# Hell Yeah or No  Author:: Derek Sivers ## Highlights #### What if you didn’t need money or attention? #### You don’t have to be local > You can focus your time locally or globally. If you’re local, you focus on your community, doing things in-person. But this means you have less time to focus on the rest of the world. If you’re global, you make things for the whole world. But this means you have less time to be part of your local community. Neither approach is right or wrong, but you need to be aware of the trade-off. ([Location 87](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=87)) > So I’m finally admitting: I’m not local. I feel equally connected to many places. Just because I live in one place now, that doesn’t mean I should ignore the others. To me, the emphasis on local stuff never felt right. ([Location 99](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=99)) #### Keep earning your title, or it expires #### The public you is not you > They weren’t talking about me. They were talking about a cardboard cutout that looked like me. A little online avatar that has the same name as me, but is not me. ([Location 199](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=199)) #### If you’re not feeling “hell yeah!” then say no > Then, when you find something you’re actually excited about, you’ll have the space in your life to give it your full attention. You’ll be able to take massive action, in a way that most people can’t, because you cleared away your clutter in advance. Saying no makes your yes more powerful. ([Location 278](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=278)) > Refuse almost everything. Do almost nothing. But the things you do, do them all the way. ([Location 281](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=281)) #### Solitary socialite > It’s unusual to be physically alone, but extremely social. A solitary socialite. ([Location 358](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=358)) > It works for me. I love people one-on-one. When I’m not answering emails, I’m often talking on the phone with one of my dear friends across the world, getting into great conversations for hours. ([Location 360](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=360)) ### MAKING THINGS HAPPEN > Kimo’s high expectations set a new pace for me. He taught me that “the standard pace is for chumps” — that the system is designed so anyone can keep up. If you’re more driven than most people, you can do way more than anyone expects. And this principle applies to all of life, not just school. ([Location 418](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=418)) > So apparently all of that exhausting, red-faced, full-on push-push-push I had been doing had given me only a 4 percent boost. I could just take it easy and get 96 percent of the results. ([Location 437](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=437)) > People often ask me what they can do to be more successful. I say disconnect. Even if just for a few hours. Unplug. Turn off your phone and Wi-Fi. Focus. Write. Practice. Create. That’s what’s rare and valuable these days. You get no competitive edge from consuming the same stuff everyone else is consuming. It’s rare, now, to focus. And it gives such better rewards. ([Location 455](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=455)) > Early in your career, the best strategy is to say yes to everything. The more things you try, and the more people you meet, the better. Each one might lead to your lucky break. Then when something is extra-rewarding, it’s time to switch strategies. Focus all of your energy on this one thing. Don’t be leisurely. Strike while it’s hot. Be a freak. Give it everything you’ve got. ([Location 552](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=552)) > Eventually your focus on something will pay off. Because you’re successful, you’ll be overwhelmed with opportunities and offers. You’ll want to do them all. But this is when you need to switch strategies again. This is when you learn to say “hell yeah or no” to avoid drowning. ([Location 556](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=556)) > I like to think that everything is a coincidence. Life feels more amazing to me if it has no meaning. No secret agenda. Beautifully random. ([Location 634](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=634)) #### Happy, Smart, and Useful > There are three things to consider when making life-size decisions: What makes you happy What’s smart — meaning long-term good for you What’s useful to others We have a tendency to forget one of these. ([Location 686](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=686)) #### How to do what you love and make good money > About your art: Pursue it seriously. Take lessons. Make weekly progress. Keep improving, even if you’ve been doing it for decades. If you don’t progress and challenge yourself creatively, it won’t satisfy the balance. Release and sell your work like a professional. Find some fans. Let them pay you. But your attitude is different than someone who needs the money. You don’t need to worry if it doesn’t sell. You don’t need to please the marketplace. You don’t need to compromise your art or value it based on others’ opinions. You’re just doing this for yourself — art for its own sake. And you’re releasing it because that’s one of the most rewarding parts — important for self-identity — and gives you good feedback on how to improve. ([Location 724](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=724)) > Your main obstacle