A view of life and commercial real estate from Newark and Licking County, Ohio
Utopia is also impossible because it is friction which propels progress. Without the pressure of new problems, there is little reason for advancement. Some people think of utopia not as a destination but as an ideal, but even that is misleading because utopia ignores the inherent tradeoffs in every benefit. We don’t get better without also earning some new problems. Problem-free is a stagnant death zone, and nothing we should aim for.
-Kevin Kelly, from here
Why is improvement hard?
Part of the issue is everyone wants to improve, but nobody wants to destroy. Change often requires destruction. Or, at least, unlearning.
Improvement is being better than your past self. It doesn't have to be more complicated than that. Do not compare against others, compare against your past self. Keep the focus internal.
-James Clear, from this edition
I start my valuation classes with a question of whether valuation is an art or a science, and I argue that it is neither; it does not have the precision that characterizes a science and unlike an art, it does come with principles that constrain you on what you can and cannot do. I describe valuation as a craft, where you learn as you value companies, and in the process, there are times where you question how it is practiced, and try to find ways to do it better. I have learned my share of lessons in the four decades that I have practiced valuation, and I have often abandoned standard practices, in the hope of developing better ones.
-Aswath Damodaran, from this episode
From ancient times until now, wise men and women who wanted to make the world a better place didn’t start with some grandiose plan for others. Instead, they practiced the “make your bed” philosophy, where real change most often starts with self-improvement.
-Jeff Minick, with his list of seven ways
Just saying but most AI’s represent a big improvement over the “brain trust” running many corporations.
As a result, Franklin was able to draw up a bill in the Assembly to pay for street paving, and he accompanied it with a proposal to install street lamps in front of each house. With his love for science and detail, Franklin even worked on a design for the lamps. The globes imported from London, he noticed, did not have vent on the bottom to allow air in, which meant the smoke collected and darkened the glass. Franklin invented a new model with vents and a chimney, so that the lamp remained clean and bright. He also designed the style of lamp, common today, that had four flat panes of glass rather than one globe, making it easier to repair if broken. "Some may think these trifling matters not worth minding," Franklin said, but they should remember that "human felicity is produced . . . by little advantages that occur every day."
-Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
. . . we who pass do not own this land, we but use it, we hold it briefly in trust for those yet to come. We must not reap with seeding, we must not take for the earth without replacing.
-Louis L'Amour, The Lonesome Gods
. . . he was a prophet of tolerance. Focusing on doctrinal disputes was divisive, he felt, and trying to ascertain divine certainties was beyond our mortal ken. Nor did he think that such endeavors were socially useful. The purpose of religion should be to make men better and to improve society, and any sect or creed that did so was fine with him.
-Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Every man upon earth may find in himself something that wants mending; and the work of repentance is to inquire, not only "What we have done?" but also, " What we have to do?" Frequent self-examination is the duty and the prudence of all who would know themselves, or would not lose themselves. The great intention of self-examination is to find out the points wherein we are to "amend our ways."
Cotton Mather, from this essay
High-hope people take every experience they have as a learning experience—no matter the experience. Everything happens for them, not to them. They utilize every experience to improve how they live and approach life.
-Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy, 10x Is Easier Than 2x
Only you can create the life you want for yourself—no one is going to do it for you. If you don't know what that life looks like yet, for whatever reason, that's fine. We're here now. The choices you make from here on out are what matters. . . . Focus on making improvements and banking achievements one day at a time.
-Arnold Schwarzenegger, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life
Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don't have to ignore the multitude of problems we create; you just have to imagine how much our ability to solve problems improves.
The best way to live life is to combine a constant appreciation of the present moment, with a general program of consistent improvement. That way, you get to feel good about both the present and the future.
-as cut-and-pasted from this blog post
..........................mean improved:
Adding more people to the internet has accelerated science, politics and every element of culture. The echos happen faster, the learning is exponential, and connected communities heat up and morph ever faster.
-Seth Godin, from here
Improving decision quality is about increasing our chances of good outcomes, not guaranteeing them. Even when that effort makes a small difference—more rational thinking and fewer emotional decisions, translated into an increased probability of better outcomes—it can have a significant impact on how our lives turn out. Good results compound. Good processes become habits, and make possible future calibration and improvement.
-Annie Duke, as culled from Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
". . . improvements come from reexamining the details of how work is done, not just from cost controls or incentives."
-Richard P. Rumelt, Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters
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