“Quit” comes from old French, meaning “to free” or “to release”
“Solitary socialite”: physically alone but extremely social.
Important callout here is that there needs to be actual 1:1 communication, i.e. email, phone, etc.. Surfing a feed doesn’t count.
Emphasizes the value of “disconnect” once more. Catching up with what everyone else is reading won’t give you an edge.
Sometimes people give underdog opinions (非主流观点) in their context, which doesn’t equate to non-mainstream for you.
Taking advice should be like echolocation - you ask others to bounce off ideas, then locate the truth for yourself. #小马过河
cf. this idea of echo chamber. These two ideas can be illustrated to see the difference. We want echolocation, not echo chamber.
Ego is really the enemy. You are too worried about looking good or making something great, that you won’t do anything.
“Seeking patterns in randomness is called apophenia.”
Three things to consider when looking for something worth doing:
Happy Does it make you content?
Smart: Does it make you grow in a desirable direction in the long run?
Useful: Is it useful to others?
“do what you love” and “make good living”
We need stability AND adventure at the same time; you’ll want to sway between the two
Each half of your life becomes a remedy for the other
Do good work to make a stable living. Do good art just for the sake of art, and you don’t need to compromise to the marketplace.
Don’t expect your job to fulfill all your emotional needs. Don’t taint something you love with the need to make money from it.
Many of the parenting things you do for your child, is actually equally beneficial for you. Longer attention span, imagination, broader input, curiosity.
Alvin Toffler: “The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” #Quotes
Books are like a mirror. It’s about you, not the mirror itself. If a book makes you learn more and think more about yourself, then it’s a good book. The author’s belief doesn’t matter.
Move often to a strange environment. It keeps your mind in an open and learning mode. The mundane daily tasks like grocery shopping becomes learning opportunities.
A good goal makes you want to take actions right away. If you think you want something, but keep putting it off, then the goal is not good enough.
Input won’t become inspiration alone. They need to be connected with your work.