The most meaningful things in life take a long time to build—which is precisely why they’re so meaningful.What’s more, the length and difficulty of the climb to achieve these things is essential in how it prepares you for having them.
Time and effort prepare for the goal
You can’t brute force your way to success.
Impatience with actions, patience with results
Always remember: Life is about direction, not speed.It’s better to climb slowly up the right mountain than fast up the wrong one.
It's not about speed, but about direction - and continuity / consistency
Where do you want to get to?Think deeply about this. Be specific.What do you actually want your life to look like:Where do you live? What does the space feel like?Whom do you live with? Who are you close to?What are you doing on an average Tuesday?What are you working on?What possessions bring you joy?What does your financial life look like?With clarity on the destination comes clarity on the action.
Clarity creates energy. Building momentum will take you to your destination.
If you aren’t clear on where you want to go, any road will take you there.You may find yourself putting in years of effort, toiling away in constant motion, only to realize you’ve been walking in circles.
No destination = no orientation
The most asymmetric rewards belong to those who are willing to confront the uncertainty and wait just a little bit longer.
Embrace uncertainty (most won't) and be patient (most won't)
Do I want the winning version of this thing?Am I willing to pay the price to get that winning version?
Do I really want to reach that goal, become that person, regardless of what it will take to become it?
Put simply, my worst decisions were a result of allowing my head to outsmart my gut.
Never ignore your gut feeling
The real threat to your progress isn’t failure—it’s lack of focus. There are plenty of opportunities out there that are clear, obvious, and entirely wrong. Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it.
You can only win if you can focus on what matters most
Urgency is no longer a nice to have—it's a necessity. A requirement for survival.
To be among the winners, you have to exert the willpower to learn, every single day
True freedom comes from choice. The ability to choose your worship. To choose how you measure value. To live by design, not by default.
True freedom is what I choose
You cannot change reality, but you always get to choose how you interpret and experience it.You can choose frustration, or you can choose compassion. You can choose self-centered annoyance, or you can choose gratitude.You get to choose your thoughts.
You decide how you perceive reality
Most of us walk through life with absolute conviction that we're right––about everything. Politics. People. Past. Future. We almost never consider the possibility that we're wrong about anything.
We are wrong more often than we'd like (and consider)
Life is a game of awareness and action: Awareness to understand something's importance and action to execute on that importance.
Awareness and action are key
The lesson: Stop overthinking every decision. Stop overanalyzing. Stop trying to create the perfect plan on paper. Your reality will be defined on the ground. In the actions and decisions. In the moments at the testing point.
Solve.
But there is one tax of life that we must actively reject:The Ignorance Tax.The Ignorance Tax is the hidden cost of what you haven’t learned or what you’re choosing to ignore.It’s the gap between where you are and where you could be if you gained the knowledge, skills, perspective, or awareness you’re currently lacking.
Harsh truth
Where am I paying an Ignorance Tax in my life?
Start to use as a prompt for regular self-reflection.