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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 Jonathan Goodman on exploration mindset:
From “Unhinged Habits” by Jonathan Goodman
Two Quotes:
“Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.”
“Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.”
Book of the Week with 2 Important Lessons:
The book of the week is The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World by Brad Stulberg.
A captivating and transformative guide that redefines true achievement through purposeful growth, mastery, and deep engagement. Drawing from science, philosophy, and real-world stories of top performers, it offers practical tools to combat burnout, digital distractions, and superficial busyness, emphasizing consistency over intensity, fundamentals over fads, and progress over perfection.
Whether you are practicing guitar, pushing your limits at the gym, leading a team, honing a craft, studying medicine, or giving yourself the time and space to finally write that book, the pursuit of excellence is a big part of what makes life worth living and it is for all of us. A must-read for anyone seeking meaningful excellence in a chaotic world.
Here are two important lessons from the book:
1) Goals are like mountaintops:
“To live only for some future goal is shallow,” writes Robert M. Pirsig. “It’s the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here’s where things grow. But of course, without the top you can’t have any sides. It’s the top that defines the sides.”
Goals are like mountaintops. They are important insofar as they provide definition and direction for our journeys. They serve as targets, offering a wellspring of motivation. They keep us focused and prevent us from aimlessly wandering. Yet nearly all of our growth, development, and meaning occur not at the point of accomplishing a goal but during its pursuit. There is no greater illusion than thinking the accomplishment of some goal will change your life. What will change your life is how you are transformed in the process of going for it. When you select what goals to pursue, you are selecting what kind of person you want to become.
The ultimate aim is to live a life in accordance with our values, which means we want to align our goals with them as best we can. When you work on a big goal that aligns with our values, we are working on not only the goal but also ourselves. The best goals push us ever so slightly outside of our comfort zones.
2) Discipline bridges the gap between motivation and action:
Discipline bridges the gap between motivation and action, making the former less necessary for the latter. When you have discipline, you don’t need to feel a certain way to show up and get started. You just do. Discipline is not a chest-thumping, performative act of toughness. It is being the kind of person who shows up for what matters and does what you need to do.
The marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and the tennis player Venus Williams are two of the greatest athletes to ever live. Both compete in sports that require relentless consistency. When asked about his success, Kipchoge says, “Only the disciplined ones in life are free. When you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods and passions.” Williams explains, “I honestly believe discipline is freedom.”
When you cultivate discipline, you are placing a constraint on whether or not to get started. You don’t have to think about getting started. You don’t have to feel a certain way to get started. You just get started. The number of constraints required for excellence depends on your unique temperament and what you are trying to accomplish. Too many constraints and the result is rigidity. Too few constraints and the result is instability. Fierce self-discipline requires fierce self-kindness. Combining self-discipline and self-kindness is a profound mindset shift that is essential to sustaining excellence.
Books I am currently reading:
Unhinged Habits: A Counterintuitive Guide for Humans to Have More by Doing Less by Jonathan Goodman. It reveals how to break bad habits and build your rich life by mastering the art of strategic subtraction. If you liked Atomic Habits or Essentialism, you’ll love this book.
Junglekeeper: What It Takes to Change the World by Paul Rosolie. Most people assume that the world has been explored and true adventure is dead: This book is one man’s rebuttal. Explorer and conservationist Paul Rosolie shares his incredible life in the Amazon rainforest and what we can learn from the people fighting to protect it.
READING TIP: Create a Reading List & Set a Goal
It is very important to choose the right book to kick-start your reading journey. I would recommend creating a list of books that you would like to read or things you are curious about. It could be books you always wanted to read or books that you need to read to instill new life skills.
And a good idea for motivation is to set a goal.
Thank you for reading and all your support.
I am excited to keep bringing you the new and old books, great insights, and lessons.
Until next week, stay curious and happy reading!
— Ravi Shah | @readswithravi
