Insights
#24 Put your actions where your mouth is
Here’s a useful insight from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits: Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/june-4-2020 Writing every day reaffirms my “I’m a writer” identity. Sitting on the couch every day reaffirms my “I’m a couch potato” identity. As a consequence: when you…
#23 For all the languages I’ve learned
For all the languages I’ve learnedtrying in vain to put the inner and outer world into wordsclosely but not completely capturing the essenceI now realize the biggest insights reveal themselveswhere words are worthless and feelings reignwhere they are felt and lived, embodied,refusing to be rationalized, categorizedor undergo the violent limitations of our words. Maybe language…
#22 Actions Overrule Thoughts
One of the most potent drivers of change AND perpetuators of old habits is cognitive dissonance: In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the perception of contradictory information, and the mental toll of it. Relevant items of information include a person’s actions, feelings, ideas, beliefs, values, and things in the environment. Cognitive dissonance is…
#21 Action Defies Excuses (day 20 update)
Day 20 of my daily publishing experiment. What I’ve learned (or remembered) so far: Self-trust is built by taking action. On some days I woke up stressed out, thinking “I have no clue what I’ll post about today”. But then I start writing, and the post reveals itself on the page every single time. After…
#20 I’ve never tried that before, so…
In the series of unlikely life advice: a quote ascribed to Astrid Lindgren’s legendary character Pippi Longstocking. I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6773397-i-have-never-tried-that-before-so-i-think-i Only after reading this quote I realized how often we all hold the opposite belief: I have never tried that…
#19 The first time feels funny, the fiftieth time you fly
In a podcast segment about practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,Tim Ferris and Joshua Waitzkin discuss a principle for managing expectations they call: “The first rep doesn’t count.” Tim Ferris, Josh Waitzkin: https://tim.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/148-josh-waitzkin.pdf In other words: when performing a move for the first time, your body and mind need to get used to it. Gradually,you’ll get better –…
#18 Practicing neglected skills – Reps hidden in plain sight
In his book The Art of Learning (and his podcast episodes with Tim Ferris), Josh Waitzkin, former chess player and martial artist, introduces the concept of “hidden reps” when learning something new: I think that where the really potent, low-hanging fruit hanging in plain sight lie are in the thematic, are in breaking down the…
#17 Humming my way to innovative insights
In his book “The Breakout Principle“, Harvard Medical School professor Herbert Benson asserts that most of our big epiphanies and insights are preceded by: A phase of strong mental and physical exertion A phase of relaxation, where you release the mind and let it roam freely. Benson discovered that the phase of relaxation seems to…
#16 The insights have always been here
Creativity isn’t about inventing new concepts, thoughts, pieces of art or machines out of thin air. It’s not even making new connections between unrelated concepts. Creativity is exposing connections that have always been there but nobody has noticed before. Again: the connections have always been there. The hard part is noticing them. That requires presence….
#15 Being intentional about the questions you ask yourself
What you focus on right now, in the present moment, strongly affects your state. Focus on problems, you start worrying. Focus on a pleasant prospect, you start dreaming. To manage state by directing focus, you must be intentional about the type of questions you ask to evaluate your experiences in life because whatever questions you…
#14 Meeting myself where I am
When writing, the most hurtful words enter your head when no words leave your pen. A blank page is a mirror of our own insecurities, frightening, judgmental… I found the only way to get through is meeting myself where I am. Inspired, afraid, angry, frustrated, fearful of poor work, poor words, or no words at…