Here ends another year.
As we look ahead to 2025, it’s worth reflecting on a truth that feels both timeless and urgent, captured in Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (also available on Audible):
Each man’s destiny is as large as the world he inhabits and contains within it all opposites as well.
If you need more guidance, here are some of my favourite Seth Godin quotes from his 2023 blog posts, together with a recommended title from Blinkist.
Act like people are watching. They are. ~ Eight marketing maxims
Learn more: The Hidden Brain
Better begins with each of us, but it evaporates when we settle for less. Settling is rarely intentional, instead, it happens when we focus on other things. ~ Can’t wait
Learn more: The 12 Traits of the Greats
Bitterness is never-ending, impenetrable and refuses to negotiate. If you give it a chance, it will persist. ~ Bitterness is consistent
Learn more: The Worry Trick
Bringing intent to our rituals gives us the chance to rewire our attitudes. But first we need to see it. ~ Rituals
Learn more: The Art of Clear Thinking
Dancing with perceived risk creates growth, connection and emotional resonance, whereas actual risk leads to outcomes we don’t want. ~ Real and apparent risk
Learn more: Thinking in Bets
Even when it’s possible to avoid a choice, it may make sense to make one. ~ “And” fatigue
Learn more: Effective Decision Making
Every time we choose a job, cast a ballot (or choose not to), or select a path, we’re making a choice. What happens after that is still our responsibility. ~ Hobson’s choice
Learn more: Nudge
Generosity and gratitude often go together. They light a path on the way to better. ~ Generosity and gratitude
Learn more: The Kindness Method
How much of what we want, really want, is due to the ideas that culture has given us, and how much is truly what we need? ~ Captives of memetic desire
Learn more: The Elephant in the Brain
If a persistent problem is important, the question is not: Should we compromise or not? The question is: Which changes are we going to make first? ~ The list of compromises
Learn more: The Power to Change
If it turns out that our self-deception is a reliable source of fuel for us to achieve our goals, it might be worth living with. But at some point, our ability to fool ourselves becomes toxic. It blocks our ability to create generous and useful work, and it eats away at our confidence and peace of mind. ~ Fooling ourselves
Learn more: Rethinking Positive Thinking
It turns out that a life lived conveniently isn’t always a better one. The cost of convenience ends up being too high. ~ The convenience fee
Learn more: The Comfort Book
It turns out that happy people are more likely to be generous. (Which implies that generous people are more likely to be happy). Not because they get something measurable in return, but simply because abundance is a choice. ~ Generous and selfish
Learn more: The Myths of Happiness
No one cares about the noise in our head (or the actions we take) nearly as much as we do. ~ Quietly change it
Learn more: Chatter
Over time, we’ve gotten very good at measuring the long and short-term consequences of our actions. And good at ignoring them. ~ Childish or childlike?
Learn more: Why We Do What We Do
Past performance is no guarantee of the future. Sorry. We should plan accordingly. ~ Survivor bias and the mistake of stability
Learn more: The Black Swan
Sometimes, we need to take a deep breath and go for better instead of more. ~ Replacing bad systems with bad systems
Learn more: Lighter
Sometimes we get what we hope for. Often, we get what we tolerate. ~ Fooled
Learn more: Stress Resets
Sooner or later, we find a place to hide. A place of security or sustenance. A place of safety. That sort of foundation can give us peace of mind and open the door to possibility. But, it’s possible that we can turn it into a trap as well. ~ Which sort of sinecure?
Learn more: The Light We Carry
When we raise our hopes and lower our expectations, we establish a resilient way forward. ~ Hope and expectations
Learn more: The Optimist’s Telescope
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