Two truths that can be at odds: 1) There are no bonus points in life for doing it the hard way. 2) There is a lot to be gained in life by acting fas… - James Clear

Observation is a skill, and like any skill, it can be trained and honed.

Even if you're not a negative person, you may be skilled at noticing negative things. Sometimes people are good at noticing the reason things won't work out or have a tendency to fixate on the latest distressing story.

But you can train your eye toward the opportunities each day quietly presents. You can become competent at noticing your good luck: the little moments of joy, the stranger who helped, the small things that went right, the opportunity in front of you right now.

What are you competent in observing? And which types of observations seem to serve your life best?

Being underestimated is a gift. You don't have to find motivation.

Perfection is expensive. The last 5 percent of quality almost always costs a disproportionate amount of time and money.

My favorite type of purchase is where you spend 80 percent of the cost, but get 95 percent of the value. The best combination of cost and quality is often one step down from perfect.