Aphorisms

Happiness is a state of non attachment, it doesn't depend on anything.

Don't be jealous unless you'd trade entirely with that person's life. Wholesale swap or nothing.

Wanting what you get versus Getting what you want.

Tension is who you think you should be, Relaxation is who you are.

Praise specifically, criticize generally.

All news is good news.

You only know, what you make.

Today is yesterday's tomorrow.

Worry is like a rocking chair, a whole ado about nothing.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

Our mind is not for storing, its for having ideas.

Impatience with Action, Patience with results.

Make one good shot in a row.

Set the tone & pace for the day, and the day takes care of you.

Figure out what to leave out.

Creativity is a muscle, give yourself permission to create junk.

Deserve, what you want.

To die, before you die, that is when life begins.

Goals without deadlines are dreams.

Options are meant to be exercised.

Don't break a bad habit, replace it.

We overvalue what we can measure, and undervalue what can't be measured.

To leave an indelible mark upon one's life, there is no greater honor.

No to something, is Yes to comething else.

When you are tired of saying it, people are starting to hear it.

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Establish your identity by doing the work.

We are works in progress, claiming to be finished.

Life does not get its own montage. Only fictional films have that luxury.

Commitment can substitute for qualification.

It is always now.

Get out of your head, get out of the building.

Reflective Questions

In 5 years, when future me is looking at present me, in what ways will I look laughable or amateurish?

Who don't you want to let down?

What make you feel truly come alive?

What are your strong consistent preferences over time?

Who needs my best from me?

What can I be the best in the world at? Which specific niche is it?

What's possible this year, that wasn't possible last year?

Why am I not working on what needs to be worked on?

What will disprove my idea?

What advice would you give to yourself at your lowest point?

How can I sell it before I build it?

What does everyone know about you, that you don't know about yourself?

What will my next thought be?

What adds or subtracts energy to your life?

Where do I add value to other people's lives?

Where do we want to end up? Can we work backwards from there?

What will differentiate us?

How can I be less judgemental?

What feels like play to me, but work for others?

Whats the most consequential thing I could be doing now?

What would Jesus/Mohammed/Buddha/Hero do in this situation?

How can I be the change I seek in the world?

What stands out?

What would seem ludicrous to me in the future?

Quotes

"You have to carry a big basket to bring something home." Hesselbein

"Addiction is a narrowing of things that bring you pleasure"

"Desire is a contract with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want"

"Invest in what you know" - Peter Lynch

"Never let a good crisis go to waste" - Winston Churchill

"A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake." Confucius

"The advice we give others is the advice that we ourselves need." Gian-Carlo Rota

"Our life is what our thoughts make it." Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

"Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that carry them far apart." Confucius

"The chains of habit are too weak to be felt, until too they are too strong to be broken." Samuel Johnson

"We are generally the better persuaded by the reasons we discover ourselves than by those given to us by others." Blaise Pascal