Pejman Milani

Pejman Milani

These are the best posts from Pejman Milani.

27 viral posts with 41,810 likes, 2,664 comments, and 3,502 shares.
16 image posts, 8 carousel posts, 0 video posts, 0 text posts.

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10 Visuals on the difference between amateurs & professionals

Live a more creative life by thinking more like a professional.

Illustrations by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

1) On Obstacles
โ†ณ Amateurs shy away from obstacles.
โ†ณ Professionals see obstacles as stepping stones.

2) On Multitasking
โ†ณ Amateurs spread their attention across everything all at once.
โ†ณ Professionals focus deeply on one task at a time.

3) On Time Managementย 
โ†ณ Amateurs try to jam-pack as much as they can in a day.
โ†ณ Professionals prioritize and optimize their daily tasks.

4) On Process
โ†ณ Amateurs just want the end-result.ย 
โ†ณ Professionals find delight in the process.

5) On Writing
โ†ณ Amateurs write only when they have ideas.
โ†ณ Professionals come up with ideas through the act of writing.

6) On Wealth
โ†ณ Amateurs save money, but professionals invest in knowledge.
โ†ณ Thereโ€™s no better compounding ROI than building your skills.

7) On being busy
โ†ณ Amateurs stay busy.ย 
โ†ณ Professionals take action that makes meaningful progress.

8 & 9. On Vision
โ†ณ Amateurs focus only on getting to the next milestone. Professionals see the bigger picture.ย 
โ†ณ Savor the path as you move towards your goals.

10. On Failures
โ†ณ Amateurs take a few tries.ย 
โ†ณ Professionals won't stop until they run out of arrows. Keep shooting!

โ€œWhat happens when we turn pro is, we finally listen to that still, small voice inside our heads.ย At last we find the courage to identify the secret dream or love or bliss that we have known all along was our passion, our calling, our destiny.โ€
-Steven Pressfield, from his great book, โ€œTurning Proโ€

Which of these images resonated with you the most?
Let me know in the comments ๐Ÿ‘‡

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10 Mental models illustrated to change the way you think โ†ด

(illustrated by me ๐Ÿ˜Š)

#visualcommunicationย #visualthinkingย #mentalmodels
Post image by Pejman Milani
10 Visuals That Will Transform Your Thinking โ†ด

Illustrated by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

#visualcommunicationย #visualthinkingย #growthmindset
Post image by Pejman Milani
10 Mental models illustrated to change the way you think โ†ด

(illustrated by me ๐Ÿ˜Š)

#visualcommunicationย #visualthinkingย #mentalmodels
Post image by Pejman Milani
10 visuals that will boost your mindset.

(illustrations by me ๐Ÿ˜Š)

To build a growth mindset, check these out:

1. ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜ƒ๐˜€ ๐—ช๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด
โ†ณ Writing sharpens thoughts that may otherwise slip away.
โ†ณ Clearer thinking follows when ideas are captured on paper.

2. ๐—” ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟโ€™๐˜€ ๐—๐—ผ๐—ฏ
โ†ณ Leaders highlight their team, not just themselves.
โ†ณ Support is more powerful than ego-driven leadership.

3. ๐—˜๐—ด๐—ผ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป
โ†ณ Over-inflating your ego leads to its eventual collapse.
โ†ณ Stay grounded and humble.

4. ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด
โ†ณ Teaching isnโ€™t about pouring information into minds.
โ†ณ Itโ€™s about lighting a passion that inspires growth.

5. ๐—ฅ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐˜ƒ๐˜€ ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ต๐˜†
โ†ณ Riches are about material possessions.
โ†ณ Wealth is built on meaningful relationships and experiences.

6. ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ข๐—ก๐—˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†
โ†ณ Doing too much leads to overwhelm.
โ†ณ Focusing on one thing brings clarity and balance.

7. ๐—”๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐˜ƒ๐˜€ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ช๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด
โ†ณ Amateurs wait for inspiration to write.
โ†ณ Pros create the conditions for inspiration through writing.

8. ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐˜ƒ๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด
โ†ณ Striving for perfection can lock you into paralysis.
โ†ณ Embrace who you are. It's what the world wants to see.

