tl;dr
This Book is a simplified and actionable version of Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
Think Big - Takes you on an enlightening journey of changing yourself to become a greater version of yourself in the future - ME+. While reading this book, I became curious about how far I had progressed in my trip and conducted a basic study of my last ten years in this blog. The book has helped me identify my own prejudices; I’ve realized that there is a 20:80 divide in external vs. internal factors that are holding me back, and that is where my locus of control sits, implying that 80% of my growth comes from INSIDE. Most of the time, we hold ourselves back.
I agree with the author on the strengths and weaknesses, and I also see them as an external component caused by our actions. Internally, we cultivate three things throughout our lives: health, happiness, and intelligence, and there is a genetic link between them. We have the ability to influence our own life results.
The hereditary component of intellect ranges from 20 to 60%, giving us the possibility to improve our intelligence by 40 to 80%, while the scope of development in happiness is approximately 50%.
If you simply think about money, you will miss out on opportunities to discover what you enjoy doing and to be compensated for it.
The author also emphasizes the importance of taking tiny steps supported by insights and awareness for the medium term. The time required for this change will be decided by work, talent, and LUCK.
Small modifications that are implemented on a regular basis have a disproportionate impact on our lives.
Auhtor has shared many insights and tales about selecting and establishing goals that align with our basic beliefs, which can give them meaning. I am amazed when the author states that the first change we need make is to our all or nothing perspective, that being a little flexible but strong minded would build a robust mix. It enables us to incorporate the compromise effect, which means that we may establish different workloads (High, Medium, and Low) and choose one based on how I feel that day.
After reading this, I started writing every day for 30 to 60 minutes, focusing on the quality of the decision rather than the quality of the outcome.
This book has taught me that establishing a network of people outside of your domain will expose you to perspectives that are different from your own. We should strive not to accept critical input emotionally, and instead take notes in this situation so that we may examine them later with a clearer head. Disentangle the content from the fluff by approaching the feedback with a thick skin. Problems noted in feedback are not permanent; they can be altered by changing behaviors and actions. Make feedback a three-person rule to keep your bias and others blind spots in check, and if everyone has the same input, remember - When everyone says you’re dead, you should definitely lie down, it’s time to address the concerns that they’ve raised.
We should be mindful of omision bias and action bias, and pay attention to where you are expending your energy and will power, as these resources are limited.
Relative comparison destroys self-esteem, and focusing on absolute growth allows us to draw less on our resilience reserves and avoid comparison with others.
The author emphasizes perseverance in this book because it contributes to a higher degree of resilience, and this life skill is particularly related to higher levels of happiness and improved mental health. As we persevere, we strengthen our resilience reserves. We should assess our resilience and build on it like we would any other life skill.
Nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you are thinking about it. - Daniel Kahneman
1. Identifying narratives and changing them: What is holding me back? What are the false stories I have constructed for myself?
| Narratives | Process to change | New Narrative |
|---|---|---|
2. Goal setting for ME+
3. Acknowledge the causes that distract me, also sit down after every 7 days to assess them because what gets measured get done.
Audit your progress every week by filling this template
Last week I...
The activity I did last week helper me move towards my goal by...
When engaging in this activity, I felt...
Next week I will...
The activity I will do next week will help me...My Time Sinkers
What:
Weekly time-cost:
Commit to save:
How:4. Find out Role models and Anti-Role models in your day to day life.
5. Not allowing planning fallacy is setting up for a failure, so give myself some extra time.
6. Yearly goals audit*:
| A plan I made | Life Domain | Crushed it | Missed it | Never did it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donate food items | Social | |||
| Weight 69 Kgs | Health | |||
| Travel overseas | Travel | |||
| Read 12 books | Hobby |
*I had set these goals at the start of this year.
Yes, this book resonates with my career journey so far and I have designed my ME+ journey.
Yes, I will recommend this book to someone who is just starting out in a career since it can help them have a positive effect in their work and life.