Notes

Every Single Day, Chop Wood, Carry Water

  • Updated July 3, 2025
  • 4 minute read
Every single day, chop wood, carry water

“The wedding (or honeymoon holiday) is an event, love is a practice. The graduation is an event, education is a practice. The race is an event, fitness is a practice. The heart, mind, and body are endless pursuits.” — James Clear

“Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep balance you must keep moving.” — Albert Einstein

“There are no quick fixes. But, by taking action just a little bit every day, you will build up a powerful reservoir of confidence, self-esteem, and discipline.” — Scott Allan

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” — Woody Allen

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” — Confucius

[@gogginsCantHurtMe2018]

_“Our culture has become hooked on the quick-fix, the life hack, efficiency. Everyone is on the hunt for that simple action algorithm that nets maximum profit with the least amount of effort. There’s no denying this attitude may get you some of the trappings of success, if you’re lucky, but it will not lead to a calloused mind or self-mastery. If you want to master the mind and remove your governor, you’ll have to become addicted to hard work. Because passion and obsession, even talent, are only useful tools if you have the work ethic to back them up.” _

[@leeBeWaterMy2020]

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times” — Shannon Lee 1 2


Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement


圓規為什麼可以畫圓?因爲腳在走,心不變。人為什麼不能圓夢?因爲心不定,腳不動。


騏驥一躍,不能十步,駑馬十駕,功在不舍。


專心致志 >>> 聰明才智


There is a Zen Buddhist saying: “What do you do before enlightenment? Chop wood, carry water. What do you do after enlightenment? Chop wood, carry water.”


最無聊的練習,沉澱出最扎實的基本功

“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.” — Carl Jung

“When the root is strong, the fruit is sweet.” — Bob Marley


細水長流


希臘神話中薛西佛斯 (Sisyphus) 推石頭的故事

  • Sisyphean: 形容「永無盡頭而又徒勞無功的任務」

瀝青滴漏實驗 (The Pitch Drop Experiment)


The “Consistently Good Rather Than Occasionally Great” Principle

  • Don’t aim to be consistently great; aim to be great at being consistent.
  • Mastery follows consistent/constant work.

The None-Zero Day Principle — becoming one is non-zero


Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential.


Doing a thing once is nothing special. You’re only a legend if you can do it back to back to back with thousands of hours of meticulous preparation.


力行、奉行 每天「一點點」 的哲學

  • 每天一點點讀書進修
  • 每天一點點肌膚保養
  • 每天一點點拉筋伸展
  • 每天一點點關心朋友
  • 每天一點點照顧家人

大樹不是一夜之間就可以長出來的 — 你必須在多年前就種下樹苗,經過多年的悉心培養與照料,最後才能享受綠蔭。


EVERYDAY is easier than SOMEDAY. 3 Embrace the daily mundane activities / ordinary actions. Find the lifelong rhythm.

“It’s easier to hold your principles 100 percent of the time than it is to hold them 98 percent of the time.” ― Clayton M. Christensen, How Will You Measure Your Life?

  • It’s easier to keep up than to catch up.
  • It’s easier to stay motivated when you have momentums.

恆毅力 (Grit) = perseverance and passion for very long term goals


Tony Robbins’ Cani Theory

  • Committing yourself to Constant And Never-Ending Improvement

Mental toughness is often associated with dramatic efforts to push through the pain, grind it out to the end, and find a way to make it happen—the kind of perseverance needed to cross a finish line. However, true mental toughness shows up in quieter moments: it’s the discipline to show up when no one is watching, keep your eye on the ball, and do a little bit every day. At its core, mental toughness means not skipping the days that are easy to skip.


See Also

Footnotes

  1. 我不怕練一萬種拳的人,但我怕一種拳練一萬次的人。

  2. The only dangerous competitors are the hyper-focused ones.

  3. Every day (identity) is easier than most days (negotiation).

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Updated July 3, 2025 • 9 days ago
© 2025 • Hua-Ming Huang licensed under CC BY 4.0

Hua-Ming Huang

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