9. ๐——๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜† ๐— ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป, ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—›๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€
โ†ณ Motivation & inspiration fluctuate.
โ†ณ Habits are the foundation of long-term success.

10. ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ
โ†ณ Challenges and setbacks shape your growth.
โ†ณ It's how you develop perspective.

๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—บ ๐˜‚๐—ฝ:

1. Writing helps you clarify your thoughts.
2. True leadership lifts others.
3. Stay humble and avoid inflating your ego.
4. Teaching is about inspiring, not just informing.
5. Focus on relationships for true wealth.
6. Prioritize one thing to avoid burnout.
7. Create ideas through writing, donโ€™t wait for inspiration.
8. Embrace your uniqueness, not perfection.
9. Build lasting success through daily habits.
10. Use setbacks to develop resilience and strength.

Which of these images was your favorite?ย 
Let me know in the comments ๐Ÿ‘‡

โ™ป๏ธย Repost this to share these metaphors with your network.
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The Swan Paradox:
It takes an obscene amount of effort to make what you're doing look effortless.

To stay afloat, the effort never stops.
This is what it means to be โ€œconsistent.โ€œ

But be careful. You'll drown if you only rely on burst efforts.
Pace yourself.

Illustration by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

โœ๐Ÿป What's a common misunderstanding of effort in your work?
Post image by Pejman Milani
10 Visuals That Will Change Your Perspective โ†ด

Illustrated by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

#visualcommunicationย #visualthinkingย #growthmindset
Post image by Pejman Milani
10 Visuals That Will Boost Your Mindset โ†ด

Illustrated by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

#visualcommunication #visualthinking #growthmindset
Post image by Pejman Milani
15 Insightful visuals about psychology and life.

If you're an aspiring creator, check these out.

(illustrated by me ๐Ÿ˜Š)

1. ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ข๐˜‚๐˜
โ†ณ Staying in your comfort zone feels safe, but keeps you stuck.ย 
โ†ณ Accept some risk for a better view.

2. ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜ƒ๐˜€ ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜„๐˜๐—ต ๐— ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜ย 
โ†ณ What you believe about yourself shapes your reality.

3. ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐˜…
โ†ณ It takes an obscene amount of effort to make what you're doing look effortless.

4. ๐—–๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ต ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป
โ†ณ To attain knowledge, add things every day. โ 
โ†ณ To attain wisdom, remove things every day.โ  -Lao Tzuโ 

5. ๐—ข๐—ฟ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜‡๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ ๐—–๐—น๐˜‚๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐— ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ
โ†ณ Writing is like organizing a chaotic suitcaseโ€”It gets messier before it doesn't.

6. ๐—ฃ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฆ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐——๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜† ๐—”๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ย 
โ†ณ People overestimate what can get done in a day but underestimate what can get done in a year.

7. ๐—™๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐— ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐——๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ข๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด
โ†ณ Good judgment comes from experience.
โ†ณ Experience comes from bad judgment.

8. ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ-๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ ๐—•๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ
โ†ณ Despite what the gurus say, it's never a clean fit (and that's perfectly okay).
โ†ณ Life is messy. Thereโ€™s no shame in it cause weโ€™re all doing the best we can.

9. ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—œ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ข๐—ป๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฐ
โ†ณ Donโ€™t wait for perfectionโ€”start now and refine through iteration.

10. ๐—ง๐˜„๐—ผ ๐—ง๐˜†๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ
โ†ณ โ€œNo two experiences of adversity are identical. Some people bounce back quickly.ย 
โ†ณ Others need more time to sit with their emotions and process pain.โ€œ -Adam Grant

11. ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—”๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฟ
โ†ณ Notemaking is journaling about the ideas you consume.
โ†ณ The biggest difference: you don't just copy & paste.
โ†ณ Instead, ask yourself questions as you consume to create deeper sensemaking.

12. ๐—›๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜€
โ†ณ Breaking a bad habit seems straightforward, but so much of what we do is interconnected.
โ†ณ Real change takes time, persistence, and AWARENESS of the chain.

