Original creators typically have three characteristics in common: They have a unique point of view on the world. They are confident they can achieve an ambitious goal. And finally, they are willing to fail spectacularly in the name of creating something revolutionary.

Finally, I made it practical. I deleted a few social media apps from my phone. I stopped mindlessly scrolling. I used Pocket and Notion to save interesting articles, podcasts, and video interviews I wanted to watch. I joined communities and engaged with people who enjoyed brainstorming and debating new ideas. I listened to high-quality podcasts

So in 2019, I sent an email to my subscriber list that read: “I believe that the antidote to loneliness is community, and this newsletter is living proof of it.

In the 1500s, Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci used a similar process he called “connecting the unconnected,” which meant finding relationships between two totally unrelated subjects.

“I try to sprinkle good sources of information all around,” he says.

Goggins decided to do something that sucks every single day—because suffering begets growth. Often, that means acting against your first instinct. It’s pouring rain outside? Go run anyway. Your house is a mess but you’re tired? Clean it anyway.

Don’t wait for moments of inspiration to strike. Creativity is a muscle; exercise it.

Idolizing traps you into imitating “perfect” versions of imperfect people. Learning, on the other hand, allows you to observe, synthesize, and pave your own

“Suffering is universal,” Holocaust survivor Edith Eva Eger writes in her memoir The Choice. “But victimhood is optional.”