Hell Yeah or No
About the book
Book author: Derek Sivers
This book is about decisions and how to make them. I guess it can be summarized as “Hell yeah!” or just say “No.”. It’s also about actions, and how they really reveal who you are.
Reflection and takeaways
Some excerpts that were extra special to me:
Actions, not words, reveal or values
If someone really wants something, they will do it. No matter what you say, your actions will reveal the truth. And they show you what you actually want.
There are two smart reactions to this:
- Stop lying to yourself, and admit your real priorities.
- Start doing what you say you want to do, and see if it’s really true.
Fish don’t know they are in the water
You are blind to your own culture and perspective, and how that shapes you. We can’t see it until we are outside of it.
If you’re not feeling “hell yeah!”, then say no
So we’re too busy to react when opportunities come our way. We miss out on the great because we’re busy with the mediocre.
The solution is to say yes to less. Saying no makes your yes more powerful. But the things you do, do them all the way.
There is no speed limit. You can do anything as fast as you want.
At my university there were a few brave engineering students that studied at 150-200% pace, getting their MSc in 3 years instead of “the usual” 5 or so. Some did double degrees, even. It’s the same with programming, or tasks. Anecdotally, if you decide that what you will get done today is this CRUD route or a write a chapter in your book then that might take you the entire day if you let the task take over. But why stop there? There are shortcuts everywhere, and the only limit is how cracked you are.
Project Thinking
Running is boring when you think of all the steps as if it were a project: check the weather, get your shoes, put on your training clothes. It sounds more insurmountable. Ask someone who loves to run and they say “Easy! Let’s go” - they don’t think of all that. So whenever you stand infront of something - how many steps are you picturing?
Procrastination hack
Change and to or. When it’s a nice day or I’ve finished exercising or I’m at home I will write a book summary.
More than two options
There are always more than two options in every situation, even dilemmas. At least always add “do nothing” and “go insane” to whatever you are facing. Once you’re at two options, don’t get stuck; there are always more. Think about them because they will lead to insights.
Don’t be a damn donkey
Buridan’s donkey has trouble thinking about the future. It’s standing halfway between a pile of hay and a bucket of water. It keeps looking left and right, unable to decide. It eventually dies due to thirst and hunger. If it could think of the future, it would have first drank the water and then eaten the hay. Adapt more long-term thinking, your life is pretty long. You don’t have to do two things at the same time.
Assume you’re below average
- 96% of cancer patients claim to be in better health than the average cancer patient.
- 94% of professors say they are better-than-average teachers.
- 90% of students think they are more intelligent than the average student.
- 93% of drivers say they are safer-than-average drivers.
“Yes, but I really am an above average” - now you’re doing it again.
Assume you’re below average, to easier admit to yourself you’re still learning. Don’t think others are stupid.
Love to be wrong
It’s good to get knocked on your ass so you can ask “What’s great about this?”. That’s where you really learn – from being a bit lost. That’s when you can go somewhere unexpected.
Don’t start a business until people are asking you to
A lot of people have an idea but no customers… Derek’s advice is “Don’t start a business until people are asking you to.”
My fault
If you take responsibility and admit that maybe there was something you could have done to prevent X, you’ll be the person who made things happen, made a mistake, and can learn from it. You get shifted into more control and can’t complain about it.
- The guy who ran away with my investment? My fault. I should have verified his claims.
- The love of my life who suddenly dumped me? My fault. I let our relationship plateau.
- Don’t like my government? My fault. I could get involved and change it.
The mirror
What matters is what you get out of someones work (painting, book, ideas), not the person who made it. Don’t dismiss people, dismiss ideas. Nobody’s perfect and without their skeletons. It’s about you, not them.
The horse fable
Better to just read it here: https://sive.rs/horses
Probability
sivers.org/odds
Amazingly rare things happen to people every day. It’s just the law of big numbers. It’s up to you to create meaning from it, if you choose to.
Subtract, don’t just add
sivers.org/subtract
This is similar to Nassim Taleb’s concept of via negativa. Instead of thinking what to add, what can you remove? For example, you want to feel better and get healthier. You can choose to add another vitamin pill – OR – you could remove eating pizza. What’ll do most for your health? The same principle can fit more often than you think. Instead of buying more stuff, you can actually get rid of stuff. That’ll cause you to cherish what you have even more :-)
Meaning is internal
sivers.org/meaning
There is a band called Talking Heads where the song writer chucked lyrics into a bowl and randomly picked bits of it. He liked that listeners created meaning that wasn’t intended while it was just random.
Other takeaways
“What got me here, won’t get me there” -> You should adapt
“The world treats you as you treat yourself. Your actions show the world who you are.”
Why did I pick it
It was a Derek Sivers book; had to read it.
Verdict
3.5 / 5. It was good, but I liked the other books from Derek more.