James Clear Quotes

Surround yourself with people who have the same goals as you. Rise together.

On the ground, a rock is just a rock. But when moving at high speed through the atmosphere, a rock becomes a meteor—alive with fire and burning bright.

People are not so different. Without activity, we are lifeless and dull. When moving fast and taking action, we come alive.

I'd estimate at least half of my frustrations with others are actually frustrations with myself for failing to set clear boundaries and stand by them.

There are 3 primary drivers of results in life:

1) Your luck (randomness).
2) Your strategy (choices).
3) Your actions (habits).

Only 2 of the 3 are under your control. But if you master those 2, you can improve the odds that luck will work for you rather than against you.

Creativity is the focused combination of unlikely things. Your mind locks onto a certain element and then searches widely for something unexpected that fits with it. What can scuba diving teach you about agriculture? What can trees teach you about public speaking? There is always some connective tissue between disciplines. If you wish to be more creative, look for the connections between two previously unconnected things.

You can often learn more from peers who are 2 years ahead of you than mentors who are 20 years ahead of you.

Life evolves and most insights get outdated.

Something my four-year-old told me recently:

“We need to be kind to the future.”

You can apply that to your own life and the world at large.

Lucky opportunities tend to be stumbled upon, not handed out.

If you're waiting for someone to hand deliver an excellent opportunity to you, it's unlikely to happen. But if you are exploring and moving—if you're in the mix and engaged—then you'll stumble upon many opportunities.

The active mind comes across a lot. Keep tilling the soil and you will occasionally unearth something wonderful.

If you want to create something but feel it has already been done 1000 times, remember: There is always room for quality.

Goals are for people who care about winning once.

Systems are for people who care about winning repeatedly.

It’s crazy how often I feel like I need to resolve some big problem in my life when all I really need is one of the following:

1. A glass of water
2. A 10-minute walk outside
3. A good night of sleep

Three simple things that resolve many of the stresses and anxieties of daily life.

Books are the nearest thing to a time machine humans have ever made.

In the long-run, the people who succeed are the ones who want to live the lifestyle that precedes the results.

Stop asking, "What results do I want to have?"

Start asking, "What lifestyle do I want to live?"

It's common to want results. It's rare to want the lifestyle.

Three keys to improvement:

1. Do you start quickly?
2. Do you learn from your mistakes quickly?
3. Do you stay in the game and keep trying?

One type of person approaches a situation with the mindset of, "How can I make this work?"

Another type seems to approach each circumstance with the mindset of, "What are all the reasons this wouldn't work?"

Both people will be forced to deal with reality, but the first person will only have to solve problems that actually occur while the second person will often avoid taking action entirely because of the potential problems they have dreamt up before starting.

There will always be reasons to not do something. Be a problem solver, not a problem adder.