Joe Stampone
@joestampone
Joe Stampone
The Poison Arrow Principle: How to Stop Overthinking
Here's an old Buddhist story I think about often:
Imagine someone is struck by a poisoned arrow. A doctor is called to remove the arrow, but the man stops him.
'Not so fast! Before you remove it, I want to know who shot me. What town or village does he come from? What kind of wood was his bow made
You don't need more time. You need more focus.
Time isn't the constraint. Your choices are.
Your heroes are your blueprints.
Study what makes them exceptional, not to become them but to become who you're capable of being. The point isn't to be a second-rate version of your hero, it's to be a first-rate version of yourself with upgraded tools.
Learn their system. Keep your soul.
Sahil Bloom Assymetries: Personal Growth
- Spend time in rooms where you feel like the dumbest one in the room. Small hit to the ego, huge boost to the growth.
- When you're learning something new, spend 5 minutes trying to teach it to someone. Make a note of where the other person gets confused. You'll get an immediate sense for your level of under
As people contort themselves to please the algorithm for short-term payouts, there’s even more of the less legible, less liquid, but ultimately more important long-term value up for grabs for you if you continue to just be yourself and talk about whatever lights your fire, algorithm be damned.
Packy McCormick • A Market For (Almost) Everything
"There is a glut of mediocrity in the world. Please don't contribute to it."
Timing influences communication.
Talk about potential mistakes before they happen and people start looking for ways to prevent them.
Talk about actual mistakes after they happen and people start looking for reasons to defend their actions.
What do we need to be talking about now, so we can learn the lessons before we need them?
The willingness to figure things out as you go is often the only difference between those who achieve difficult things and those who never begin.