Ray Dalio on character and success
From Ray Dalio’s “Principles” (p.21):
In summary, I believe that you can probably get what you want out of life if you can suspend your ego and take a no-excuses approach to achieving your goals with open-mindedness, determination, and courage, especially if you rely on the help of people who are strong in areas that you are weak.
If I had to pick just one quality that those who make the right choices have, it is character. Character is the ability to get one’s self to do the difficult things that produce the desired results. In other words, I believe that for the most part, achieving success—whatever that is for you—is mostly a matter of personal choice and that, initially, making the right choices can be difficult. However, because of the law of nature that pushing your boundaries will make you stronger, which will lead to improved results that will motivate you, the more you operate in your “stretch zone,” the more you adapt and the less character it takes to operate at the higher level of performance. So, if you don’t let up on yourself, i.e., if you operate with the same level of “pain,” you will naturally evolve at an accelerating pace. Because I believe this, I believe that whether or not I achieve my goals is a test of what I am made of. It is a game that I play, but this game is for real.
- Edge: A Conversation With Jonathan Gottschall
I just linked to his book, The Storytelling Animal, over the weekend after I saw Michael Mauboussin recommend it. Link to: A Conversation with Jonathan Gottschall We think of stories as a wildly creative art form but within that creativity and that diversity...
- Baltasar Gracián Quote
“Character and intelligence. The poles your talent spins on, displaying your gifts. One without the other brings only half of success. It isn’t enough to be intelligent; you must also have the right character. The fool fails by behaving without regard...
- Quote On Investing In People
“I never invest in businesses I don't know anything about, but I will invest in a person. If I know their character, their history, how they operate, what kind of judgment they have, what kinds of risks are acceptable to them, how they execute,...
- John Wooden Quotes
Below is a pasted article from ESPN. I think there is great wisdom is these quotes, although I like to keep Malcolm Gladwell's definition of talent (talent = desire to practice) in mind when reading through them. The life lessons taught by John Wooden...
- Watson Shows 59 Is New 30 - By Thomas Friedman
A story about Tom Watson at the British Open that I enjoyed. A wonderful but cruel game Also, as Watson himself appreciates, the way he lost the tournament underscored why golf is the sport most like life. He hit two perfect shots on the 18th hole in...