There's no speed limit. (The lessons that changed my life.) | Derek Sivers

There's no speed limit. (The lessons that changed my life.) | Derek Sivers

Kimo's high expectations set a new pace for me. He taught me “the standard pace is for chumps” - that the system is designed so anyone can keep up. If you're more driven than “just anyone” - you can do so much more than anyone expects. And this applies to ALL of life - not just school.

Before I met him, I was just a kid who wanted to be a musician, doing it casually.

Ever since our five lessons, high expectations became my norm, and still are to this day. Whether music, business, or personal - whether I actually achieve my expectations or not - the point is that I owe every great thing that's happened in my life to Kimo's raised expectations. That's all it took. A random meeting and five music lessons to convince me I can do anything more effectively than anyone expects.

6 things I wish I knew the day I started Berklee | Derek Sivers

#1 : Focus. Disconnect. Do not be distracted.
While you're here, presidents will change, the world will change, and the media will try to convince you how important it all is.
But it's not. None of it matters to you now.
You are being tested.
Your enemy is distraction.
Stay offline. Shut off your computer. Stay in the shed.
When you emerge in a few years, you can ask someone what you missed, and you'll find it can be summed up in a few minutes.
#2 : Do not accept their speed limit.
If you want to be above average, you must push yourself to do more than required.
There's a martial arts saying, “When you are not practicing, someone else is. When you meet him, he will win.”
#3 : Nobody will teach you anything. You have to teach yourself.
#4 : Learn from your heroes, not only theirs.
#5 : Don't get stuck in the past.
#6 : When done, be valuable.
Making sure you're making money is just a way of making sure you're doing something of value to others.
Remember that this usually comes from doing the things that most people don't do.
For example : how much does the world pay people to play video games? Nothing, because everyone does it.
How much does the world pay people to make video games? A ton, because very few can do it, and lots of people want it.