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3 weeks ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
Your bookshelf is full of half-read self-help books. Your phone has six productivity apps you downloaded and abandoned. Your notes are filled with morning routines you followed for exactly 9 days. I get it. I've been there – spending thousands on courses promising transformation while feeling like I was sprinting on a treadmill going nowhere. Self-improvement doesn't work as well as self-understanding.
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3 weeks ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
Most people live as if the world is fixed. They accept circumstances as "just the way things are." They assume industries can't be disrupted. They believe systems are too entrenched to change. They see barriers as permanent rather than temporary. This mindset isn't just wrong. It's the single biggest limitation keeping you from creating the life, business, and impact you're capable of.
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1 month ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
You've been lied to about excellence. They told you it's about grinding harder. About perfecting systems. About optimizing what already exists. That's not excellence. That's just the hamster wheel painted a different color. True excellence isn't about running the race better. It's about changing the track entirely. Richard Feynman didn't solve impossible physics problems by working harder than other scientists.
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1 month ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
Your entire life will change when you realize this simple truth:Success is just survival with better storytelling. Let me say that one more time. Success is just survival with better storytelling. I've spent the last 6 years studying the most "successful" people on the planet. I've gone deep into their content, analyzed their businesses, joined their communities, and even worked alongside them. Here's what I discovered:Nobody has it figured out.
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1 month ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
Most people are afraid of being alone with their thoughts. They fill every moment with noise, distraction, and cheap dopamine. Social media. Netflix. Group hangouts. Mindless scrolling. Anything to avoid the discomfort of their own company. The most productive time you will ever have is the time that seems most "boring" compared to others. Those hours of solitude. The long walks where you work through complex problems in your head.
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1 month ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
Die Every NightI've been "dying" every night. Not physically, obviously. I'm sitting here typing this letter on a bright Thursday morning. But mentally, I've been killing my old self every evening to create space for a new version of me to emerge each morning. This isn't some weird spiritual practice or manifestation technique. It's a brutal mental model for making better decisions—one that has fundamentally changed how I approach my work, relationships, and creative projects.
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2 months ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
Weaponized ApathyYour brain is being systematically hijacked. Full stop. Every notification, every headline, every social validation marker—they're all targeting the same neural pathway that evolution designed for genuine survival threats. The amygdala doesn't distinguish between a saber-toothed tiger and a negative comment on your post. It's the same biochemical cascade. This isn't philosophy. This is neuroscience. And it's time we applied it ruthlessly.
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2 months ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
How many times have you heard that bullshit? Every time you've shared an ambitious dream, someone has probably hit you with those two dream-killing words. Your parents when you said you wanted to be an astronaut. Your guidance counselor when you aimed for an Ivy League school. Your friends when you talked about starting a business. Your partner when you mentioned quitting your job to pursue your passion.
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2 months ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
We all think we're good at asking questions. In reality, most of us are terrible at it. Not because we lack curiosity or intelligence, but because we've been trained to focus on answers. School rewards students who memorize facts, not those who challenge assumptions. Work promotes people who execute known solutions, not those who explore unknown possibilities. Yet, look at anyone who has achieved extraordinary results in any field.
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2 months ago | 
hackernoon.com | Scott Clary
We're obsessed with being gentle with ourselves. Every self-help guru and Instagram therapist preaches the same message: be kind to yourself, practice self-compassion, and celebrate small wins. And sure, there's value in not being overly critical. Nobody wants to spiral into self-hatred or paralysis. But what if I told you that being harder on yourself is actually the key to freedom?
