You have to be willing to be a fool to advance.
When you're learning anything new, you'll feel like an imposter.
That's a very useful thing to know. You'll feel like a fool because you are. And you'll think, “I'll never get there”.
The destination might look very distant, but if you take a small first step and get the ball rolling, you can cruise along at a pretty good rate.
What happens when you expose people to small but challenging tasks is:
1. It makes them more skilled because now they're dealing with the problem. They're acquiring new perceptions and new behaviors that are mastery.
2. They see themselves as actors who can change the direction of their lives.
I've never seen anyone unable to progress if they made the task small enough.
That can be pretty humiliating. But the upside is that once you've taken that first step, you'll start progressing exponentially.
If you're not willing to be a fool, you cannot become a master.
If you don’t stand your ground, then all that happens is people push you backwards. And they will push you, and push you, and push you, until you fall off a cliff.
Be careful telling people about your goals. It releases dopamine similar to achieving them. Don't tell people what you are going to do. Tell people what you are doing.
I remember not too long ago sitting alone in a grocery store parking lot at midnight, eating an $8 whole rotisserie chicken, thinking "I made it". A mix of gratitude, hope, melancholy, and simple happiness.
Ask the girl.
Shoot the shot.
Launch the business.
Run the ad.
Quit the job.
Take the risk.
When you’re 85 years old and on your deathbed, you’re not gonna wish you had fewer crazy stories.