Jimmy Chim

Tag: Action

  • Identity + Action

    One interesting contrast between English and Cantonese speakers is the way they describe what they do.

    English speakers tend to assert an identity: I’m a teacher. He’s a photographer. She is a great basketball player. Cantonese speakers prefer to state the verb: I teach (我教書). He likes to take photos (佢鍾意影相). She plays basketball really well (佢打籃球好勁).

    The English way of thinking is powerful. An identity shapes your beliefs. If you believe you are a marathon runner, going on a long run is natural. The behavior is expected.

    There is, however, one limitation: you can establish an empty identity and fail to follow through with any action. Painters that don’t paint. Artists that don’t create. Entrepreneurs that don’t start businesses.

    The best strategy is to combine the two: state the identity and act.

    Say “I’m a scientist” and head to the lab.

    Say “I’m a chef” and fire up the stove.

    Say “I’m a designer” and sketch.

    Do both.

  • You don’t need more prep

    Before starting a creative project, the voice says: you need more prep! More research, more planning, more studying.

    That voice is loud and obnoxious. Writer Steven Pressfield calls this voice the Resistance. It takes you on detours like getting a somewhat related certificate, envy other people’s achievement on LinkedIn, or worrying about where the money comes from.

    No, no, no. These are the Devil’s plans: to wear you out, to overwhelm you, to lead you down frustrating dead ends. You don’t need that certificate (yet). You don’t need to spin your wheels on how others get to where they are. You don’t need to quit your full time job (yet).

    What you need is to start. Do the actual thing. What are they? Poets write. Chefs cook. Comedians tell jokes. Designers design. Painters paint. Artists create. Make stuff. Share your work. That’s what you need to do.

    You are ready. Let’s go.

  • Go Forward

    Florence Nightingale founded modern nursing. In the mid-1800s, she drastically improved hygiene standard and reduced the death rate in hospitals.

    But before that, Nightingale was torn by the idea of leaving her comfortable home for service. In fact, it took her almost 16 years to respond to what she later referred to as “the call.” Healthcare work was dangerous back then. Unsurprisingly, her wealthy family disapproved.

    While wrestling with her call, Nightingale once asked Gridley Howe, a physician:

    “Do you think it would be unsuitable and unbecoming for a young Englishwoman to devote herself to works of charity in hospitals?”

    Dr. Howe responded:

    “It would be unusual, and in England whatever is unusual is thought to be unsuitable. But I say to you “go forward,” if you have a vocation for that way of life, act up to your inspiration and you will find there is never anything unbecoming or unladylike in doing your duty for the good of others. Choose, go on with it, wherever it may lead you.”

    ​

  • Cultivate work you love

    Jesuit priest Anthony De Mello on cultivating work you love:

    “You must cultivate activities that you love. You must discover work that you do, not for its utility, but for itself.

    How many activities can you count in your life that you engage in simply because they delight you and grip your soul? Find them out, cultivate them, for they are your passport to freedom and love.”

    Source: The Way to Love

  • Scared?

    Author Steven Pressfield on fear:

    “Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”

    Source: The War of Art

  • Try something new every day

    Doesn’t matter what it is, how insignificant it appears, or whether anyone notices.

    Take the long way home. Learn a new word. Do the exercises at the end of the chapter. Review old photos. Find a better way to solve the same problem.

    If we do that daily, we will have experimented over 360 small ideas a year from now. Many will be duds, but we will find at least a dozen gems in between.

    Above all, our mental muscles will grow stronger. Facing the next unknown will become just a bit less scary.

  • Start with one

    Key to building a new habit: start small. How small exactly? Try one.

    • Write one sentence
    • Read one page
    • Walk one block
    • Jot down one idea
    • Do one practice question
    • Practice one chord
    • Declutter one small pile of paper
    • Meditate or pray for one minute

    Make it absurdly easy. Then do it every day at around the same time*. Resist the temptation to ramp up quickly. Keep it nice and steady instead.

    If you miss a day, no worries. Pick it back up where you left off. You will see progress within weeks.

    *Tips: Putting an “X” on a calendar every time you do the habit will help visualize progress. It’s also a good idea to focus on only one habit a time.

    Inspired by: Atomic Habits and Tiny Habits

  • Start small

    When we start a new project or develop a new habit, it is tempting to go big right away: read an entire book, run three miles, or play an instrument for five hours.

    But by doing too much at the beginning we risk burning ourselves out. I can’t tell you how many times I quit an endeavor within a week.

    Another option is to start small. Do a little on the first day. Make it easy. Read one page. Walk half a mile. Practice one chord. Then ramp up slowly.

    Never underestimate the power of a small step. Going from zero to one is already an achievement.

  • From Firewood Sales to Presidency

    In between his mediocre military career and his presidency, Ulysses S. Grant went through a period of setbacks and financial difficulty.

    To support his family at one point, he had to sell firewood—hardly a glamorous venture for a West Point graduate. His ex-army colleague was shocked, and said, “Great god, Grant, what are you doing?”

    Grant replied, “I’m solving the problem of poverty.”

    No shame in doing whatever it takes to get through a difficult patch in life*.

    Reference: Grant by Jean Edward Smith

  • Seemingly futile effort

    A football match looks like futile effort most of the time.

    A team makes a fantastic midfield play with delicate passes, but the ball is stolen last minute. Back to defense.

    Here comes a promising free kick opportunity, but the header goes wide. Back to square one.

    The striker finds a rare opening during transition, but misses the shot. Still nothing on the scoreboard.

    Every game is filled with dozens of failures. Some hurt more than others. Great teams, however, do not dwell on the errors. Instead, they let go immediately. They reset. They focus on the next play.

    Nothing seems to get through? Keep trying. Pay attention. Pass better. Communicate more. Change formation. Take some risks. Knock on every door.

    Without the 99% of hard work that appears fruitless, the 1% of glory will never come.

  • One Starfish At a Time

    One morning an old man walked along the beach. A big storm had just passed. As far as the eye could see, the shore was littered with starfish.

    From a distance, the man noticed something unusual. A woman picked up a starfish, threw it back into the sea, and repeated with the next one.

    He approached the woman.

    “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” he asked.

    “When the sun gets high, unless I throw them into the water, they will die,” The woman replied.

    The man scanned the many miles of beach.

    “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish. Sending a few into the water can’t possibly make much of a difference,” the man said.

    The young woman knelt, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. She smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

    We don’t have to be overwhelmed by the many problems of the world. We can start by acting on a small problem in front of us.