3-2-1: On the shortness of life, what mastery requires, and how to overlap the things you love

Happy 3-2-1 Thursday!

Attention writers: 100 days ago I helped launch something big...

It's a new book publisher called Authors Equity, and it's designed to be author-friendly in nearly every way. I'm the Founding Author and our launch was covered in The New York Times.

Authors Equity pays authors more profits than traditional publishing and provides better distribution than self-publishing. We are signing new authors every week, but I want to highlight two:

1. Seth Godin will publish his next book with Authors Equity. Seth is a New York Times best-selling author and has written more than 20 books. He could get a deal with any publisher—and he chose us.
2. Joseph Nguyen self-published Don't Believe Everything You Think in 2022. It has become one of the most successful self-published books in recent years and is often in the top 100 books on Amazon and Audible. Joseph recently chose to move his book to Authors Equity. Why? Distribution. Authors Equity will help his self-published best-seller reach even more readers.

I share these two as an example of the extremes. The Authors Equity model is attractive for established stars, self-published authors, and everyone in between.

The game has changed. If you are a writer with a large audience or strong brand, Authors Equity is going to be able to deliver a combination of earnings and distribution that will be nearly impossible for other publishers to match.

If you're interested in working together, please email info@authorsequity.com

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

I.

"Move toward the next thing, not away from the last thing.

Same direction. Completely different energy."

(Share this on Twitter)

​II.

"Guilt lives in the past.

Worry lives in the future.

Peace lives in the present."

(Share this on Twitter)

III.

"Mastery requires lots of practice. But the more you practice something, the more boring and routine it becomes.

Thus, an essential component of mastery is the ability to maintain your enthusiasm. The master continues to find the fundamentals interesting."

(Share this on Twitter)

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I.

Novelist and poet Robert Louis Stevenson on the shortness of life:

"Old and young, we are all on our last cruise."

Source: Crabbed Age and Youth (1877)​
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​II.

Travel writer and essayist Alice Wellington Rollins on the importance of drive:

"The test of a student is not how much he knows, but how much he wants to know."

Source: Aphorisms for the Year (1897)​

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How can I overlap the things I enjoy?

For example, maybe you want to exercise and spend time with your spouse. What type of exercise sounds fun to do with your spouse?

Or perhaps you'd like to hang out with friends and build your career. How can you find ways to work with people you like being around?

It doesn't always work, but there are usually a few areas of life you can overlap in an enjoyable way. Look for the overlap.

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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/june-13-2024

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Until next week,

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

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p.s. "Have you been flossing?"

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