Socrates said...

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

The best way to live an examined life is through Journaling.

But how can you get started with journaling?

This Stoic Journal Technique helps me live an examined life.

/✍️🧵 If you’ve never kept a journal before, you may be hesitant at first.

Staring at a blank page and wondering what to write can be be intimidating.

The Stoic journal Technique I recommend as a daily self-examination practice is a simple way to start journaling.

They say...

"Don't ask a barber if you need a haircut."

You also shouldn't ask a Stoic (me) if you should enroll in their Stoicism course.

But you can ask alumni of the course.

What some incredible alumni are saying about Practical Stoicism... Maggie @Dickies_Mom came out her Practical Stoicism experience with tools to live a better and calmer life.

testimonial.to/share/practica…

I had my lowest moment as a creator this week.

Here’s the story ...

🧵 So, I got a fairly random idea.

I thought I would do a free webinar on soft skills for IT professionals.

The goal?

To help IT professionals succeed in their careers.

And maybe sell a couple of my books too.

In the last 6 weeks, I have launched 4 digital products.

I have made just over $2k. Nothing crazy. I have a long way to go to reach my goal.

But it's enough to inspire me to keep going.

Here is what I have learned along the way that might help other creators.

Thread 🧵 Play The Long Game

This is the best advice I have. Creating paid products is a long game.

Don't expect to come out of the gates with a paid product.

You need to establish authority, build trust, and embed yourself in a community first.

It's a process.

There is a reason they say: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

A strong network is one of the most valuable assets you can have in your tech career.

How IT Professionals Can Become Better at Networking...

🧵 Go First

Always make the first move. Don’t wait for others to introduce themselves to you or say hi first. Be the one who goes first to create relationships.

I am a huge fan of Naval Ravikant @naval.

Over the last year, I have done a Naval deep-dive: podcasts, interviews, Tweets.

Here are my 10 favorite wisdom bombs from Naval that have helped to change the way I think.

/Thread 👇👇👇 "For something to hurt you, you have to let it. If you're letting it, that means there is a part of you that believes it." @naval

It can only hurt you if you feel it is true.

A practical Stoic exercise to reduce your stress that you can do in less than 10 minutes.

Do you have a spare 10 minutes to make yourself less stressed and happier?

Cool.

Let's get started.

Next ... 👇 • Get out a piece of paper and a pen.
• Write down everything that is causing you stress, concern, or worry.
• Don't hold back, write it all down.

Next ... 👇

I am a huge fan of Naval Ravikant @naval.

He is a modern-day philosopher. With just a few words, he can completely shift your mindset.

Here are my five favorite wisdom bombs from Naval Ravikant...

👇👇👇 “If you don't care to be liked, they can’t touch you.” - @naval

This quote is short but completely transformational. In 11 words, it challenges a lifetime of conditioning.

Building an Idea-Generating Machine

Wouldn't it be incredible if there were such a thing as an idea-generating machine?

You may not be able to buy one, but you can build one.

With suggestions from some great idea generators … and a few from myself.

👇👇👇 Long Walks

@dickiebush is a fan of long walks for idea generation.

I agree with him 100%. Long walks outdoors are idea-generating factories.

Without fail, every time I go for a long walk my idea assembly line pumps out new ideas.

https://twitter.com/dickiebush/status/1342849028040642562?s=20

I read The Psychology of Money by @morganhousel

A powerful book that will change your mindset about money.

It is modern philosophy on money and wealth generation.

Here are my 10 take-aways from this great book.

/Thread 👇 💵👇 "Plan on the plan not going according to plan." - @morganhousel

Everything goes according to plan...until it doesn't. Don't be surprised by surprises.

Naval Ravikant @naval is the mindset master.

His quick, gut-punch, paradigm-shifting insights can completely change your perceptions.

My 10 favorite mindset-changing thoughts from Naval.

/Thread 🧠📈 "If you want to see who rules over you, see who you are not allowed to criticize." - @naval

Keeping Quiet -->🧠📈--> Speaking Up

Pound for pound, Atomic Habits by @JamesClear is the most information packed book I’ve ever read.

