7 ms·

> Quite often a reasonable, achievable, and worthwhile desire goes unpursued because we have a simultaneous desire to not pursue it. When we say something is “i

> Quite often a reasonable, achievable, and worthwhile desire goes unpursued because we have a simultaneous desire to not pursue it. When we say something is “impossible” or “too hard” or “not in the cards,” that’s a clue. This resonates. Many who are stuck frustrated not getting what they want have talked themselves out of trying to get it to begin with. A good another clue is 3rd party attribution. "My life is bad because of bitches/billionaires/Mexicans/whatever" - I've never heard anyone talk like that while also maximizing what's in their power to change.

calderwoodra 3y ago
I usually don't struggle to work towards my goals but totally agree that this resonates and this single insight made the article a worthwhile read.
asimpletune 3y ago
Don’t forget people overvaluing talent as one of the main excuses while minimizing what they can control.
- gonzo41 3y ago
  Always bet on grit. It's a learnable skill and you never lose it.
  - IggleSniggle 3y ago
    I’d argue you will almost certainly lose it if you never loose it ;-). Loose it or lose it, I always say
eastbound 3y ago
It’s a self-truthing statement. As in, everyone who doesn’t agree with you is also excluded from your criteria. So from your point of view, you are absolutely right. It goes like this: - Papa deer: “Remember son, you have the power to make objects move by thought. If you see a car rolling towards you, STARE at it straight in the headlights and concentrate and move it with your mind.” - Son deer: “Isn’t that how grandpa died?” - Papa deer: “He didn’t believe enough.” So I’ll say it straight away: Some people, no matter how they work to build a startup, are blocked from success by external factors, on which they can do nothing. And I can say that because I’m a millionaire twice from startups, and that gift/set of skills/learnings/factors will never dawn on some people. Of course I’m definitely not saying that because I’m single and have no talent in women ;) But I’m tired of “Just put your mind to it, and if it doesn’t work, it’s because you didn’t try enough.” No. I irritate women. I can see it in their eyes, and there is no way around that (at least until someone tells me what my defect is, assuming it’s a defect I can work upon, but everyone lies to me saying “try more”. No, papa deer).
- safety1st 3y ago
  > Some people, no matter how they work to build a startup, are blocked from success by external factors, on which they can do nothing. What are the factors specifically? How are you defining success? My definition is "You built a profitable business" and there are so many small businesses doing this across the world, I can't really think of external factors that are true deal breakers except perhaps very bad health, it's hard to start a business when you're bedridden. Millions of people are starting businesses all the time in incredibly limited situations like a street food cart in a slum in India and succeeding.
  - Mezzie 3y ago
    Not who you responded to, but I have a disability (Multiple Sclerosis) that pretty much precludes me from building a successful business. Starting a successful, profitable business usually requires both working around the clock at first in order to establish it and the ability to forego health insurance/healthcare for a period of time. If I'm lucky I have 10 functioning hours a day and I need to make money to not starve so 8 is taken up with a full time job (luckily I walk 5 minutes to work so no commute). I also still need to shower, eat, and exercise to keep my physical condition from deteriorating. On bad days I'm sneaking in naps at work because I have less than 8 hours of good functioning. Weekends are usually spent recovering (sleep/migraine). Basically anything that eats up your time. Disability is just an example problem that nobody can blame on us. Edit: It doesn't need to be severe, which is why I mention it. I'm actually better off than 95% of MS patients.
    - pdfernhout 3y ago
      You probably know this, but Dr. Terry Wahls, MD, and Nicole Apelian, PhD herbalist are two professionals with MS who have used diet and such to manage their MS. See also Dr. Joel Fuhrman: https://www.drfuhrman.com/health-concerns/9/multiple-sclerosis https://www.drfuhrman.com/health-concerns/9/multiple-scleros... His plan also has a lot of success with reducing or eliminating migraines for many people. Best of luck with managing MS.
  - bjelkeman-again 3y ago
matheusmoreira 3y ago
Ask for the moon and you'll be surprised by how often you get it.
- teleforce 3y ago
  It's a cliche and people normally hate this statement, the truth is only a small portions of those what you want are overlapping with what you really needs, most of people are spending most of their efforts and time pursuing the non-overlapping sections.
  - matheusmoreira 3y ago
    I don't really want to live my life based on just what I need though. My needs are already met. I want a lot more than that.

