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  • #234 Fighting novelty

    A new phone out of necessity – because the old one broke.
    A new phone out of longing for the rush of something new.

    A new business idea because changing circumstances have rendered the old business model unviable.
    A new business idea because the previous one is progressing slower than I expected, and I’m getting bored.

    There are many reasons to embrace novelty. And there are just as many reasons to fight it.

    Both are fine, as long as you know what’s driving you.
  • #153 When most of the learning is lost on us.

    Playing the guitar hasn’t taught me to move my hands and fingers across strings. It has taught me to persevere whenever I’m failing over and over again until suddenly, it all clicks and the words, music, or movements flow.

    Yoga hasn’t taught me to put my body in awkward poses. It has taught me to be aware of – and release – the tension in my body whenever I sit, walk, stand, and run.

    Taking cold showers hasn’t taught me to withstand cold water. It has taught me to know to relax whenever my body tenses up in stress and my heart starts racing.

    Learning a foreign language hasn’t taught me to say the same things with different words. It has taught me that there are different ways of perceiving the wordless world around me, and expressing what I feel inside.

    When we isolate insights, most of the learning is lost on us.

    Learn thematically. Ask yourself, “Where else does this apply?”

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    #87 AI Raises the Bar

    What do we do when AI can cobble together in seconds essays that take us hours (or days) to write – not even counting years of practice?

    Maybe it just raises the bar for us – requiring is to make new work that continues to stand out from AI-generated content.

    As things stand, that’s still possible.

    But what happens when the bar is set so high that our human brains can’t jump over it anymore, even with a lifetime of practice?

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    #139 Habit Milestones

    The most important habit milestone is the center of gravity shift.

    Initially, when you start building a new skill, your center of gravity lies with your old identity. You’re constantly fighting the pull of your old identity. And if you’d stop for even a day, you’ll get pulled right back into your old habits.

    “If I don’t write today, what does that say about me? I’ve always given up in the past, and with this habit, it’ll be the same.”

    The center of gravity shift happens when you’re about to miss a day and realize:

    “It doesn’t matter, tomorrow I’ll start again anyway.”

    When you’ve cast so many votes for your “identity of perseverance” you know that missing one day doesn’t equal giving up anymore.

    When not writing for a day has become the exception, and when it happens, I get pulled right back into my writing habit.

    Before the shift happens, when you’re still building self-trust, discipline is key.

    But after your center of gravity has shifted to align with what you want to do anyway… you’re free.

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