics.
==========
2018 1:23:32 AM
Another sign of progress in our practice of Stoicism is that our philosophy will
consist of actions rather than words. What matters most, says Epictetus, is not our
ability to spout Stoic principles but our ability to live in accordance with them.
==========
2018 1:24:32 AM
progress as Stoics, though, is a change in our emotional life. It isn’t, as those

ignorant of the true nature of Stoicism commonly believe, that we will stop
experiencing emotion. We will instead find ourselves experiencing fewer negative
emotions. We will also find that we are spending less time than we used to wishing
things could be different and more time enjoying things as they are. We will find,
more generally, that we are experiencing a degree of tranquility that our life
previously lacked. We might also discover, perhaps to our amazement, that our
practice of Stoicism has made us susceptible to little outbursts of joy: We will,
out of the blue, feel delighted to be the person we are, living the life we are
living, in the universe we happen to inhabit.
==========
2018 1:31:57 AM
slighted.Even when other people don’t do anything to us, they can disrupt our
tranquility. We typically want others—friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers, and
even complete strangers—to think well of us. We therefore spend time and energy
trying to wear the right clothes, drive the right car, live in the right house in
the right neighborhood, and so forth. These efforts, however, are accompanied by a
degree of anxiety: We fear that we will make the wrong choices and that other
people will therefore think poorly of
==========
2018 1:32:03 AM
slighted.Even when other people don’t do anything to us, they can disrupt our
tranquility. We typically want others—friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers, and
even complete strangers—to think well of us. We therefore spend time and energy
trying to wear the right clothes, drive the right car, live in the right house in
the right neighborhood, and so forth. These efforts, however, are accompanied by a
degree of anxiety: We fear that we will make the wrong choices and that other
people will therefore think poorly of us.
==========
2018 1:32:24 AM
our tranquility is likely to be upset by the feelings of envy that other, less
successful people direct toward us. Seneca said it well: “To know how many are
jealous of you, count your admirers.”1 In addition, we will have to deal with the
envy that we feel toward those who have enjoyed even greater success than we have.
==========
2018 1:33:16 AM
What, then, is the function of man? Our primary function, the Stoics thought, is to
be rational. To discover our secondary functions, we need only apply our reasoning
ability.
==========
2018 1:34:02 AM
And when I do my social duty, says Marcus, I should do so quietly and efficiently.
Ideally, a Stoic will be oblivious to the services he does for others, as oblivious
as a grapevine is when it yields a cluster of grapes to a vintner. He will not
pause to boast about the service he has performed but will move on to perform his
next service, the way the grape vine moves on to bear more grapes. Thus, Marcus
advises us to perform with resoluteness the duties we humans were created to
perform. Nothing else, he says, should distract us.
==========
2018 1:36:21 AM
Nor does he seek the admiration of other people or even their sympathy.11 To the
contrary, the reward for doing one’s social duty, Marcus says, is something far
better than thanks, admiration, or sympathy. Marcus, as we have seen, thought the
gods created us with a certain function in mind. He also thought that when they
created us, they made sure that if we fulfilled this function, we would experience
tranquility and have all things to our liking.
==========
2018 1:36:44 AM
Indeed, if we do the things we were made for, says Marcus, we will enjoy “a man’s
true delight.”12 But an important part of our function, as we have seen, is to work
with and for our fellow men. Marcus therefore concludes that doing his social duty
will give him the best chance at having a good life. This, for Marcus, is the
reward for doing one’s duty: a good life.
==========
2018 1:37:53 AM
To begin with, the Stoics recommend that we prepare for our dealings with other
people before we have to deal with them. Thus, Epictetus advises us to form “a
certain character and pattern” for ourselves when we are alone. Then, when we
associate with other people, we should remain true to who we are.1
==========
2018 1:38:22 AM
The Stoics therefore recommend that we avoid befriending people whose values have
been corrupted, for fear that their values will contaminate ours. We should instead
seek, as friends, people who share our (proper Stoic) values and in particular,
people who are doing a better job than we are of living in accordance with these
values. And while enjoying the companionship of these individuals, we should work
hard to learn what we can from them.
==========
2018 1:40:47 AM
Marcus recommends that when we interact with an annoying person, we keep in mind
that there are doubtless people who find us to be annoying.
==========
2018 1:41:01 AM
More generally, when we find ourselves irritated by someone’s shortcomings, we

should pause to reflect on our own shortcomings. Doing this will help us become
more empathetic to this individual’s faults and therefore become more tolerant of
him.
==========
2018 1:42:17 AM
Marcus, as we have seen, advocates fatalism, as do the other Stoics. What Marcus
seems to be advocating in the passages just cited is a special kind of fatalism,
what might be called social fatalism: In our dealings with others, we should
operate on the assumption that they are fated to behave in a certain way. It is
therefore pointless to wish they could be less annoying.
==========
2018 1:42:35 AM
Marcus, as we have seen, advocates fatalism, as do the other Stoics. What Marcus
seems to be advocating in the passages just cited is a special kind of fatalism,
what might be called social fatalism: In our dealings with others, we should
operate on the assumption that they are fated to behave in a certain way. It is
therefore pointless to wish they could be less annoying. But having said this, I
should add that elsewhere, Marcus suggests not only that other people can be
changed but that we should work to change them.10 Perhaps what Marcus is saying is
that even though it is possible to change others, we can take some of the agony out
of dealing with them by telling ourselves that they are fated to behave as they
==========
2018 1:42:51 AM
Suppose that even though we follow the above advice, someone succeeds in annoying
us. In such cases, Marcus says, we should remind ourselves that “this mortal life
endures but a moment,” meaning that we soon will be dead.11 Putting annoying
incidents into their cosmic context, he thinks, will make their triviality apparent
and will therefore alleviate our annoyance.
==========
2018 1:43:21 AM
Thus, when men behave inhumanely, we should not feel toward them as they feel
toward others. He adds that if we detect anger and hatred within us and wish to
seek revenge, one of the best forms of revenge on another person is to refuse to be
like him.12
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2018 1:44:23 AM
If we analyze something into the elements that compose it, we will see the thing
for what it really is and thereby value it appropriately. Fine wine, thus analyzed,
turns out to be nothing more than fermented grape juice, and the purple robes that
Romans valued so highly turn out to be nothing more than the wool of a sheep
stained with gore from a shellfish. When Marcus applies this analytical technique
to sex, he discovers that it is nothing more than “friction of the members and an
ejaculatory discharge.”15 We would therefore be foolish to place a high value on
sexual relations and more foolish still to disrupt our life in order to experience
such relations.
==========
2018 1:44:55 AM
As it so happens, Buddhists recommend the use of this same analytic technique.