to this amazing life will be self-control. You’ll need good time management to stop addictions like social media and video-watching, and make your art your main relaxing activity. You’ll need good mind management to not think of your job after you leave the office. ([Location 729](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=729)) > Don’t expect your job to fulfill all your emotional needs. Don’t taint something you love with the need to make money from it. Don’t try to make your job your whole life. Don’t try to make your art your sole income. Let each be what it is, and put in the extra effort to balance the two, for a great life. ([Location 734](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=734)) > What do you hate not doing? ([Location 737](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=737)) #### Don’t start a business until people are asking you to #### Subtract > The least successful people I know run in conflicting directions, are drawn to distractions, say yes to almost everything, and are chained to emotional obstacles. The most successful people I know have a narrow focus, protect themselves against time-wasters, say no to almost everything, and have let go of old limiting beliefs. ([Location 840](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=840)) > More people die from eating too much than from eating too little. Most of us have too much baggage, too many commitments, and too many priorities. ([Location 842](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=842)) #### Overcompensate to compensate > To make a change, most people don’t do enough. If you do something small and sensible, it’s like moving one brick to the other side. You’re still unbalanced. ([Location 900](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=900)) > To make a change, you have to be extreme. Go all the way the other way. It will feel like overcompensating, but you have to stack a huge pile of bricks on the other side. ([Location 903](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=903)) > Goals shape the present, not the future. ([Location 957](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=957)) > Let it go. It’s a bad goal. If it was a great goal, you would have jumped into action already. You wouldn’t wait. Nothing would stop you. ([Location 958](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=958)) > Judge a goal by how well it changes your actions in the present moment. ([Location 960](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=960)) > A bad goal makes you say, “I want to do that someday.” A great goal makes you take action immediately. ([Location 961](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=961)) --- Title: Hell Yeah or No Author: Derek Sivers Tags: readwise, books date: 2024-01-30 --- # Hell Yeah or No  Author:: Derek Sivers ## AI-Generated Summary None ## Highlights #### What if you didn’t need money or attention? #### You don’t have to be local > You can focus your time locally or globally. If you’re local, you focus on your community, doing things in-person. But this means you have less time to focus on the rest of the world. If you’re global, you make things for the whole world. But this means you have less time to be part of your local community. Neither approach is right or wrong, but you need to be aware of the trade-off. ([Location 87](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=87)) > So I’m finally admitting: I’m not local. I feel equally connected to many places. Just because I live in one place now, that doesn’t mean I should ignore the others. To me, the emphasis on local stuff never felt right. ([Location 99](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=99)) #### Keep earning your title, or it expires #### The public you is not you > They weren’t talking about me. They were talking about a cardboard cutout that looked like me. A little online avatar that has the same name as me, but is not me. ([Location 199](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=199)) #### If you’re not feeling “hell yeah!” then say no > Then, when you find something you’re actually excited about, you’ll have the space in your life to give it your full attention. You’ll be able to take massive action, in a way that most people can’t, because you cleared away your clutter in advance. Saying no makes your yes more powerful. ([Location 278](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=278)) > Refuse almost everything. Do almost nothing. But the things you do, do them all the way. ([Location 281](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=281)) #### Solitary socialite > It’s unusual to be physically alone, but extremely social. A solitary socialite. ([Location 358](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=358)) > It works for me. I love people one-on-one. When I’m not answering emails, I’m often talking on the phone with one of my dear friends across the world, getting into great conversations for hours. ([Location 360](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=360)) ### MAKING THINGS HAPPEN > Kimo’s high expectations set a new pace for me. He taught me that “the standard pace is for chumps” — that the system is designed so anyone can keep up. If you’re more driven than most people, you can do way more than anyone expects. And this principle applies to all of life, not just school. ([Location 418](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=418)) > So apparently all of that exhausting, red-faced, full-on push-push-push I had been doing