Coolest Things I Learned In 2018

Step 1: Continually ask "Why?”

Step 2: When you learn something, learn it to where you can explain it to a child.

Step 3: Instead of arbitrarily memorizing things, look for the explanation that makes it obvious.

"When you understand that nobody wants to read your shit, your mind becomes powerfully concentrated. 
You begin to understand that writing/reading is, above all, a transaction. 
The reader donates his time and attention, which are supremely valuable commodities. In return, you the writer must give him something worthy of his gift to you.” 

-- Steven Pressfield

"The most important component of evolution is death. Or, said another way, it’s easier to create a new organism than to change an existing one. Most organisms are highly resistant to change, but when they die it becomes possible for new and improved organisms to take their place. 
This rule applies to social structures such as corporations as well as biological organisms: very few companies are capable of making significant changes in their culture or business model, so it is good for companies eventually to go out of business, thereby opening space for better companies in the future."
— John Ousterhout, Stanford professor