“If you do something like read a lot of books and talk to a lot of people, you can learn almost anything.” – Elon Musk
Non-practice
Blind chess
I used to think – “Hmm, people who play blind chess (without looking at the pieces) are some great chess players!”.
In time, I discovered that, while for certain a player playing blind chess knows some things, the ability to play blind is a consequence of a high-level play, not a target.
So, first, you’ll need to learn how to play at a high level, and then you’ll be able to play blind chess.
If you put it as a target – “I must play blind”, you might learn, but with little success.
Repsonsibility for how you look like
In a video I am not able to find at the moment (it might be this one – Despre bătrînețe: întrebări, neliniști, bucurii – YouTube), perhaps between Andrei Pleșu and Gabriel Liiceanu, one of them (I think) spoke about a quote: “After a certain age, you’re responsible for the way you look”.
I find it surprisingly true. What a person does for a job and has a habit of thinking about influences their looks.
After the age of 30, you should control your emotions and body (how you look). You are also responsible for your internal states, you can no longer blame your parents, and how you look on the outside.
The growth is constant from year to year, which is surprising. You know a man at 20, at 30 he’s a middle manager, at 40 he has a big position. You’ve known him since he took office, now he’s managing others.
Willing
Sometimes, I think of this:
Are you willing to lie, in order to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
I think that the truth needs some lying.
You can’t be the mirror in Snow White, that constantly tells people they’re ugly.
You need to refrain from telling some truths.
Some truths need to be kept hidden.
Being honest doesn’t give you the right to be rude.
We’re not an NGO, we need profit!
I think I heard two times in my life this saying: “We’re not an NGO, we need profit!”.
I didn’t like it at all.
Of course, you’re not an NGO, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t focus on the good thing.
Of course, you won’t dedicate your life to others, but you’re not an opposite of an NGO, you just have some different aims.
Any institution requires values and a purpose.
Every person has a set of motifs.
Paying attention
There’s a clip in Romanian (🔴 Despre Prezent – Horia-Roman Patapievici în dialog cu Nadine Vlădescu – YouTube):
If you pay attention to what you do, you grow more. You tend to do self-development easier if you are able to focus.
I feel like if I let my mind fly, I’m fine.
But if I focus on the present moment, on food, on washing dishes as Horia-Roman Patapievici says, more ideas come to me.
Just stop it
There’s a clip with “Stop it!” with a method of coaching (Bob Newhart-Stop It – YouTube):
That’s what matters in the Bible. No trauma, no apologies, no failure. Do the right thing.
You are told – “You have to do X and Y”.
The thief does what he knows best, stealing, manages to steal the heaven on the cross.
He came in first in the heavens, by stealing heaven.
No matter the motivation, the past, the history, the result matters.
You need to score.
Now that it’s a good idea to do a lot of work beforehand, of course. Preparing for the battle increases the success odds.
But you are not required to do that, you are required to score.
You need to succeed.
The Parable of the Bags of Gold
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
(Source: Matthew 25:14-30 NIV – The Parable of the Bags of Gold)
Nuts that make you go nuts
I used to buy all sorts of nuts & seeds, some of which I liked more, and some of which I liked less.
I think it was an error to keep buying nuts I wasn’t a big fan of.
There were plenty I liked a lot, so I could mostly get the health benefits out of those, and still enjoy them a lot.
Succes garantat
Să fii nepotul unei personalități îți dă niște greutăți, povara de a fi mereu “Descendentul lui X”, îți dă posibil și niște avantaje financiare și/sau uși deschise mai ușor. Dar e un procent mic din viața unui om.
Da, fiul unui miliardar probabil nu va avea probabil probleme cu banii vreodată. Dar viața e mai mult de atât, și asta nu garantează succesul.
Cu siguranță să ai un început ușor, cu instrumente la dispoziție, asta te poate ajuta să ai succes. Dar nu e în niciun caz o cale unică, într-un singur sens, doar axată pe creștere.
Big dreams vs. Small realities
I once met a person graduating from a top school in the US and working in a bank. When I told him I was working as a freelancer, he seemed disappointed and asked me if I want to take a step-up in my career.
I once did an IT Master’s and a teacher was disappointing that I was building websites on WordPress, and told me I should take a better career path.
I think both persons above have some partial truth in their sentences, but there are a lot of particular things that can make a piece of advice hit or miss.
I could work on WordPress websites and have a portfolio.
I could be a freelancer and have a fulfilling life.
After COVID a lot of persons work from home.
Being a top programmer on WordPress can be a good career choice.