Очередная книга в списке прочитанных оставила после себя сильное послевкусие, словно от бокала Le Colombier Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes 2015 года.¹

This book, start to finish, is entirely about you. Maybe to other people, you're the one that's full of nonsense, thinking you're so right, thinking your beliefs are actually true.

Путешествие начинается с простой идеи: что если посмотреть на наши убеждения не с точки зрения их истинности, а с точки зрения их полезности? Дерек Сайверс ведет нас по этому пути через пять основных этапов, словно по серпантину горной дороги.

Первый подъем открывает нам понимание того, что почти ничего из того, что говорят люди, не является абсолютной истиной. Это всего лишь их перспектива, их точка обзора с той вершины, на которой они находятся.

Далее мы поднимаемся выше и осознаем, что даже наши собственные мысли не являются истиной — это временные привалы на пути к вершине, места для отдыха и переосмысления маршрута.

На третьем этапе мы открываем для себя, что идеи могут быть полезными, даже если они не являются истинными. Как хороший велосипед, который помогает преодолевать расстояния, независимо от того, знаем ли мы все законы физики его работы.

Четвертый этап учит нас искать лучшие перспективы. Подобно тому, как опытный велосипедист выбирает оптимальный стиль движения, мы учимся выбирать более полезные точки зрения.

И наконец, мы достигаем вершины – момента, когда нужно применить то, что работает для нас прямо сейчас. Как при подготовке к марафону, мы берем те инструменты и методы, которые помогают нам двигаться вперед.

Книга не просто излагает философию – она предлагает практический подход к жизни, где важна не абсолютная правота, а эффективность выбранного пути. Это как выбор правильной передачи на велосипеде: важен не теоретически идеальный вариант, а тот, который поможет преодолеть именно этот подъем.

После прочтения меня не покидает мысль, что я всю книгу сохранил на цитаты.

Summary

• 🎭 Как стать тем, кем хочешь быть? Ваши действия определяют вас больше, чем ваш внутренний образ. Иногда вы можете просто притвориться.

• 🎸 Почему важно постоянно настраивать свой образ мышления? Как и с гитарой, нужно постоянно перенастраивать свое мышление, размышляя, общаясь с друзьями и внося коррективы.

• 🏃‍♂️ Когда нужно действовать немедленно? Если что-то не разрушительно, сделайте первый шаг немедленно, без колебаний. Действие проверяет вашу мысль в реальности.

• 📝 Как интернализировать новую перспективу? Используйте личный дневник, чтобы наполнить свой разум новой точкой зрения.

• 🧠 Зачем нужны убеждения? Выбирайте мысли, полезные для вас прямо сейчас. Они помогают увидеть лучший путь и побуждают к немедленным действиям.

• 🎼 Как использовать разные философии? Время - лучший инструмент. Используйте разные философии в разное время, как инструменты в toolbox'е.

• 🌱 Можно ли изменить свою природу? Вы говорите, что это ваша природа, но сезоны меняются, и вы изменились с детства. То, что привело вас сюда, не приведет вас туда.

• 😊 Как переключаться с грусти на счастье? Переход от грусти к счастью всегда возможен, даже в самые тяжелые моменты жизни.

• 🎯 Как найти простое решение сложной проблемы? Спросите себя, чего вы действительно хотите, и в чем смысл этого. Часто решение оказывается шокирующе простым и эффективным.

• 🧘 Как примириться с тем, что вне вашего контроля? Спросите себя: Что будет, если я это проигнорирую? Нужно ли извлечь урок или просто двигаться дальше? Как не винить никого? Как быть в порядке, что бы ни случилось?

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Ключевые метафоры и истории для запоминания:

1. Гитара, которую нужно постоянно настраивать - метафора постоянной работы над мышлением.

2. Оркестр Стравинского - философии как музыкальные инструменты, которые можно комбинировать во времени.

3. Решение головоломки, начиная с краев - метафора решения жизненных проблем.

4. Бегун, меняющий образы в голове (тигр, горшок с золотом, горячие угли) - метафора использования идей как инструментов.

5. Зеркало из "Гарри Поттера" - показывает, во что нам нужно верить прямо сейчас для достижения целей.

