The Growth Paradox
Growth takes much longer than you expect, then happens much faster than you ever thought possible.
The best things in life come from allowing compounding to work its magic.
Growth happens gradually, then suddenly.
Slowly, then all at once.
The Intelligence Paradox
Intelligence can lead to stupidity.
Highly intelligent people are more likely to fall victim to overthinking, overplanning, or overanalyzing. They create complexity rather than doing the boring, easy, obvious thing that works.
Never let your head outsmart your common sense.
The Effort Paradox
Effortless, elegant performances are simply the result of a large volume of effortful, gritty practice.
You have to put in more effort to make something appear effortless.
Small things become big things.
The Hard Things Paradox
Doing hard things makes life easier.
When you take on voluntary struggle, you're better prepared for the involuntary struggle that inevitably enters your world.
Hard now, easy later. Easy now, hard later.
The choice is yours.
The Mastery Paradox
There's a Zen parable I love:
The teacher smiles and answers, "20 years."
Author Aldous Huxley once wrote, "The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed."
The more you press, the slower your progress.
Balanced effort creates profound results.
The Persuasion Paradox
Have you ever noticed that the most argumentative people rarely persuade anyone of anything?
Persuasive people don't argue. They observe. They listen. They ask thoughtful questions.
Argue less to persuade more.
Persuasion is an art that requires a paintbrush, not a sledgehammer.
The Failure Paradox
You have to fail more to succeed more.
Our most transformative moments of growth come from our hardest moments of failure.
Don't fear failure. Learn to fail smart and fast. Never fail the same way twice.
Always put yourself in the arena.
The Icarus Paradox
In a tale from Greek mythology, Icarus used wings crafted from wax and feathers to take off in flight and escape the island of Crete. He became emboldened by his early success, ignored his father's warnings, and flew too close to the sun, which melted the wings and sent Icarus falling to his death.
You may achieve early success with one thing, but overconfidence from that success can blind you to coming disruption.
What makes you successful can lead to your downfall.
The Knowledge Paradox
The more you know, the more you're exposed to the expanse of the unknown.
This should be empowering, not frightening.
Embrace your own ignorance. Embrace lifelong learning.
The Surgeon Paradox
Author Nassim Taleb once proposed that, if choosing between two surgeons, you should choose the one who doesn't look the part.
Appearance is often the worst indicator of competency.
The person who doesn’t look the part may have required more competence to achieve their status than the person straight out of central casting.
Never confuse looking right with being right.
The Money Paradox
You have to lose money to make money.
Every successful investor and builder has stories of the invaluable lessons from a terrible loss in their career.
Sometimes you have to pay to learn.
Always put skin in the game.
The Social Media Paradox
More connectedness makes us less connected.
Social media has created more connectedness than ever before, but we feel less connected to those right in front of us.
Disconnect to reconnect.
The Productivity Paradox
Work longer, get less done.
Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. Give yourself eight hours to do something, it'll take eight hours. Give yourself one hour, you'll finish it in one.
Stop grazing on low value work.
Work like a lion instead. Sprint. Rest. Repeat.
The Shrinking Paradox
You may need to shrink before you can grow.
Growth is never linear. To reach the higher summit, you may need to climb down from the current one.
Normalize short-term subtraction that creates long-term addition.
One step back, two steps forward is a recipe for success.
The Opportunity Paradox
Take on less to accomplish more.
Success doesn't come from saying yes to everything that comes your way. It comes from saying no to the things that don't matter so that you have space for the things that do.
Every yes is a no to something else.
Your time is finite. Protect it.
The Fear Paradox
The thing you fear the most is often the thing you most need to do.
Fears, when avoided, become limiters.
The most successful people run toward what scares them. They treat fear as a magnet for their energy.
The growth you seek is hidden in the fears you avoid.
The Boredom Paradox
Boredom sparks creativity.
Your most interesting, captivating ideas come during periods of boredom.
On a walk. In the shower. In the car. You're bored, your mind wanders, your thoughts mingle, and creative insight strikes.
Make time to be bored.
The Solomon Paradox
King Solomon was known as the wisest man who ever lived. But unfortunately, that legendary wisdom did not extend to his own life. He had 700 wives, 300 concubines, a growing obsession with wealth, and a kingdom that collapsed within a generation of his death.
King Solomon was great at giving advice, but bad at taking his own.
We tend to reason more wisely about others’ problems than ours. We see our friends' situations with perfect clarity, but our own through a fog of emotion, ego, and fear.
The wisdom you offer others is inside you. Always ask yourself, "What would I tell my best friend to do?"
Then, take your own advice.
The Speed Paradox
You have to slow down to speed up.
Slowing down allows you to restore your energy. You notice things you previously missed. You're more deliberate with your actions. You focus on the points of highest leverage.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
The Beginner Paradox
You have to start weak to end strong.
The most successful people I know love the feeling of being an embarrassing beginner. They thrive on the newness. They love diving into something with child-like curiosity. It's a positive signal.
Every master started out as a novice.
Embrace that embarrassment of being a beginner. It's the cost of entry to the life you want.
The Looking Paradox
Stop looking to find what you're looking for.
Ever notice that when you're looking for something, you rarely find it? Stop looking. What you're looking for may find you.
Applies equally to love, business, happiness, and life.
The Talking Paradox
Talk less to say more.
If you want your words and ideas to be heard, start by talking less and listening more. You'll find more power in your words.
The Control Paradox
More controlling, less control.
We've all seen this as children, partners, or parents. The most controlling often end up with the least control.
Humans are wired for independence. The tighter you grip, the more slips through.
Embody the things you want to see in others. Influence and empower, don't control.
The Advice Paradox
Taking more advice can leave you less well-prepared.
Harsh Truth: Most advice sucks. It's well-intentioned, but it's dangerous to use someone else's map of reality to navigate yours.
Build your own filters. Take the signal. Skip the noise.
The Death Paradox
Know your death to live your life.
The impermanence of life is precisely what makes it so beautiful.
Embrace your own mortality. Time is your most precious asset. Treat it accordingly.
