http://jinfiesto.posterous.com/how-to-seem-good-at-everything-stop-doing-stu">This blog post discusses the advantages to be had by not worrying about the best so much as eliminating the worst from our behavior.
"Back in college, one of my best friends was a prodigious chess player. He'd won a few regional championships and was pretty highly rated. Before I met him, I'd considered myself a competent player. Back in school I'd placed in a few high school tournaments, and in general played a better game than most of my friends. I'm a competitive guy, so I'd challenge him constantly only to get trounced. It was a lot like repeatedly banging my head into a wall.
At some point, I caved and made the mistake of asking him what the quickest way for me to improve my chess skills was. What followed was some of the most insulting and profound advice I've ever received in my life. He pulled me aside and bluntly said "Josh, stop doing stupid shit."
"As a parting shot, I'd like to make a reference to the Pareto Principle. It's been my experience that "Not doing stupid shit" will get you past the bottom 80% really fast."
Any thoughts on its application to politics (other than "stop doing stupid shit by not sufficiently supporting my pet issue")?
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