Happy Saturday!
I hope you’re having a great start to your weekend.
Now we're into November, is it too early to get excited for the holidays?
What I’ve been up to:
I finished up a week of classes and headed to Pyrénées National Park, on the border of Spain and France, for a few days of hiking and quiet living.
Here's a recap of the most interesting things I've explored this week.
Thanks for being here 🙂
✍️ Quotes I’m pondering:
Dale Carnegie, American writer and lecturer, on the power of action:
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.
If you want to conquer the negative elements in your life, don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy!”
Ai Weiwei, contemporary artist, on action versus contemplation:
“A small act is worth a million thoughts.”
📚 Book passage I loved:
A lot of people want a shortcut. I find the best shortcut is the long way, which is basically two words: work hard.
As I see it, if you work more hours than somebody else, during those hours you learn more about your craft. That can make you more efficient, more able, even happier. Hard work is like compounded interest in the bank. The rewards build faster.
... If I work hard enough, there will be things I can do tomorrow that I can’t do today.
― The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
💡 Idea from me: Slivers of Opportunity
Life sometimes drops opportunities at your feet. But, most of the time, you have to take action and make things happen.
Slivers of opportunity are invisible to the untrained eye. They disappear quickly.
To capitalize, you need vision to see what others cannot, courage to act when others would not, and a willingness to face uncertainty and change.
To illustrate I want to share three stories from three of my heroes.
Hero #1: Tim Ferriss
In 2000, Tim Ferriss graduated from Princeton and couldn't find a job.
He saw friends making millions in sunny California and decided that's where he belonged. Tim knew the CEO of a San Francisco start-up, but when he asked for a job, he was turned down.
He followed up again and again. 31 consecutive emails. After the CEO continued to say no, Ferriss figured he needed a Hail Mary. In his 32nd email, he told the CEO he'd "be in the neighborhood" next week and it'd be great to stop by. "All right," the CEO wrote back. "I can meet you on Tuesday."
There’s only one problem: Tim was in New York with no money and no plane ticket.
He immediately caught a flight to California, showed up at the company’s office, and was hired. Naturally, in sales.
This job inspired him to start a supplement company, which led to writing The 4-Hour Workweek. The rest is history.
Hero #2: Randy Pausch
Randy was in his late 20s working as a computer science professor at the University of Virginia. One day, he had the courage to contact Fred Brooks Jr., one of the most highly regarded computer scientists in the world.
He emailed him, asking: “If I drive down from Virginia to North Carolina, would it be possible to get thirty minutes of your time to talk?” Brooks responded: “If you drive all the way down here, I’ll give you more than thirty minutes.”
Randy made the three-hour trip, and Fred gave him ninety minutes. He became his lifelong mentor, career accelerator, and close friend.
"Years later," Randy wrote, "he invited me to give a lecture at the University of North Carolina. That was the trip that led to the most seminal moment in my life—when I met my wife".
Hero #3: David Perell
David had just begun to write online and host a podcast. He was scraping by, living in a small Brooklyn apartment with roommates.
He wanted to interview Tyler Cowen, a brilliant economist and one of his intellectual idols. David emailed Tyler, with little hope, saying he'd love to interview him and would even travel to Washington DC, where Tyler lived, for this interview.
Tyler agreed.
David bought a $5 Megabus ticket to make the uncomfortable 4.5-hour trip. He interviewed Cowen for 60 minutes and headed back to New York.
One year later, Tyler Cowen launched the Emergent Ventures Program, providing grants to entrepreneurs. David applied and was awarded a grant. He used to money to hire a film crew and create the initial content for his now massively successful online course, Write of Passage. Without the money, he wouldn't have been able to launch the course.
"Had I not taken that Megabus", David admits, "I don't think I would've gotten that grant".
Inflection Points
Momentum compounds, and success begets success. You never know what event will start a domino effect, what person will give you the initial spark of energy that will lead to everything else.
Tiago Forte calls these moments “inflection points.” Decisions that can alter the trajectory of our lives, but only if we have the courage to take action and embrace risk, while that window is open.
When you sense an opportunity, act on it. Where there’s a sliver of opportunity, do anything you can to make it happen.
At this very moment, what is the shot that life is asking you to take?
❓ Question for You:
A question from legendary NFL coach Bill Walsh on preparation:
What could happen tomorrow, next week, or next year that you haven’t planned for, aren’t ready to deal with, or have put in the category of “I’ll worry about that when the time comes”?
📸 Photo of the week:
This week, I hiked up the Camino de Santiago to Sierra del Perdón, a vantage point with exceptional panoramic views at +1,000 meters of elevation.
Behind me is the “Monumento al Camino” a sheet metal sculpture that represents a procession of pilgrims from different eras. The text that accompanies the work reads, “Where the path of the wind crosses that of the stars.”
If you have feedback or want to be friends, please reach out. I love chatting with my readers. 😊
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Have an excellent weekend.
Much love to you and yours,
Tommy