3-2-1: The difference between good and great, how to love yourself, and how to get better at writing

Happy 3-2-1 Thursday,

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

​

I.

"The difference between good and great is often an extra round of revision.

The person who looks things over a second time will appear smarter or more talented, but actually is just polishing things a bit more.

Take the time to get it right. Revise it one extra time."

​II.

"One of the best strategies for learning something quickly: corner a nerd.

Find someone who totally geeks out about that topic and ask them every question you can think of."

(Share this on Twitter)​

III.

"A brief guide to compounding:

If you don’t enjoy something, you won’t stick with it.

If you don’t stick with it, it won’t compound.

Being interested precedes the results."

(Share this on Twitter)​

​

​

I.

Author and social activist bell hooks on how to love yourself:

"One of the best guides to how to be self-loving is to give ourselves the love we are often dreaming about receiving from others. There was a time when I felt lousy about my over-forty body, saw myself as too fat, too this, or too that. Yet I fantasized about finding a lover who would give me the gift of being loved as I am.

It is silly, isn't it, that I would dream of someone else offering to me the acceptance and affirmation I was withholding from myself. This was a moment when the maxim "You can never love anybody if you are unable to love yourself" made clear sense. And I add, "Do not expect to receive the love from someone else you do not give yourself."

Source: All About Love: New Visions​

​II.

Author Toni Morrison on how to get better at writing—or anything, really:

"I thought of myself as like the jazz musician: someone who practices and practices and practices in order to be able to invent and to make his art look effortless and graceful. I was always conscious of the constructed aspect of the writing process, and that art appears natural and elegant only as a result of constant practice and awareness of its formal structures."

Source: The Paris Review​

​

What am I continuing to do out of habit, but is no longer serving me?

​

If you enjoyed that, please share with others.

​Share this newsletter on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or via email.

Or, copy and paste the link below:

https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/december-16-2021?rh_ref=b6775c9d

​

Until next week,

James Clear
​Author of the #1 worldwide bestseller, Atomic Habits​
Creator of the Habit Journal​

​

​

p.s. The 12 Days of Christmas.

​

​

Share 3-2-1 and get something useful.

If you enjoy these messages, please tell a friend about the 3-2-1 Newsletter. And if you do, I'll send you a special bonus.

0 of 3

You're just 3 referrals away from unlocking The Great Speeches PDF

For years, I have collected a list of insightful speeches that are not widely known. I've discovered many hidden gems. Recently, I created transcripts for 10 of my favorites and compiled them into a single document titled, "Great Talks Most People Have Never Heard." Each one is filled with useful ideas for life and work.

Here's how to get access to it...

You have a custom referral link (see below). Just copy and paste your referral link into an email, on social media, or however else you'd like to share it. If 3 new people sign up through your link, then you'll automatically get an email with the Great Speeches PDF attached. Thanks for spreading the word.

Your referral link:

https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/refer?rh_ref=b6775c9d

Click to Share

​

​