Quitting, Observing and Searching for Sunrise
Quitting, Observing and Searching for Sunrise
New writing. One idea. Two links. One great sunrise.
WHAT I’VE WRITTEN THIS WEEK
How To Do Great Work - “The pursuit of greatness is an uphill battle. Being surrounded by people that motivate and inspire you is like covering the road in oil - it reduces the friction associated with getting to the top.”
IDEA I’M PONDERING
Buy a new car and you immediately begin to notice more of them on the roads. Learn the meaning of a new word and you immediately begin to notice it in conversation.
It's not that these things simply pop up, but rather that you become aware of them. Once you're aware, they're painfully obvious.
It leads to two questions:
1) What opportunities am I missing because I am oblivious to them?
2) How can I adjust my perspective to become more aware?
WORTH READING
Heads or Tails: The Impact of a Coin Toss on Major Life Decisions and Subsequent Happiness
"The results of this article suggest the presence of a substantial bias against making changes when it comes to important life decisions, as evidenced by the fact that those who do make a change report being no worse off after two months and much better off six months later. Stronger results, with the same implication, are found using related outcome measures, such as whether the participant is better off today than six months ago, whether he/she made the correct decision, and whether he/she would stick to that decision in a perfect foresight world. The results of this article are, of course, merely suggestive. If the results are correct, then admonitions such as “winners never quit and quitters never win,” while well-meaning, may actually be extremely poor advice. A reasonable question to ask is why so many study participants were willing to let major life decisions be dictated by a coin toss. One simple explanation is that many participants were truly on the margin."
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit
Remember that saying “Quitters never win and winners never quit”? The Dip explains why it’s terrible advice. In just 76 pages this book does a wonderful job of forcing you to question your assumptions about your goals and ambitions and helps you assess whether the path you’re on is the one for you.
Two key takeaways for me:
In many circumstances, not quitting is more harmful than staying the course.
Everything worth doing has a dip. It's useful to know this in advance because it changes the way you assess opportunities.
It’s a short and easy read, but here’s a summary.
QUESTION I’M ASKING MYSELF
If scarcity creates value, what would make me impossibly good at my job?
RANDOM STUFF
I was lucky enough to get out of the city this weekend and spend some time in nature. It has a unique way of revitalising you and allowing you to see the world through a different lens. It served as a timely reminder of a few things: Spend time getting active outdoors. Seek out solitude. Become comfortable with sitting and doing nothing. Get enough sleep. Appreciate your loved ones.
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading and for the ongoing support and appreciation. If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend or consider becoming a patron.
Have a wonderful week,