13. ๐—”๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐˜ƒ๐˜€ ๐—›๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†ย 
โ†ณ A humble mind is critical for a growth mindset.

14. ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น ๐˜‚๐—ฝ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—˜๐—บ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ
โ†ณ We often categorize emotions as good or bad, but all emotions serve a purpose.ย 
โ†ณ Going from high to low and everything in between helps us truly understand ourselves.

15. ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜
โ†ณ Stop procrastinating short-term hard choices if you want long-term gains.
โ†ณ Donโ€™t let the urgent overshadow the important.

Which of these images do you agree with most?
Let me know in the comments ๐Ÿ‘‡

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Friendly reminder for today:

Sometimes letting go of being perfect is the only way to find what it is you're meant to do.

illustration by me (and human hands ๐Ÿ˜Š )

- - -

By the way, if youโ€™re new here I create visual metaphors like these as friendly reminders to live a more creative life.

And if thatโ€™s your vibe, check out more of my favorite visuals in my free Visual IDEAs newsletter:

https://lnkd.in/gh7wvsmz
Post image by Pejman Milani
Happy June!

What's in store for you this summer?

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
I don't know about you, but I've never regretted pausing to respond.

But definitely regretted plenty of reactions.

Illustration by me (a human ๐Ÿ˜Š)

By the way, if you're new here, I create visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to live a more creative life.

And if you've had a topsy-turvy path like me, we probably flow to the same vibe. Check out more of my favorite visuals in my free Visual IDEAs newsletter:
https://lnkd.in/gh7wvsmz
Post image by Pejman Milani
Beware the path of least resistance.

My first post online wasn't until I was 41 b/c I was:
โ€ข Overwhelmed where to start
โ€ข Afraid what others would say
โ€ข Thought I didn't have anything to offer

Most people wait to make tough decisions because:
โ€ข They're paralyzed by all the options of what they could do
โ€ข They assume there's a "right" option

If you're an overthinker like me, my favorite framework to get going is called ABZ. (I mean who doesn't want solid abs?! ๐Ÿ˜ฌ)
โ€ข Figure out your A (where you are)
โ€ข Figure out your Z (where you want to be one day)
โ€ข And finally, lock in on your first step. Your B.

Most people need C,D,E,F...etc. before they actually do something.
And that's the red flag you're overthinking. Chances are every step you've planned after B will change and adjust anyway.

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to live a more creative life.

If that's your vibe, you're part of my tribe ๐Ÿ˜Š
Post image by Pejman Milani
Procrastination charges interest on your attention.

It's why that task youโ€™re avoiding is costing you more than you think.

There's an obvious benefit to procrastination.
It reduces stress in the present.
Task avoided = stress avoided, right?

But research shows the opposite.
Scientists call it "coping depletion."

We start each day with a limited "coping currency".
(think of it like a daily allowance to handle the crap the world throws at you)

When you leave something undone, itโ€™s like an unauthorized recurring subscription โ†’ Auto-charging your mental bandwidth (sucking up all your coping credits)

Now, imagine that project you havenโ€™t started yet.

It's making regular micro-withdrawals this very second from your coping bank. It's probably why you're feeling exhausted even at the thought of doing that thing.

But here's the good news about interest:
It works both ways.

It's why even finishing small tasks can feel soooo good.
You're buying back your attention!

So here's today's friendly reminder:
Don't wait till that coping ability goes bankrupt to get going.

Illustration by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your boogie to the woogie, join me on the journey ๐Ÿ˜Ž
Post image by Pejman Milani
Why do some people keep going when things get hard while others crumble?

Iโ€™ve been reading about the Stockdale Paradox.
(named after Admiral James Stockdale)

Stockdale was a Vietnam prisoner of war.ย 
Survived 7 brutal years of captivity by doing two things at the same time:
โ†’ Facing how bad each day actually was.
โ†’ Never losing faith he'd eventually walk out.

The prisoners who didn't make it?
They were the most optimistic.
"We'll be out by Christmas." Christmas passed.
"Definitely by Easter." Easter came and went.

Eventually they crumbled, while Stockdale survived.

