“When you say no, there is usually a short-term impact on the relationship. After all, when someone asks for something and doesn’t get it, his or her immediate reaction may be annoyance or disappointment or even anger. This downside is clear. The potential upside, however, is less obvious: when the initial annoyance or disappointment or anger wears off, the respect kicks in. When we push back effectively, it shows people that our time is highly valuable. It distinguishes the professional from the amateur.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 138)
“Don’t try to fight with the darkness. There is no way, because the darkness does not exist—how can you fight with it? Just light a candle, and the darkness is gone. So forget about the darkness, forget about the fear. Forget about all those negative things that ordinarily haunt the human mind. Just burn a small candle of enthusiasm.”
Osho, Everyday Osho (Page 119)
“The best asset we have for making a contribution to the world is ourselves. If we underinvest in ourselves, and by that I mean our minds, our bodies, and our spirits, we damage the very tool we need to make our highest contribution. One of the most common ways people—especially ambitious, successful people—damage this asset is through a lack of sleep.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 94)
“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.”
Albert Einstein, via Essentialism (Page 87)
“How many of us are good at spotting the feedback that’s saying, ‘Hey this is not working for you?’ How many of us make the same mistakes over and over, have been stuck in the same unproductive patterns for years, refusing to be taught by experience? How many of us are actively looking at models (as Seneca said, choosing ourselves a Cato) and being instructed by their example as we face new situations? How often are our beliefs changing, being updated to fit new information as it is provided by what we witness and undergo? Learning is so much more than what happens in books, so much than just facts and figures. It’s more than just what we seek out or want to hear. Life is a classroom. Experience is a teacher. Are we willing to be taught?”
Ryan Holiday
“For the last ten years now I have kept a journal, using a counterintuitive yet effective method. It is simply this: I write less than I feel like writing. Typically, When people start to keep a journal they write pages the first day. Then by the second day the prospect of writing so much is daunting, and they procrastinate or abandon the exercise. So apply the principle of ‘less but better’ to your journal. Restrain yourself from writing more until daily journaling has become a habit.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 78)
“The faster and busier things get, the more we need to build thinking time into our schedule. And the noisier things get, the more we need to build quiet reflection spaces in which we can truly focus.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 68)
“The more you are in the head, the more the heart contracts. When you are not in the head, the heart opens like a lotus flower… and it is tremendously beautiful when it opens. Then you are really alive, and the heart is relaxed. But the heart can only be relaxed in trust, in love. With suspicion, with doubt, the mind enters. Doubt is the door of the mind; doubt is the bait for the mind.”
Osho, Everyday Osho (Page 117)
“There is a false association with the word focus. As with choice, people tend to think of focus as a thing. Yes, focus is something we have. but focus is also something we do.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 65)
“We need space to escape in order to discern the essential few from the trivial many. Unfortunately, in our time-starved era we don’t get that space by default—only by design.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 64)
“Essentialists see trade-offs as an inherent part of life, not as an inherently negative part of life. Instead of asking, ‘What do I have to give up?’ they ask, ‘What do I want to go big on?’ The cumulative impact of this small change in thinking can be profound.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 56)
“I had always known logically that I could choose not to study law. But emotionally it had never been an option. That’s when I realized that in sacrificing my power to choose I had made a choice—a bad one. By refusing to choose ‘not law school,’ I had chosen law school—not because I actually or actively wanted to be there, but by default. I think that’s when I first realized that when we surrender our ability to choose, something or someone else will step in to choose for us.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 34)
“One of the most unexpected gifts you can receive is an early loss: Missing out on a job you really wanted; Trying a business idea that fails; Suffering a heartbreak. An early setback can become the catalyst for a wonderful next chapter—if you channel the emotion effectively. Disappointment is a hot burning fuel. Let it light your fire to become better.”
James Clear
“You probably don’t want maximum effectiveness. For example, the most effective way to make money likely requires a lifestyle you don’t want to live. Instead, you want the most effective path that fits your desired lifestyle. How do you want to spend your days? Start there, then optimize.”
James Clear
“Everything changes when we give ourselves permission to be more selective in what we choose to do. At once, we hold the key to unlock the next level of achievement in our lives. There is tremendous freedom in learning that we can eliminate the nonessentials, that we are no longer controlled by other people’s agendas, and that we get to choose. With that invincible power we can discover our highest point of contribution, not just to our lives or careers, but to the world.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 25)
“By applying tougher criteria we can tap into our brain’s sophisticated search engine. If we search for ‘a good opportunity,’ then we will find scores of pages for us to think about and work through. Instead, we can conduct an advanced search and ask three questions: ‘What do I feel deeply inspired by?’ and ‘What am I particularly talented at?’ and ‘What meets a significant need in the world?’ Naturally there won’t be as many pages to view, but this is the point of the exercise. We aren’t looking for a plethora of good things to do. We are looking for our highest level of contribution: the right thing the right way at the right time.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 22)
“We can’t have it all or do it all. If we could, there would be no reason to evaluate or eliminate options. Once we accept the reality of trade-offs we stop asking, ‘How can I make it all work?’ and start asking the more honest question ‘Which problem do I want to solve?'”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 20)
“In the same way that our closets get cluttered as clothes we never wear accumulate, so do our lives get cluttered as well-intended commitments and activities we’ve said yes to pile up. Most of these efforts didn’t come with an expiration date. Unless we have a system for purging them, once adopted, they live on in perpetuity.”
Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 17)