Some of my favorite mentors (now friends!) believed in me ahead of my potential. I think that’s easy to forget. I’m beginning to think that in the spirit of being critical, or objective, we lose the chance to be unreasonably optimistic about our team, our friends, and the people we’re rooting for. It saves so much energy, and oddly works!
“A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.”
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”
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“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”
dis·crim·i·na·tion /disˌkriməˈnāSHən/ L. discriminatus
Due to undertones of the other, adverse meaning - prejudging based on attributes (c. 1866) - we tend to miss the crucially important and original definition (c. 1620) of discrimination:
Recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another.
To truly value the team member who’s going the extra mile,
To truly value a person in your life who treats you how you’d like,
To truly value something you’ve been meaning to do,
Discriminate.
And the next time you hear ‘Every little bit counts’, or ‘Something is better than nothing’, don’t miss the smell of indecision.
Peter Thiel and Seth Godin are two people who really get commoditization.
I wrote about this in July: “If you’re in a marketplace, you’ve already lost”
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”
We can - and should NOT - lose this spirit!
“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got, back when I was 23 and newly out of school, is this: look around and figure out who you want to be on your team. Figure out the people around you that you want to work with for the rest of your life. Figure out the people who are smart & awesome, who share your values, who get things done — and maybe most important, who you like to be with and who you want to help win. And treat them right, always. Look for ways to help, to work together, to learn. Because in 20 years you’ll all be in amazing places doing amazing things”
“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”
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Vinod Khosla: Vision is bumbling around
“Management is the most noble of professions if it’s practiced well. No other occupation offers as many ways to help others learn and grow, take responsibility and be recognized for achievement, and contribute to the success of a team.”
