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At 17, I played Bobby Fischer hundreds of blitz chess (5 mins/game) in isolation to prepare for the world championship. If he had an edge I'd resign (he's the best of all time, right). He said "Adam don't resign so quickly. You have to learn to play lost positions." We all do.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it, in so many philosophies, ATTACHMENT is the root of a human suffering, whether it's to desires, or possessions, or whatever. But want to know what these wise philosophers are attached to? To the IDEA of NON-ATTACHMENT.

Schopenhauer said a precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones—for life is short. TRUTH! Curious he didn't extract the broader PRINCIPLE: a precondition for pursuing GREAT opportunities— whether investments, friends, or lovers— is NOT pursuing ordinary ones!

I had the best time, far-ranging conversation, from the flaws of current AI models to learning from our mistakes to the importance of creating systems of improvement and tons more practical takeaways!

Ponder the possibility: the problem is the opportunity. The problem IS the opportunity. Repeat after me: The problem is the OPPORTUNITY.

Just because you don't like someone does not mean that what they're saying is wrong... And just because you like them doesn't mean they're right, either.

F1 racing legend Stirling Moss said, "To achieve anything in this game, you must be prepared to dabble at the boundary of disaster." True of every domain.

LISTEN UP! Think back in time, a painful memory, perhaps a recent one. You've just made a costly mistake, perhaps in business, or investing, or a relationship. You're FURIOUS with yourself; you "can't believe I DID that!" And in the heat of your fury, you vow to yourself, "I promise I'll never do THAT again!" You've just GUARANTEED you'll do that again! Two reasons. First, because you "couldn't believe" you did it the first time—you're not gonna take steps to PREVENT yourself from doing it again! When you've cooled down, you think to yourself, "Well, ouch, that was a painful mistake, but at least I learned a lesson—a costly lesson—so it's a good thing I won't do THAT again, that's one consolation." Second—this reason's more subtle—you think that your promise alone—that you feel the emotional intensity of your rage seared into your unconscious resolve—is ENOUGH to prevent a repeat... so you TAKE NO STEPS or ADOPT NEW PROTOCOLS IN YOUR ROUTINES to ENSURE you don't repeat it!!! And because you haven't changed a thing—of course you're not gonna change any outcomes. So OF COURSE you're going to "do it again," only the NEXT time it'll be at a larger scale, at a far greater cost, because "at least I don't have to worry about doing that again!" So whenever you blunder, REPEAT AFTER ME: "Not only CAN I believe I did that—I KNOW I did—and I also KNOW I'll do it AGAIN—UNLESS I devise a set of safeguards and incorporate them into my habits and routines.

If you think you're in control— of a situation, of your emotions, of a relationship of an outcome, of your company, of the economy— your impotence will hit all the harder. Once you realize you have no control— you'll begin to gain some.

To be sure, multitasking doubles your efficiency— you'll make mistakes twice as fast, twice as often, and twice as large

ANY time someone meets YOU they're INTERVIEWING you for a JOB! The "amuse-me" job or "engage-my-mind" job or "validate-me" job or "make-my-partner-jealous" job or "potential-romance" job. SPOT the subtle conversational CLUES for the EXACT p/t or f/t job your being ASSESSED...

Wake up! Every moment you are deciding! Even not-deciding is a decision. Your life is the sum total of all the seemingly insignificant decisions and non-decisions you make. Becoming great is a decision. So is remaining as you are. Decide! Wake up!

Remember, at every opportunity, practice everyday courtesies to any and all you encounter.

There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who have never bought a self-help book— and those who have bought DOZENS.

At 17, I played Bobby Fischer hundreds of blitz chess (5 mins/game) in isolation to prepare for the world championship. If he had an edge I'd resign (he's the best of all time, right). He said "Adam don't resign so quickly. You have to learn to play lost positions." We all do.

I had the best time, far-ranging conversation, from the flaws of current AI models to learning from our mistakes to the importance of creating systems of improvement and tons more practical takeaways!

How come—just asking—elevators don’t have undo buttons??? How many times have you hit the wrong floor—often when in a rush— and you’re now stuck going to that floor in addition to the one you actually want to go to.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it, in so many philosophies, ATTACHMENT is the root of a human suffering, whether it's to desires, or possessions, or whatever. But want to know what these wise philosophers are attached to? To the IDEA of NON-ATTACHMENT.

If you think you're in control— of a situation, of your emotions, of a relationship of an outcome, of your company, of the economy— your impotence will hit all the harder. Once you realize you have no control— you'll begin to gain some.

You're walking down the street and see a once serious ex walking nearby arm and arm with their current partner, only two emotions— the pang of regret… or an exhalation of relief.

Just because you don't like someone does not mean that what they're saying is wrong... And just because you like them doesn't mean they're right, either.