When, for example, a man finds himself lusting after a woman, Buddhists might
advise him to think not about her as a whole, but about the things that compose
her, including her lungs, excrement, phlegm, pus, and spittle. Doing this,
Buddhists claim, will help the man extinguish his lustful feelings. If this doesn’t
do the trick, Buddhists might advise him to imagine her body in the various stages
of decomposition.16
==========
2018 11:23:59 AM
A wise man, Musonius says, will marry, and having married, he and his wife will
work hard to keep each other happy. Indeed, in a good marriage, two people will
join in a loving union and will try to outdo each other in the care they show for
each other.18 Such a marriage, one imagines, will be very happy.
==========
2018 11:34:06 AM
One of their sting-elimination strategies is to pause, when insulted, to consider

whether what the insulter said is true. If
==========
2018 11:34:09 AM
One of their sting-elimination strategies is to pause, when insulted, to consider

whether what the insulter said is true.
==========
2018 11:34:34 AM
Another sting-elimination strategy, suggested by Epictetus, is to pause to consider

how well-informed the insulter is. He might be saying something bad about us not
because he wants to hurt our feelings but because he sincerely believes what he is
saying, or, at any rate, he might simply be reporting how things seem to him.4
==========
2018 11:34:43 AM
One particularly powerful sting-elimination strategy is to consider the source of

an insult. If I respect the source, if I value his opinions, then his critical
remarks shouldn’t upset me.
==========
2018 11:35:11 AM
Suppose, however, that I don’t respect the source of an insult; indeed, suppose
that I take him to be a thoroughly contemptible individual. Under such
circumstances, rather than feeling hurt by his insults, I should feel relieved: If
he disapproves of what I am doing, then what I am doing is doubtless the right
thing
==========
2018 3:11:01 PM
As we make progress in our practice of Stoicism, we will become increasingly

indifferent to other people’s opinions of us. We will not go through our life with
the goal of gaining their approval or avoiding their disapproval, and because we
are indifferent to their opinions, we will feel no sting when they insult
==========
2018 3:11:36 PM
“Remember,” says Epictetus, “that what is insulting is not the person who abuses
you or hits you, but the judgment about them that they are insulting.” As a result,
he says, “another person will not do you harm unless you wish it; you will be
harmed at just that time at which you take yourself to be harmed.”7
==========
2018 3:11:43 PM
harmed at just that time at which you take yourself to be harmed.”7 From this it
follows that if we can convince ourselves that a person has done us no harm by
insulting us, his insult will carry no sting.
==========
2018 3:11:54 PM
harmed at just that time at which you take yourself to be harmed.”7 From this it
follows that if we can convince ourselves that a person has done us no harm by
insulting us, his insult will carry no sting. This last advice is really just an
application of the broader Stoic belief that, as Epictetus puts it, “what upsets
people is not things themselves but their judgments about these things.”8
==========
2018 3:13:50 PM
Of the kinds of humor we might use in response to an insult, self-deprecating humor

can be particularly effective.
==========
2018 3:15:53 PM
Refusing to respond to an insult is, paradoxically, one of the most effective

responses possible. For one thing, as Seneca points out, our nonresponse can be
quite disconcerting to the insulter, who will wonder whether or not we understood
his insult.
==========
2018 3:30:37 PM
Furthermore, if we contemplate the deaths of those we love, we will likely take

full advantage of our relationships with them and therefore won’t, if they die,
find ourselves filled with regrets about all the things we could and should have
done with and for them.
==========
2018 3:31:04 PM
normal, prospective negative visualization, we imagine losing something we