calderwoodra 3y ago

I usually don't struggle to work towards my goals but totally agree that this resonates and this single insight made the article a worthwhile read.

asimpletune 3y ago

Don’t forget people overvaluing talent as one of the main excuses while minimizing what they can control.

gonzo41 3y ago
Always bet on grit. It's a learnable skill and you never lose it.
- IggleSniggle 3y ago
  I’d argue you will almost certainly lose it if you never loose it ;-). Loose it or lose it, I always say

eastbound 3y ago

It’s a self-truthing statement. As in, everyone who doesn’t agree with you is also excluded from your criteria. So from your point of view, you are absolutely right. It goes like this: - Papa deer: “Remember son, you have the power to make objects move by thought. If you see a car rolling towards you, STARE at it straight in the headlights and concentrate and move it with your mind.” - Son deer: “Isn’t that how grandpa died?” - Papa deer: “He didn’t believe enough.” So I’ll say it straight away: Some people, no matter how they work to build a startup, are blocked from success by external factors, on which they can do nothing. And I can say that because I’m a millionaire twice from startups, and that gift/set of skills/learnings/factors will never dawn on some people. Of course I’m definitely not saying that because I’m single and have no talent in women ;) But I’m tired of “Just put your mind to it, and if it doesn’t work, it’s because you didn’t try enough.” No. I irritate women. I can see it in their eyes, and there is no way around that (at least until someone tells me what my defect is, assuming it’s a defect I can work upon, but everyone lies to me saying “try more”. No, papa deer).

safety1st 3y ago
> Some people, no matter how they work to build a startup, are blocked from success by external factors, on which they can do nothing. What are the factors specifically? How are you defining success? My definition is "You built a profitable business" and there are so many small businesses doing this across the world, I can't really think of external factors that are true deal breakers except perhaps very bad health, it's hard to start a business when you're bedridden. Millions of people are starting businesses all the time in incredibly limited situations like a street food cart in a slum in India and succeeding.
- Mezzie 3y ago
  Not who you responded to, but I have a disability (Multiple Sclerosis) that pretty much precludes me from building a successful business. Starting a successful, profitable business usually requires both working around the clock at first in order to establish it and the ability to forego health insurance/healthcare for a period of time. If I'm lucky I have 10 functioning hours a day and I need to make money to not starve so 8 is taken up with a full time job (luckily I walk 5 minutes to work so no commute). I also still need to shower, eat, and exercise to keep my physical condition from deteriorating. On bad days I'm sneaking in naps at work because I have less than 8 hours of good functioning. Weekends are usually spent recovering (sleep/migraine). Basically anything that eats up your time. Disability is just an example problem that nobody can blame on us. Edit: It doesn't need to be severe, which is why I mention it. I'm actually better off than 95% of MS patients.
  - pdfernhout 3y ago
    You probably know this, but Dr. Terry Wahls, MD, and Nicole Apelian, PhD herbalist are two professionals with MS who have used diet and such to manage their MS. See also Dr. Joel Fuhrman: https://www.drfuhrman.com/health-concerns/9/multiple-sclerosis https://www.drfuhrman.com/health-concerns/9/multiple-scleros... His plan also has a lot of success with reducing or eliminating migraines for many people. Best of luck with managing MS.
- bjelkeman-again 3y ago

matheusmoreira 3y ago

Ask for the moon and you'll be surprised by how often you get it.

teleforce 3y ago
It's a cliche and people normally hate this statement, the truth is only a small portions of those what you want are overlapping with what you really needs, most of people are spending most of their efforts and time pursuing the non-overlapping sections.
- matheusmoreira 3y ago
  I don't really want to live my life based on just what I need though. My needs are already met. I want a lot more than that.