“You can usually accomplish more by giving something your full effort for a few years rather than giving it a lukewarm effort for fifty years. Pick a priority for this season of your life and do it to the best of your ability.”
James Clear, Blog
“The time we spend worrying is actually time we’re spending trying to control something that is out of our control. Time invested in something that is within our control is called work. That’s where our most productive focus lies.”
Seth Godin, The Practice (Page 99)
“At every moment keep a sturdy mind on the task at hand, as a Roman and human being, doing it with strict and simple dignity, affection, freedom, and justice—giving yourself a break from all other considerations. You can do this if you approach each task as if it is your last, giving up every distraction, emotional subversion of reason, and all drama, vanity, and complaint over your fair share. You can see how mastery over a few things makes it possible to live an abundant and devout life—for, if you keep watch over these things, the gods won’t ask for more.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, via The Daily Stoic (Page 37)
Herbert Simon Quote on Attention and How Eyes Communicate Priority
“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
Herbert Simon, via Stillness is the Key (Page 30)
Beyond the Quote (280/365)
The vast majority of the information that we use to process the world comes in through our eyes. Next most is through our ears. It follows, then, that where our eyes are pointed will determine where the majority of the information that we’ll obtain will come from. If our eyes are pointed at another person, the majority of the information that we’ll end up taking in will come from what we see while looking at that person. And the same is true if our eyes are pointed at a screen, at the road while we’re driving, at a stranger passing us down the street, etc. Eyes communicate priority.
Read More »Herbert Simon Quote on Attention and How Eyes Communicate PriorityNaval Ravikant Quote on Education and Why The Desire To Learn Is So Scarce
“Even today, what to study and how to study it are more important than where to study it and for how long. The best teachers are on the Internet. The best books are on the Internet. The best peers are on the Internet. The tools for learning are abundant. It’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.”
Naval Ravikant, Medium
Beyond the Quote (231/365)
This is (arguably) one of the main reasons why so many people subject themselves to expensive educations—because they don’t have a strong enough desire to learn on their own. Assuming higher education isn’t a necessary prerequisite for the career they desire (doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc.), as Naval points out above, all of the best information is already available. With a strong enough desire to learn, a way can almost always be found.
Read More »Naval Ravikant Quote on Education and Why The Desire To Learn Is So ScarceTony Robbins Quote on Focus and How Questions Are One Of The Most Powerful Tools To Utilize
“The most powerful way to control your focus is through the use of questions.”
Tony Robbins
Beyond the Quote (225/365)
Distracted? It’s because you’re asking yourself the wrong questions: Am I missing out on any new posts on the socials? I wonder what he/she is doing right now? I wonder how much it would cost to buy a new kayak? How come I always get so distracted? Why is life always so unfair to me? What am I going to eat for dinner? How can I get rich, quick? What shortcut can I take for better health? Why is my dog so cute? You get the idea.
Read More »Tony Robbins Quote on Focus and How Questions Are One Of The Most Powerful Tools To Utilize“The only way I was able to pick up details on the court, to be aware of the minutiae on the hardwood, was by training my mind to do that off the court and focusing on every detail in my daily life. By reading, by paying attention in class and in practice, by working, I strengthened my focus. By doing all of that, I strengthened my ability to be present and not have a wandering mind.”
Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 29)
Is Multitasking Good Or Bad? A Look Into The Most Effective Ways To Get Multiple Tasks Done
Excerpt: Is Multitasking Good Or Bad? Some seem to think doing multiple tasks simultaneously is effective—some seem to think otherwise. Let’s dive in.
Read More »Is Multitasking Good Or Bad? A Look Into The Most Effective Ways To Get Multiple Tasks Done
The Power of Mantra – As Described by Mohandas Gandhi’s Family Servant [Excerpt]
Excerpt: The following is an excerpt from The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope. In it, he describes how Mantra can help settle, calm, focus, and direct the mind in powerful ways.
Read More »The Power of Mantra – As Described by Mohandas Gandhi’s Family Servant [Excerpt]
“You do something all day long, don’t you? Every one does. If you get up at seven o’clock and go to bed at eleven, you have put in sixteen good hours, and it is certain with most people, that they have been doing something all the time. They have been either walking, or reading, or writing, or thinking. The only trouble is that they do it about a great many things and I do it about one. If they took the time in question and applied it in one direction, to one object, they would succeed. Success is sure to follow such application. The trouble lies in the fact that people do not have an object, one thing, to which they stick, letting all else go. Success is the product of the severest kind of mental and physical application.”
Thomas Edison, How They Succeeded
“The way you feel when you awake early in the morning and your mind is fresh and as yet unsoiled by the noise of the outside world—that’s space worth protecting. So too is the zone you lock into when you’re really working well. Don’t let intrusions bounce you out of it. Put up barriers. Put up the proper chuting to direct what’s urgent and unimportant to the right people.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 35)
“Who is so talented that they can afford to bring only part of themselves to bear on a problem or opportunity? Whose relationships are so strong that they can get away with not showing up? Who is so certain that they’ll get another moment that they can confidently skip over this one? The less energy we waste regretting the past or worrying about the future, the more energy we will have for what’s in front of us.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 27)
Stillness Is The Key [Book]
Book Overview: All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers. To avoid distraction and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness–to be steady while the world spins around you. In this book, he outlines a path for achieving this ancient, but urgently necessary way of living. Drawing on a wide range of history’s greatest thinkers, from Confucius to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius to Thich Nhat Hanh, John Stuart Mill to Nietzsche, he argues that stillness is not mere inactivity, but the doorway to self-mastery, discipline, and focus. More than ever, people are overwhelmed. They face obstacles and egos and competition. Stillness Is the Key offers a simple but inspiring antidote to the stress of 24/7 news and social media. The stillness that we all seek is the path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever.