The secret to success is compounding gains— and the secret to compounding gains is faith. Whether it’s losing weight, improving your golf handicap, writing a novel, or building a business, success requires dogged, consistent efforts, day in and day out. Yet the daily improvements are imperceptible, so the only apparent payoff for all your hard efforts is a heartbreaking lack of progress. This is the inflection point that separates those who quit from those who persist. Those who quietly, patiently persist have faith in the unseen. You have to know that even though you can’t see these daily micro-improvements, even though “nothing seems to be happening,” that beneath your awareness, these gains are slowly, relentlessly compounding, one building on the next, when suddenly, one day, you make a breathtaking leap forward. So remember, improvement is imperceptible— until it is astonishing. Just because you cannot see the results of your efforts does not mean that your efforts are unseen. All faith works like that.

Milton Friedman, the Fed, temperature control, mucking about with the economy, and the unspoken peril in the modern world. Why is it that on the hottest days of summer, I am forever forced to carry around a hoodie or jacket? Because every place is over-air-conditioned! Movie theaters especially, but restaurants, offices, and any other public indoor location all set the summer thermostat on arctic mode (don't get me started on airlines). It's so bad that even with layers, I've walked out of blockbuster movies because I couldn't stand the cold. Bear with me, I'm gonna get to Milton Friedman and the Fed's mucking about shortly. And just to be clear, I grew up outside Chicago where subzero winter mornings were the norm; I don't mind cold weather one bit. Not at all. But there's a season to every thing, and a time to every purpose, and all human activity and planning is based on knowing what we can count on, and what we can't. Why can't we agree, as a country if not the world, that whenever possible all indoor thermostats are set to, say, 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius for those countries on the wrong scale), and then we can all work around that, depending on our personal thermal preferences. Okay, so where am I going with that rant? So Milton Friedman (who taught at the University of Chicago, BTW) advocated for the abolition of the Fed, arguing that its continual hubristic we-know-best tinkering with the economy, attempting to fine tune this interest rate or that, amplified uncertainty and set up a guessing game for speculators, investors, and corporate and household decision-makers. Any uncertainty is a risk factor, which clouds planning and reduces economic activity, so the one thing we can count on is that we can't count on the Fed, which necessarily retards economic growth. Instead, he argued, the only intervention the government should be allowed is to foster stability and reduce economic uncertainty by setting the money supply on a steady and predictable growth of 2% a year. Then everyone could plan around that. Civilization and human affairs advance by reducing uncertainty, creating pockets of terra firm in a wild world, solid ground we can count on. Language, money, legal systems, morals, manners, and more are all genius products of human beings need and craving for certainty in a dangerous uncertain world. Beginning in 2019, 2020, the world has become increasingly impossible to predict. If the world is impossible to predict, corporate spending slows greatly—so does family formation. The number one priority of our leaders should be to provide economic and political stability. Supporters as well as opponents alike can then plan their actions accordingly.

LISTEN UP! Think back in time, a painful memory, perhaps a recent one. You've just made a costly mistake, perhaps in business, or investing, or a relationship. You're FURIOUS with yourself; you "can't believe I DID that!" And in the heat of your fury, you vow to yourself, "I promise I'll never do THAT again!" You've just GUARANTEED you'll do that again! Two reasons. First, because you "couldn't believe" you did it the first time—you're not gonna take steps to PREVENT yourself from doing it again! When you've cooled down, you think to yourself, "Well, ouch, that was a painful mistake, but at least I learned a lesson—a costly lesson—so it's a good thing I won't do THAT again, that's one consolation." Second—this reason's more subtle—you think that your promise alone—that you feel the emotional intensity of your rage seared into your unconscious resolve—is ENOUGH to prevent a repeat... so you TAKE NO STEPS or ADOPT NEW PROTOCOLS IN YOUR ROUTINES to ENSURE you don't repeat it!!! And because you haven't changed a thing—of course you're not gonna change any outcomes. So OF COURSE you're going to "do it again," only the NEXT time it'll be at a larger scale, at a far greater cost, because "at least I don't have to worry about doing that again!" So whenever you blunder, REPEAT AFTER ME: "Not only CAN I believe I did that—I KNOW I did—and I also KNOW I'll do it AGAIN—UNLESS I devise a set of safeguards and incorporate them into my habits and routines.

The time to be most vigilant is when you think you don't need to be.

To be sure, multitasking doubles your efficiency— you'll make mistakes twice as fast, twice as often, and twice as large

Self-help "experts" dispense endless homilies on all the qualities necessary for success: Grit. Focus. Courage. Patience. Tenacity. Discipline. Organization. Determination. NONSENSE! If you want something BADLY enough, you'll acquire all these qualities along the way. If you want it BAD, you'll do WHATEVER you NEED to do to reach your goal. . . so LONG as you bring two other qualities— adaptability, and self-awareness. Desire alone would soon have you banging your head against a wall of obstacles, so when you encounter obstacles, or aren't getting the results you want, you'll need to adapt, and change what you're doing. Now, your desire should be enough COMPEL you to adapt, but without self-awareness, you won't know WHAT to change, or how. You can outsource some of that self-awareness to others—like coaches—but even then you'll need to adapt your approach to your coach's recommendations. But that's all you need to succeed. DESIRE + ADAPTABILITY + SELF-AWARENESS = SUCCESS.

There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who have never bought a self-help book— and those who have bought DOZENS.

Ponder the possibility: the problem is the opportunity. The problem IS the opportunity. Repeat after me: The problem is the OPPORTUNITY.