Blog of Susmit.

A line attributed to Elon Musk has been shared widely online: "My mentality is that of a samurai. I would rather commit seppuku than fail." This post uses the idea of a samurai's commitment as a starting point for thinking about your own goals, and it says plainly where the quote itself is shaky.     About the quote: A video of it was shared widely on Instagram by his followers. I haven't found an original source, so treat the attribution as unconfirmed. The samurai mentality The quote points to a samurai's code of honour and discipline. Applied to work, that means holding yourself to a high standard and not quitting when things get hard. It doesn't mean taking the line literally. Seppuku is ritual suicide, and no goal is worth that. Failing is survivable, and most of what you learn comes from it. Five ways to apply it These are general ideas, not Musk's own methods. Define your code. A samurai follows a code of ethics. Write down the principles and values...

Jane McGonigal's idea is to treat challenges and habits the way gamers treat games: as something you choose to play, where obstacles teach you something and failure means another try. Here is how that works for habits. Who is Jane McGonigal? McGonigal holds a Ph.D. and has studied the psychology of video gamers. After a debilitating concussion, she used what she knew about games to recover. She turned her life into a game, and that gave her the motivation and strength to work through it. The gameful mindset A gameful mindset means facing challenges with enthusiasm and a willingness to keep growing. It has four parts. Treat habits as games. Think of your habit goals as games you've chosen to play. That puts you in control of your actions and motivations. Be playful and curious about it, and see yourself as the main character in your own story of growth. See obstacles as chances to learn. Gamers treat obstacles as part of the game. You can treat habit setbacks the same way, as ma...