learnings
things i've worked out, mostly the hard way.
on getting good
there is no talent. everything is a skill.
you can learn anything if you care enough, and practice hard enough.
if you've got an unfair advantage, play on it.
continuous learning is the only defensible moat.
the only thing that separates you from everyone else is consistency.
not talent, not intensity. just showing up again.
the only competition that matters is the one with yourself.
this is both cope and true.
discomfort isn't just inevitable. it's essential.
if you're not regularly out of your depth, you're stagnant. friction is the proof you've stepped into new territory - real growth needs you to keep confronting the unknown.
activities that give you a massive dopamine boost but require little effort will ultimately destroy you.
you can just do things.
the trick is to always make your main project feel like a side project.
if you don't ask, the answer is always no.
the only rules are the ones dictated by the laws of physics. everything else is a recommendation.
on people
work friends are mostly not your real friends.
there are exceptions, and they're worth everything. but most of them are chapters, not people you keep.
nobody is coming to save you.
everyone wants to be successful. nobody wants to be a good person.
the world is largely transactional.
provide value in someone's life - money, skill, anything else - and you're respected. stop, and you're not.
nobody really cares unless you're winning, or you're dead.
nobody is as smart, or as dumb, as you think they are.
people will have opinions whether you do it or not. so do your thing.
on yourself
you are not your emotions. you are not your thoughts.
knowing better can be a curse when you don't know enough about yourself.
your mind and your body are your responsibility. solely yours.
your entire nervous system relaxes when your finances are in order.
it's your responsibility to make yourself happy.
being cringe is being free.
we accept the love we think we deserve.
stephen chbosky
unfortunately, your ability to move on depends on how high your self-esteem and self-respect are.
on how things work
money exists in abundance - more than almost any other resource on earth.
where you live matters more than you think.
we all live in bubbles. choose your bubble.
nothing is binary. nothing is black or white.
compounding is elusive by definition.
it must be trusted as a concept, with absolute devotion, long before it is experienced in reality.
capitalism is indeed a form of natural selection.
real life mostly begins between 23 and 28 - that's when you start self-authoring.
the early 20s run on scripts from parents and society. around 25, agency kicks in.