currently possess; in retrospective negative visualization, we imagine never having
had something that we have lost.
==========
2018 3:31:52 PM
rational persuasion to cure Polybius of his excessive grief. For example, he argues
that the brother whose death Polybius is grieving either would or wouldn’t want
Polybius to be tortured with tears. If he would want Polybius to suffer, then he
isn’t worthy of tears, so Polybius should stop crying; if he wouldn’t want Polybius
to suffer, then it is incumbent on Polybius, if he loves and respects his brother,
to stop crying. In another argument, Seneca points out that Polybius’s brother,
because he is dead, is no longer capable of grief and that this is a good thing; it
is therefore madness for Polybius to go on grieving.6
==========
2018 6:46:46 PM
should also keep in mind that the things that anger us generally don’t do us any
real harm; they are instead mere annoyances. By allowing ourselves to get angry
over little things, we take what might have been a barely noticeable disruption of
our day and transform it into a tranquility-shattering state of agitation.
==========
2018 6:46:51 PM
To avoid becoming angry, says Seneca, we should also keep in mind that the things
that anger us generally don’t do us any real harm; they are instead mere
annoyances. By allowing ourselves to get angry over little things, we take what
might have been a barely noticeable disruption of our day and transform it into a
tranquility-shattering state of agitation.
==========
2018 6:47:22 PM
Suppose we find that despite our attempts to prevent anger, the behavior of other
people succeeds in angering us. It will help us to overcome our anger, says Seneca,
if we remind ourselves that our behavior also angers other people: “We are bad men
living among bad men, and only one thing can calm
==========
2018 6:47:33 PM
living among bad men, and only one thing can calm us—we must agree to go easy on
one another.” He also offers anger-management advice that has a parallel in
Buddhism. When angry, says Seneca, we should take steps to “turn all
[anger’s] indications into their opposites.” We should force ourselves to relax our
face, soften
==========
2018 6:47:38 PM
face, soften our voice, and slow our pace of walking.
==========
2018 6:48:09 PM
we do this, our internal state will soon come to resemble our external state, and
our anger, says Seneca, will have dissipated.10 Buddhists practice a similar
thought- substitution technique. When they are experiencing an unwholesome thought,
Buddhists force themselves to think the opposite, and therefore wholesome, thought.
If they are experiencing anger, for example, they force themselves to think about
love. The claim is that because two opposite thoughts cannot exist in one mind at
one time, the wholesome thought will drive out the unwholesome one.11
==========
2018 6:48:17 PM
face, soften our voice, and slow our pace of walking. If we do this, our internal
state will soon come to resemble our external state, and our anger, says Seneca,
will have dissipated.10 Buddhists practice a similar thought-
substitution technique. When they are experiencing an unwholesome thought,
Buddhists force themselves to think the opposite, and therefore wholesome, thought.
If they are experiencing anger, for example, they force themselves to think about
love. The claim is that because two opposite thoughts cannot exist in one mind at
one time, the wholesome thought will drive out the unwholesome one.11
==========
2018 6:48:48 PM
Finally, apologizing for the outburst can help us become a better person: By
admitting our mistakes, we lessen the chance that we will make them again in the
future.
==========
2018 6:49:27 PM
For one thing, life is too short to spend it in a state of anger. Furthermore, a
person who is constantly angry will be a torment to those around her. Why not
instead, Seneca asks, “make yourself a person to be loved by all while you live and
missed when you have made your departure?”12 More generally, why experience anti-
joy when you have it in your power to experience joy?
==========
2018 6:54:31 PM
You would have been much better off, Epictetus thinks, if you had been indifferent
to social status. For one thing, you would not have had to spend time trying to
curry favor with this person. Furthermore, you would have deprived him of the
ability to upset you simply by failing to invite you to a banquet.
==========
2018 6:54:55 PM
Epictetus therefore advises us not to seek social status, since if we make it our
goal to please others, we will no longer be free to please ourselves. We will, he
says, have enslaved ourselves.2 If we wish to retain our freedom, says Epictetus,
we must be careful, while dealing with other people, to be indifferent to what they
think of us.
==========
2018 6:55:47 PM
Although Epictetus and the other Stoics think we should be indifferent to people’s
opinions of us, they would advise us to conceal our indifference. After all, to
tell someone else that you don’t care what he thinks is quite possibly the worst
insult you can inflict.)
==========
2018 6:56:29 PM
concern ourselves with things we can’t control. I don’t have it in my power to stop
others from sneering at me, so it is foolish for me to spend time trying to stop
them. I should instead, says Marcus, spend this time on something I have complete
control over, namely, not doing anything that deserves a sneer.5
==========
2018 6:56:52 PM
Instead of thinking about future fame, Marcus says, we would do well to concern
ourselves with our present situation; we should, he advises, “make the best of
today.”6
==========
2018 6:58:42 PM
Consequently, before we try to win the admiration of these other people, we should
stop to ask whether their notion of success is compatible with ours. More
important, we should stop to ask whether these people, by pursuing whatever it is
they value, are gaining the tranquility we seek. If they aren’t, we should be more
than willing to forgo their admiration.
==========
2018 7:00:01 PM
Realize that many other people, including, quite possibly, your friends and
relatives, want you to fail in your undertakings. They may not tell you this to
your face, but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t silently rooting against you.
People do this in part because your success makes them look bad and therefore makes
them uncomfortable: If you can succeed, why can’t they?
==========
2018 7:00:55 PM
It is, of course, possible for this woman to win the approval of these naysayers:
She need only abandon her dream of becoming a novelist. If she does this, the
naysayers will recognize her as a kindred spirit and will welcome her with open
arms. They will invite her to sit with them on a comfortable couch somewhere and
join them in mocking those individuals who pursue their dreams despite the
possibility of failure. But is this really the company she wants to keep? Does she
really want to abandon the pursuit of her dream in order to win these individuals’
acceptance?
==========
2018 7:01:40 PM
Ironically, by refusing to seek the admiration of other people, Stoics might

succeed in gaining their (perhaps grudging) admiration. Many people, for example,
will construe the Stoics’ indifference to public opinion as a sign of self-
confidence: Only someone who really knows who she is—someone who, as they say,
feels good about herself—would display this kind of indifference. These people
might wish that they, too, could ignore what other people thought of them.
==========
2018 7:03:29 PM
to live upset in the midst of plenty.”4 More generally, he argues that not needing
wealth is more valuable than wealth itself is.5It would be bad enough if the
acquisition of wealth failed to bring people happiness, but Musonius thinks the
situation is even worse than this: Wealth has the power to make people miserable.
==========
2018 7:04:24 PM
There is indeed a danger that if we are exposed to a luxurious lifestyle, we will

