3-2-1: Two ways to grow, how to criticize, and a simple recipe for finding good opportunities

Happy 3-2-1 Thursday!

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Quick announcement: We are having a Spring Sale on our popular Atomic Habits engraved pens. I partnered with the Baronfig—the #1 pen company as selected by New York Magazine—to create a special edition pen with engraved quotes from Atomic Habits.

​Click here to check them out and use the code HABITS20 to get 20% off.

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And now, here are 3 ideas, 2 quotes, and 1 question to consider this week...

I.

"Wisdom is the echo of experience."

(Share this on Twitter)

​II.

"Early feedback is usually better than late criticism.
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Delaying the conversation or stringing someone along with indirect feedback won't make them feel better once the real issue is finally addressed.
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Nobody likes getting bad news, but everyone appreciates clarity."

III.

"A simple recipe for finding opportunities:

1. Be pleasant
2. Ask questions
3. Engage daily

It's hard for a warm and pleasant person who is asking a lot of questions and engaging in their industry daily to not come across interesting opportunities."

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I.

Entrepreneur and investor Paul Graham on fooling yourself:

"If you're trying to choose between two theories and one gives you an excuse for being lazy, the other one is probably right."

Source: What You'll Wish You'd Known​
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​II.

Writer and scholar C.S. Lewis on what why small choices matter:

"Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible."

Source: Mere Christianity​

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There are two ways to grow: by adding or by shedding.

Do you need to add something or do you need to shed something?

(Share this on Twitter)

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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/april-18-2024

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Until next week,

James Clear
​Author of Atomic Habits, the #1 best-selling book
Creator of Atoms, the official Atomic Habits app
Writer of the 3-2-1 newsletter with 3 million subscribers

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p.s. Killer productivity tip.