“The most wisdom per word of any
newsletter on the web.”

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3-2-1: Four questions for life, how to learn like a child, and seeing things in a generous way

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.

"Spend today interpreting whatever people do in the most generous way. See if you feel better as a result."

​II.

"Your teaching ability is constrained by your writing ability.

If you can’t write it down, it will be nearly impossible to teach it well."

III.

"Four questions that can tell you a lot:

1. When you wake up, do you expect today to have many joys or many frustrations?
2. When presented with an opportunity, do you have a bias toward action or do you postpone decisions?
3. When things go well for others, do you enjoy cheering them on or do you hate to hear about their success?
4. When things go wrong, do you believe it is your responsibility to improve the situation or do you blame others?"

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2 Quotes From Others

I.

Novelist Toni Morrison on invention:

"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. The same is true of any endeavor: if the solution you seek doesn't exist, create it."

Source: 1981 Ohio Arts Council Speech​​

​II.

Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz on what is required to learn:

"Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one's self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all."

Source: Words to the Wise (hat tip to Dylan O'Sullivan)

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1 Question For You

A question from entrepreneur Nathan Barry on patience:

"When does it benefit me to be patient and when does it not?"

Want to share this issue of 3-2-1? Just copy and paste this link: https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/february-20-2025

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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. Seems like a fair trade. ​​

What else am I working on?