Quotes

• The main lesson of this book applies: Instead of asking if it's true, ask yourself if it's useful to you. What are you going to do about it? Will it really change your actions? If not, what does it matter?
• Saying "So what?" sounds dismissive. But really it's asking an important question. "So what are you going to do about it?"
• When you realize what you need to do, it doesn't mean that's who you need to be.
• You can just pretend.
• You are your actions. Your actions are you. Your self-image doesn't matter as much.
• He explained that I constantly have to re-tune it (guitar) every time I play. Same with adopting a new mindset. Every week, back in the journal, reflecting, talking with friends, and making adjustments.
• ere's a good rule from experience: If you're considering something destructive - that would hurt someone or yourself - be very reluctant, keeping all other options in mind for some time. But for anything else, take the first step immediately, without hesitation.
• Taking action tests your thought in reality.
• We know ourselves through others.
• Private journal. Whether you write, type, or just talk, the point is to fill your mind with this new perspective.
• Think personal and pragmatic. You only need a thought that's useful to you right now. It helps you see a better path or strategy. It makes you take action immediately
• Time itself is my favorite instrument. Time! I can separate the instruments with time. Or I can combine them at the same time. Different instruments for different times in the music.
• A philosophy is a tool in the toolbox. Use whatever you need when you need it.
• You say it's your nature, but seasons change, and you've changed since you were a child.
• What got me here won't get me there
• Switching from sad to happy is always an option, even at the worst times in life.
• Then she thanked him for the reminder that each wrong guess is one step closer to success.
• It's shocking how different and simple the solution can be when I go straight for what I want. It's much more effective.
• What do I really want? And what's the point of that?
• The obvious answer is not always true.
• To make peace with what's out of your control:
  • What happens if I ignore it and do nothing?
  • Should I learn a lesson from this, or just move on?
  • How can I blame no one, and see this as nobody's fault?
  • How can 1 be OK no matter what happens?
• When stuck:
  • What is my one top priority now?
  • How can I begin without waiting for anything? -What advice would I love to hear from an all-knowing sage?
  • What am I doing that's actually a distraction?

• Instead of avoiding mistakes, how can I make more to learn faster? Who can help?

• Ideas and beliefs are tools. Choose them for the desired effect.

• Ask yourself why you want the truth. What do you plan to do with it? What's the real outcome?

• Your instinct says your current situation is horrible and hopeless. Your wisdom reminds you that you can use any situation to your advantage.

• Whatever you consider "true" is closed. No questioning. No doubts. It's a fact, and that's that.
• To call something "not necessarily true" opens it. It helps you get past your first thought, and consider other possibilities.
• Beliefs are a stance on what's inconclusive. You have to say "I believe.." because it's not the only answer. It's not a fact. (Not yet.) You say "I believe when it's not a fact that everyone can see. Since people view it differently, you share your perspective on how you see it.
• Beliefs have a purpose. They help people adopt a perspective or identity. Beliefs help people take action, or cooperate with others. The only problem is when people confuse belief with reality, and insist that something is absolutely true because they believe it.
• Your identity and choices seem authentic and true. But you're subconsciously influenced by everything you see and hear. You have no idea why you want what you want or choose what you do.
• See yourself from the other side of the river. You have an accent. Since you know their beliefs aren't true, you have to realize that yours are also not true.
• Only after I see mistakes in others do I realize that i make those same mistakes. When changing direction:
  • When I was at my happiest, what was I doing?
  • What have I strongly wanted for the longest time?
  • What's the opposite of what I usually do?
  • Which of my old beliefs are not serving me?
  • Forget me. What would be most helpful for others? When something goes wrong:
  • What's great about this?
  • How can I use this to my advantage?
  • Does this change the goal, or the path, or nothing?
  • How can I reduce the downsides?
• When solving a jigsaw puzzle, where do you start? With the edges. Same with solving your puzzle. Start with the edge cases. Do nothing. Do everything. Go crazy. Destroy. Quit and be a monk.
• Finding these edges will help you fill in the middle.
• Something happens.
• Get past your first emotional reaction.
• Consider other ways of looking at it.
• Pick one that feels empowering or useful.
• That perspective shapes your feeling and actions.
• Everyone has their own obstacles that get in the way of their flourishing.
• Meanings are entirely in the mind, yet their power is real, but only for those who believe it.
• We don't have to argue what's in the magic mirror, which viewpoints are true or not, because everyone needs different beliefs for their different situations.
• No picture is the whole picture. You point your camera wherever you want. Notice which perspective empowers you, making you take the actions you need. Then select your story accordingly,
• Which belief is right? Wrong question. Which belief will lead to the action you need now? Choose beliefs that are useful, not true.
• Beliefs cause emotions. Emotions cause actions. Choose a belief for the action it will cause.
• Lessons learned from this comparison:
  • Don't expect consensus or conclusion.
  • Everything is open for improvement.
  • Being wrong is inspiring.
  • It's better to be curious than correct.
• A theory doesn't have to be true to be useful. A rule of thumb can be far from true, but good enough to get you where you need to go.
• No model is "true". Each one is just less and less wrong. The scientific process is never done.
• When someone tells you what something means, it's never true because it's not the only answer. It's just one perspective.
• When someone believes something that seems crazy to you, consider what incentives, from their point of view, make that belief useful.
• The world is as negotiable as a flea market in Marrakesh. Only a fool doesn't haggle. Whenever presented with rules, think of it as a game that can be changed.
• When everyone thinks they can't make change, a whole society can get hostile and undermine or try to destroy the entire system, since they think they re unable to improve it. Helplessness is dangerous.
• Rules set expectations and the terms of the game. They re a useful starting point, but they're not the final answer.

• They say their wishes are laws you must obey. But if they didn't personally want you to do it, they would have said, "Don't worry about it." After you separate events from feelings, you can continue with clarity.

• The only true facts are their actions.

• When asked for an explanation, the brain invents a reason and completely believes.
• No picture is the whole picture. Everyone selects an angle and presents just one point of view.