lose our ability to take delight in simple things. At one time, we might have been
able to savor a bowl of macaroni and cheese, accompanied by a glass of milk, but
after living in luxury for a few months we might find that macaroni no longer
appeals to our discriminating palate; we might start rejecting it in favor of
fettuccine Alfredo, accompanied by a particular brand of bottled water.
==========
2018 7:05:15 PM
asparagus, and confit cherry tomatoes.8 When, as the result of being exposed to
luxurious living, people become hard to please, a curious thing happens. Rather
than mourning the loss of their ability to enjoy simple things, they take pride in
their newly gained inability to enjoy anything but “the best.” The Stoics, however,
would pity these individuals. They would point out that by undermining their
ability to enjoy simple, easily obtainable things—bowls of macaroni and cheese, for
example—these individuals have seriously impaired their ability to enjoy life. The
Stoics work hard to avoid falling victim to this kind of connoisseurship. Indeed,
the Stoics value highly their ability to enjoy ordinary life—and indeed, their
ability to find sources of delight even when living in primitive conditions.
==========
2018 7:05:45 PM
When, as the result of being exposed to luxurious living, people become hard to
please, a curious thing happens. Rather than mourning the loss of their ability to
enjoy simple things, they take pride in their newly gained inability to enjoy
anything but “the best.” The Stoics, however, would pity these individuals. They
would point out that by undermining their ability to enjoy simple, easily
obtainable things—bowls of macaroni and cheese, for example—these individuals have
seriously impaired their ability to enjoy life. The Stoics work hard to avoid
falling victim to this kind of connoisseurship. Indeed, the Stoics value highly
their ability to enjoy ordinary life—and indeed, their ability to find sources of
delight even when living in primitive conditions.
==========
2018 7:06:39 PM
live in expensive, finely furnished houses. But according to the Stoics, in the
same way that we should favor a simple diet, we should
==========
2018 7:06:47 PM
e s i d e s e n j oy i n g e xt r avaga n t d i et s, those who live in luxury

also wear expensive clothes and live in expensive, finely furnished houses. But
according to the Stoics, in the same way that we should favor a simple diet, we
should favor simple clothing, housing, and furnishings.
==========
2018 7:09:53 PM
“You will only learn from such things to crave still greater.” This is because the
desire for luxuries is not a natural desire. Natural desires, such as a desire for
water when we are thirsty, can be satisfied; unnatural desires cannot.12 Therefore,
when we find ourselves wanting something, we should pause to ask whether the desire
is natural or unnatural, and if it is unnatural, we should think twice about trying
to satisfy it.
==========
2018 7:10:43 PM
we take to heart the advice of the Stoics and forgo luxurious living, we will find
that our needs are easily met, for as Seneca reminds us, life’s necessities are
cheap and easily obtainable.15
==========
2018 7:10:59 PM
How much wealth should we acquire? According to Seneca, our financial goal should
be to acquire “an amount that does not descend to poverty, and yet is not far
removed from poverty.” We
==========
2018 7:11:03 PM
According to Seneca, our financial goal should be to acquire “an amount that does
not descend to poverty, and yet is not far removed from poverty.”
==========
2018 7:11:16 PM
According to Seneca, our financial goal should be to acquire “an amount that does
not descend to poverty, and yet is not far removed from poverty.” We should, he
says, learn to restrain luxury, cultivate frugality, and “view poverty with
unprejudiced eyes.”16
==========
2018 7:14:12 PM
Epictetus encourages us to keep in mind that self-respect, trustworthiness, and

high-mindedness are more valuable than wealth, meaning that if the only way to gain
wealth is to give up these personal characteristics, we would be foolish to seek
wealth. Furthermore,
==========
2018 7:14:45 PM
Epictetus encourages us to keep in mind that self-respect, trustworthiness, and

high-mindedness are more valuable than wealth, meaning that if the only way to gain
wealth is to give up these personal characteristics, we would be foolish to seek
wealth. Furthermore, we should remember that one person’s being richer than another
does not mean that the first person is better than the other.19 Likewise, we should
keep in mind Seneca’s comment to Lucilius that “the man who adapts himself to his
slender means and makes himself wealthy on a little sum, is the truly rich man.”20
==========
2018 7:15:05 PM
Ev e n t h o u g h s h e d o e s n ’ t pursue wealth, a Stoic might nevertheless

acquire it. A Stoic will, after all, do what she can to make herself useful to her
fellow humans. And thanks to her practice of Stoicism, she will be self-disciplined
and single-minded, traits that will help her accomplish the tasks she sets for
herself. As a result, she might be quite effective in helping others, and they
might reward her for doing so. It is possible, in other words, for the practice of
Stoicism to be financially rewarding.
==========
2018 7:15:33 PM
Suppose that this Stoic—thanks, once again, to her practice of Stoicism—has also
lost interest in luxurious living and, more generally, has overcome her craving for
consumer goods. As a result, she is likely to retain a large portion of her income
and might thereby become wealthy. It is indeed ironic: A Stoic who disparages
wealth might become wealthier than those individuals whose principal goal is its
acquisition.
==========
2018 7:16:38 PM
Stoicism does not require her to renounce wealth; it allows her to enjoy it and use
it to the benefit of herself and those around her. It does, however, require her
enjoyment to be thoughtful. She must keep firmly in mind that her wealth can be
snatched from her; indeed, she should spend time preparing herself for the loss of
it—by, for example, periodically practicing poverty. She must also keep in mind
that unless she is careful, enjoyment of her wealth can undermine her character and
her capacity to enjoy life. She will, for this reason, steer clear of a luxurious
lifestyle.
==========
2018 7:17:27 PM
nor puffed up if they shall glitter around me.” Indeed, a wise man “never reflects
so much upon poverty as when he abides in the midst of riches,” and he will be
careful to regard his riches as his slave, not as his master.23
==========
2018 7:18:19 PM
This, at any rate, is the advice Buddha gave to Anathapindika, a man of

