Being selective

One thing I learnt from Danshari and my various role models is the practice of being selective. Matsuura Yataro once recalled going to an art exhibition with his mom when he was a kid. After that, his mom asked him to carefully pick and elaborate on his favorite painting. What matters more is not which painting he liked best but the why behind it, because that’s where lies one’s hidden preferences and values. It’s through these small daily practices that a person builds up an automatic habit of self-reflection. Through each iteration, you become clearer of what really matters to you. A more focused mind is an indirect result of this practice, aligning you to decide and execute faster. Gradually, your northstar and anchor emerges.

I think this practice is even more important in the current attention economy when everything (information, products, gurus) is in surplus and fads are short-lived. Too much information is consumed passively without vetting. Our cognitive time is spread so thin that we seem to know many things without actually understanding them. To maintain the most precious currency: our attention, we need to vet our input with some questions like:

• Is it necessary now?
• Does it deserve my precious time today? There is opportunity cost in everything.
• Will it make me a better person (aka. Will I grow in/out of it)?