Pure optimism sets you up for heartbreak.
Pure pessimism convinces you to quit.

Resilience lies somewhere in between.
โ†’ โ€œThis is freakinโ€™ hard.โ€
โ†’ โ€œIโ€™m gonna figure it out.โ€

Reality + Hope

In other words, stand on solid ground, but keep reaching for the sky.

Illustration by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
Friendly reminder for the day:

"Walking the walk" is inherently messy (and that's okay).

illustration by me (a human ๐Ÿ˜‹)

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
Lately it feels like I see more people selling skills for Claude than for humans.

I hate the advice, โ€œGet AI to do what you don't want to do".
Itโ€™s more like, โ€œGet AI to do what you don't want to LEARNโ€.

If it's something you never wanted to learn (admin, low-lift stuff), itโ€™s one thing.

But if it's something you actually want to be good at, and you're offloading it because it's hard, you have to have an honest conversation with yourself.

We like doing the things we're already good at.
We donโ€™t like doing things that make us uncomfortable. ย 
And it's uncomfortable because weโ€™re not good at it yet.

For the monkey mind, the path of least resistance always wins.ย 
Irony being the very thing that makes you most human compels you to use AI.

We want the rep without the lift. But learning and discomfort go together like "Ramma lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong" (sorry, my mom made me watch "Grease" as a kid too many times).

Take this post for example.

Iโ€™ve been writing and rewriting it for over an hour now.
Trying to get the logic and flow to sizzle a little, so someone who isn't in my head can follow it.

It doesn't come naturally. I have to work at it.ย 
But thatโ€™s the only way anyoneโ€™s ever gotten good at anything.

Illustration by me (a human ๐Ÿ˜Š )

By the way, if you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
Lately I feel all Iโ€™ve been chasing is โ€œmore.โ€

More reach. More followers. More proof I'm โ€œsignificantโ€ in some way.
But maybe significance is not about the widest impact possible, but the deepest one you can make with the people that matter most.

It reminds me of one of my favorite stories:
A businessman meets a fisherman coming home after his morning catch.

"Why not stay out longer?" the businessman asks. "Catch more fish?"

"I have enough," says the fisherman. "Now I go home."

"But what do you DO all day?"

The fisherman smiles: "Sleep late. Fish a little. Play with my kids.ย Siesta with my wife. Evening guitar with friends."

The businessman jumps in, "But you have such a good thing going here. I can help you build an empire!
โ†’ Buy bigger boats
โ†’ Build a fleet
โ†’ Move to New York
โ†’ Scale!"

"How long would that take?" asks the fisherman.

"15-20 years."

"Then what?"

"Then you're rich! You retire! Move to a fishing village. Sleep late. Fish a little. Play with your kids..."

illustration by me (a human just being ๐Ÿ˜Š)

By the way, if you're new here, I create visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to live a more creative life.

And if you've had a topsy-turvy path like me, we probably flow to the same vibe. Check out more of my favorite visuals in my free Visual IDEAs newsletter:
https://lnkd.in/gh7wvsmz
Post image by Pejman Milani
There's no bigger indicator of success than the ability to persist.

That's why it's so important to find something worth doing regardless of the outcome.

illustration by me (human-made ๐Ÿ˜Š)

sidenote: Avoid taking this visual literally. Always remember to get your beauty rest.

And if you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
Friendly reminder for today:

Keep the main thing, the main thing.

Illustration by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
"A good rest is half the work."
-Yugoslav Proverb

(illustration by me ๐Ÿ˜Š)

Self-care is about maintenance, not just recovery.
Don't wait till you're broken to take a break.

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
After making 900+ visual metaphors, I still circle the same truths.

If only I learned these lessons back in my 20s:

1) The Swan Paradox
Anyone who makes it look easy works like crazy to give that illusion. We have to remember this!

2) Always Aim for the Stars
Sometimes before you try harder, you should try higher.

3) Great Leaders Put Others First
A manager says "go." A leader says "let's go." Whole different vibe.

4)The Power of Breaking Down a Large Task
You don't climb a mountain by staring at the top. You look at your feet and take the next step.