“unmeasurable wealth”: “He that cleaves to wealth had better cast it away than
allow his heart to be poisoned by it; but he who does not cleave to wealth, and
possessing riches, uses them rightly, will be a blessing unto his fellows.”24
==========
2018 7:19:18 PM
There is a danger, as we have seen, that wealth will corrupt us, particularly if we
use it to finance luxurious living. The danger that fame will corrupt us, however,
is even greater. In particular, the glow that comes from being famous might trigger
in us a desire for even more fame, and the obvious way to accomplish this is by
saying things and living in a manner calculated to gain the admiration of other
people. To do this, though, we will probably have to betray our Stoic principles.
==========
2018 7:23:06 PM
It may be true, says Seneca, that by being exiled he has been deprived of his
country, his friends and family, and his property, but he has taken with him into
exile the things that matter most: his place in Nature and his virtue. He adds, “It
is the mind that makes us rich; this goes with us into exile, and in the wildest
wilderness, having found there all that the body needs for its sustenance, it
itself overflows in the enjoyment of its own goods.”4 Seneca apparently spent his
time in exile reading, writing, and studying nature.
==========
2018 7:23:53 PM
If we are virtuous—if we have the proper values—exile cannot harm or degrade us.
If we are not virtuous, though, exile will deprive us of much of what we
(mistakenly) think is valuable, and we will therefore be miserable.5
==========
2018 7:24:25 PM
To endure and even thrive in exile, Musonius says, a person must keep in mind that
his happiness depends more on his values than on where he resides. Indeed, Musonius
views himself as a citizen not of Rome but of “the city of Zeus which is populated
by human beings and gods.”6
==========
2018 10:29:47 PM
In our youth, it takes effort to contemplate our own death; in our later years, it
takes effort to avoid contemplating it. Old age therefore has a way of making us do
something that, according to the Stoics, we should have been doing all along.
==========
2018 10:30:14 PM
And after celebrating having been given another day to live, we can fill that day
with appreciative living. It is entirely possible for an octogenarian to be more
joyful than her twenty-year-old grandchild, particularly if the octogenarian, in
part because of her failing health, takes nothing for granted, while the
grandchild, in part because of her perfect health, takes everything for granted and
has therefore decided that life is a bore.
==========
2018 10:36:18 PM
As we have seen, someone who thinks he will live forever is far more likely to
waste his days than someone who fully understands that his days are numbered, and
one way to gain this understanding is periodically to contemplate his own death.
Likewise, when the Stoics live each day as if it were their last, it is not because
they plan to take steps to make that day their last; rather, it is so they can
extract the full value of that day—and, hopefully, the days that follow it. And
when the Stoics teach us not to fear death, they are simply giving
==========
2018 10:36:23 PM
As we have seen, someone who thinks he will live forever is far more likely to
waste his days than someone who fully understands that his days are numbered, and
one way to gain this understanding is periodically to contemplate his own death.
Likewise, when the Stoics live each day as if it were their last, it is not because
they plan to take steps to make that day their last; rather, it is so they can
extract the full value of that day—and, hopefully, the days that follow it. And
when the Stoics teach us not to fear death, they are simply giving us advice on how
to avoid a negative emotion.
==========
2018 10:38:48 PM
More generally, having a philosophy of life, whether it be Stoicism or some other

philosophy, can dramatically simplify everyday living. If you have a philosophy of
life, decision making is relatively straightforward: When choosing between the
options life offers, you simply choose the one most likely to help you attain the
goals
==========
2018 10:38:52 PM
More generally, having a philosophy of life, whether it be Stoicism or some other

philosophy, can dramatically simplify everyday living. If you have a philosophy of
life, decision making is relatively straightforward: When choosing between the
options life offers, you simply choose the one most likely to help you attain the
goals set forth by your philosophy of life.
==========
2018 10:39:13 PM
The most important reason for adopting a philosophy of life, though, is that if we
lack one, there is a danger that we will mislive—that we will spend our life
pursuing goals that aren’t worth attaining or will pursue worthwhile goals in a
foolish manner
==========
2018 10:39:21 PM
The most important reason for adopting a philosophy of life, though, is that if we
lack one, there is a danger that we will mislive—that we will spend our life
pursuing goals that aren’t worth attaining or will pursue worthwhile goals in a
foolish manner and will therefore fail to attain them.
==========
2018 10:41:07 PM
To begin with, they will do their best to enjoy things that can’t be taken from
them, most notably their character. Along these lines, consider Marcus’s comment
that if we fall victim to a catastrophe, we can still take delight in the fact that
it has not, because of the character we possess, made us bitter.4
==========
2018 10:41:29 PM
Finally, the Stoics are careful to avoid becoming connoisseurs in the worst sense
of the word—becoming, that is, individuals who are incapable
==========
2018 10:41:33 PM
Finally, the Stoics are careful to avoid becoming connoisseurs in the worst sense
of the word—becoming, that is, individuals who are incapable of taking delight in
anything but ''the best.”
==========
2018 10:43:00 PM
Stoics might also find that besides enjoying things in life, they enjoy the mere
fact of being alive; they experience, in other words, joy itself. The Stoic sage
will apparently be able to experience this joy all the
==========
2018 10:47:28 PM
“Always to seek to conquer myself rather than fortune, to change my desires rather
than the established order, and generally to believe that nothing except our
thoughts is wholly under our control, so that after we have done our best in
external matters, what remains to be done is absolutely impossible, at least as far
as we are concerned.”5
==========
2018 10:48:14 PM
“His was always the practical question, how best can I live my daily life?,” and
his life itself can best be understood, says Richardson, as “one long uninterrupted
attempt to work out the practical concrete meaning of the stoic idea that the laws
which rule nature rule men as well.”7 Thoreau
==========
2018 10:48:19 PM
“His was always the practical question, how best can I live my daily life?,” and
his life itself can best be understood, says Richardson, as “one long uninterrupted
attempt to work out the practical concrete meaning of the stoic idea that the laws
which rule nature rule men as well.”7
==========
2018 10:53:33 PM
He will instead recall Seneca’s comment to Polybius that when people experience
personal catastrophes, it is perfectly natural to experience grief. After this bout
of reflexive grief, though, a Stoic will try to dispel whatever grief remains in
him by trying to reason it out of existence. He will, in particular, invoke the
kinds of arguments Seneca used in his consolations: “Is this what the person who
died would want me to do? Of course not! She would want me to be happy! The best
way to honor her memory is to leave off grieving and get on with life.”
==========
2018 10:56:58 PM
The Stoics, of course, rejected such thinking. They were convinced that what stands
between most of us and happiness is not our government or the society in which we
live, but defects in our philosophy of life—or our failing to have a philosophy at
all. It is true that our government and our society determine, to a considerable
extent, our external circumstances, but the Stoics understood that there is at best
a loose connection between our external circumstances and how happy we are.
==========
2018 10:57:28 PM
you consider yourself a victim, you are not going to have a good life; if, however,
you refuse to think of yourself as a victim—if you refuse to let your inner self be
conquered by your external circumstances—you are likely to have a good life, no
matter what turn your external circumstances take. (In
==========
2018 10:57:53 PM
they thought the first step in transforming a society into one in which people live
a good life is to teach people how to make their happiness depend as little as
possible on their external circumstances.
==========
2018 10:58:04 PM
The Stoics would add that if we fail to transform ourselves, then no matter how
much we transform the society in which we live, we are unlikely to have a good
life.
==========
2018 10:58:13 PM
they thought the first step in transforming a society into one in which people live
a good life is to teach people how to make their happiness depend as little as
possible on their external circumstances. The second step in transforming a society
is to change people’s external circumstances. The Stoics would add that if we fail
to transform ourselves, then no matter how much we transform the society in which
we live, we are unlikely to have a good life.
==========
2018 10:58:38 PM
also teaches us that it is only when we assume responsibility for our happiness
that we will have a reasonable chance of gaining
==========
2018 11:14:26 PM
Therefore, the best way to gain happiness is to get what you want, and the best way
to get what you want is with a three-stage strategy: First, you take an inventory
of the desires that lurk in your mind; second, you devise a plan for satisfying
those desires; and third, you implement that plan. The Stoics, however, are
suggesting that we do just the opposite of this. In some cases, they advise us to
extinguish rather than fulfill our desires, and in other cases, they advise us to
do things we don’t
==========
2018 11:14:33 PM
Therefore, the best way to gain happiness is to get what you want, and the best way
to get what you want is with a three-stage strategy: First, you take an inventory
of the desires that lurk in your mind; second, you devise a plan for satisfying
those desires; and third, you implement that plan. The Stoics, however, are
extinguish rather than fulfill our desires, and in other cases, they advise us to
do things we don’t want to do, because it is our duty to do them.
==========
2018 11:14:53 PM
extinguish rather than fulfill our
==========
2018 11:14:58 PM
Although the strategy of gaining happiness by working to get whatever it is we find

