Commitment

I meet a lot of people searching for something (career, relationship, etc). And yet, when it’s put in front of them, they won’t pursue it because they fear pain (getting hurt, failure, etc.). So they unconsciously (and expensively) trade self protection for misery.

I think obsessiveness is necessary for deep thinking. You have to stay with a vague sense for long enough that more and more of your mind is recruited for figuring it out. And then it's sort of like fishing: a waiting game. You need patience and persistence to catch the big one

sometimes people ask something like “do you think this could work?” and I sorta waffle around on it but I realize my truer answer is something like: it’ll probably work IF *you* believe it will work and *you* commit to making it work for 7+ years

my little life of optionality—my malleable, absorbent dunnage which lessens the shock of surprises, avoids pain and prevents breakage. No commitments, nobody counting on me, no one to disappoint and no one to disappoint me. Still, if life becomes intolerable—a measure which is lowered with each available treatment, each magical distraction—I have a... See more

We're living in a commitment crisis:

Concentrate your resources on a small number of high-conviction bets