Ryan Holiday

It feels like a decision about, you know, hey, do I have time or not?

When really it's a decision about what are the standards I set for myself or not.

That goes to kind of what we were just talking about, though.

I think it's good to be competitive.

It just matters what you're measuring against.

So if you're like, hey, I want to win a lot like this person, or I want to hit the same spot on the New York Times bestseller list, or I want to sell as many copies, or I want to win these prizes or get this kind of... If what you're looking at is what the Stokes would call the externals, the results...

and then you're trying to match that, you're probably thinking about it wrong.

But if you read something good or watch something good or you see someone pull something off and you're like, how did you do that?

How did you do the thing?

Not how did you get the accolades or the reception or the recognition for the thing, but physically, how did you do it?

You're listening to an album and you're like, that guitar tone is something that I'm interested in.

or the sound or you're looking at an athlete and you're like, how are they hitting that shot?

How is Tom Brady releasing the ball that quickly?

Those are the kinds of things that you want to look at and not just be like competitive about, but be curious about.

What is the technique you are using?

And can I try to learn that technique and add it to my game?

That's kind of what I think about.

Like I read all the time and I'm just like,

wow, okay, I really like what this person did.

The book could have sold 16 copies.