Non-Negotiable Discipline, Cynicism Trap, Writing and Critical Thinking
Three Point Thursday
Hola amigo,
Happy Three Point Thursday!
This week’s edition features some classic motivation from Kobe Bryant, my thoughts on the nature of cynicism, and a quote from the excellent sci-fi writer Ted Chiang.
Don’t negotiate with yourself.
One of the most inspiring videos I’ve ever seen is one where Kobe talks about how he wouldn’t negotiate with himself. When he decided he was going to train a certain way for a certain amount of time, the deal was done. That was how he was going to train. This attitude is what discipline is all about, and while it most obviously relates to fitness and sports, it is useful to also apply it to creative pursuits. Once you make the deal with yourself that you’re going to write, or work on a project, or whatever your intellectual or creative pursuit is, don’t negotiate with yourself.
Cynicism is a trap.
It does not take much intelligence to realize that most people are primarily motivated by their own self-interest, or that people can be vain, or are often more emotional than logical. But I resent the assumption that people who are so cynical all the time are just “keeping it real,” whereas the positive and hopeful people must be naive. Come on. We are all only human. Why would some people behaving badly sometimes make you so pessimistic as to stop you from looking for the best in people, in general? Or from being optimistic or hopeful about anything? Don’t you see how much genuine goodness and trustworthiness and helpfulness there is in the shining eyes of your fellow humans? As far as I can tell, to be perpetually cynical is to, deep down, be cowardly, and also be bound to miss out on so much happiness and so many opportunities in life.
Ted Chiang, The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling:
“Writing was not just a way to record what someone said; it could help you decide what you would say before you said it. And words were not just the pieces of speaking; they were the pieces of thinking. When you wrote them down, you could grasp your thoughts like bricks in your hands and push them into different arrangements. Writing let you look at your thoughts in a way you couldn’t if you were just talking, and having seen them, you could improve them, make them stronger and more elaborate.”
Keep shooting,
Jeff
Sick quote