Blind luck
Something entirely out of your control happens in your favour. Fortune, fate, the lottery of birth.
The almanac
Wisdom
Longer pieces I've collected and come back to. Laws, the kinds of luck, agreements to live by, a few definitions. Borrowed, mostly. Kept because they're true. The one-liners live in Quotes.
Five laws worth knowing
Nº 01–05- 01
Murphy's Law
The more fearful you are, the more likely it will happen.
- 02
Kidlin's Law
Write the problem down clearly, and half of it is already solved.
- 03
Gilbert's Law
The biggest problem at work is that no one tells you how to do it.
- 04
Walson's Law
Put information and value first, and the money will follow.
- 05
Falkland's Law
When there is no need to make a decision, don't make one.
The four kinds of luck
After Naval RavikantLuck from motion
You hustle, you stir things up, you generate so much energy and activity that luck eventually collides with you.
Luck you notice
You get so good in your field that you spot the lucky break others walk right past. You become sensitive to it.
Luck that finds you
The hardest kind: you build a character, a reputation, a way of being so distinct that luck comes looking for you by name.
Be something
via gfdaBe professional. Be proficient. Be patient. Be present. Be persistent. Be particular. Be prompt. Be prepared. Be poignant. Be profound. Be polite. Be poised. Be purposeful. Be passionate. Be practical. Be provocative. Be productive. Be perceptive. Be persuasive. Be pioneering. Be precise. Be proactive.
But don't try to be perfect. You're not.
Think like a farmer
On patience- Don't shout at the crops.
- Don't blame them for not growing fast enough.
- Don't uproot them before they've had a chance to grow.
- Choose the best plant for the soil.
- Irrigate and fertilise.
- Remove the weeds.
- Expect good seasons and bad ones. You can't control the weather, only prepare for it.
Four agreements
After Don Miguel RuizBe impeccable with your word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love, not against yourself or others.
Don't take anything personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What they say and do is a projection of their own reality. Be immune to it and you stop being the victim of needless suffering.
Don't make assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to say what you really want. Clear communication prevents most sadness, drama and misunderstanding.
Always do your best
Your best changes from moment to moment. Whatever the circumstance, simply do your best, and you escape self-judgement and regret.
A note on being twenty-something
The beauty of individuality
The age of 20, 21, 22 is a strange one.
Some of us are still arguing with teachers over petty marks. Some are sitting for life-changing interviews. Some just want moments with friends. Some are starving for the bare minimum.
Some are content with sleep and study. Some live for the hustle. Some are shouldered with responsibilities (though, really, all of us are). Some shrug it off to enjoy the present; some sacrifice the present for the future.
Many leave for other cities. Some for other countries. Some stay where they are and miss the ones who left. Some push people away; some get pushed; some get tied together for a lifetime.
Some run after money. Some wait for love. Some just want a life. Many get loved; a few struggle to love themselves.
Everyone is moving forward. Some are moving ahead. And that is the beauty of it: you don't compare, you just make your own life.
Definitions
Reframed- Hope
- A little voice whispering “maybe” when the whole world is shouting “no”.
- Time
- Slow when you wait, fast when you're late, short when you're happy, endless when you're in pain. Set by feeling, not by the clock.
- Smile
- The prettiest thing you can wear.
- Friends
- People who make you laugh a little louder, smile a little brighter, and live a little better.
- Love
- When someone else's happiness is your own.
- Father
- An account you never deposit into, yet can withdraw from anytime, anywhere.
- Past
- No matter how often you revisit it, there's nothing new to see.
- Secret
- Something you tell everyone not to tell anyone.
Life is recursive
Life isn't a puzzle you solve linearly. You solve it recursively. You build parts knowing you'll likely tear them down later to reuse the pieces for something bigger. Two steps forward, one step back. As time goes on, the big pieces fall into place, and the parts you tear down get smaller and smaller.
Nine kinds of smart
- Visual (picture smart)
- Linguistic (word smart)
- Logical (reasoning smart)
- Kinesthetic (body smart)
- Naturalist (nature smart)
- Musical (sound smart)
- Existential (life smart)
- Interpersonal (people smart)
- Intrapersonal (self smart)