bigger idiots than you have done it. seriously. a lot of the things you think require extraordinary talent, intelligence or perfect timing were done by people who were just stubborn enough to keep going when it would’ve been easier to quit. you don’t need to be the smartest person in the room. you don’t need to know exactly what you’re doing. you don’t even need to feel confident. sometimes you just need to be too stupid to give up. keep learning. keep failing. keep adjusting. keep showing up. because the person who refuses to quit eventually becomes the person who looks like they always knew what they were doing. sometimes being too stupid to quit is all it takes.
Underrated life advice: A good life is built by simply doing uncomfortable things sooner. The delayed conversation gets harder. The ignored problem gets bigger. The small repair gets more expensive. Peace is never found through avoidance. It’s found through direct early action.
You're supposed to use every unfair advantage you have. Looks, genetics, connections, dad's money, whatever.
There's nothing noble about choosing the hardest path just to feel like an underdog.
A reminder from Atomic Habits by James Clear:
“It doesn't make sense to continue wanting something if you're not willing to do what it takes to get it. If you don't want to live the lifestyle, then release yourself from the desire. To crave the result but not the process is to guarantee disappointment.”
This is free advice from an expensive psychologist. If you’re an anxious person, do everything for fun. Go to a job interview for fun. Submit documents for fun. Start a blog for fun. Anxiety feeds on importance. Don’t make everything a matter of life and death.
i know it sounds kinda stupid. but regardless of how simple it is you have to embody being a delusional optimist. you’ll open unexpected new doors and effortlessly 10x your quality of life. there’s no reason to be a self sabotaging pessimist.
This always gets me:
“The most valuable of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it has to be done, whether you like it or not.”
- Aldous Huxley
The quicker you act on realizing you have to attack life, not let it happen to you, the quicker you enjoy this journey versus wasting it on stress, anxiety, and worry