“The trick is in what we emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.” Journey to Ixtlan : The lessons of Don Juan

<h2>3 IDEAS FROM ME</h2>I.“Do not confuse things that are hard with things that are valuable.Many things in life are hard. Just because you are giving a great effort does not mean you are working toward a great result.Make sure that mountain is worth climbing.”​II.“Keeping the habit alive is a powerful act. It's easier to stay in shape than to get in shape. It's easier to keep a house clean than to get it clean.Many days it may feel like you are treading water, but maintaining your progress saves your future self a great deal of work.”III.“There are many situations in life you do not control, but you often contribute to them.I cannot control the rain, but I can control my clothing.I cannot control your feelings, but I can control my kindness.I cannot control my opponent, but I can control my response.You cannot control most outcomes in life, but you can usually influence them. Releasing your attachment to the results does not mean releasing your responsibility to the situation.”<h2>2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS</h2>I.Playwright, poet, and writer,&nbsp;Samuel Johnson,&nbsp;on listening and learning:“I never desire to converse with a man who has written more than he has read.”​​II.A poem by&nbsp;Danusha Laméris&nbsp;on the value of small kindnesses:“I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walkdown a crowded aisle, people pull in their legsto let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”when someone sneezes, a leftoverfrom the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.And sometimes, when you spill lemonsfrom your grocery bag, someone else will help youpick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smileat them and for them to smile back. For the waitressto call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.We have so little of each other, now. So farfrom tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, thesefleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”​<h2>1 QUESTION FOR YOU</h2>Instead of asking yourself, “What should I do first?”Try asking, “What should I neglect first?”Trim, edit, cull. Make space for better performance.Until next week,James Clear ​Author of the #1 worldwide bestseller,&nbsp;<a href="https://atomichabits.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">Atomic Habits</a>​ Creator of the&nbsp;<a href="https://jamesclear.com/habit-journal" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">Habit Journal</a>​​<h2>Join Me</h2>Thanks for reading. You can get more actionable ideas in my popular email newsletter. Each week, I share 3 short ideas from me, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question to think about. Over 1,000,000 people subscribe. Enter your email now and join us.<div data-element="fields" data-stacked="false"><button data-element="submit">Try the free newsletter</button></div><div dir="ltr">P.S. Want short reminders on how to build better habits? Follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/jamesclear" dir="ltr">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jamesclear/" dir="ltr">Instagram</a>.</div><div dir="ltr">


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 About the Newsletter
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</div>The 3-2-1 Newsletter is one of the most popular newsletters in the world. Over 1,000,000 people subscribe. Each issue contains 3 short ideas from James Clear, 2 quotes from other people, and 1 question for you.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

habits

Habits

“Do not confuse things that are hard with things that are valuable.

Many things in life are hard. Just because you are giving a great effort does not mean you are working toward a great result.

Make sure that mountain is worth climbing.”

“Keeping the habit alive is a powerful act. It's easier to stay in shape than to get in shape. It's easier to keep a house clean than to get it clean.

Many days it may feel like you are treading water, but maintaining your progress saves your future self a great deal of work.”

“There are many situations in life you do not control, but you often contribute to them.

I cannot control the rain, but I can control my clothing.

I cannot control your feelings, but I can control my kindness.

I cannot control my opponent, but I can control my response.

You cannot control most outcomes in life, but you can usually influence them. Releasing your attachment to the results does not mean releasing your responsibility to the situation.”

Playwright, poet, and writer, Samuel Johnson,  on listening and learning:

“I never desire to converse with a man who has written more than he has read.”

A poem by Danusha Laméris  on the value of small kindnesses:

“I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk

down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs

to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”

from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.

And sometimes, when you spill lemons

from your grocery bag, someone else will help you

pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.

We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,

and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile

at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress

to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,

and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.

We have so little of each other, now. So far

from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.

What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these

fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,

have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”

Instead of asking yourself, “What should I do first?”

Try asking, “What should I neglect first?”

Trim, edit, cull. Make space for better performance.

James Clear ​Author of the #1 worldwide bestseller,  <a href="https://atomichabits.com/">Atomic Habits </a>​ Creator of the  <a href="https://jamesclear.com/habit-journal">Habit Journal </a>​

Thanks for reading. You can get more actionable ideas in my popular email newsletter. Each week, I share 3 short ideas from me, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question to think about. Over 1,000,000 people subscribe . Enter your email now and join us.

The 3-2-1 Newsletter is one of the most popular newsletters in the world. Over 1,000,000 people subscribe. Each issue contains 3 short ideas from James Clear, 2 quotes from other people, and 1 question for you.

3-2-1: Keeping the habit alive, the value of small kindnesses, and editing your life

JAMES CLEAR

Gilgalad Toram's ideas are part of this journey:

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