3-2-1: On feeling foolish, the importance of dreams, and dealing with critics

Happy 3-2-1 Thursday!

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

I.

"The first minute of action is worth more than a year of perfect planning."

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​II.

"One of the great mistakes in life is suffering for years because you didn't want to feel foolish for five minutes.

• You don't want to apologize, so you let a relationship deteriorate.
• You're scared of the sting of rejection, so you don't ask for what you want.
• You fear people will say your idea is dumb, so you never start the business.

Nobody likes feeling foolish, but the feeling fades quickly. The willingness to endure five minutes of discomfort turns out to be a meaningful dividing line in life."

III.

"In my early 20s, I wrote a list of ambitious things I wanted to do in life. Go bungee jumping. Create a movie. Start a business. That sort of thing. I did a few of them, but not most.

Looking back, however, that list was incredibly valuable because it taught me the usefulness of chasing bold ideas—even if they never materialize. The dreams that didn't happen changed shape and led me down other interesting paths.

The important thing isn't to achieve all your dreams, but to keep dreaming. Your desires change as you learn and grow. Old dreams will spawn new dreams. And eventually, one of these newer, more refined visions will find their moment and become reality."

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I.

The artist George Grosz on what exceptional at painting and drawing requires:
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"Endless curiosity, observation, and a great amount of joy in the thing."
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​Source: From a letter by Marianne Moore to Mary Reeves (August 28, 1963)​​
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​II.

Polymath and writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on dealing with critics:
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"Against criticism we can neither protect nor defend ourselves; we must act in despite of it, and gradually it resigns itself to this."
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​Source: Sweet Theft​

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What is in the way of what I want?

Can I come up with at least three different paths around it?

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https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/july-11-2024

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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. The Knight Dark.

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