3-2-1: How to do hard things, being resourceful, and the value of simplicity

Happy 3-2-1 Thursday!

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

I.

"The odds increase, the more you try."

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​II.

"Arguably the most important skill is controlling your attention. This goes beyond merely avoiding distractions. The deeper skill is finding the highest and best use for your time, given what is important to you. More than anything else, controlling your attention is about being able to figure out what you should be working on and identifying what truly moves the needle."

III.

"When you're doing something hard, focus on the fun part.

Many people make a subtle mistake, which is they emphasize how difficult it is to do something. They tell themselves writing is hard or running is hard or math is hard. And so on. The dominant thought in their mind is that this is hard to do.

And it is true these things (and many others in life) can be challenging.

Meanwhile, people who thrive in a given area are often emphasizing a completely different aspect of the experience. They are thinking about how it feels good to move their body rather than telling themselves exercise is hard. Or, perhaps, they aren't really thinking much at all. They may slip into a trance during their run, a meditative rhythm.

But what they are almost certainly not doing is repeating a mental story about how hard it is to do the thing. Their dominant thought is about some element of the experience they enjoy. They are working hard, but with the fun part in mind."

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I.

Ernest Hemingway on being resilient and resourceful:

"Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is."

Source: The Old Man and the Sea​

​II.

Chef Wylie Dufresne on the value of simplicity:

"Jean-Georges Vongerichten showed me the value in taking away, taking things off of a plate. He always talked about two, three, four elements on a plate. That's it. The more you put on the plate, the easier it is to hide. The more you take away, there's nowhere to hide—it has to be good."

Source: A Conversation with Wylie Dufresne​

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Who do you still owe an apology? Can you make one in the next 5 minutes?

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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/september-14-2023

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Until next week,

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

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p.s. The great banana breakthrough.