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3-2-1: The importance of unlearning, 5 steps of the creative process, and deciding who you want to be

Happy 3-2-1 Thursday!

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

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3 Ideas From Me

I.

"Decide the type of person you want to be.

Prove it to yourself with small wins."

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​II.

"The more an idea is tied to your identity, the more you will ignore evidence it is false. People seem to have no trouble finding reasons to ignore the merits of ideas they dislike.

To continue to grow and learn, you must be willing to update, expand, and edit your identity. In many ways, growth is unlearning."

III.

"The creative process:

1. Discover - Read a lot. Observe the world. Notice.
2. Collect - Immediately record anything that strikes you.
3. Generate - Build on your notes to brainstorm lots of ideas.
4. Combine - Connect previously unconnected ideas.
5. Refine - Edit, edit, edit. Select the best."

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2 Quotes From Others

I.

Poet Emily Dickinson on the power of this moment:

"Forever is composed of nows."

Source: Poem 690 ​​

​II.

Writer and scholar C.S. Lewis on what friends bring out in each other:

"If, of three friends (A, B, and C), A should die, then B loses not only A but "A's part in C," while C loses not only A but "A's part in B." In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets."

Source: The Four Loves (hat tip to Dylan O'Sullivan) ​​

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1 Question For You

Where has your mind been focused recently? Are you primarily thinking about your past, your present, or your future? How does focusing on a different timeframe change your thoughts?

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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. Excellent advice. ​​

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