Sprezzatura (Studied Carelessness)
- You have to put in more effort to make something appear effortless.
- Effortless, elegant performances are often the result of a large volume of effortful, gritty practice. Simple is not simple.
Slow Down to Speed Up
Learn More to Know less (The Wisdom Paradox)
- The more you learn, the more you are exposed to the immense unknown. This should be empowering, not frightening.
- Embrace lifelong learning.
Shrink to Grow
- Growth is never linear. In order to grow, sometimes you need to shrink.
- Shedding deadweight may feel like a step back, but it is a necessity for long-term growth.
- This principle applies to your career, startup, or life.
- One step back for two steps forward.
Fail More to Succeed More
We fear failure, so most of us play it safe to avoid it. But our greatest moments of growth often stem directly from our greatest failures. Don’t fear failure, just learn to fail smart and fast. Fail more - you’ll learn, adapt, and grow.
Take on Less, Accomplish More
- Success doesn’t come from taking on everything that comes your way.
- It comes from focus - deep, disciplined focus on the tasks that really matter.
- Say yes to what matters, say no to what doesn’t.
- Protect your time. It is a gift to be cherished.
Talk less to Be Heard More
- Friday Night Lights (the movie) has a famous scene where a notoriously quiet player gives a riveting speech that turns around a game.
- He rarely spoke up, so when he did, it hit. Hard.
- If you want to be heard, talk less. You’ll find more power in your words.
The only Constant is Change
- Entropy is reality. The world is in a continuous state of change.
- It’s the one thing you can always count on - the only constant.
- Embrace it - be dynamic, be adaptable.
- “When you are finished changing, you are finished.” — Benjamin Franklin
Stop Looking to Find More
- Have you ever noticed that when you are looking for something, you rarely find it?
- Stop looking. What you’re looking for may just find you.
More Choices, less Satisfaction
- We assume a positive linear relationship between choice and satisfaction. But is this wrong?
- “Choice paralysis” is a very real phenomenon.
- The relationship between choice and satisfaction is much more nuanced than you’ve been led to believe.
Argue less to Persuade More
- Have you ever noticed that the most argumentative people rarely persuade anyone of anything?
- The most persuasive people don’t argue more - they observe, listen, and ask questions.
- Persuasion is an art that requires a paintbrush, not a sledgehammer.
Face Your Fears
- If something scares you, you should probably go do it.
- Fears, when avoided, become limiters on our growth and life.
- Make a habit of getting closer to your fears. Then take the leap (metaphorically!) - you may just find growth on the other side.
The Passion Paradox
- In the early 1970s, Stanford psychology researcher Dr. Mark Lepper conducted a study with a group of young children that found those who had received a reward for completing a task experienced lower intrinsic motivation to perform that task in the future.
- We have a deep desire to chase our passions, but by chasing them, we may actually reduce our passion for them.
- Three strategies for escaping the paradox: (1) Keep play as play, (2) Let work be work, and (3) Make work more playful.
The Solomon’s Paradox
- One’s ability to reason more sensibly about someone else’s problems than one’s own
- There is a striking disparity between your ability to give advice and your ability to take your own advice?
- Humans are notoriously good at delivering sound, rational perspectives to others, but notoriously bad at delivering those same sound, rational perspectives to themselves.
- Why?
- When you’re considering someone else’s problems, you are objective, rational, and balanced.
- When you’re considering your own problems, you are emotional, irrational, and volatile.
The Advice Paradox
Taking more advice can leave you less well-prepared.
Stop taking everyone’s advice. Most advice sucks.
It’s well-intentioned, but it’s dangerous to use someone else’s map of reality to navigate yours.
Develop your own filters and selectively accept and implement advice—take the signal, skip the noise.
The Paradox of risk
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
The greatest risk comes from taking no risk at all.
The Looking Paradox: Sometimes you have to stop looking in order to find what you’re looking for.