ourselves wanting is obvious and has been used by most people throughout recorded
history and across cultures, it has an important defect, as thoughtful people
throughout recorded history and across cultures have realized: For each desire we
fulfill in accordance with this strategy, a new desire will pop into our head to
take its place. This means that no matter how hard we work to satisfy our desires,
we will be no closer to satisfaction than if we had fulfilled none of them. We
will, in other words, remain dissatisfied.
==========
2018 11:15:07 PM
much better, albeit less obvious way to gain satisfaction is not by working to
satisfy our desires but by working to master them. In particular, we need to take
steps to slow down the desire-formation process within us.
==========
2018 11:15:20 PM
A much better, albeit less obvious way to gain satisfaction is not by working to
steps to slow down the desire-formation process within us. Rather than working to
fulfill whatever desires we find in our head, we need to work at preventing certain
desires from forming and eliminating many of the desires that have formed. And
rather than wanting new things, we need to work at wanting the things we already
have. This is what
==========
2018 11:15:31 PM
much better, albeit less obvious way to gain satisfaction is not by working to
steps to slow down the desire-formation process within us. Rather than working to
fulfill whatever desires we find in our head, we need to work at preventing certain
desires from forming and eliminating many of the desires that have formed. And
rather than wanting new things, we need to work at wanting the things we already
have.
==========
2018 11:16:10 PM
The Stoics, as I have suggested, are not alone in claiming that our best hope at
gaining happiness is to live not a life of self-indulgence but a life of self-
discipline and, to a degree, self-sacrifice.
==========
2018 11:17:19 PM
The Stoics, as we have seen, thought tranquility was worth pursuing, and the
tranquility they sought, it will be remembered, is a psychological state in which
we experience few negative emotions, such as anxiety, grief, and fear, but an
abundance of positive emotions, especially joy.
==========
2018 11:17:42 PM
We should become self-aware: We should observe ourselves as we go about our daily

business, and we should periodically reflect on how we responded to the day’s
events. How did we respond to an insult? To the loss of a possession?
==========
2018 11:22:25 PM
The Stoics pointed to two principal sources of human unhappiness—our insatiability

and our tendency to worry about things beyond our control—and they developed
techniques for removing these sources of unhappiness from our life.
==========
2018 11:22:43 PM
To curb our tendency to worry about things beyond our control, the Stoics advise us
to perform a kind of triage with respect to the elements of our life and sort them
into those we have no control over, those we have complete control over, and those
we have some but not complete control over. Having done this, we should not bother
about things over which we have no control.
==========
2018 11:22:50 PM
To conquer our insatiability, the Stoics advise us to engage in negative

visualization. We should contemplate the impermanence of all things.
==========
2018 11:23:12 PM
When we spend time dealing with things over which we have some but not complete
control, we should be careful to internalize our goals. My goal in playing tennis,
for example, should be not to win the match but to play the best match possible.
==========
2018 11:24:50 PM
We should be fatalistic with respect to the external world: We should realize that
what has happened to us in the past and what is happening to us at this very moment
are beyond our control, so it is foolish to get upset about these things.
==========
2018 11:25:46 PM
We are social creatures; we will be miserable if we try to cut off contact with
other people. Therefore, if what we seek is tranquility, we should form and
maintain relations with others. In doing so, though, we should be careful about
whom we befriend. We should also, to the extent possible, avoid people whose values
are corrupt, for fear that their values will contaminate ours. • Other people are
invariably annoying, though, so if we maintain relations with them, they will
periodically upset our tranquility—if we let
==========
2018 11:25:59 PM
We should also imagine the loss of our own life. If we do this, we will come to
appreciate the things we now have, and because we appreciate them, we will be less
likely to form desires for other things.
==========
2018 11:31:16 PM
We must, in other words, use our reasoning ability to remove the emotional sting of
insults and thereby make them less disruptive to our tranquility.
==========
2018 11:32:40 PM
Stoicism, understood properly, is a cure for a disease. The disease in question is

the anxiety, grief, fear, and various other negative emotions that plague humans
and prevent them from experiencing a joyful existence. By practicing Stoic
techniques, we can cure the disease and thereby gain tranquility. What I am
suggesting is that although the ancient Stoics found a “cure” for negative
emotions, they were mistaken about why the cure works.
==========
2018 11:33:12 PM
was wrong: There is no such thing as wekhudu.

