James Clear Quotes

Three ways to learn something new:

1. Reflect on what you have already tried.
2. Attempt something you have not tried.
3. Read about what someone else has tried.

What do you want to stand for? What are your principles and values? Who do you wish to become?

One solution is to avoid making any single aspect of your identity an overwhelming portion of who you are. In the words of investor Paul Graham, “keep your identity small.” The more you let a single belief define you, the less capable you are of adapting when life challenges you. If you tie everything up in being the point guard or the partner at the firm or whatever else, then the loss of that facet of your life will wreck you. If you’re a vegan and then develop a health condition that forces you to change your diet, you’ll have an identity crisis on your hands. When you cling too tightly to one identity, you become brittle. Lose that one thing and you lose yourself.

A good choice may go unrewarded for a long time.

The best choices tend to provide exponential returns and a hallmark of any compounding process is that the greatest rewards are delayed. Things don't really take off until years later.

Keep working. Be patient.

Imagine the outcome you want to create.

Envision where you are headed in great detail. Don't talk yourself out of it. Don't encourage yourself to be realistic. You will have to wrestle with reality soon enough. Don't be your own bottleneck at this stage.

What would the magical outcome be?

To improve, compare little things.

• marketing strategies
• exercise technique
• writing tactics

To be miserable, compare big things.

• career path
• marriage
• net worth

Comparison is the thief of joy when applied broadly, but the teacher of skills when applied narrowly.

Imagine that you have an ice cube sitting on the table in front of you. The room is cold and you can see your breath. It is currently twenty-five degrees. Ever so slowly, the room begins to heat up. Twenty-six degrees. Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight. The ice cube is still sitting on the table in front of you. Twenty-nine degrees. Thirty. Thirty-one. Still, nothing has happened. Then, thirty-two degrees. The ice begins to melt. A one-degree shift, seemingly no different from the temperature increases before it, has unlocked a huge change.

We want solutions, but what we really need are attitudes.

You don't need abs, but rather an attitude of training. You don't need the answer, but rather an attitude of curiosity. You don't need an easier life, but rather an attitude of perseverance.

Attitude precedes outcome.

Treat failure like a scientist.

Each attempt is an experiment. Each mistake is a clue.

You're not failing. You're refining.

Are you willing to be uncomfortable for 5 minutes?

Exercising is easier once you've started the workout.

Conversation is easier once you're already talking.

Writing is easier once you're in the middle of it.

But many rewards in life will elude you if you're not willing to be a little uncomfortable at first.

Entrepreneur's mind.<br/>Athlete's body.<br/>Artist's soul.

Self care takes effort. It doesn't just happen.

The body and mind need to be maintained. Similar to a garden, without effort, weeds will pop up and overtake everything.

With a bit of consistent pruning, the results can be beautiful.

We imitate the habits of three groups in particular: The close. The many. The powerful.

Be kind. You should do it simply to be decent, but do it even if you're a ruthless mercenary because you have no idea where people will end up in 10 years. The balance of power is always shifting. People will surprise you.

If you have good habits, time becomes your ally. All you need is patience.