Weekly Wisdom #282 - How to kickstart yourself

We Are Where We Are, Nike, Great Work, Learning Methods & Berkshire Hathaway

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Happy Tuesday!

The last two weeks were busy for me: I had four flights and a wedding to attend.

The next few weeks will be busy too, with another wedding and another four flights, though this time for pleasure, not work.

What always strikes me when I travel by plane is the sense of reset I get.

Step on the plane, I'm in one spot; step off, I'm in another.

The work I've been procrastinating is suddenly possible. I start the book I've been meaning to read. I go for the run I've been avoiding.

To change your behavior, change your environment.

Our habits are so closely tied to our surroundings that sometimes all we need to kickstart ourselves is to change where we are.

Have a great week!

Graham

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Links

📚 Book Notes: Shoe Dog - Phil Knight - I watched Air, the story about how Nike signed Michael Jordan, and it had me revisiting my notes from Phil Knight's memoir about founding Nike.

The movie doesn't touch nearly as much on Phil Knight himself, but he was a character, and the biography is excellent. Some of the takeaways:

Selling becomes easy when you believe in what you're selling. Belief is irresistible.

The art of competing is the art of forgetting: forget your limits, your doubts, your pain, your past.

📖 How to Do Great Work - Paul Graham - This is a longer, but extremely impactful essay. A guide in how to find out what you should work on, and how the best work is done.

"There's a kind of excited curiosity that's both the engine and the rudder of great work. It will not only drive you, but if you let it have its way, will also show you what to work on."

"The three most powerful motives are curiosity, delight, and the desire to do something impressive. Sometimes they converge, and that combination is the most powerful of all."

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