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About
Newsletter
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Blog
Best Articles
    Archive
Speaking
Books and Courses
Contact
  • Home
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  • Reading List
  • Blog
  • Best Articles
    • Archive
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RyanHoliday.net - Meditations on strategy and life
Blog

Defining Yourself

In the two years that I’ve worked with Tucker Max not once have I been called a “mini-Tucker” or a “wannabe” or anything like that. That’s not to say I don’t have my collection of enemies. I do and I hear from them quite often.

Since I defined myself first (look at his masthead and mine, they’re opposites) I can only be attacked on the terms that I set. The people that disagree with those terms aren’t the people I’m looking to impress. Not only did I define myself first, I defined myself as I actually am–weaknesses and all. There’s no illusions I’m trying to protect or any other “brands” I’m hoping to one up. There’s no competition for me, I’m the only one.

Deciding to be yourself is scary. There’s no one to follow, and well, what if they don’t like me? But if you can make that bet, the act of actually being you is easy. All you have to do is wake up in the morning.

Define yourself. Or someone else will do it for you. And worse, you might end up listening.

June 6, 2008by Ryan Holiday
Blog

Change

“Look in the mirror. Day after day, year after year, there’s hardly any change at all. That’s you: wrinkles, gray hair, what the hell – you can see it’s you. And yet, every bone, every muscle, every patch of skin, tendon, blood vessel – every single particle – is being destroyed and replaced right as you look. Surface calm – mad scramble of activity underneath. The shape, the form, the pattern – all unchanged and yet not one single molecule of what was you seven years ago is a part of you now.” – Theory of War, Joan Brady

June 4, 2008by Ryan Holiday
Blog

The Professionals

I don’t know much about Robert Smith, but 83 listens into The Cure’s new song, my first impression has been confirmed exactly 82 consecutive times. There is an essential difference. Something separates him from everybody else. He’s a Pro.

Some other Pros:

Michael Lewis

Bruce Dickinson

Paul Graham

50 Cent

Marc Andreessen

Seth Godin

Malcolm Gladwell

Vincent Bugliosi

John Boyd

Malcolm X

Cesar Milan

Dr. Drew Pinsky

You can find Pro’s anywhere. My list has a lawyer, a dog trainer, a rapper and marketer. You could argue that most Pro’s die without us ever know their names – exactly as they wanted it. But it’s not a coincidence that many of them are artists. Creativity is the essence of the Pro. All aspects suffer when it’s stifled – personal, business and voice.

So, who are your Pro’s and where can we learn about them?

June 2, 2008by Ryan Holiday
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“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” - Murakami

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