When I was younger, I liked it when things were complex. I felt like other people were going to be lazy, not analyze things, and I could find some kind of advantage. Whether this was games, school, or other areas of life – complexity was my advantage.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that life has plenty of complexity and that if I wanted to succeed, I needed to learn how to make things as simple as possible. I only have so much attention and energy each day, so keeping (or making) things simple means I’m able to accomplish more.
And, as it turns out, by keeping things simple, you also distill things to the most important aspects and are far more likely to succeed overall.
Keeping It Simple [AVC] – “Investing is humbling. At 60, with 35 years of venture investing experience, I still get most things wrong. Which is why I like to keep things simple. And when I do I am rewarded.”
Mastering the Art of Expressing Gratitude [Social Leverage] – “We should use every opportunity to express to those around us how much we appreciate their love, support, and generosity. The key way to do this is with the Thank-you note. Everyone should be knowledgeable of the when’s and how’s of writing them.”
How My First Property Purchase Went South [ESI Money] – “My real estate efforts probably singlehandedly generated somewhere between 20% and 30% of my net worth…. here’s the story of my very first (attempted) property purchase — a deal that went wrong and almost kept me from becoming a real estate investor.” How something starts isn’t always how it ends (or how it is in the middle, as the case may be).