Hi there,

Happy Monday!

Here’s your weekly dose of The Monday 3: a quote, an insight and an action I’m taking.

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A quote I’m pondering

There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, ‘Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,’ and an optimist who says, ‘Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine any way.’ Either way, nothing happens.

Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia

An insight

Making smaller circles is a fascinating concept from The Art Of Learning by chess prodigy and former martial arts world champion Josh Waitzkin.

By beginning to practice, learning from our mistakes, working with others better than ourselves and consistent reflection we can get better and better at a skill. Through repetition and study, we refine our understanding, it becomes automatic and subconscious and the circles of improvement become smaller and smaller.

Eventually the master’s practice is so nuanced as to be barely perceptible by the beginner. A challenge is that as we develop mastery, it can be hard to teach a beginner because of how much has been forgotten about acquiring that skill.

But the process and art of learning continues in a repeatable pattern.

An action I’m taking

It’s one thing to set goals, it’s another to truly understand and accept the fears that might be holding us back.

I’ve been tapping back into Tim Ferriss’ fear setting exercise as a way of crystallising challenges and how I might adapt and address them as they arise.

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Is there one of these that really stood out for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts or suggestions whether that’s a favourite quote or something else.

I hope you have a great week ahead.

With love,

Toby