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7 Examples Of Radical Life Improvements By Removing (Instead Of Adding)
In yesterday’s post, I introduced the concept of via negativa, how things can dramatically improve by removing what is bad.
Here are 7 more examples of this principle across domains:
1. Know what not to do than what to do
According to Nassim Taleb, author of Antifragile
“Charlatans are recognizable for giving positive advice, and only positive advice.”
Instead, negative advice is used by the professionals. If you do not go bust, you will become rich. By not losing, you will win. If you continuously know what to avoid and stop doing, you will narrow it down to a unique solution you are exceptionally valuable for.
2. Focus means saying no
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, put it the best:
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”