Some Things I Think

Drink and smoke. Well, sort of.

Here are some things I think:

• We judge other people based on outcomes and we judge ourselves based on intentions. Like Morgan Housel says, no one is crazy. Everyone has justified every decision they’ve ever made in their own heads. But we don’t see the decision-making process, so we’re left only to judge based on outcomes. When things go wrong, this can cause us to assume the worst about others.

• There’s danger in slowing down. Yes, going too fast and never stopping to appreciate life is destructive — but stagnating is far worse.

• Nothing kills your potential more than treating assumptions as facts. We make anywhere from 20,000 to 70,000 decisions a day, most of which are influenced by subconscious assumptions. Most of these are tiny — which parking spot to take, how warm to turn the shower, whether to tip 15% or 20% on the iPad screen for our morning coffee. But a few of these decisions have life-changing power. Assumptions like “I don’t know enough,” “this won’t work,” or “they won’t care” happen in a millisecond — but have consequences that span decades. 

• Few endeavors are more admirable or more impossible to fail at than attempting to live beyond your limits.

• Few endeavors are more catastrophic than attempting to live beyond your means.

• Self-improvement can hit a point of diminishing returns. Jeanne Calment lived to be 122. Her daily routine? Cigarettes, wine and chocolate. Prioritize your health, yes. Make yourself better. But don’t let your pursuit of becoming your best self blind you to life’s little joys. 

• The less you want to do something, the more you should do it.

• About 117 billion people have walked the earth. Just by having the means to read this post, odds are you’re among the 0.01% most fortunate of those 117 billion. As Rob Shore says, “We are afforded opportunities, experience and lifestyles that most only dream about.” Appreciate that. 

• Empty cans rattle the loudest.

• That thing you’re stressing about today? It probably won’t matter 10 years from now. 

• If you keep feeling pulled to pursue a passion, listen. Greatness doesn’t spend time with apathy. On their deathbed, no one ever says, “I wish I would’ve spent more time at the office.”

Yeah, that’s true.

But I bet a lot of people think, “I wish I would’ve seen what my life could’ve been.”

Inspired by Some Things I Think by Morgan Housel.

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