had given me only a 4 percent boost. I could just take it easy and get 96 percent of the results. ([Location 437](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=437)) > People often ask me what they can do to be more successful. I say disconnect. Even if just for a few hours. Unplug. Turn off your phone and Wi-Fi. Focus. Write. Practice. Create. That’s what’s rare and valuable these days. You get no competitive edge from consuming the same stuff everyone else is consuming. It’s rare, now, to focus. And it gives such better rewards. ([Location 455](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=455)) > Early in your career, the best strategy is to say yes to everything. The more things you try, and the more people you meet, the better. Each one might lead to your lucky break. Then when something is extra-rewarding, it’s time to switch strategies. Focus all of your energy on this one thing. Don’t be leisurely. Strike while it’s hot. Be a freak. Give it everything you’ve got. ([Location 552](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=552)) > Eventually your focus on something will pay off. Because you’re successful, you’ll be overwhelmed with opportunities and offers. You’ll want to do them all. But this is when you need to switch strategies again. This is when you learn to say “hell yeah or no” to avoid drowning. ([Location 556](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=556)) > I like to think that everything is a coincidence. Life feels more amazing to me if it has no meaning. No secret agenda. Beautifully random. ([Location 634](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=634)) #### Happy, Smart, and Useful > There are three things to consider when making life-size decisions: What makes you happy What’s smart — meaning long-term good for you What’s useful to others We have a tendency to forget one of these. ([Location 686](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=686)) #### How to do what you love and make good money > About your art: Pursue it seriously. Take lessons. Make weekly progress. Keep improving, even if you’ve been doing it for decades. If you don’t progress and challenge yourself creatively, it won’t satisfy the balance. Release and sell your work like a professional. Find some fans. Let them pay you. But your attitude is different than someone who needs the money. You don’t need to worry if it doesn’t sell. You don’t need to please the marketplace. You don’t need to compromise your art or value it based on others’ opinions. You’re just doing this for yourself — art for its own sake. And you’re releasing it because that’s one of the most rewarding parts — important for self-identity — and gives you good feedback on how to improve. ([Location 724](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=724)) > Your main obstacle to this amazing life will be self-control. You’ll need good time management to stop addictions like social media and video-watching, and make your art your main relaxing activity. You’ll need good mind management to not think of your job after you leave the office. ([Location 729](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=729)) > Don’t expect your job to fulfill all your emotional needs. Don’t taint something you love with the need to make money from it. Don’t try to make your job your whole life. Don’t try to make your art your sole income. Let each be what it is, and put in the extra effort to balance the two, for a great life. ([Location 734](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=734)) > What do you hate not doing? ([Location 737](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=737)) #### Don’t start a business until people are asking you to #### Subtract > The least successful people I know run in conflicting directions, are drawn to distractions, say yes to almost everything, and are chained to emotional obstacles. The most successful people I know have a narrow focus, protect themselves against time-wasters, say no to almost everything, and have let go of old limiting beliefs. ([Location 840](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=840)) > More people die from eating too much than from eating too little. Most of us have too much baggage, too many commitments, and too many priorities. ([Location 842](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=842)) #### Overcompensate to compensate > To make a change, most people don’t do enough. If you do something small and sensible, it’s like moving one brick to the other side. You’re still unbalanced. ([Location 900](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=900)) > To make a change, you have to be extreme. Go all the way the other way. It will feel like overcompensating, but you have to stack a huge pile of bricks on the other side. ([Location 903](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=903)) > Goals shape the present, not the future. ([Location 957](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=957)) > Let it go. It’s a bad goal. If it was a great goal, you would have jumped into action already. You wouldn’t wait. Nothing would stop you. ([Location 958](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=958)) > Judge a goal by how well it changes your actions in the present moment. ([Location 960](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=960)) > A bad goal makes you say, “I want to do that someday.” A great goal makes you take action immediately. ([Location 961](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B09YY9W9B3&location=961))