The Process

[intotheprocess]

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.

Joseph Campbell

[intotheprocess]

Do It

“I think it kind of sounds dumb, but it’s literally 100% failsafe… If you do what I’m about to say right now, it’ll work. I’ve figured it out! I’ve done all this running around the world to give this one piece of advice. If you want to do this, if you want to be a designer, be Karl Lagerfeld or be Steve Jobs, you just have to do this one thing: do it. I found this myself: this is all literally based on one idea to make one t-shirt. I never would have thought it would amount to this, but if I hadn’t done that one, it wouldn’t have led into the third or the fifth or whatever.

What I notice with a lot of people is that they have big dreams, but they’re still just talking about it. Okay, you want to build a spaceship, and you can’t build it tomorrow. But there are some intermediate steps that you could do that you’re not doing that you’re just talking about. If you want to be Anna Wintour, it’s so possible, but most people just assume it will be possible later, like something magical needs to happen. They believe that more than they believe, like, ‘Hey, I can go to Vogue or I can start my own magazine now and pretend like I’m Anna Wintour and build up enough esteem.’

I guess that’s how I do it—I don’t look at the big goal. I can just chip away. That’s why I have so many projects coming out at once—that’s me not really believing that it could happen, and then it’s like, ‘Oh wait, shit. I have another t-shirt dropping tomorrow.’ As a designer, if I can’t think up an idea, I shouldn’t be designing. I think that I’m like high off of doing what I think that I want to do. But everyone can do that! There’s no magic. I use opportunities to tell people, ‘You can literally do it.’ I used to be the one at the bar talking about, ‘Oh, I’m going to do this!’ Or brunch with my friends, [saying], ‘Yo, I have an idea for swimsuits’—which I do! So any opportunity where someone is like, ‘Hey, do you want to start a new line?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, I want to do swimsuits.’ One thing that leads to another.”

-- Virgil Abloh

[intotheprocess]

The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.

Rainer Maria Rilke

[intotheprocess]

Morita Therapy

“Trying to control the emotional self willfully by manipulative attempts is like trying to choose a number on a thrown die or pushing back the water of the Kamo river upstream. Certainly, we end up aggravating our agony and feeling unbearable pain because of our failure in manipulating the emotions.”

– Shoma Morita, M.D.”

“… a person who is obsessed with the desire for perfect feelings tries to feel refreshed at all times. In fact, however, our daily feelings naturally flow and change according to internal and external conditions like the weather. A person who insists upon feeling refreshed is like one who hopes to have clear skies all the time. As soon as he sees a bit of a cloud he assumes the weather will be terrible all day. When he feels just a little out of sorts he tells himself that he is no good and he makes himself feel worse.”

– Takahisa Kora, M.D.”

Excerpt From: Gregg Krech. “The Art of Taking Action: Lessons from Japanese Psychology.”

[intotheprocess]

To venture causes anxiety; not to venture is to lose oneself.

Søren Kierkegaard

[intotheprocess]

"Action is the antidote to despair."

Joan Baez

[intotheprocess]

What would not get done if you were not here? Consider your unique vantage point, your talents, your loves, what you have been given to do.

Patricia Ryan Madson

[intotheprocess]

There are people who prefer to say “Yes,” and there are people who prefer to say “No.” Those who say “Yes” are rewarded by the adventures they have, and those who say “No” are rewarded by the safety they attain. There are far more “No” sayers around than “Yes” sayers, but you can train one type to behave like the other.

Keith Johnstone

[intotheprocess]

Ray Dalio on Life

I can’t comment on what having a lot of money means to others, but I do know that for me, having a lot more money isn’t a lot better than having enough to cover the basics.

That’s because, for me, the best things in life—meaningful work, meaningful relationships, interesting experiences, good food, sleep, music, ideas, sex, and other basic needs and pleasures— are not, past a certain point, materially improved upon by having a lot of money.

For me, money has always been very important to the point that I could have these basics covered and never very important beyond that.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t think that having more is good–it’s just that I don’t think it’s a big deal. So, while I spend money on some very expensive things that cost multiples relative to the more fundamental things, these expensive things have never brought me much enjoyment relative to the much cheaper, more fundamental things. They were just like cherries on the cake.

For my tastes, if I had to choose, I’d rather be a backpacker who is exploring the world with little money than a big income earner who is in a job I don’t enjoy. (Though being in a job that provides me with what I want is best of all, for me).

