My 4-year-old son’s drawings are improving. Here is a triceratops. He probably looks forward to the day that he can draw even better. But I don’t think he should rush it. Things only go forward. Only 4 year olds can draw like 4 year olds. A 40 year old couldn’t draw like a 4 year …
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When things don’t seem to fit
In an interview with Ray Dalio, a very successful hedge fund manager, the interviewer asked Ray what the keys to his success were and Ray mentioned a couple of things and then mentioned transcendental meditation. The interviewer didn’t pursue that line of the conversation, even though it was clearly important to Ray, and perhaps unique …
How to have the best moment of your life
After Eliud Kipchoge broke the world record and ran a marathon in under 2 hours, he said, “That was the best moment of my life.” That probably didn’t come as a surprise to him. It was a big goal that he had been working towards for a long time, so the fact that achieving that …
How to run a record-breaking marathon
Eliud Kipchoge set a world record in 2019 when he became the first person to run a marathon in under 2 hours. He gave himself ideal conditions. He chose a flat course in cool weather. He had the course all to himself. He didn’t race against other runners. He raced against the clock. But he …
Forget everything
My car is in the shop and I was trying to figure out if the previous owner had the timing belt changed at the 90,000 mile tuneup because my mechanic was asking me and I didn’t know. I had a copy of a quote from the shop that may have done the 90,000 mile tuneup …
Pre-Decide: When you don’t feel like doing it
What do you do when there’s something that you don’t feel like doing but you know you should do? Do it anyway. Pre-decide to do it anyway. Pretend it’s like work. If you can work 9-5, then you can exercise 5-6 and clean the house 6-7. Even if you don’t feel like it. I’m not …
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Everyone is risk averse.
Everyone is risk averse. Even the guy who rock climbed El Capitan in Yosemite (an ascent of over 3,000 feet) without a rope, Alex Honnold. He’s risk averse. He climbs with a rope 95% of the time. Even though he takes the unnecessary risk of climbing without a rope sometimes, he is very cautious when …
Your big idea
If you’ve got a big idea, then don’t let the conventions of the world hem you in. Do what you need to do to bring your big idea to life. Maybe your idea is as big as a titanoboa. Maybe it doesn’t fit on one page. Maybe it doesn’t fit in one minute, or in …
Fresh air
One of my favorite things in life is waking up and opening a window or going outside and getting that first breath of fresh air. There’s a reason that became a common phrase. The interesting thing about it is that it only exists juxtaposed with stale air. You can’t have one without the other. Or …
Band-Aids and splints
My refrigerator was leaking and I looked up how to fix it and learned that water from somewhere inside the freezer overflows into this shallow pool in the freezer and freezes there and when that area is full, it then leaks out onto the floor, where I was seeing it. I needed to break up …