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3-2-1: On getting what you deserve, the power of flexibility, and how good decisions are made

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.

"People frequently get what they deserve, but it doesn't feel like it because the unspoken rule is that you only deserve it if you have (1) the courage to attempt it, (2) the guts to ask for it, and (3) the willingness try again when it doesn't work out the first time."

​II.

"If you do not bend, you will break.

The adaptable prevail. Determined, but flexible."

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III.

"Whether a decision is good or bad can change based on how you act after the choice is made.

You can't learn all the lessons beforehand. You learn a lot about what you want in a marriage after getting married. You discover what type of career you enjoy after doing a lot of work. And so it goes in nearly every area of life. In many cases, what you wish you knew ahead of time can only be learned after the decision is made.

So there is nothing left but to pay attention to what you like, continue to iterate, and commit to making the most of each opportunity. There is no perfect decision. Good decisions are made right after the fact."

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2 Quotes From Others

I.

Writer and programmer Simon Sarris on the value of effort:

"If you make lists of lofty goals, it can be easy to leave them to accumulate, as happens sometimes, into a mountain of to-do's and notes and half-forgotten plans. Dreaming alone is seductive, even a little sweet, since it lacks the pain of trying. So it feels proper to prize attempts more than dreams. You should have ideals, but you cannot only love an idealized future, you must cultivate a love of effort, too. If you really want something, then the soul must make demands of the body."

Source: Efforts and Goals and Joy ​​

​II.

Henry David Thoreau on being effective, not merely efficient:

"It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?"

Source: Letter to H.G.O. Blake (November 16, 1857)​

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1 Question For You

Instead of running from parts of your life and compensating elsewhere, what if you began to restore what is broken?

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Until next week,

James Clear ​​
​Author of Atomic Habits​
Creator of the 3-2-1 Newsletter​
Founding Author of Authors Equity​

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p.s. This is freedom. ​​

What else am I working on?