September 8, 2024 | #593 | read on fs.blog | Free Version

Welcome to Sunday Brain Food, a weekly newsletter full of timeless ideas and insights you can use in life and work.

Insights

*

“Most geniuses—especially those who lead others—prosper not by deconstructing intricate complexities but by exploiting unrecognized simplicities.”

— Andy Benoit

**

“People are always looking for happiness at some future time and in some new thing, or some new set of circumstances, in possession of which they some day expect to find themselves. But the fact is, if happiness is not found now, where we are, and as we are, there is little chance of it ever being found. There is a great deal more happiness around us day by day than we have the sense or the power to seek and find.”

— Thomas Mitchell

***

“I kept my idea a secret from anyone who could not directly help to move it forward. That was my gut instinct at the time, but it’s now one of the best pieces of advice I have to give. Ideas are the most vulnerable at the moment you have them; that’s also the time people are most inclined to run around seeking validation from everyone they know. Discouraging remarks will likely take you off course. You’ll either end up deflated or spend your time defending your idea instead of going for it.”

— Sarah Blakely

Tiny Thoughts

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“Master your circumstances rather than be ruled by them.”

**

“There are two times to admit mistakes: early and late. Early admissions solve problems. Late admissions create them.

A person who proactively tells another they made a mistake gains trust and respect for their honesty. In contrast, one who tries to hide errors quickly loses trust.

Swift admissions build bridges. Slow ones burn them.”

***

“Sweat dripped into my eyes as I ran home in 100-degree heat. My legs burned. The sun blazed relentlessly. Approaching the lights, I faced a choice: go straight as usual or turn right to shave off two miles.

I took the shortcut.

That right turn beckoned again on the next run. I yielded. Soon, it became my default route.

Recently, I've fought to reclaim my original path. It's a constant battle against the easy option.

This isn't just about running. It's about life.

Small choices quietly reshape our habits. A single shortcut can dramatically alter our trajectory. The path of least resistance often leads away from our goals.

Shortcuts change more than just the journey. They change us.”

Mental Model

V3 | Systems | Feedback Loops

"Feedback loops are the engines of growth and change. They’re the mechanisms by which the output of a system influences its own input.

Complex systems often have many feedback loops, and it can be hard to appreciate how adjusting to feedback in one part of the system will affect the rest.

Using feedback loops as a mental model begins with noticing the feedback you give and respond to every day. The model also gives insight into the value of iterations in adjusting based on the feedback you receive. With this lens, you gain insight into where to direct system changes based on feedback and the pace at which you need to go to monitor the impacts.

Feedback loops are what make systems dynamic. Without feedback, a system just does the same thing over and over. Understand them, respect them, and use them wisely.

— Source: The *Updated* Great Mental Models v3: Systems and Mathematics

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Thanks for reading,

— Shane Parrish

P.S. This puppy wants to be a duck.

P.P.S. I read David Ogilvy's Confessions of an Advertising Man and added my highlights to the repository. Members have searchable access to this and all the other books I read.

P.P.P.S You can use this link to share this newsletter: https://fs.blog/brain-food/september-8-2024/

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