Simple But Not Easy

One of the concepts I've been pondering lately is the idea that the key to most of our problems are simple. But unfortunately, just because they are simple does not mean that they are easy. I first came across this concept in Ryan Holiday's excellent book The Obstacle is the Way.

In The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan uses this phrase to describe the process to turn Obstacles into Opportunities: exerting mastery over the three key disciplines of life: Perception, Action, and Will. Seems easy right? All you need to do is Fix your Perception, Take Action, and Have an Iron Will. However, saying that you are going to master these three disciplines and actually mastering these three disciplines are easier said than done.

Take most of the problems you have. The answers to these problems are probably very simple. But just because they’re simple doesn't necessarily mean that they’re easy.

You want to lose some weight? That's simple. At its most basic level all you need to do is burn more calories than you consume. Calories in, calories out right?

You want high returns in the stock market? Buy low, sell high. It’s as simple as that.

You want to have a good day? Wake up early, exercise, and eat well - it's as simple as that. But even knowing this how many diets do people end up cheating on, how many exercise routines are left abandoned, how many times do people press snooze on their alarm clocks?

We might have a concrete plan set out ahead of us that seems easy at first, but we often don’t factor in life happening. Things happen, priorities change, and what seemed very simple at the outset suddenly becomes very hard to stick to.

This isn't necessarily a gloomy discovery though. Realizing this has made me think about all the things in my life and the plans that I have set out for myself. How many of my goals can be split up into simple tasks? How much of the person I want to be will be accomplished by just showing up every day and doing a simple set of tasks? More importantly, what are the simple tasks that I’ve failed to accomplish and aren’t currently doing?

This realization has brought to light that the things that I want to accomplish are in fact very simple. All I need to do is in the words of Russel Brand take it one day at a time and make sure that I show up.

Because at the end of the day, knowing the enemy is half the battle. Reflecting on our own proclivities to shirk these simple daily responsibilities is the second half. And once we know both of these things, in the words of Sun Tzu, we will need not fear the results of the battles yet to come.

Theodore Roosevelt on the Cowardice of Cynicism and the Courage to Create Rather Than Tear Down  

I came across this great article by Maria Popova about Theodore Roosevelt's attitude towards cynicism and creativity on Twitter. She explains how Theodore Roosevelt viewed the attitude of cynicism as cowardice in disguise and instead believed we should all strive to create rather than criticize people who actually take action themselves. This attitude is even more incredible coming from our twenty-sixth president considering that he could have very well adopted a cynical attitude from a young age due to his numerous health problems.

Quote of the Week

I came across this quote from reading Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon in which he argues that it can sometimes be more effective to learn from amateurs than an expert. The big takeaway for me is to always think of yourself as an amateur (no problem for me) and never get too comfortable about your mastery of a subject.

This book has been extremely influential in me starting this newsletter and some other projects in the pipeline and I'd highly recommend it to anyone with a creative inclination.

Tim Ferriss’ Interview with Naval Ravikant

I finally got around to finishing this great podcast between two of my favorite personalities: Tim Ferriss and Naval Ravikant. While Tim Ferriss needs no introduction some people might not be aware of Naval: an Indian American entrepreneur and investor. He's got a rabid internet following and is seen as a thought leader on how to not only be successful but also live a fulfilled and happy life. This conversation with Tim spanned a multitude of topics including learning, cryptocurrencies, self-examination, and Richard Feynman. I would highly urge anyone and everyone to set apart two hours and go through this podcast because there were many lessons to take from it. I also did a Twitter thread with my top 3 takeaways from the podcast if you want to check that out (@rohaniru on Twitter for those keeping track at home):

How Knives Out Switches Genres (Twice)

To end this first edition of Thursday Thoughts I wanted to shine a light on this excellent YouTube video I came across analyzing one of the best movies that came out last year, Knives Out (available on Amazon Prime for free). I'm currently reading Agatha's Christie's Death on the Nile with my Book Club (shoutout GBC) so it was really interesting seeing how Rian Johnson sets up Knives Out as a classic Christie-like detective story and then switches the genre to a Crime film. Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen Knives Out yet!

That’s all for this week. If you enjoyed this issue please consider subscribing to ensure that you automatically receive each issue in your inbox every week: