Set your own agenda. It creates consistency for others and is habit forming. If you aren’t on your own agenda then you are on someone else’s. Stick to your plan.
You’ll find yourself saying no more than yes…that means it’s working.
Be careful of maybes. A quick no is better than a slow maybe and clears the way for a yes.
My take on Bill Gates’ tweet storm advice:
Intelligence comes in many forms
Always be learning
Be aware of inequity in the world and be the change you want to see. Do it locally or globally.
Measure happiness by whether people close to you are happy
Make a positive difference in other peoples lives
Spend time with people that push you to be a better person
The world is getting better, but there’s more work to do, start now.
It is an amazing time to be alive
Simple ➡️ Complex ➡️ Simple ➡️ Complex ➡️ Simple
Most things look simple from a distance. But until you understand the complexity, you can’t fully appreciate the simplicity. Go deep, get detailed and immerse yourself. There is simplicity and beauty on the other side of complexity.
These lines in the NYT Michael Bloomberg interview resonated with me. It covers what I think is important. Persistence, compassion and hard work.
Who Gets the Job
What disturbs me is you talk to kids applying today and they invariably say, “I cured cancer, I brought peace to the Mideast.” Spare me. How about, “My father never existed, my mother is a convicted drug dealer. I worked three shifts at McDonald’s.” That’s the kind of kid I want — with an ethic of taking care of his family — because then he’ll take care of others. Some of us don’t have much prenatal intelligence, but nevertheless go out and try and have a decent chance of surviving. I’m not the smartest guy in the room, but nobody’s going to outwork me.
And he doesn’t look in the rear view mirror.
What I Would Have Done Differently
Given the way things turned out, nothing.
It’s a great interview. Read the rest here.
Work with clever people who are kind. Look for them, stay close to them, and learn from them.
Be weary of clever people who are unkind. Keep your distance and handle with caution.
Clever and kind people nurture and grow powerful communities of trusted friends who in turn connect and amplify those connections. Be part of that community. It’s powered by kindness and it’s evergreen.
Stop. Think about someone who took a chance on you and believed in you despite the odds. Send them a message and thank them.
Listen to your gut when making big decisions. Be on the lookout for clues along the way. Clues are markers confirming that you are on the right path, or sometimes the wrong path. Be aware of your senses. Listen, smell, look, touch and taste. Maybe it’s an email, a chance encounter, a tweet, a news event or a change in the weather. Making a decision starts a sequence of events that are easy to spot when you start looking.
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Acceptance of our mortality sharpens our focus on being present and enjoying every day. We secretly think we will live forever and bow out when it suits us. That’s the ego telling us we are in control.
We have a limited time in our body. We are all going die. Let that sink in.
Taste the coffee, smell the air, breath deeply and savor every day as it were your last. The acceptance of death increases our day to day joy. What a paradox!
Anyone can write, but story telling is a gift.
Gifted story tellers take the reader’s hand with an invitation to travel with them as the story unfolds. No reader left behind.
Smart people change their minds all the time.
When we become fixed in our perceptions we lose our ability to fly
― Yongey Mingyur, Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom
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