Sahil Bloom Profile picture
Nov 21, 2021 27 tweets 6 min read Read on X
The most powerful paradoxes of life:
The Persuasion Paradox

Have you noticed that the most argumentative people rarely persuade anyone?

The most persuasive people don’t argue—they observe, listen, and ask questions.

Argue less, persuade more.

Persuasion is an art that requires a paintbrush, not a sledgehammer.
The Effort Paradox

You have to put in more effort to make something appear effortless.

Effortless, elegant performances are often the result of a large volume of effortful, gritty practice.

Small things become big things. Simple is not simple.
The Wisdom Paradox

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.” — Albert Einstein

The more you learn, the more you are exposed to the immense unknown.

This should be empowering, not frightening.

Embrace your own ignorance. Embrace lifelong learning.
The Growth Paradox

Growth takes a much longer time coming than you think, and then it happens much faster than you ever would have thought.

Growth happens gradually, then suddenly.

When you realize this, you start to do things differently.
The Productivity Paradox

Work longer, get less done.

Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

When you establish fixed hours to your work, you find unproductive ways to fill it.

Work like a lion instead—sprint, rest, repeat.
The Speed Paradox

You have to slow down to speed up.

Slowing down gives you the time to be deliberate with your actions.

You can focus, gather energy, and deploy your resources more efficiently.

It allows you to focus on leverage and ROI, not effort.

Move slow to move fast.
The Money Paradox

You have to lose money in order to make money.

Every successful investor & builder has stories of the invaluable lessons learned from a terrible loss in their career.

Sometimes you have to pay to learn.

Put skin in the game. Scared money don't make money!
The News Paradox

The more news you consume, the less well-informed you are.

The @nntaleb noise bottleneck: More data leads to a higher noise-to-signal ratio, so you end up knowing less about what is actually going on.

Want to know more about the world? Turn off the news.
The Icarus Paradox

Icarus crafted wings—but flew too close to the sun, so they melted and he fell to his death.

What makes you successful can lead to your downfall.

An incumbent achieves success with one thing, but overconfidence blinds them to coming disruption.

Beware!
The Failure Paradox

You have to fail more to succeed more.

Our greatest moments of growth often stem directly from our greatest failures.

Don’t fear failure, just learn to fail smart and fast.

Getting punched in the face builds a strong jaw.
The Hamlet Paradox

"I must be cruel only to be kind." — Hamlet

In Hamlet, the protagonist is forced to take a seemingly cruel action in order to prevent a much larger harm.

Life is so complex.

The long-term righteous course may be the one that appears short-term anything but.
The @TonyRobbins Paradox

In investing, the willingness to admit you have no competitive advantage can be the ultimate competitive advantage.

Strong self-awareness breeds high-quality decision-making. Foolish self-confidence breeds nothing of use.

Be self-aware—act accordingly.
The Shrinking Paradox

In order to grow, sometimes you need to shrink.

Growth is never linear.

Shedding deadweight may feel like a step back, but it is a necessity for long-term growth.

One step back, two steps forward is a recipe for consistent, long-term success.
The Death Paradox

Know your death in order to truly live your life.

Memento Mori is a Stoic reminder of the certainty and inescapability of death.

It is not intended to be morbid; rather, to clarify, illuminate, and inspire.

Death is inevitable. Live while you're alive.
The Say No Paradox

Take on less, accomplish more.

Success doesn’t come from taking on everything that comes your way.

It comes from focus—deep focus on the tasks that really matter.

Say yes to what matters, say no to what doesn’t.

Protect your time as a gift to be cherished.
The Talking Paradox

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” — Epictetus

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.

Talk less to be heard more.
The Connectedness Paradox

More connectedness, less connected.

We're constantly connected, bombarded by notifications and dopamine hits.

But while we have more connectedness, we feel less connected.

Put down the phone. Look someone in the eye. Have a conversation. Breathe.
The Taleb Surgeon Paradox

Looking the part is sometimes the worst indicator of competency.

The one who doesn’t look the part has had to overcome much more to achieve its status than the one from central casting.

If forced to choose, choose the one that doesn’t look the part.
The Looking Paradox

You may have to stop looking in order to find what you are looking for.

Have you noticed that when you are looking for something, you rarely find it?

Stop looking—what you’re looking for may just find you.

Applies to love, business, investing, or life...
The Constant Change Paradox

“When you are finished changing, you are finished.” — Benjamin Franklin

The only constant in life is change.

