3-2-1: On designing your life, and the value of doing hard things

Happy 3-2-1 Thursday!

Here are 3 ideas, 2 quotes, and 1 question to consider this week...

I.

"Most of the time you don't need more information, you need more courage."

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​II.

"Avoiding mistakes is an underrated way to improve. It's easier to fend off a bad day than achieve a perfect day. Rather than do your best, avoid your worst."

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III.

"Being good at what you do is partially about competence, but not exclusively.

Two other things that matter:

Reliability. You do what you say you're going to do—on time and as expected.

Enthusiasm. You're excited to be here and eager to work on this problem.

Skills matter, but in many cases it's your reliability or attitude that separates you from the pack."

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I.

Journalist and author Hunter S Thompson on designing your life:

"Beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living within that way of life."

Source: Letters of Note​

​II.

Entrepreneur and writer Nat Eliason on the importance of challenging yourself to do hard things:

"The ability to do hard things is perhaps the most useful ability you can foster in yourself or your children. And proof that you are someone who can do them is one of the most useful assets you can have on your life resume.

Our self-image is composed of historical evidence of our abilities. The more hard things you push yourself to do, the more competent you will see yourself to be.

If you can run marathons or throw double your body weight over your head, the sleep deprivation from a newborn is only a mild irritant. If you can excel at organic chemistry or econometrics, onboarding for a new finance job will be a breeze.

But if we avoid hard things, anything mildly challenging will seem insurmountable. We’ll cry into TikTok over an errant period at the end of a text message. We’ll see ourselves as incapable of learning new skills, taking on new careers, and escaping bad situations.

The proof you can do hard things is one of the most powerful gifts you can give yourself."

Source: Twitter​

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In which direction are your habits currently steering your life?

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Want to share this issue of 3-2-1 via text, social media, or email? Just copy and paste this link:

https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/july-20-2023

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Until next week,

James Clear
​Author of Atomic Habits and keynote speaker​​

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p.s. I love you too.

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