You won't always get what you strive for, but you will definitely get what you settle for. You won't magically outperform your standards. - James Clear

If you want to be in the top 1% of a particular domain, then you can't take your cues from and follow the social norms of 99% of people.

This is harder than it sounds. We are wired to imitate. The further you want to climb, the more carefully you need to construct your tribe.

Yes, a habit can be completed in just a few seconds, but it can also shape the actions that you take for minutes or hours afterward. Habits are like the entrance ramp to a highway. They lead you down a path and, before you know it, you’re speeding toward the next behavior. It seems to be easier to continue what you are already doing than to start doing something different. You sit through a bad movie for two hours. You keep snacking even when you’re already full.

Most of the excuses I made…

– not enough time <br/>– not enough money <br/>– not enough knowledge <br/>– not the right connections

…were just ways to avoid the real bottleneck: Not enough courage.

There was always a small step I could have taken—if I had the guts to take it.