Happy New Year and Happy Thursday folks!

Here is my favorite passage of the week, two quotes and book of the week with two important lessons to ponder on:

Passage of the Week:

Author James Clear on true behavior change:

Two Quotes:

Book of the Week with 2 Important Lessons:

The book of the week is The Great Mental Models, Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts by Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien.

In life and business, the person with the fewest blind spots wins. Blind spots are the source of all poor decisions. Unfortunately, we have a lot of blind spots. And while we can’t eliminate them, we can reduce them. Reducing blind spots means we see, interact with, and move closer to understanding reality. We think better. And thinking better is about finding simple processes that help us work through problems from multiple dimensions and perspectives, allowing us to better choose solutions that fit the objective. The skill behind finding the right solutions for the right problems is one form of wisdom.

This book is about the pursuit of that type of wisdom: the pursuit of uncovering how things work, the pursuit of going to bed smarter than when we woke up. It is a book about getting out of our own way so we can better understand how the world really is and make better decisions.

Mental models describe the way the world works. They shape how we think, how we understand, and how we form beliefs. Largely subconscious, mental models operate below the surface. They are not an excuse to create a lengthy decision process. Rather, their aim is to help you move away from seeing things the way you think they should be and toward seeing them the way they are.

Here are two important lessons from the book:

1) First Principles Thinking:

First principles thinking is the art of breaking down complex problems into their most fundamental truths. It's a way of thinking that goes beyond the surface and allows us to see things from a new perspective.

Thinking in terms of first principles allows us to identify the root causes and strip away the layers of complexity and focus on the most effective solutions. Reasoning from first principles allows us to step outside the way things have always been done and instead see what is possible.

First principles thinking is not easy. It requires a willingness to challenge the status quo. This is why it's often the domain of rebels and disrupters who believe there must be a better way. It's the thinking of those who are willing to start from scratch and build from the ground up. In a world focused on incremental improvement, first principles thinking offers a competitive advantage because almost no one does it.

2) Thought Experiments:

Thought experiments are the sandbox of the mind, the place where we can play with ideas without constraints. They're a way of exploring the implications of our theories, of testing the boundaries of our understanding. They offer a powerful tool for clarifying our thinking, revealing hidden assumptions, and showing us unintended consequences.

The power of thought experiments lies in their ability to create a simplified model of reality where we can test our ideas. In the real world, there are always confounding factors, messy details that obscure the core principles at work. But in a thought experiment, we can strip away the noise and focus on the essence of the problem.

Thought experiments offer a reminder that some of the most profound insights and innovations start with a simple question: What if?

Book I am currently reading:

Wisdom Takes Work: Learn. Apply. Repeat. by Ryan Holiday. Wisdom is Ryan Holiday's guiding principle, and this book is the culmination of all his work. Drawing on fascinating stories of the ancient and modern figures alike, Holiday shows how to cultivate wisdom through reading, self-education, and experience.