Entropy is reality.

It’s the one thing you can always count on—the only constant.

Embrace it—be dynamic, be adaptable.
The Control Paradox

More controlling, less control.

We have all seen or experienced this as children, partners, or parents.

The most controlling often end up with the least control.

Humans are wired for independence—any attempts to counter this will be met with resistance.
The Fear Paradox

The thing we fear the most is often the thing we most need to do.

Fears—when avoided—become limiters on our growth and life.

Make a habit of getting closer to your fears.

Then take the leap (metaphorically!)—you may just find growth on the other side.
Those were 20+ powerful paradoxes of life...

Follow me @SahilBloom for more threads on growth, business, and decision-making.

I write deep-dives on these topics in my newsletter every single week. You should join the 47,000+ others and subscribe today! sahilbloom.substack.com
Many of these were inspired by conversations with friends and mentors.

Special thank you to @david_perell for being an amazing teacher, friend, and intellectual sparring partner.

Keep inspiring people to write & share!
Newsletter (with brilliant visualizations & audio) hits tomorrow morning.

Join the nearly 50,000 others (!!!) and subscribe now. sahilbloom.substack.com
Newsletter and audio is now live in your inboxes and ears!

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More from @SahilBloom

Aug 25
I think the whole “alcohol is poison” thing is too black and white.

Social connection is one of the most important factors for your physical health.

If having a beer with your friends promotes that connection, good for you.

If it doesn’t, also good for you.

The point: Do you.
I’ve personally reduced my alcohol consumption about 90-95%, but if I’m with a new or old friend and they want to share a drink of something special, I’m in.
Further, as a society, I think that we should worry less about the couple of beers we drink per month and more about the fact that we stare at phone screens all day, argue on social media with strangers, consume too much sugar, and are far more sedentary than our ancestors.
Read 4 tweets
Jul 26
John Wooden was a treasure trove of wisdom.

My favorite piece of Wooden wisdom: 9 promises for a life well-lived.

These 9 promises create the foundation for happiness and success: Image
1. I promise to talk health, happiness, and prosperity as often as possible.

Your thoughts and language shape your reality. Choose them wisely.
2. I promise to make all my friends know there is something in them that is special and that I value.

It's a shame that we wait until a person's funeral to say all of the nice things we thought about them.

When you think something nice about someone, tell them.
Read 12 tweets
Jul 21
People obsess over the Hamptons but ignore the fact that this is 90 minutes outside NYC in Northwest Connecticut.
Image
Image
Please don’t community note me, the realtor swore this was legit.
Added bonus: You don’t have to sit in 8 hours of traffic on a single lane road to get there.
Read 4 tweets
Jun 17
The silent productivity killer you've never heard of...

Attention Residue (and 4 strategies to fight back): Image
The concept of "attention residue" was identified by Dr. Sophie Leroy in 2009.

The idea is simple:

There is a cognitive cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. When our attention is shifted, a "residue" remains and impairs our performance on the new task.
It's relatively easy to find examples of this effect in your own life:

You get on a call but are still thinking about the prior call.

An email pops up during meeting and derails your focus.

You check your phone during a lecture and can't refocus afterwards.
Read 11 tweets
Jun 10
In 1958, a 20-year-old Hunter S. Thompson wrote a letter to a friend with his advice on finding his life purpose.

It is a work of art.

5 brilliant lessons on finding purpose (everyone should read this): Image
Lesson 1: Avoid the Perils of Advice

Using someone else's map of reality to navigate your terrain is risky.

My advice (ironic, I know): When giving or receiving advice, focus on the general, not the specific.

Take the general, wrestle with it, and make it specific to you. Image
Lesson 2: Seek Perspective-Altering Experiences

The concept of neuroplasticity says that experiences can actually change the structure and function of your brain.

Seek out the perspective-altering experiences.

Every single one contributes to your growth and change. Image
Read 9 tweets
May 24
This is the best thing you will read all week...

A beautiful true story, written by a woman named Pam Kearney, on the impact of even the most tiny, inconsequential actions... Image
Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Every single day, you will face moments when you'll feel completely helpless—unable to move or create the necessary momentum to improve the situation.

In these moments, you have a decision to make:
A. You can freeze, paralyzed by the imperfection of your options...

OR

B. You can act. You can do what you can, with what you have, where you are. You can make the coffee.

It is the most important decision of your life.
Read 10 tweets

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