Selected Quotes & Ideas from the Book

Hell Yeah or No

• "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...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 then you learn to say 'hell yeah or no' to avoid drowning."
• "Most of us have lives filled with mediocrity. We said yes to things that we felt half-hearted about...The solution is to say yes to less. If you're not feeling 'Hell yeah, that would be awesome!" about something, say no. It's an easier decision. Say no to almost everything. This starts to free your time and mind."
• "Are you frustrated that the world wants you to pick one thing, because you want to do them all? The problem is thinking short term—assuming that if you don't do all the things now, they won't happen. The solution is to think long term. Do just one thing for a few years, then another for a few years, then another."

Actions Reveal Our Values

• When Derek told his old coach that he wanted to start a new company, his coach replied, "No, you don't...I can ignore what you're saying and just look at your actions. Our actions always reveal our real values."
• His coach continued, "You've been talking about this new company idea since 2008, but never launched it. Looking at your actions, and knowing you, I'd say that you don't really want to start another company. You actually prefer the simple life you have now, focused on learning, writing, and playing with your kid. No matter what you say, your actions reveal the truth."
• "I had been fooling myself for yours, telling myself I wanted to do this, but my actions proved otherwise. Yes, I wanted it a little bit, but I wanted something else more."

Achieving Your Personal Goals

• "It's crucial to know why you're doing what you're doing...if you want to make a lot of money, you need to admit that. If you want to be famous, you need to pursue that. If you want freedom and no responsibilities, or want to learn as much as possible, or whatever else, you need to realize it and embrace it."
• "Whatever you decide, you need to optimize for that goal, and be willing to let go of the others. You can't diffuse your energy, trying to do a little bit of everything, or you'll always be in conflict with yourself."
• "Some people are mostly focused on the present moment. They live for today and do what feels good right now. Some people are mostly focused on the future. They use today as a stepping stone and do what's best for their future selves...Both mindsets are necessary. You need a present-focus to enjoy life. But too much present-focus can prevent the deeper happiness of achievement."
• "Judge a goal by how well it changes your actions in the present moment. A bad goal makes you say, 'I want to do that someday.' A great goal makes you take action immediately."
• "Many people are so worried about looking good that they never do anything great. Many people are so worried about doing something great that they never do anything at all."

Art and Work

• "When a musician covers someone else's song, they reveal their own warped perspective, since we know what the original sounds like. Because of this, performing a cover song is actually a great way to define who you are as an artist."
• A mentor named Kimo Williams taught music theory to Derek and helped him graduate Berklee College of Music in two years instead of the usual four years. As Derek recounts, "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."
• "Everybody's ideas seem obvious to them...So maybe what's obvious to me is amazing to someone else? Hit songwriters often admit that their most successful hit song was one they thought was just stupid, even not worth recording. We're clearly bad judges of our own creations. We should just put them out there and let the world decide. Are you holding back something that seems too obvious to share?"

Pursuing Your Dreams

• "We all have a need for stability and adventure, certainty and uncertainty, money and expression. If you have too much stability, you get bored. If you don't have enough stability, you panic. So keep the balance. Do something for love and something for money. Don't try to make one thing satisfy your entire life."
• "It's dangerous to think in terms of 'passion' and 'purpose' because they sound like such huge overwhelming things...Instead, just notice what excites you and what scares you on a small moment-to-moment level...If you keep thinking about doing something big, and you find that the idea both terrifies and intrigues you, it's probably a worthy endeavor for you."
• "Whatever scares you, go do it."
• "Many years ago, I worked in the music industry in New York City. Then I left. Fifteen years later, I came back to New York and met with many of the people I hadn't seen since then. Every single one of them had ended up about where you'd expect, based on their character. The disciplined ones had succeeded. The temperamental ones had flamed out. The ones who'd acted like leaders were now leaders. The ones who'd blamed everyone else for their lack of results were still doing just that. It didn't matter where they were before. What mattered was the direction they were headed."

Other Tidbits of Wisdom

• "Silence is a great canvas for your thoughts. That vacuum helps turn all of your inputs into output. That lack of interruption helps you flow."
• "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 much better rewards."
• "Most people have an idea but no customers. For them I always say, 'Don't start a business until people are asking you to.'"