Little Thoughts and Reflections from 2023

Looking back through my diaries and notes, the painful moments of this year gave me the most. 1. Routine is sooo important. It helps not only with building habits but also with an inner sense of order. With order inside, it becomes easier to let go of some things in order to gain others. If you travel for work a lot, keep yourself steady in terms of time. Find a few anchors — when you go to sleep and wake up, time for reading and journaling, blank time for yourself, and so on.

2. First solve the right problem; only then solve the problem right. There are too many problems; grabbing the main ones, the priority ones, is the key to not getting life's big direction wrong. 3. "Compromise" is a great way to solve problems. 4. Shape your era instead of being shaped by it; don't be just a fleck of spray on the wave of the times. 5. You progress fast only when you have a goal. Whatever the goal, give yourself one that's hard to reach. Even writing a BP helps you absorb a book more efficiently and more deeply.

3. "A man who lives more seriously inside will also begin to live more simply outside." — True Nobility, Hemingway 7. Buffett and Munger lived very regular lives, but that didn't stop them from having brilliant, rich lives. 8. On negotiation - What makes a negotiation succeed may not be technique but strength — sheer power beats a hundred tricks. - Prepare thoroughly; having some lines of thinking and templates ready always helps. - I'm a negotiator who softens easily; I need to think clearly about my walk-away price.

4. On public speaking - Don't speak unprepared - For specific occasions, prepare some speech templates or frameworks - Find your own style - Always try humour 10. Everyone's life is a narrative of their own. If the "facts" others see differ from yours, don't be surprised, and don't force it. 11. The gap between knowing and doing really is that vast. 12. On communication - It's not about making the other person think I'm great, but about making them feel great about themselves. - When discussing a complex issue with someone, it's best to begin by reaching consensus on what the words mean. Take the definition of "taking care of the family" — the differences in it are enough to make us approach all communication with awe. 13. I really love this passage, for no particular reason; it feels like a portrait of the state of my life: In the best times of my life, I always want to clear some space in my heart, and then clear some more. There I would shovel away the snow, I would lift the sagging sky a little higher, and there is an overflowing sea there too, and I would let the seawater spill over — the fish would come to rescue me — the seawater floods the dense forest, and deep in the forest I would hunt a troop of new monkeys. Everything is so vivid, only the space is never big enough, yet I have never asked: what is this space for. I have no answer to: why; I can only keep, keep doing this, until I am utterly exhausted. Only by doing this does my life have value. — The Human Province, Canetti, 1942 p8 14. A person needs a bit of a "rebellious spirit"; throw off "should" thinking and you can be freer. Step outside the box and you'll find the world outside has far fewer obstacles. 15. "My problem is that I am not rational and I am extremely prone to drowning in randomness and suffering emotional torture as a result. I am aware of my need to ruminate on park benches and in cafés away from information, but I can only do so if it is taken away from me. My sole advantage in life is that I know some of my weaknesses, mainly that I am unable to tame my emotions about news and keep a clear head. Silence is much better." — Fooled by Randomness That's right: the longer I live, the more I understand that I'm as ordinary as a person can be, forever unable to overcome my irrationality and flaws. 16. Stay away from toxic people, no matter how attractive they seem. 17. "Scarcity" really does make people dumber. No time, no money, no room to manoeuvre — all of these are "scarcity." Try not to let yourself fall into scarcity; that's how you have more chances. 18. Always have something useful in hand. When Professor Zhang Shoucheng was a child and an ad break came on while he was watching TV, he would pick up a book and read for a bit. 19. On choosing hotels: in every case, choose the one that saves the most time — give yourself the most rest; among equally close options, choose the cheapest chain hotel. 20. On getting around: within 20 minutes, if you can bike or walk, don't take a car; if you can take a taxi, don't drive. 21. The top leader of a company must have a "founder's spirit," and one of a founder's most important qualities is "unwavering resolve."