Here's a long post from one of my favorite authors, Ramit Sethi. He often writes about putting ideas into action and I think this post is another great example, BUT, that's not what I want to highlight here.

First of all, I think this is my new favorite concept:

Skepticism is not a strategy.

I spoke to one of my top Earn1k students last week â€" she earned over $80,000 in 8 weeks â€" and she was talking about how much her entire viewpoint has changed. Once you realize that you can control your situation â€" how much you earn, how much you work, where you live, etc â€" it's amazing to look back at ourselves a few years ago…when we were skeptical and disbelieving that any of this could work.

Skeptics always have an excuse because it's easier to be skeptical than to take the risk of trying something and possibly failing. Skeptics use codewords â€" much like racists do â€" to mask their fear and loathing of something different. For example, they'll say they don't have enough time (when everyone has the same 24 hours per day). They'll complain about having “already tried that,” but when you dig in and ask them what they actually tried, they'll demur.

There's nothing I hate more than vocal skeptics â€" not only because they cheat themselves out of their own potential, but because they convince others that they can't do it, either.

You can see this all over the place. It's another version of the Taoist saying that "you become what you practice". You can literally watch skeptics develop a hard shell of denial as they try fewer and fewer new things. I'm not necessarily blaming someone for this tendency, but I think it becomes a cycle that reinforces itself. That's why I love Ramit's writing: "skepticism is not a strategy" doesn't get into the blame, shame, or origin of the behavior, but it calls it out directly.

The way he writes just draws such clean lines. Take this distinction:

I write for the As, Bs, and Cs â€" but I systematically ignore one of them.

Imagine the world has As, Bs, and Cs in any field. In this one, the As are already managing their money, they've read my book (and others), and they're earning as much as they need to lead the lifestyle they choose. They're already doing it.

The Bs are the greatest in number. They have the potential to do something great, but for whatever reason â€" like actual barriers, self-imposed barriers, or external responsibilities â€" they  haven't achieved what their potential first. They can be reached if you communicate to them in the right way.

The Cs are a lost cause. Sure, they might be salvageable to help, but that's not something I'm interested in or capable of. This enrages certain people who believe that we should help everyone, but I live in the world of practicality, not utopia. If I have the chance to help an A become an A+ in 3 months, or a C become a B- in 3 years, who am I going to choose? There are other people who make it their life's work to work with Cs, but it's not me.

And so this is also applicable for you. When I teach negotiation, or interviewing, or automation, or even earning more money, I teach you how to focus on the right level of analysis for you. It's ok not to please everyone. I'd rather spend my time hyper-focused on exactly your needs than try to serve everyone.

Great stuff! Here's that link again: http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/mba-earn-more-money/