3-2-1: The beauty of being an amateur, how to respond to a mistake, and finding work that grips your soul

Happy 3-2-1 Thursday!

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

I.

"Forget about peak performance. Would your results improve if you simply focused on being reliable in the normal moments?

Show up when it's easy to skip. Do the fundamentals and do them well. And so on.

Before you make it complicated, remember there are always simple improvements waiting to be made."

​II.

"You have to live with your mistakes, but you don't have to compound them.

To follow up an error with a foolish reaction is to lose twice. Given the reality of where you are right now, what is the best next action?

A wise response may not erase a dumb mistake, but it can redeem it."

III.

"At some point, you will have to learn to let go.

There is an endless list of obligations and expectations, desires and ambitions, and worries and fears that will always be ready to insert themselves between you and the feeling of peace.

If you never learn to let them go, there will never be enough."

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I.

The television series Mozart in the Jungle reminds us of the beauty of being an amateur:

"You say 'amateur' as if it was a dirty word. 'Amateur' comes from the Latin word 'amare', which means to love. To do things for the love of it."

Source: Mozart in the Jungle

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​II.

Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello calls you to find what grips your soul:

"You must cultivate activities that you love. You must discover work that you do, not for its utility, but for itself, whether it succeeds or not, whether you are praised for it or not, whether you are loved and rewarded for it or not, whether people know about it and are grateful to you for it or not. How many activities can you count in your life that you engage in simply because they delight you and grip your soul? Find them out, cultivate them, for they are your passport to freedom and to love."

Source: The Way to Love​

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Opportunities in life come through people. Who do you need to connect with to gain access to the opportunities you want?

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https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/november-9-2023

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Until next week,

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

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p.s. Open wide.