6 Quotes
"All Advice is Autobiographical. When people give you advice they are really just talking to themselves in the past." -Austin Kleon
“If you’re interested, you come up with stories, excuses, reasons, and circumstances about why you can’t or why you won’t. If you’re committed, those go out the window. You just do whatever it takes.” - John Assaraf
“Would you be as successful if you followed all the rules and always behaved and never took chances? No, you’d be just like everyone else, scared about failing and worried about being liked.” - Tim Grover
“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” - Tim Ferris
"If you read old books you get to add all the years the author lived on your own life" - Seneca
"Don't ever be afraid to Invest in yourself - That will be the best return you will ever get" - Teronie J. Donaldson (yep - that's me)
Articles
Ongoing Life Lessons Learned from Covid-19
The Lessons I Learned From All the Books I Read and Listened to in 2020.
Watched
White Tiger from Netflix
The ambitious driver for a rich Indian family uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and become an entrepreneur. Based on the bestselling novel.
A very interesting tale about entrepreneurship. A fast-paced movie with vivid detail about poverty and sacrifice in this tough world.
Well worth the watch.
Lessons Learned This Week
Sunday January 31, 2021
Become anti-fragile as much as you can. If you give someone the power to feed you - they also have the power to starve you
Monday February 1, 2021
Put yourself out there you never know what will happen. Don’t be scared
Tuesday February 2, 2021
Doubt creeps in at every angle - your job daily is to beat it back
Wednesday February 3, 2021
Don't let emotions sway your judgement when it comes to your goals
Thursday Feb 4, 2021
Taking advice from people 1000 steps ahead of you will get you lost.
Look for people 10 steps ahead with similar conditions and resources
Friday Feb 5, 2021
Don't be too busy multitasking that you don't get anything done.
Saturday Feb 6, 2021
Don't be afraid to think outside the box.
Books of the Week
Steal Like an Artist Audio Trilogy by Austin Kleon
(Steal Like an Artist | Show Your Work | Keep Going)
An audio compilation of Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work, and Keep Going.
Read by the author, it’s the bestselling and transformative series on how to unlock your creativity, find community and an audience in the digital age, and stay focused, creative and true to yourself—for life. Includes full text from:
Steal Like an Artist: The New York Times bestselling book on the ten things nobody ever told you about being creative. Including nothing is original, so embrace influence. School yourself through the work of others. Remix and reimagine to discover your own path. And forget the old cliché about writing what you know: Instead, write the book you want to read, make the movie you want to watch.
Show Your Work: How to take that critical next step on a creative journey―getting known and finding your people. A user’s manual for embracing the communal nature of creativity, this inspiring manifesto is a blueprint for succeeding as any kind of artist or entrepreneur in the digital age.
Keep Going: Timeless, practical, and ethical principles for anyone trying to sustain a meaningful and productive life. Worry less about getting things done, and more about the worth of what you’re doing. Instead of focusing on making your mark, work to leave things better than you found them. Above all, keep working, keep playing, keep creating—keep going.
Best Tips
Don't wait until you know who you are to get started.
Write the book you want to read.
Side projects and hobbies are important.
The secret: do good work and share it with people.
Geography is no longer our master.
Notable
"All advice is autobiographical. When people give you advice they are really just talking to themselves in the past" - Austin Kleon
Cant Hurt Me by David Goggins
This book is a go to for me. I have read or listened to this bookevery year for the last 3 years. I will do so as the lessons prove timeless.
I learned so much from this book but my takeaways are;
The 40% Rule
“Most of us give up when we’ve only given around 40 percent of our maximum effort. Even when we feel like we’ve reached our absolute limit, we still have 60 percent more to give! […] Once you know that to be true, it’s simply a matter of stretching your pain tolerance, letting go of your identity and all your self-limiting stories, so you can get to 60 percent, then 80 percent, and beyond without giving up. I call this The 40% Rule, and the reason it’s so powerful is that if you follow it, you will unlock your mind to new levels of performance and excellence in sports and in life, and your rewards will run far deeper than mere material success.”
“You are in danger of living a life that is so soft and comfortable that you will never realize your true potential” — David Goggins
Music
Lofi Hip Hop radio - beats to relax/study to