Also, from having come from having next-to-nothing to having a lot, I have developed a strong belief that, all things being equal, offering equal opportunity is fundamental to being good, while handing out money to capable people that weakens their need to get stronger and contribute to society is bad.

[intotheprocess]

Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.

Richard Feynman

[intotheprocess]

Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.

Napoleon Hill

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Andrew Ng On Learning

I read a lot and I also spend time talking to people a fair amount. I think two of the most efficient ways to learn, to get information, are reading and talking to experts. So I spend quite a bit of time doing both of them. I think I have just shy of a thousand books on my Kindle. And I've probably read about two-thirds of them.

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/05/13/andrew-ng_n_7267682.html

[intotheprocess]

Andrew Ng On Habits

Do you have any helpful habits or routines?

I wear blue shirts every day, I don't know if you know that. [laughter] Yes. One of the biggest levers on your own life is your ability to form useful habits.

When I talk to researchers, when I talk to people wanting to engage in entrepreneurship, I tell them that if you read research papers consistently, if you seriously study half a dozen papers a week and you do that for two years, after those two years you will have learned a lot. This is a fantastic investment in your own long term development.

But that sort of investment, if you spend a whole Saturday studying rather than watching TV, there's no one there to pat you on the back or tell you you did a good job. Chances are what you learned studying all Saturday won't make you that much better at your job the following Monday. There are very few, almost no short-term rewards for these things. But it's a fantastic long-term investment. This is really how you become a great researcher, you have to read a lot.

People that count on willpower to do these things, it almost never works because willpower peters out. Instead I think people that are into creating habits -- you know, studying every week, working hard every week -- those are the most important. Those are the people most likely to succeed.

For myself, one of the habits I have is working out every morning for seven minutes with an app. I find it much easier to do the same thing every morning because it's one less decision that you have to make. It's the same reason that my closet is full of blue shirts. I used to have two color shirts actually, blue and magenta. I thought that's just too many decisions. [Laughter] So now I only wear blue shirts.

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/05/13/andrew-ng_n_7267682.html

[intotheprocess]

Now every kind of fear grows worse by not being looked at. The proper course is to think about it with great concentration until it has become completely familiar. In the end familiarity will blunt its terrors; the whole subject will become boring, and our thoughts will turn away from it, not, as formerly, by an effort of will, but through mere lack of interest in the topic. When you find yourself inclined to brood on anything, the best plan is always to think about it even more than you naturally would until at last its morbid fascination is worn off.

Bertrand Russell (1930) - The Conquest of Happiness

[intotheprocess]

It has often been observed the true gain is in the struggle and not in the achievement—a life without a struggle on your part to make yourself excellent is hardly a life worth living.

Richard Hamming - The Art of Doing Science and Engineering

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I no more remember the books I have read than the meals I have eaten, but they have made me.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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When did you know you were rich?

I really knew I was rich when I had $10,000. I knew along time ago that I was going to be doing something I loved doing with people that I loved doing it with. In 1958, I had my dad take me out of the will, as I knew I would be rich anyway. I let my two sisters have all the estate.

I bet we all in this room live about the same. We eat about the same and sleep about the same. We pretty much drive a car for 10 years. All this stuff doesn't make it any different. I will watch the Super Bowl on a big screen television just like you. We are living the same life. I have two luxuries: I get to do what I want to do every day and I get to travel a lot faster than you.

You should do the job you love whether or not you are getting paid for it. Do the job you love. Know that the money will follow. I travel distances better than you do. The plane is nicer. But that is about the only thing that I do a whole lot different.

I didn't know my salary when I went to work for Graham until I got his first paycheck. Do what you love and don't even think about the money. I will take a trip on Paul Allen's Octopus ($400M yacht), but wouldn't want one for myself. A 60 man crew is needed. They could be stealing, sleeping with each other, etc. Professional sports teams are a hassle, especially when you have as much money as him. Fans would complain that you aren't spending enough when the team loses.

If there is a place that is warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and you do what you love doing, you will do fine. You're rich if you are working around people you like. You will make money if you are energetic and intelligent. This society lets smart people with drive earn a very good living. You will be no exception.

Source: Student Visit 2005

URL: http://boards.fool.com/buffettjayhawk-qa-22736469.aspx?sort=whole#22803680

Time: May 6, 2005

http://buffettfaq.com/#when-did-you-know-you-were-rich