Rule: If you want to improve at anything, do it every day for 30 straight days.
30-for-30 approach:
- 30 days
- 30 minutes per day
30 days is a real commitment, but small enough to mentally take it on.
900 minutes of accumulated effort yields surprisingly significant results.
Rule: Never take advice from people on the sidelines.
It's easy to stand on the sidelines.
It's hard to stand in the arena.
It's scary to put yourself out there - it's a dark and lonely at times.
When you're in the arena, never take advice from the people on the sidelines.
Rule: When you think something nice about someone, let them know.
It's a shame that we often wait until a person's funeral to say all of the nice things we thought about them.
The next time you have a positive thought about someone - tell them right then.
It's a wonderful thing.
Rule: Reread your favorite books.
you may read thousands of books in your life, but there will be a few that deeply change the way you think.
Reread them every single year.
Your experience with the book will change as you do - you'll pick up new ideas.
It's beautiful.
Rule: Stop and savor the beautiful moments of life.
Life moves fast.
When you encounter a moment of pure bliss, pause and embrace every aspect of it.
The smells, the sounds, the feelings and the sensations.
Pause time and appreciate moments of sweetness.
You'll be glad you did.
Rule: Always pursue the path that has the larger luck surface area.
Your daily actions can put you in a position where luck is more likely to strike.
It's hard to get lucky watching TV at home - it's easy to get luck when you're out engaging and learning.
Create your own luck.
Rule: Radically reduce your news consumption.
The Paradox of News:
The more news you consume, the less well-informed you are.
The constant barrage of Breaking News and clearly biased perspectives clouds your understanding.
Want to know more about the world? Turn off the news.
Rule: Move your body every single day.
You were made to move.
Daily activity is essential to your health, brain function and happiness.
No need for a complex regimen.
Each day minimum:
- Walk for 30 minutes
- Raise your HR for 30 minutes
- Mobility work for 5 minutes
Keep it simple.
Rule: Default to generosity.
If you have the good fortune to be wealthy and successful in life, always be sure to share it with others.
Support your family and friends when you're able.
Give with no expectation of return.
Always give more than you receive.
Rule: Make decisions that your 80-year-old self and 10-year-old self would be proud of.
Your 80-year-old self, cares about the long-term compounding of the decisions of today.
Your 10-year-old self, reminds you to stay foolish and have some fun along the way.
Rule: Always take accountability.
Life definitely isn't fair. It's a troubling reality.
But instead of wasting energy on every obstacle in your way, focus on what you can control and how you can break through.
Stop looking out. Look in.
Be accountable. Own your shit.
Rule: Have faith in the dots.
Steve Jobs, in his 2005, Stanford Commencement speech, talked about having faith that the dots will somehow connect in your life.
You take daily actions with complete uncertainty.
Faith in the dots allows you to preserve and endure the uncertainty.
Rule: Always prioritize people.
Everything in life comes down to people and relationships.
Networks compound as well as any financial investment.
Build an army that is deep and wide.
Cultivate deep relationships, but also learn to appreciate the power of weak ties.
Rule: Be interested in everyone you encounter.
Every conversation with a stranger is a chance to learn something new.
Stop trying to be 'interesting' and focus on being 'interested'.
Be present in every conversation with everyone you meet.
You never know what you might learn.
Now, Go Quiet and Start Building Yourself.
Keep Learning at LTY (Learn That Yourself).