5) Reframe Challenges
Every obstacle is two things: a wall or a teacher.

6) Leadership is About Service, Not Power
Ships need captains. But lighthouses donโ€™t have to move and everyone still finds their way. There's something to that.

7) Why Writing is a Superpower
Your brain is a messy room. Writing is just cleaning it one thought at a time.

8) Master the Power of Active Listening
If you want to be more interesting try being more interested.

9) Write to Sharpen and Clarify Your Thoughts
I used to think writing was for sharing ideas. Turns out it's for finding them.

10) Embrace Discipline for Lasting Success
Youโ€™ll forget the pain of discipline as soon as itโ€™s done.
But the pain of โ€œif onlyโ€ never goes away. Trust me on this one.

P.S. I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help you live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, every couple weeks I send out my 4 favorite visuals in my free Visual IDEAs newsletter:
https://lnkd.in/gh7wvsmz
Funny how the lessons you didn't sign up for teach you the most.

A mentor once told me, "your biggest breakthroughs come from your most expensive mistakes."



No one wants to make mistakes.
And failures get more consequential the further up you go.

And the longer you hesitate because you hope to get it perfectly right the first time around, the longer it takes to make meaningful progress.

The sad truth is wisdom isn't learned. It's earned.

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
The difference between thinking and overthinking.

The dose makes the poison.

Illustration by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
Remember when your biggest friendship worry was who to sit with at lunch?

As kids, friendships were easy.
Same classes. Same recess. Same milestones.

As adults, friendships are complicated.
Because weโ€™re all running different races at difference paces.

Getting married. Getting divorced.
Starting over. Settling down.
Having kids. Choosing not to.

I used to think growing apart meant growing away from each other. But the older I get the more I realize itโ€™s just growing in different directions. At different speeds. Toward different things.

We're all just finding our way. But somehow...
still sending memes at 2am like nothing's changed. ๐Ÿ˜„

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
If you want a better view, gotta step out of your comfort zone.

Inspired from a quote by James Bryant Conant
Illustration by me ๐Ÿ˜Š

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.
Post image by Pejman Milani
I wish I could tell my 20 yr old self this:

Every pro you admire started as an amateur who refused to quit.

If you're like me and you keep forgetting this lesson,
I made these 10 visual friendly reminders to help:

1) When facing obstacles
โ€ข Amateurs: "This is too hard. I should quit."
โ€ข Professionals: "This is hard. I'm about to learn something."

2) When investing in yourself
โ€ข Amateurs: "I can't afford to learn that."
โ€ข Professionals: "I can't afford NOT to learn that."

3) When facing shiny objects
โ€ข Amateurs: "I need to be good at everything."
โ€ข Professionals: "I need to be excellent at one thing."

4) When managing your time
โ€ข Amateurs: "How much can I squeeze in?"
โ€ข Professionals: "What actually moves me forward?"

5) When feeling unmotivated
โ€ข Amateurs: "I'll create when inspiration hits."
โ€ข Professionals: "I'll create UNTIL inspiration hits."

6) When you're in the thick of it
โ€ข Amateurs: "I can't wait til this is done."
โ€ข Professionals: "I can't wait to do this again. And again."

7) When you keep feeling "busy"
โ€ข Amateurs: "Look how MUCH I'm moving!"
โ€ข Professionals: "Look how FAR I'm going."

8) When fighting self-doubt
โ€ข Amateurs: "What if I'm not ready?"
โ€ข Professionals: โ€œEven if Iโ€™m not ready, Iโ€™m doing this.โ€

9) When working with your limits
โ€ข Amateurs: "These constraints are holding me back."
โ€ข Professionals: "These constraints are helping me focus.โ€

10) When dealing with failures
โ€ข Amateurs: "I tried and it didn't work."
โ€ข Professionals: "When I keep trying I make it work."

P.S. Which friendly reminder was most helpful today?
For me, it's Lesson 4 right now.

P.S. If you're new here, I'm Pejman Milani (milanicreative).

I've made hundreds of visual metaphors like this as friendly reminders to help live a more intentional and creative life.

If that's your jam, follow me for more daily insights.

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