Joshua Wicks

“Stories of failure resonate more than stories of success. Few people reach the top, but everyone has failed—including those who eventually succeed. If you’re teaching people how to succeed in a given field (or talking about your own success), start with how you failed.”

Philosophers have been worrying about distraction at least since the time of the ancient Greeks, who saw it less as a matter of external interruptions and more as a question of character—a systematic inner failure to use one’s time on what one claimed to value the most. Their reason for treating distraction so seriously was straightforward, and it’... See more

Compulsion. I think about that word a lot. I believe that all of us, carelessly walking about planet earth, are intrinsically compelled to do something . It’s in our nature, in the shape of our soul. To excel, to truly be the best, I think it’s crucial to spend time thinking about what that is. Because if you do something other than that, you’re no... See more

You have two essential tasks in life: to be a good person and to pursue the occupation that you love. Everything else is a waste of energy and a squandering of your potential. How does one do that? OK, that’s a tougher question. But the philosophy we see from the Stoics makes it simple enough: say no to distractions, to destructive emotions, to out

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I think that being an artist ultimately is about searching for a kind of freedom, a freedom of spirit, and a freedom in making. The moment when that is possible comes at different times for different people. You should never give up, because being an artist—there’s no one path to it. It’s not like some other fields. If you’re an artist, you’re alwa... See more

Impostor syndrome: “I don't know what I'm doing. It's only a matter of time until everyone finds out."

Growth mindset: "I don't know what I'm doing yet. It's only a matter of time until I figure it out."

The highest form of self-confidence is believing in your ability to learn.

Artists need to commit to a creative life more than painting. Philosophers need to commit to the pursuit of wisdom more than studying Nietzsche or Hegel. Designers need to commit to designing their world more than choosing between Graphic Design or Web Design. It’s about committing to one holistic direction whilst making sure that it awakens the li... See more

The greatest thing I did for my personal and business development was selling a product as soon as I started.

That way, I had an incentive behind my actions. I was aiming to earn an income with a product that helped others.

I had direction.

I knew that if I wasn’t earning an income, I wasn’t actually valuable. And if my income wasn’t increasing, my ... See more