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Post(s) Inspired by this Book:
- 47 Deep and Insightful Ryan Holiday Quotes from Stillness is the Key
- Herbert Simon Quote on Attention and How Eyes Communicate Priority (Beyond the Quote 280/365)
- Ryan Holiday Quote on How Being Present May Be The Hardest Thing In The World (Beyond the Quote 138/365)
- Ryan Holiday Quote on Leisure and Recharging Constructively (Beyond the Quote (120/365)
- Epicurus Quote on What The Wise Will Accomplish in Their Life (Beyond the Quote 119/365)
- Anne Frank Quote on Reflection and Doing Better Each Day (Beyond the Quote 104/365)
- Epictetus Quote on Prioritizing What’s Important (Beyond the Quote 100/365)
- Ryan Holiday Quote on Cultivating Mental Stillness To Succeed In Life (Beyond the Quote 97/365)
Rob Dyer Quote on Staying Focused On The Right Things—Things That Bring Us Together
“At the end of the day, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart, or what’s holding you together.”
Rob Dyer
Beyond the Quote (74/365)
There is a lot happening right now that can make us feel like we’re being torn apart. With the threat and spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), there is more and more happening each day that is moving us further and further apart and into smaller and smaller groups (even into isolation). Everything from the biggest organizational gatherings in the world to the most remote meetings in our own backyard are being postponed and cancelled to prevent the spread of the virus. During this time when we are being forced apart physically, we need to find ways to continue to come together mentally and emotionally.
Read More »Rob Dyer Quote on Staying Focused On The Right Things—Things That Bring Us TogetherSeth Godin Quote on Quitting—Quitting More So You Can Focus More On What Matters [Plus 30 Things to Consider Quitting]
“Sticking things out is overrated, particularly if you stick out the wrong things. In fact, I think you’d be much better off quitting most of what you do so you have the resources to get through the hard slog I call the Dip. The challenge, then, is to not quit in the Dip, but instead to quit everything else so you have the focus to get through the slog of what matters.”
Seth Godin, Whatcha Gonna Do With That Duck?
Beyond the Quote (71/365)
What should we stick out and what should we quit? I can tell you that the list of things we should stick out is far smaller than the list of things we should quit. And after some reflection, what you might find is that your list of things that you’ve been sticking out is WAY bigger than you might have imagined it to be and the things you SHOULD be sticking out might not even be making it to your daily to-do list at all. My instinct tells me that the follow 6 things are worth sticking out without explaination: Reading, Writing, Exercising, Meditating, Learning, and Connecting.
Read More »Seth Godin Quote on Quitting—Quitting More So You Can Focus More On What Matters [Plus 30 Things to Consider Quitting]Vince Lombardi Quote on How Winners Never Quit—And Why I Disagree
“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” ~ Vince Lombardi
Beyond the Quote (70/365)
I disagree. In fact, I believe that winners actually quit more than those who lose. The difference is that they know what to quit, when to quit, how to quit, and have the courage and discipline to do so. Of course, Lombardi is likely referring to the idea that winners never quit in pursuit of their primary goal(s) in life and those who do quit in pursuit of their primary goal(s) will never win at them—this might be obvious.
Read More »Vince Lombardi Quote on How Winners Never Quit—And Why I Disagree25 Quotes On The Power of Focus and How Important Focus Is For Success
Excerpt: We are in the midst of a battle against distractions—and many of us are losing. Read our 25 quotes on the power of focus and fight back.
Read More »25 Quotes On The Power of Focus and How Important Focus Is For Success
Steve Jobs Quote on Focus and Working Hard To Keep Thinking Clean
“That’s been one of my mantras—focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
Steve Jobs
Beyond the Quote (41/365) Part 1: On Focus
The ability to focus, or more clearly stated, the ability to block out distractions—especially in today’s world—is absolutely critical in producing the best work of your life. Think about it. Distractions are the things that take your attention elsewhere—away from what it should be/ could be doing. And when your attention is over there, it’s certainly not over here—focused on the deep, thoughtful work that requires long chains of uninterrupted time for thought, flow, play, introspection, and execution. And the more that your attention ends up over there in distraction, either deliberately or unexpectedly, the work you could be doing over here gets sidetracked and lost.
Read More »Steve Jobs Quote on Focus and Working Hard To Keep Thinking CleanRyan Holiday Quote on Success Being About Beating Yourself—Not The Other Guy
“[Success] is not about beating the other guy. It’s not about having more than the others. It’s about being what you are, and being as good as possible at it, without succumbing to all the things that draw you away from it. It’s about going where you set out to go. About accomplishing the most that you’re capable of in what you choose. That’s it. No more and no less.”
Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy
Beyond the Quote (19/365)
Be what you are—and be as good as possible at it. Identifying your unique strengths, aptitudes, and abilities as a person is the most important first step in discovering your success. Once those characteristics are discovered (or at least a relatively firm idea has been developed), then step two is tripling down on those strengths with as much of your energy and effort as you can afford so that you can accomplish all that you’re capable of accomplishing.
Read More »Ryan Holiday Quote on Success Being About Beating Yourself—Not The Other Guy