"Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn't matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough. Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best. Don't think about what you want to be, but what you want to do. Keep up some kind of a minimum with other things so that society doesn't stop you from doing anything at all." - Richard Feynman
"Spend more time searching for better information sources. A body filled with junk food struggles to move well. A mind filled with junk thoughts struggles to think well." - James Clear
“It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.” - Marcus Aurelius
“It’s not that life is short, it’s that we waste a lot of it.” - Seneca
“It’s not things that upset us, it’s our judgement about things.” - Epictetus
"We have been fighting on this planet for ten thousand years; it would be idiotic and unethical to not take advantage of such accumulated experiences. If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you. Any commander who claims he is 'too busy to read' is going to fill body bags with his troops as he learns the hard way.” - James Mattis
Incredible, forty-year-old interview with James Baldwin just surfaced. Must watch.
“What separates great leaders from good leaders is not the quality of decisions but the quantity.” - Hubert Joly
"More effort is wasted doing things that don’t matter than is wasted doing things inefficiently. Elimination is the highest form of optimization." - James Clear
“If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor; if according to people’s opinions, you will never be rich.” - Epicurus
As usual, incredible insights from Ryan Holiday and Stephen Henselman in their Daily Stoic book. Loved this passage.
“Throw out your conceited opinions, for it is impossible for a person to begin to learn what he thinks he already knows.” - Epictetus
"The greatest sin in leadership is leading by assumption." - John Maxwell
“The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher.” - Chinese Proverb
This one has the right vibe for the lake, pool, late nights in backyard, etc.
I am a huge Scott Galloway fan. His weekly email newsletter is a must-subscribe. Recently he posted a great blog on his thoughts on the three biggest threats to the US in his view and they may not be what you expect. A fascinating read that I highly recommend.
“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” - Steve Garvey
I have a reputation at MSRE of not accepting “wimpy” goals. I am of the mind that when you set big goals, you will set your activities to match that stretch goal. You may fall a big short but that is better than costing on a wimpy goal and hitting it. I encourage our agents and company members to take the business goals that they think are the right ones for them to hit their personal goals and net the numbers up at least 20%.
I really enjoyed this message from John Maxwell about creativity. The main premise is that creative people are confident there is always an “answer;” a hope and believe that things can be better. This brings to mind one of my favorite Fundamentals at MSRE—#32 Find a Way!
I am often asked what do a look for in an idea company member at MSRE. My answer is always curiosity, creativity, and the willingess to do whatever it takes to find a way!
Garry Shandling was a famous comedian and actor for a number of years. He was also a mentor for many young comedians and creatives. Folks like Judd Apatow (who produced and/or directed just about every funny movie of the last decade or so) credit Garry's influence with their success.
Garry had a tough childhood, to say the least. He was raised by a mother who was extremely controlling and erratic. His younger brother died when he himself was still a child and his mother refused to let him go to the funeral for fear Garry would see her cry. This led him to a lifetime of struggles with depression and occasional substance abuse. Over time he became very involved with practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and journaling and became one of the most influential voices in his area of expertise. I share all that because in his journal he wrote one of the most powerful four sentences I have ever seen and I just had to send it out to the MSRE team. He wrote:
Give more.
Give what you didn't get.
Love more.
Drop the old story.
