I sometimes talk about “moving forward” as a default mindset I have. For example, all other things being equal, go to the airport and wait in the terminal, not a home. But in the end, it all boils down to my having deeply apprehended the lesson that the first 90% of everything is vastly easier than the second 90%. So I generally tend to do-now, rather than wait.

It struck me that this has become a kind of dividing line between success and failure within my team. Those who haven’t worked out haven’t been able to start the clock or return the ball very quickly. It’s not just my team—it’s a source of frustration that fills the letters and dispatches of just about every great general, admiral, and leader throughout history.

~ Ryan Holiday from, https://ryanholiday.net/you-cant-succeed-in-life-without-this-skill/

Unfortunately, in my case, do-now can become a millstone upon which one can be ground to oblivion.

Discovery

Part of the act of creating is in discovering your own kind. They are everywhere. But don’t look for them in the wrong places.

~ Henry Miller

Auto-pilot

Auto-pilot is great. Presuming of course that one understands all the things that one is handing over to be controlled by the auto-pilot. Auto-pilot as a tool for relieving us of drudgery and opportunities for mistakes? Yes, please. As a way to shirk our responsibility to lead our lives in a fulfilling way? Not so much.

The reality is, behaviour change is hard, and many people have not been taught effective goal-setting. For example, someone might know that they’re unhappy and have intentions to change, but they focus on something too broad (‘I want to be happy’) or on what they don’t want (‘I don’t want to be depressed’). An ill-defined focus can lead to trying many things without following through on any one thing.

~ Kiki Fehling from, https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-stop-living-on-auto-pilot-by-picking-goals-that-matter

I wasn’t taught effective goal-setting, but I’ve got it sorted now. I find it super-effective to not always set clear goals. Set instead, aspirations. Better yet, identify inspirations and regularly update them.

Patience

Be patient. You’ll know when it’s time for you to wake up and move ahead.

~ Ram Dass

Consciousness

Thinking about consciousness never fails to induce something like vertigo. I always have this sense of myself tipping over into some abyss. I simply, truly, have no idea at all about how consciousness works, or what my consciousness is. All the world is but a dream within a dream?

I think mindfulness’s true purpose is insight into the fundamental nature of consciousness. Mindfulness is good for producing fundamental insights into the nature of mind.

~ Sam Harris from, https://the-talks.com/interview/sam-harris

That’s a wonderfully concise way to describe it.

Books

Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled ‘This could change your life.’

~ Helen Exley

In the beginning

Perspective is endlessly fascinating to me. What is it like to look back on decades of one’s own efforts? What’s it like to look back on one’s efforts if they’ve shifted the world?

Three and a half decades ago, when I invented the web […]

~ Tim Berners-Lee from, https://webfoundation.org/2024/03/marking-the-webs-35th-birthday-an-open-letter/

Well, that’s an ‘I’ statement with a little punch.

Until next time, thanks for reading!

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