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    “Yes, thinking is essential.  Expert knowledge is undoubtedly key to the success of any leader or athlete or artist.  The problem is that, unthinkingly, we think too much.  The ‘wild and whirling words’ of our subconscious get going and suddenly there’s no room for our training (or anything else).  We’re overloaded, overwhelmed, and distracted… by our own mind!” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 42)

      “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)

      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 Clean

          “I’ve never believed that one should wait until one is inspired because I think that the pleasures of not writing are so great that if you ever start indulging them you will never write again.” ~ John Updike, via Daily Rituals

            “The amateur has a long list of fears.  Near the top are two: Solitude and silence.  The amateur fears solitude and silence because she needs to avoid, at all costs, the voice inside her head that would point her toward her calling and her destiny.  So she seeks distraction.  The amateur prizes shallowness and shuns depth.  The culture of Twitter and Facebook is paradise for the amateur.” ~ Steven Pressfield, Turning Pro