ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
it is simultaneously true that
1. you are probably trying too hard. just set a strong intention and let your subconscious do the rest
2. everything you want is bottlenecked by a skill issue. the human superpower is (culturally augmented) rapid skill acquisition
the synthesis?
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
like most dichotomies itâs probably trivial to resolve for some people, but I notice Iâm not sure I know how to hold the âacquire skillsâ and âsurrenderâ intentions simultaneously. skill acquisition feels inherently try-inflected
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
@dkazand would say the synthesis is flow, and maybe Iâm just asking âhow to get in flow moreâ. where do I learn this meta-skill? seems like @RomeoStevens76 would have ideas
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
but âflowâ is a bit too facile. the highest level of skill require great effort and sacrifice, or so their practitioners tells us. where is the synthesis of david goggins and alexander technique?
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
best answer so far! âdonât try hard to gain skills, put yourself where the skilled people are and relaxâ
2025-02-03
put self near skilled people and absorb skills culturally?
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
cc @dkazand âif you lived with Jocko and David Goggins you would get up at 5 am and work out with no effortâ
michael vassar @HiFromMichaelV 2025-02-03
I donât know anyone who is trying too hard. But a lot of people are mistaken about what they are trying to do.
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
when I say try hard I admittedly mean âtry hard in the unskillful and self-defeating way pointed to by notions like tanha and wu-weiâ. I agree virtually nobody is trying hard in the eyes of God
anton @atroyn 2025-02-03
1. doesnât seem true at all, most are ânot even tryingâ
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
when I say try hard I admittedly mean âtry hard in the unskillful and self-defeating way pointed to by notions like tanha and wu-weiâ. I agree virtually nobody is trying hard in the eyes of God
2025-02-03
when I say try hard I admittedly mean âtry hard in the unskillful and self-defeating way pointed to by notions like tanha and wu-weiâ. I agree virtually nobody is trying hard in the eyes of God
Sarah Constantin @s_r_constantin 2025-02-03
synthesis:
you are âtrying too hardâ at stuff that doesnât work, and not trying potentially more effective alternatives *at all*.
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
mm I like this. reminds me of Moshe Feldenkrais (loosely paraphrased) âthe solution to failure is never effort; if you find yourself applying effort, pay closer attention instead, until you learn the skill of doing it effortlesslyâ
Misha Glouberman @mishaglouberman 2025-02-03
Develop the skill of finding/noticing/implementing ways to reach your goals without relying on trying unrealistically hard.
Kilo @kilomanjaroe 2025-02-03
No such thing as a skill issue. You either have it in you or you donât. No skill is acquired. Itâs a fake notion. Itâs all about nature.
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
this seems ludicrous on its surface but Iâm sure youâre pointing to something true, would appreciate elaboration
josh @eating_entropy 2025-02-03
neville goddard was right in some aspects. donât focus on how just let the why exist
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
interesting never heard of him before. where should I start?
bustlingbungus @bustlingbungus 2025-02-03
put self near skilled people and absorb skills culturally?
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
best answer so far! âdonât try hard to gain skills, put yourself where the skilled people are and relaxâ
Cruxador @Cruxador 2025-02-03
The solution is to stop wanting
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
that is a âsolutionâ in the same sense as suicide is a solution. no thanks
Carl Patenaude @CarlPatenaude 2025-02-03
The answer is to invest your attention consciously and with great care. Compounding interest over weeks over years over decades.
Matthew Crawford partially addresses this in _The World Beyond Your Head_.
ivan @IvanVendrov 2025-02-03
would love a quote from the book if you have it - drowning in book recs rn
Elena Lake @relic_radiation 2025-02-03
idk about point 2. finitude does exist.
in the hypothetical world where infinite skill points exist, then #2 is true
but, then we might have different problems because *everyone* would have infinite skill points to spend on whatever - so, I expect lots of chaos and thrash ?
Joshua Levy @ojoshe 2025-02-04
Often when different views on something seem hard to reconcile, itâs because we are using a single word for a fuzzy idea that might better be thought of as multiple things.
âSkillâ might be a word like that here. For example, skill can mean insight or ability to certain goals.
Graham Evans @grayhamandeggs 2025-02-03
Realise you are deciding even when it doesnât feel like you are deciding. Eg. When not practicing a skill. The synthesis is the life you actually live. What a wrestling match.
Karl Nieberding @wizardofux 2025-02-03
The synthesis is to try intentionally to build the skills you need, not just âwork hardâ in general and burnout.
pedro lucca @pedro_computer 2025-02-03
a lot of magick is about getting your unconscious to guide you in a specific direction
sometimes the conscious and unconscious overlap and you are aware of the skill acquisition, but itâs a process that should still happen even when you are not paying attention