#410 Excellent Advice for Living

Key takeaways

Choose to believe that the entire universe is conspiring behind your back to make you a success.
Don’t be the best. Be the only.
Life gets better as you replace transactions with relationships.
Your golden ticket is being able to see things from other people's point of view.
The reward for good work is more work.
Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.
If you repeated what you did today 365 more times, would you be where you want to be next year?
Master something. Through mastery of one thing, you'll command a viewpoint.
You choose to be lucky by believing that setbacks are just temporary.
Pay attention to what you pay attention to.

Summary

Timeless Wisdom and Personal Reflections

In this episode, the host shares insights from Kevin Kelly's book 'Excellent Advice for Living,' which emerged from his reflections on life as he turned 68. The book encapsulates 450 pieces of advice that Kelly wished he had known earlier. The host emphasizes that these bits of wisdom act as seeds that one can expand upon and apply to their own circumstances, particularly those that encourage not only personal growth but also shared knowledge with younger generations.

The Importance of Deadline and Creativity

One of the key themes revolves around the role of deadlines in fostering creativity. The host references insights from influential figures like Ed Catmull from Pixar and Christopher Nolan, highlighting that deadlines serve as creative accelerators. They prevent the tendency to over-polish ideas and compel individuals to make decisive choices, leading to distinct and innovative outcomes. The notion that creative processes thrive under pressure resonates throughout the discussion.

Relationships, Kindness, and Perspective

The podcast highlights the significance of understanding and empathizing with others in both personal and professional realms. Several pieces of advice stress that kindness should be prioritized over being right, and fostering relationships over mere transactions. The concept of adopting the perspective of others enhances one's ability to connect, negotiate, and build respectful and fruitful interactions. The host's reflections on real-life relationships reinforce this theme.

Personal Accountability and Continuous Improvement

Another vital theme is the emphasis on personal accountability, learning from mistakes, and the need for persistent growth. The discussion articulates how owning up to errors leads to significant personal development, and how engaging in the habits of continual improvement can lead to excellence. Quotes from various historical figures like Charlie Munger and Steve Jobs underscore the importance of integrity and the ongoing journey of self-improvement.

Embracing Change and Lifelong Learning

The podcast concludes with a call to embrace change and the reality of lifelong learning. The host shares anecdotes about seeking opportunities for growth in life's detours and stresses the importance of having a reflective mindset towards future decisions. The overarching message is that life's lessons are continual; actively pursuing learning experiences enriches understanding and prepares individuals for future challenges.

Show notes

On his 68th birthday, Kevin Kelly began to write down for his young adult children some things he had learned about life that he wished he had known earlier. Kelly’s timeless advice covers an astonishing range, from right living to setting ambitious goals, optimizing generosity, and cultivating compassion.

Excellent Advice for Living is the ideal companion for anyone seeking to navigate life with grace and creativity:

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Some of my favorite quotes from the episode:

1. Choose to believe that the entire universe is conspiring behind your back to make you a success.

2. Mastering the view through the eyes of others will unlock many doors.

3. If you can avoid seeking the approval of others your power is limitless.

4. The reward for good work is more work.

5. Don’t be the best. Be the only.

6. The urgent is a tyrant. The important should be your king.

7. Find smart people who will disagree with you.

8. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

9. The most counterintuitive truth of the universe is that the more you give to others the more you'll get.

10. Life gets better as you replace transactions with relationships.

11. Courtesy costs nothing.

12. Life lessons will be presented to you in the order they are needed.

13. Cultivate an allergy to average.

14. If you repeated what you did today 365 more times would you be where you want to be next year?

15. If you are alive that means you still have lessons to learn.

16. Master something.Through mastery of one thing you'll command a viewpoint to steadily find where your bliss is.

17. Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.

18. First, always ask for what you want. Works in relationships, business, life.

19. If nobody else does what you do you won't need a resume.

20. How to apologize: quickly, specifically, sincerely.

21. You choose to be lucky by believing that any setbacks are just temporary.

22. The best way to advise people is to find out what they really want to do and then advise them to do it.

23. It is certain that 99% of the stuff you are anxious about won't happen.

24. What is important is not what happened to you but what you did about what happened to you.

25. Your golden ticket is being able to see things from other people's point of view.

26. Pay attention to who you are around when you feel best. Be with them more often.

27. To get your message across follow this formula: simplify, simplify, simplify, then exaggerate.

28. You will thrive more when you promote what you love rather than bash what you hate.

29. To be interesting just tell your own story with uncommon honesty.

30. When you truly think for yourself your conclusions will not be predictable.

31. Don’t measure your life with someone else’s ruler.

32. For maximum results focus on your biggest opportunities, not your biggest problems.

33. Pay attention to what you pay attention to.