Choosing your life’s work, changing the world, and dealing with setbacks

1: Sam Altman on Choosing Your Life’s Work

“It doesn’t matter how fast you move if it’s in a worthless direction. Picking the right thing to work on is the most important element of productivity and usually almost ignored. So think about it more! Independent thought is hard but it’s something you can get better at with practice.

Develop the confidence to stick with your convictions. It will let you be courageous when you’re right about something important that most people don’t see.”

Source: https://blog.samaltman.com/productivity

2: Brian Chesky on Changing the World

Brian Chesky is the co-founder of AirBnB, who cites this quote from his design professor as a great source of inspiration.

“I remember the first day at Rhode Island School of Design I had a teacher who said, ‘You’re a designer. You live in other people’s worlds because they designed that world for you, but those people were no smarter than you. It is your time to design the world you live in.’

This had a huge effect on me because it allowed me to stop editing my imagination. I think we go through our lives limiting our potential, and when times are tough it’s easy to convince ourselves that something isn’t possible, but if you start there then you limit yourself and the possibilities of what you can create.”

Source: https://medium.com/thrive-global/brian-chesky-what-a-professor-told-me-in-college-that-still-gives-me-strength-8d17624242bd

3: Kobe Bryant on Dealing with Setbacks

In April 2013, Kobe took to Facebook for an emotional rant after tearing his achilles in a basketball game.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.”

Source: https://www.facebook.com/Kobe/posts/this-is-such-bs-all-the-training-and-sacrifice-just-flew-out-the-window-with-one/10151563315250419/