==========
2018 11:36:10 PM
Much the same can be said of resorting to Stoicism to prevent and deal with
feelings of anxiety. It is safer than the medical alternatives, as any number of
Xanax addicts will attest. Furthermore, Stoicism has benefits that spill over into
other areas of our life. Practicing Stoicism might not cause us to gain energy, the
way exercising will, but practicing it will cause us to gain self-confidence; we
will become confident, in particular, of our ability to handle whatever life throws
our way.
==========
2018 11:42:28 PM
My next piece of advice for would-be Stoics is not to try to master all the Stoic
techniques at once but to start with one technique and, having become proficient in
it, go on to another. And a good technique to start with, I think, is negative
visualization.
==========
2018 11:42:36 PM
My next piece of advice for would-be Stoics is not to try to master all the Stoic
techniques at once but to start with one technique and, having become proficient in
it, go on to another. And a good technique to start with, I think, is negative
visualization. At spare moments in the day, make it a point to contemplate the loss
of whatever you value in life. Engaging in such contemplation can produce a
dramatic transformation in your outlook on life.
==========
2018 11:43:21 PM
Indeed, it is decidedly unnatural for someone who is satisfied with life to spend
time thinking about the bad things that can happen. The Stoics, however, would
remind us that negative visualization, besides making us appreciate what we have,
can help us avoid clinging to the things we appreciate. Consequently, it is as
important to engage in negative visualization when times are good as it is when
times are bad.
==========
2018 11:43:49 PM
time well spent. After mastering negative visualization, a novice Stoic should move
on to become
==========
2018 11:44:02 PM
After mastering negative visualization, a novice Stoic should move on to become

proficient in applying the trichotomy of control, described in chapter 5. According
to the Stoics, we should perform a kind of triage in which we distinguish between
things we have no control over, things we have complete control over, and things we
have some but not complete control over; and having made this distinction, we
should focus our attention on the last two categories. In particular, we waste our
time and cause ourselves needless anxiety if we concern ourselves with things over
which we have no control.
==========
2018 11:44:38 PM
As a Stoic novice, you will want, as part of becoming proficient in applying the
trichotomy of control, to practice internalizing your goals.
==========
2018 11:45:04 PM
Although you will be willing to think about the past and present in order to learn
things that can help you better deal with the obstacles to tranquility thrown your
way in the future, you will refuse to spend time engaging in “if only” thoughts
about the past and present.
==========
2018 11:45:16 PM
will do your best to accept the past, whatever it might have been, and to embrace
the present, whatever it might be.
==========
2018 11:45:28 PM
Other people, as we have seen, are the enemy in our battle for tranquility. It was
for this reason that the Stoics spent time developing strategies for dealing with
this enemy and, in particular, strategies for dealing with the insults of those
with whom we associate.
==========
2018 11:46:57 PM
Self-deprecating humor has become my standard response to insults. When someone

criticizes me, I reply that matters are even worse than he is suggesting.
==========
2018 11:53:29 PM
tears.”2 Seneca also observes that “he shows a greater mind who does not restrain
his laughter than he who does not restrain his tears, since the laughter gives
expression to the mildest of the emotions, and deems that there is nothing
important, nothing serious, nor wretched either, in the whole outfit of life.”3
Besides advising us to imagine
==========
2018 11:53:33 PM
tears.”2 Seneca also observes that “he shows a greater mind who does not restrain
his laughter than he who does not restrain his tears, since the laughter gives
expression to the mildest of the emotions, and deems that there is nothing
important, nothing serious, nor wretched either, in the whole outfit of life.”3
==========
2018 11:53:47 PM
Seneca, for example, advises us periodically to live as if we were poor, and

Musonius advises us to do things to cause ourselves discomfort.
==========
2018 11:54:45 PM
have also started taking yoga classes. Yoga has improved my balance and
flexibility, reminded me of the importance of play, and made me acutely aware of
how little control I have over the contents of my mind. But besides conferring
these and other benefits on me, yoga has been a wonderful source of voluntary
discomfort.
==========
2018 11:58:30 PM
And why is self-discipline worth possessing? Because those who possess it have the
ability to determine what they do with their life. Those who lack self-discipline
will have the path they take through life determined by someone or something else,
and as a result, there is a very real danger that they will mislive.
==========
- Your Highlight on page 192 | Location 2944-2948 | Added on Friday, January 19,
2018 12:10:15 AM
It is curious, but my competitors in a race are simultaneously my teammates in the

