My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“Your focus will determine what you see. Your state will determine how you feel and the story determines what it means”
What It Means
Three elements that shape your experience: attention, emotional state, and interpretation
Why It Matters
These three factors are all controllable and together determine your quality of life
When It's True
In most situations where you have time and capacity for conscious choice
When It's Risky
During genuine emergencies requiring immediate action without reflection
How to Apply
Before important situations, consciously set your focus, state, and story
When feeling unhappy, audit which of the three needs adjustment
Practice each element separately before combining them
Example Scenario
“Before difficult conversation with spouse: focus on resolution not being right, enter with loving state not defensive, frame as opportunity to grow closer not battle to win”
Related Knowledge
you cannot control the pebbles, but you can control the nature of your water
You can't control external events but you can control your internal response
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