7 phrases smart people don't say: 🧵
"This is the way we've always done it."

So what?

Does that mean it can't be improved?

Whatever "it" is, there are always aspects that can be made more clear, efficient, and simple.

At best, it makes you sound lazy.

At worst, you'll be left behind.

Ideate, innovate, repeat.
"That's not in my job description"

No one ever got ahead by doing the bare minimum.

Yes –– maybe the task you've been asked to complete isn't technically part of your role.

Do it anyway.

Recognition may not come as soon as you would like, but it will come.

If not, move on.
"That's not fair"

No kidding.

I hate to break it to you, but that's the way life goes sometimes.

Instead of letting your emotions get the best of you when things don't go your way, try this:

Ask ––

What did I miss?

What went wrong?

What could I have done differently?
"I can't"

Saying you "can't" often ends up sounding more like you "won't."

The next time you're tasked with something you aren't sure how to do, say this instead.

"I can, but I might need some help."

Be willing to try.

Admit when you need help.

Push through difficult tasks.
"This has to be perfect"

No it doesn't.

Perfection is the enemy of progress.

Don't become so buried in the details that you fail to move forward at all.

To err is human.

You can't catch every mistake, you'll never get everything right.

Just. Keep. Moving.
"Oh really? Well I did _____"

We all know this person...

The "one-upper."

No matter what you say, what you do, or what you accomplish they always chime in with something just a little bit better.

Don't be that guy.

Celebrate others' achievements without inserting your own.
"I told you so"

What a waste of words.

I can't think of a single constructive aspect of using this phrase.

Not only does it make you sound arrogant and petty, it literally adds nothing to a conversation.

Avoid this one at all costs.
That's all for today...

If you enjoyed this:

Follow me @blakeaburge for weekly threads on business, productivity, & building a better you.

Check out my newsletter:

"While You Were Away"

The best content on Twitter, sent every Sunday.
getrevue.co/profile/blakea…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Blake Burge 💡

Blake Burge 💡 Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @blakeaburge

23 Dec
In 2005 we saw one of the greatest commencement speeches of all time.

No –– it wasn't at Stanford and it wasn't Steve Jobs.

9 Lessons we can learn from David Foster Wallace's "This is Water" 🧵
"The most obvious realities are the ones that are often the hardest to see."

Sometimes, we're so deeply entrenched in something –– shall we say –– "swimming" in it, we're unable to see clearly.

Other times, we simply haven't acquired enough knowledge.

Step back, give it time.
"A huge percentage of the stuff that I tend to be certain of is, it turns out, totally wrong."

At our core, our beliefs are heavily influenced by who we are, where we're from, & how we were raised.

This leads to a kind of "built-in" self-centeredness.

Step outside of yourself.
Read 12 tweets
19 Dec
TIME named it one of its "50 worst inventions" in 2010.

Daily Mail called it "the ugliest shoe ever invented."

Since 2009, Crocs has over 12.8 Billion in revenue and 300M pairs sold.

THREAD: How a foam boating clog became a global sensation.
1/ It's November 2002, and George Boedecker, Jr., Lyndon Hanson III, and Scott Seamans are headed to a boat show.

The Ft. Lauderdale international boat show to be specific.

Why? To market their new product.

A foam boating clog...

Sounds exciting right?
2/ Rewind to a few months earlier:

While on a sailing trip, Boedecker and Seamans had come across a new style of boating clog.

The shoe, then produced by a Canadian company called, "Foam Creations, Inc." had several advantages over current offerings.
Read 29 tweets
18 Dec
4.66 Billion internet users

Searching almost 2 billion sites.

Here are 10 of the best bar-none: 🧵
The Moth: @TheMoth

Real-life stories.

Told by the people that lived them.

Astronauts, rock stars, Nobel Prize-winners, and more.

Stats for nerds:
US Rank - 58,655
Global Rank - 241,782
Monthly Visits - 183.80K

themoth.org
100,000 Stars:

Trust me, you'll want to see this.

A virtual tour begins at the Sun and travels through space until you reach the outer edges of the galaxy.

Fascinating stuff.

Stats for nerds:
US Rank - 9,048
Global Rank - 16,890
Monthly Visits - 3.0M
stars.chromeexperiments.com
Read 12 tweets
15 Dec
Your mind can be your worst enemy.

But it's not your fault.

Cognitive Distortions are to blame.

Here are 10 to be aware of, learn from, and overcome: 🧵
All or nothing thinking:

You see things in black & white. No shades of gray, no middle ground.

You focus on extremes:

Good or Bad
Success or Failure
Outstanding or Terrible

See the problem?

Reality lies in the middle.

Remember: Nothing is ever as good (or bad) as it seems.
Overgeneralization:

The belief that a single occurrence of an event correlates to future events playing out in a similar fashion.

I got fired -> I'll never keep a job

I failed a test -> I always get bad grades.

See how silly these sound?

One misstep ≠ a broad pattern.
Read 13 tweets
11 Dec
Don't lose today planning for tomorrow.

Don't join the pack –– Lead it.

10 Stoic principles that will immediately change your life: 🧵
On Wealth:

We all want more.

More things, more money, more prestige...

Whatever 'it' is, we never seem to have enough.

But what if we measured wealth differently?

Not by what we don't have, but by what we don't need?

True wealth is found in wanting less, not having more.
On Truth:

Too often we become set in our ways.

We believe our opinion is right, and are unwilling to consider alternate perspectives.

Have an open mind.

Be willing to change.

He who thinks he knows everything knows nothing.
Read 13 tweets
4 Dec
iPhone...

You're using it wrong.

8 Things you still don't know your iPhone can do: 🧵
Group texts wear me out...

That said, I doubt they're going away anytime soon.

So how can we navigate them better?

Use mentions:

•Type a reply
•Type a contact's name
•Tap the name when it appears.

You can also insert the @ symbol before the contact's name to notify them.
Drink in one hand, phone in the other?

It's time to activate one-handed typing.

•Touch and hold the emoji key
•Select the right or left keyboard
•Voila!-The keys are now shifted closer to your hand (or thumb) of choice.
Read 11 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(