Zach Pogrob's work will change your life forever.
His writing on obsession takes 100s of hours to read. I've gone through it so you don't have to.
19 ideas. 19 opportunities to become obsessed.
"It tastes sweeter when it takes 10 years."
• We're trained like monkeys to chase short-term rewards
• When you play in decades there's no competition
Decide to follow your obsession for 10 years.
"Creation cures anxiety"
• Most people spend their lives stuck in consumption
- They own nothing
- They build nothing
- After hours they just drown in comfort
The obsessed do the opposite.
"No one is more anxious than an ultra-ambitious person with nowhere to go."
• Ambition is bullsh*t if you don't use it
• When would now be a good time?
• Some people talk. Successful people do.
Just shut up and get to work.
"If you don't want a normal life, don't always expect to feel normal."
- Normality is a curse
- Normal people get paid the worst. They're oppressed and manipulated by news/politics
Get the hell out of the hell of normal.
"You should spend time where time disappears"
1. If you're watching the clock you're doing BS work
2. The best work doesn't feel like work
Change your perception of time.
"It's important to do things that remind you you're not normal."
• When people say "that's weird" it's a green flag
• Obsession isn't normal. It's the best choice.
"Never apologize for being weird in a world full of normal."
- Social media craves authenticity
- We're tired of having normal people say that success is BS & we should lower our standards
Mediocrity makes everything in the world worse.
We must win the war.
"Focus more on your 5-9 than your 9-5."
• 9-5 equals level 1. Starting a business equals level 2. Get the f*ck off level 1.
• The only way to have time is to start a 5-9 first. Build after hours
One day your 5-9 will out-earn your 9-5.
"How to feel alive: work on something that takes over your life."
1. Obsession is chaos. It's work-life imbalance.
2. The best way to feel dead is to drown in comfort. Later in life you'll get regrets.
Obsession is what you can't stop thinking about.
"While you make plans, someone else makes progress."
• Plans are overrated
• Plans are useless because entropy runs the world
Turn your 5 year plan into 30 days of action.
You'll create 5 years of progress in 1 month.
"Fear tells you to run from the exact place you're meant to go."
- Fear is a compass. If you don't know what to do then now you know.
- What you fear IS the opportunity
Fear = Untapped Potential
"Some people stop because it's hard. Some people start because it's hard."
If it's not hard it's a bullsh*t goal.
"Easy" and "hacks" are where potential goes to die.
If it were easy everyone would do it. Choose what few people will do.
That's how you get wealthy.
"You won't get wealthy day trading."
You won't get wealthy trading days."
1. Gambling is a scam
2. Crypto trading is a scam
3. A 9-5 until you retire then die is a scam
Wealth is created in the mind.
If you think like crap you do stupid crap.
"The best decisions aren't made.
They just happen. Don't trust a choice you have to 'think' about."
• Overthinking is often a sign you don't really want it. But you think you want it.
• Decisions attached to obsession feel effortless
Obsession automates decisions
"Delusional optimism is the only way out"
- If you're pessimistic you'll never be successful
- Obsessed people see the world better than it is and they're creating this brave new world.
“When you truly follow obsession, flow state never ends.”
• Forced flow states lead to bad work
• Real flow is a practice that feels effortless because you've chosen the right goal.
Every day in flow leads you to live in a higher state of consciousness (pure euphoria).
"Obsession turns average people into outliers."
"One year of obsession can save you a lifetime of regret."
Obsession is simple:
1. You put more effort into it than feels normal.
2. You set deadlines that end in today.
3. You love the process, not the outcome
"You're a hyper-conscious primate with 4000 thousand weeks to live. Stop overthinking it.
Stop scrolling for happiness. Start creating it."
• All you have is today. A near-miss with cancer taught me that. Cancer motivation is powerful.
Maybe you need to face death?
"When in doubt, do what makes for a better story"
Your life is a movie
Habits turn your life into a video game
If you want to attract opportunities you must start sharing your story on social media
The more rock bottoms, the better the story & the better the opportunities.
If you want to build something in public and write about it to attract people to it...
Then get my free email course: How to Start Writing on Social Media. timdenning.com/startonsocial-…
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