Ferris

I’m pretty interested in lifestyle design. Ferris is too. This book is about lifestyle design. Most people’s lifestyle are bullshit. More specifically, they live a life that society laid out for them because it was their default, and they actually put little thought into the type of life that they live. They’ll even admit that they don’t like the lifestyle that they’re living, but they take no steps to find one that really makes them happy (what would seem to be a true priority). They could take easy steps to change these circumstances, but everybody is too afraid of violating some social convention or taking a risk to do anything about their slavery. Retirement makes no sense as a goal. If retirement is what most people are working their careers for, then people waste their truly enjoyable years away to effectively spend their last years in what is for most, effectively poverty. These are the commonsense rules of the real world. The timing for big changes is never right. You just have to decide that now is the time to make things happen. I use incorrect timing as a ‘reason’ (excuse) for not doing a lot of things. Things I’m currently not doing, a great example is writing Amy. There will never be a ‘right time’ for that. Ask for forgiveness, not permission. If you want it and it won’t devastate those around you, try it and then justify it. People deny things on an emotional basis that they can easily accept after the fact. Most people are fast to stop you but won’t get in your way if you’re already moving. One that I struggle with: Emphasize strengths, don’t fix weaknesses. I really need to give this serious thought. This could lead to huge changes. My strengths have consistently been in things that I think aren’t very valuable. Government and history are great examples. I wouldn’t be happy focusing on them because I think that their worth is extremely limited. But focusing on a thing that is a relative weakness may lead to poor performance. Unrealistic goals are better than realistic ones. They’re goals that are truly motivating. I’ve set a lot of half-way goals that, while easy to accomplish, didn’t promise a lot of return. I usually ignored them and went after something that would be a greater accomplishment. Shooting for perfection and catching excellence has characterized almost all of my real successes.

Ferris wants a list for goals in three categories: having, being and doing for the next 6 months. Having

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  A successful business
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  New laptop, tablet
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  Wardrobe I’m proud to wear and confident in

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  Consistently delicious food
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  Job offers from firms that I think are valuable

Being

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  Erudite/Bibliophile
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  Polymath
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  Best ultimate player in the country
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  Starcraft Grandmaster
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  Applicable knowledge of mathematics, physics, computer science and economics (the ability to use these in creation)

  Deep and broad social network of loving, close friends and relationships

Doing

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  Building a successful tech startup
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  Research into some fascinating field with real potential (data science, AI, behavior)

  Being a huge player at club nationals

  Have regular fascinating transformative conversations with the most intelligent people at

Harvard 5. Find a lifestyle that makes me extremely happy consistently

Convert each ‘Being’ into a ‘Doing’.

  I can become ‘well learned’ systematically. Read 3 books a week, and have conversations with the smartest people who are willing to talk about them. Choose the books that embody the kind of person you want to become.

  Polymath means caring about the intellectual, artistic, social and physical. Becoming erudite will take care of the intellectual. I can embrace the arts through music – develop piano skills, become an accomplished singer, listen to a lot of music. Become a dancer. Take joy in using a dancing skill, build that skill. The literary arts, become a poet by writing a poem a day for a few months. Write a novel. The social has to be intentionally built. Be the person who has a large and active social network. Make relationships into my lifeblood, they can feed the other pursuits. The physical should be an intense workout regimen that makes me really happy with my body and physical ability. Find physical goals – ultimate works well for now.

  I know what this takes. Systematic work.

  This also takes systematic work. Maybe spend a week cultivating this skill, and then focus on improving skill and become a grandmaster over winter break.

  These fields require time to build skill in, but I should use my course selection and students in my courses to dive into them. I should also do all of the extra work surrounding these courses that will make my knowledge of them more complete. I need an outlet to apply these skills, and so doing research would be extremely valuable.

  A deep and broad social network. This requires overcoming a lot of social fear. Start with small social challenges, talking to people I don’t know, experimenting with bringing conversations to an intimate place.

Ferris isn’t a big fan of very long term, far off goals. The idea is to set a lofty, really motivating goal and run towards it as quickly as possible.

Source: Original Google Doc