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3-2-1: On the secret to self-control, how to live longer, and what holds people back

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.

"There are two ways to live a longer life:

1) Biologically. Extend the timeline between your birth and your death.

2) Psychologically. Fit more lives into whatever time you are given.

Make each decade rich with experiences and perhaps you can live a handful of lives before you are done."

​II.

"Think about self-control less as the quality of a person and more as the quality of a place. There are some places and situations that lean toward lower self-control and others that lean toward higher self-control. Self-control is about your context as much as your character. Put yourself in good positions."

III.

"Things that keep people from fulfilling their potential:

• Lacking the courage to try
• Trying to please everyone
• Imitating the desires of others
• Chasing status without questioning why
• Playing superhero and trying to do it all alone
• Dividing attention between too many projects"

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2 Quotes From Others

I.

Zoologist and primatologist Jane Goodall on making a difference:

"The greatest danger to our future is apathy. We can't all save the world in a dramatic way, but we can each make our small difference, and together those small differences add up. Every single person makes an impact on the planet every single day. The question is: What kind of impact do you want to make?"

Source: Reason for Hope (paraphrased) ​​

​II.

Poet and novelist Hermann Hesse on what we all can do:

"To hold our tongues when everyone is gossiping, to smile without hostility at people and institutions, to compensate for the shortage of love in the world with more love in small, private matters; to be more faithful in our work, to show greater patience, to forgo the cheap revenge obtainable from mockery and criticism: all these are things we can do."

Source: If the War Goes On... (hat tip to Dylan O'Sullivan)

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1 Question For You

You get to pick a new career based on one factor: Your job is to do the activity that most frequently puts you into a flow state.

Flow state = you feel fully immersed in your work, you're in "the zone," time flies by without you realizing it, etc.

What do you choose?

Want to share this issue of 3-2-1? Just copy and paste this link: https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/february-27-2025

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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. Might make this my new email signature. ​​

What else am I working on?