My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“never trade what is precious for what is trivial”
What It Means
Don't exchange your valuable emotional resources for minor inconveniences
Why It Matters
Most people unconsciously waste happiness on things that don't matter
When It's True
When you have choice over your emotional response to circumstances
When It's Risky
When avoiding legitimate emotional responses to serious issues
How to Apply
Before reacting emotionally, assess if the trigger deserves your happiness
Create mental category of 'precious' (peace, joy, relationships) vs 'trivial' (delays, spills, slights)
Ask 'Is this worth my emotional investment?' before engaging
Example Scenario
“Waiter brings wrong order at restaurant. Instead of letting annoyance ruin dinner with loved ones, recognize good company is precious and wrong order is trivial”
Related Knowledge
focus is not what you say yes to focus is the 100 good ideas you say no to
True strategic focus comes from explicitly rejecting good opportunities, not just choosing priorities
The Happiness Triangle
A three-component system for achieving sustained happiness by controlling focus, state, and story interpretation
Train selective attention on valuable versus trivial matters
Maintaining emotional equilibrium when facing minor setbacks, automatic filtering of trivial from important
Develop conscious control over emotional state entering situations
Choosing your emotional state before important situations, responding rather than reacting to events
Precious vs Trivial Filter
A decision filter that categorizes experiences by their true value to your wellbeing and happiness
Reaction vs Response Distinction
A cognitive model distinguishing between automatic emotional reactions and conscious, chosen responses to events