booknewb

Incredibly insightful book. To list some of the important things, or simply what I think is most helpful, to me. In no particular order.

i'm not at all fearful at the coming elections. i'm fully aware and i know with certainty that whoever i vote for may not win the elections. that's just a fact. and you can't know for certain. whoever wins, i have faith in people that whoever wins, people are going to stand up and speak up if bad things come up. i'd be more fearful if someone wins and no one questions him/her in anything.

Gregg Popovich is truly a force of character. Following around his ideas is always informative. Here are some from his talk with FIBA coaches some time around 2015.  On Character: " Usually, they am what they am. ... If this kid is selfish, you're not changing him. It's gonna come out in the wash, it's gonna come out in an important part of the game and you gotta get rid of him. The fiber of your team is the beginning of everything that you do .  We talk about we want players who have gotten over themselves.  If you've gotten over yourself, you know it's not about you. It's about this person and this person, and  what we do as a group. So how do you figure that out? In our case when we're drafting somebody, or signing someone.  It's not the game that i want them to watch. that easy you can tell, He can play, He can shoot. He's a  rebounder, he plays good D.  How do they react to their teammates in timeouts?  They're losing t...

This was from a post game interview from Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, after losing a game. Q: Brad, You're down five entering the fourth. Then suddenly you're down, I mean you lost by twenty-two. Are guys getting discouraged in the fourth quarter? Brad Stevens: "That's yeah I saw some of that. You probably saw some of that too. But you can't do that. All of us can't do that. That has to be something where you have the toughness to say " Hey, Something goes wrong. I'm gonna make the next one right. And you focus on doing what you need to do to make the next play right on both offense and defense. I mean this is professional basketball. Things are gonna go against you. and you have to respond. Things are gonna go for you. and you have to respond." Interesting take. This idea seems pretty consistent among most successful teams, or industries. I've seen or heard a version of this in the last couple years. And he's r...

This is an excerpt from Tim Grover's column in Yahoo, discussing how some players just can't make free throws. What's amazing is it can be applied to anything in our life when we're dealing with stress or a high amount of pressure. "If you're never forced to perform under pressure, how can you ever learn to cope with pressure?" ... " Pressure is a privilege. Embrace it, don't fear it. What I can't do is give you drills or routines to calm yourself. That's an internal process only you can develop, and you can't develop it if you're thinking about missing free throws. Ideally, I don't want you thinking at all. Thinking turns your thoughts ON to everything; we want to turn those thoughts off. Not easy. As soon as someone says, "Don't think about it," all you can think about is not thinking. Now you've doubled the pressure. If you have to think about something to keep yourself cool, let...

How do you pick the perfect guitar? TE: " Well, You pick it up and play it and if you can't put it down, and you just want to keep playing it. Then that's probably the guitar for you.  And it doesn't matter where it was made, what name is on it. How much it cost. any of that stuff. It doesn't matter If you love that guitar. It could be some piece of funky old junk, if you love it, then that's the guitar for you.  You know like the truth is I play these guitars 'cause I love 'em. They sound so good. I can do whatever I want with it. But they don't pay me to play them.  I play them because I like em. If I preferred a Martin, or a Taylor or whatever then I'd play one. but I don't. This is the guitar I like.  You gotta find what works for you. People are always asking me what's the best guitar. I'm like the one you can't put down . What are the best strings? The one's that your guitar like. The one's tha...

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 5 "At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: 'I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I'm going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?' — But it's nicer in here ... So you were born to feel 'nice'? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don't you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you're not willing to do your job as a human being?"