much more important competition against my other self. By racing against each
other, we are all simultaneously racing against ourselves, although not all of us
are consciously aware of doing so. To race against each other, we must individually
overcome ourselves—our fears, our lazi-ness, our lack of self-discipline. And it is
entirely possible for someone to lose the competition against the other rowers
— indeed, to come in last—but in the process of doing so to have triumphed in the
competition against his other self.
==========
2018 12:13:26 AM
I used to have less money than I knew what to do with; this is no longer the case,
in large part because I want so few of the things that money can buy.
==========
2018 12:14:07 AM
Why go out of their way to trigger a desire? Because if they trigger one, they can
enjoy the rush that comes when they extinguish that desire by buying its object.
==========
2018 12:14:17 AM
Why go out of their way to trigger a desire? Because if they trigger one, they can
enjoy the rush that comes when they extinguish that desire by buying its object. It
is a rush, of course, that has as little to do with their long-term happiness as
taking a hit of heroin has to do with the long-term happiness of a heroin addict.
==========
2018 12:14:40 AM
The profound realization, thanks to the practice of Stoicism, that acquiring the
things that those in my social circle typically crave and work hard to afford will,
in the long run, make zero difference in how happy I am and will in no way
contribute to my having a good
==========
2018 12:15:11 AM
You are, in other words, like a firefighter who has practiced his firefighting
skills for years but has never been called on to put out an actual fire or like a
football player who, despite diligently practicing all season long, has never been
put in a game.
==========
2018 12:15:33 AM
Likewise, according to Seneca, when someone attempts to harm a wise man, he might
actually welcome the attempt, since the injuries can’t hurt him but can help him:
“So far . . . is he from shrinking from the buffetings of circumstances or of men,
that he counts even injury profitable, for through it he finds a means of putting
himself to the proof and makes trial of his virtue.”8 Seneca also suggests that a
Stoic might welcome death, inasmuch as it represents the ultimate test of his
Stoicism.9
==========
2018 12:19:46 AM
Time after time during this period, I was struck by how natural and appropriate it
is to invoke Stoic principles to help someone cope with the challenges of old age
and ill health.
==========
2018 12:21:02 AM
has made me cognizant of yet another thing that I take utterly for granted: my
ability to gulp down a big glass of cold water on a hot summer day.
==========
2018 12:22:56 AM
The joy the Stoics were interested in can best be described as a kind of objectless
enjoyment—an enjoyment not of any particular thing but of all this. It is a delight
in simply being able to participate in life. It is a profound realization that even
though all this didn’t have to be possible, it is possible—wonderfully,
magnificently possible.
==========
2018 12:25:06 AM
We live, in other words, in a world in which, no matter what you do, you might be
making a mistake. This means that although it is true that I might be making a
mistake by practicing Stoicism, I might also be making a mistake if I reject
Stoicism in favor of some other philosophy of life.
==========
2018 12:25:13 AM
We live, in other words, in a world in which, no matter what you do, you might be
making a mistake. This means that although it is true that I might be making a
mistake by practicing Stoicism, I might also be making a mistake if I reject
Stoicism in favor of some other philosophy of life. And I think the biggest
mistake, the one made by a huge number of people, is to have no philosophy of life
at all.
==========
2018 12:26:38 AM
Those wishing to read the Stoics would do well to start with the essays of Seneca,
especially, “On the Happy Life,” “On Tranquility
==========
2018 12:26:42 AM
Those wishing to read the Stoics would do well to start with the essays of Seneca,
especially, “On the Happy Life,” “On Tranquility of Mind,” and “On the Shortness of
Life.”
==========
2018 12:27:01 AM
Seneca’s letters to Lucilius also merit attention. There are more than a hundred of
these letters, and some are of more interest than others.
==========

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Part of succeeding at your willpower challenges will be finding a way to take

how you filter information determines what ends up on

If we stopped complaining and began proactively seeking to enhance our knowledge,

By increasing Expectancy or Value, or decreasing Impulsiveness or Delay, you hack

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The senses of every species are fine-tuned to perceive information critical to

We see a map of the world, not the world itself.

The Number 68 is invented and the A is invented, so we might as well choose to

“The issue isn’t (x) it’s (y)”

practice constantly by exploring opportunities to role-play with people around you

This is also called a surprise, which can be of many kinds:

Instead you should maintain a mindset of a funny talk show host

Believing that your qualities are carved in stone—the fixed mindset—creates an

Rich, educated, connected effort works better.

important achievements require a clear focus, all-out effort, and a bottomless

“Yeah, but what did you learn?”

Can you find something harder to do so you could learn more?”

When, where, and how will I embark on my plan?

Success, then, is an accumulation of events turning out well or desired outcomes

If this was going to work, it would depend on my ability to increase my efforts—not

Success is equally important to a person’s sense of self. It promotes confi dence,

Meditation had such a profound effect on my productivity because it allowed me to

Investing countless hours becoming more productive, or taking on new habits or

had essentially reverted to a factory mindset and equated productivity with

get good grades

Make a list of everything you’re responsible for in your work.

get good grades

I also define three personal things I want to accomplish.

I did all I could to schedule the event during my prime time.

download a podcast to learn a new language

Chunking your maintenance tasks together is the perfect antidote to being a

Making an effort to say no to things that weren’t valuable, instead of accepting

After my smartphone experiment, I began doing something relatively straightforward:

Busyness is no different from laziness when it doesn’t lead you to accomplish

Busyness is no different from laziness when it doesn’t lead you to accomplish

And how every time you swallow, your ears click?

“Before a conversation, before a meeting, before an encounter of any kind, step

We procrastinate because our prefrontal cortex hasn’t evolved to become stronger

I worked meditation, reflection time, and more into mine.

When most of us invest in our productivity to increase our sense of well-being,

In addition to meditation and exercise—which Shawn is a huge advocate for—my

“the greatest predictor of long-term happiness is social connection,” and how

In business, money is either an important thing or it is everything. Monopolists

Monopoly is the condition of every successful business.

The greater the differences, the greater the conflict.

growth is easy to measure, but durability isn’t.

As a good rule of thumb, proprietary technology must be at least 10 times better

Instead of pursuing many-sided mediocrity and calling it “well-roundedness,” a

But in an indefinite world, people actually prefer unlimited optionality; money is

Long-term planning is often undervalued by our indefinite short-term world.

never underestimate exponential growth.

And monopoly businesses capture more value than millions of undifferentiated

If you focus on diversification instead of single-minded pursuit of the very few

An entrepreneur makes a major investment just by spending her time working on a

what are people running companies not allowed to say?

a startup messed up at its foundation cannot be fixed.

A product is viral if its core functionality encourages users to invite their

Charisma = Conviction + Energy + Presentation

Conviction is mind control. Conviction is magic.

I care more about my character than the opinions of others.