🌱 My favorite sentence

Old Wisdom. Additive bias. Essential sentence.

Happy July, friends. Here are your 3 insights in 3 minutes.

🔍 Old Wisdom

Here’s a phrase that has stood the test of time: 

“We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training.” → Archilochus, Greek Poet 650 BCE

“Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training." → Navy SEALs, 20th Century

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” → James Clear, Atomic Habits 2018

The most impactful lessons stand the test of time.

Inspiration is everywhere. Find what resonates.

James didn’t “steal” this, he cites his inspo

âž• Additive Bias 

The adult human brain loves to ADD new things, aka additive bias. 

Research from professor Leidy Klotz found: 

“The first thing that comes to our minds is, what can we add to make it better? Our paper shows we do this to our detriment, even when the only right answer is to subtract. Even with financial incentive, we still don't think to take away."

He first discovered this while playing Legos with his child and trying to make the structure stronger.

Klotz tried to add pieces, but his son knew to subtract them (easier + more effective).

So rather than thinking about what you can add to enhance a given project or season of life, consider what you can reduce

🔑 Essentialism

One of my all-time favorite sentences is from the book Essentialism by Greg Mckeown. 

“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.”

He unpacks the point beautifully here: 

“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.”

Salud,
Mitchell