My note taking rule while reading is that if the content makes me stop and read it again, i write it down. (Not because i didn't understand it, but because it stuck out.)
Here are my notes from this book, numbered for reference:
- A few hundred years ago, everyone was a minimalist by default. Instead of living simply, they were simply living.
- Giving is living -- we don't feel truly alive unless we contribute to other people in meaningful ways.
- Sure, the details are different, the circumstances are different, but we all have the same 24 hours in a day.
- I no longer waste my money, and thus it's far less important to pursue it endlessly.
- Food is fuel, nothing more.
- Strategy is just a fancy way to say recipe.
- At the end of the day, my experiment was a failure. But it was a beautiful failure..
- Eventually the frustration turns into reward; the pain becomes pleasure.
- Attention must be paid, even during the most mundane tasks.
- The sooner we clean up our own mess, the sooner we can move on with life.
- The real value was in the words -- in the action of reading -- not in the physical books themselves.
- The value is within you, not your things.
- How much of your music is in the way of the good stuff?
- Once i jettisoned the superfluous stuff in my life, i was able to focus on my health, cultivate meaningful relationships, get into the best shape of my life, grow as an individual, and contribute beyond myself in myriad ways.
- Both people must do their part to grow the relationship. Only then will both of you be satisfied with the relationship you've built.
- Being unhappy and discontent is completely reasonable within our society.
- If you are not happy with your situation, no matter how comfortable it is, then you won't ever feel secure.
- I needed to replace the stuff in my life with meaningful pursuits.
- Contentment comes from within, not from the entrapment of protruding hip bones or the bling-bling of consumer purchases.
- Irrespective of the arena, whenever i air out my flaws, i grow.
- Sometimes you have to follow your heart even when you know you are going to lose.
- Even if it is in shambles, as my life once was, no product is going to fix your problems.
- It's easy to be entertained, but it's hard work to seek out the truth.
- When your work becomes your life's mission, you no longer need a work-life balance.
- When i need to use the internet, i go to a library or coffeeshop and i use it deliberately, no longer wasting hours of my life "surfing the web." Living my dream doesn't allow for sure pillory.
- My only bills at this point are rent, utilities, and insurance. Everything else had to go. I decided that pursuing my dream was worth it.
- The only thing we all have in common is time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. So, get up at 3:30 am if you have to. If you want it bad enough, you'll find the time.
- Nearly all masterpieces share two commonalities: time and action.
- Let your masterpiece become your obsession.
- To get what you want, you must be willing to take action; you must be willing to do the work.
- Success is a simple equation. Happiness + Growth + Contribution = Success.
- There is a direct relationship between someone's ability to handle uncertainty and his or her unhappiness.