If you measure a book’s worth by the sheer volume of highlights and notes. It’s the most valuable book I’ve read.

Here are my main take aways from this great book.

/Thread ⚛️⚛️⚛️ “You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.” @JamesClear

Where you are heading is more important than where you are.

IT Professionals

To be successful in IT, it's not enough to develop your technical skills.

You must develop yourself.

Over the next 30 days, I'll be writing a daily essay on skills that will help you realize your IT career potential.

Follow along and level up.

/Thread 💻👇 Day 1 - The Surprising Skill That Can Help IT Professionals Create Opportunities

There is a surprising skill IT Professionals can develop that will:

>Help you learn better
>Create opportunities
>Increase your influence
>Leave a legacy.

evernote.com/l/AD7bIwbbFQ5L…

IT Professionals...

To reach your potential you must work on yourself harder than your technical skills.

You have to build your soft skills.

Over the next 30 days, I'll be writing a daily atomic essay on improving your soft skills.

Follow along and level up.

/Thread 💻👇 Day 1 - Soft Skills for IT Professionals

evernote.com/l/AD6k8Awq2VVF…

Read the excellent Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson @EricJorgenson.

This booked is packed with @naval wisdom and insight.

Read it on Kindle.

"Yellow" highlights are the good stuff. "Red" highlights are the great stuff.

Here are my Red highlights.

/Thread 👇👇👇 "Figure out what you’re good at ,and start helping other people with it. Give it away. Pay it forward." - @naval

Love the spirit of generosity in this statement.

The Art of Negotiating — For IT Professionals

We are all negotiators.

All day, every day, we are in the midst of negotiations — whether we know it or not.

As IT Professionals, we are no different.

Some tips on improving your negotiating skills.

/Thread 👇👇👇 In IT, we have our own unique set of negotiation partners: vendors, co-workers, employees, and employers.

With so much time spent in negotiation, it is well worth our time to learn the principles behind negotiation, and how to become better negotiators.

Here are a few tips.

A great life is nothing more than a collection of great days.

Want a great life?

Make each day great.

How can you make each day great?

Treat it like a mini-life.

How?

/Thread 👇👇👇 Treat each "phase" of your day as a "phase" of your life.

From waking in the morning, to going to sleep at night, our days have fairly consistent phases that are comparable to phases of life.

Make each of these phases special, and you have created a great "mini-life."

Listened to the @SamanthaRyNZ Save Planet, Get Rich podcast with Naval Ravikant @naval.

Naval was on fire. It took me two hours to get through an hour long podcast. I had to keep pausing to take notes.

Here are my main take-aways from this excellent podcast episode.

/Thread👇 "If it is not making you happier, or healthier, or calmer, or having better relationships, or wealthier, then what good is it? It's useless. You can safely discard it." @naval

Great perspective on what to pay attention to and what to safely ignore.

My favorite Marcus Aurelius passage contains three Core Principles of #Stoicism

-Objectivity
-Unselfishness
-Acceptance

A few brief thoughts and Tweets I have sent on each of these Principles.

/Thread 👇👇👇 Objectivity

Don't be lead around by your emotions.

Look at life objectively and choose the best response.

Our ability to choose lies in the space between stimulus and response.

Create that space.

https://twitter.com/mcgillmd921/status/1302957129612095489?s=20

Derek Sivers @sivers Mix Tape

A collection of my favorite Derek Sivers "hits" from interviews, podcasts, and books.

Everything in quotes is one of Derek's "hits."

Everything else is my "filler."

/Press 👇Play ▶️ "Ideas are useless unless they are executed."

Anybody can sit and think up ideas. But it takes someone special to execute and turn them into something that can be shared with the world.

sive.rs/multiply

5 Steps to Achieve your Goals:

-Establish your Goals.
-Identify required Habits.
-Turn Habits into a System.
-Schedule System on your calendar.
-Be Disciplined and honor your Schedule.

/Examples 🎯👇 Example 1:

Goal - Lose 10 pounds
Habits - Exercise
System - Cardio 4 X's/week
Schedule - Block cardio time M, T, TH, FRI on calendar
Discipline - Honor your Schedule!