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From the end of an article about MasterClass… Lately, I’ve been thinking about how prospectors in the California Gold Rush rarely struck it rich. In 1849, the ones who did well were those who supplied prospectors with shovels, tents, and jeans—they kept the dream alive. Samuel Brannan, who sold shovels and other goods, was considered California’s…

Words from three-time Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph 🏅 via James Clear’s newsletter: “Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you…

In 1979 a Harvard Business School professor named Michael Porter came up with a framework “to analyze an industry’s attractiveness and likely profitability.” 🤓 It’s explained concisely in this article and video. The five forces: Could be a handy framework to help you assess a business idea (though it does have its critics).

Also from that Tim Urban article: Chefs look at the world with fresh eyes and build conclusions based on what they observe and what they’ve experienced. Cooks arrive at conclusions by following someone else’s recipe—in the case of careers, the recipe is usually conventional wisdom. […] cooks improve at a snail’s pace, because their strategy is…

If you read only one thing today, let it be Tim Urban’s deep dive on how to pick a career that actually fits you 👈 An excerpt: When you overrate the impact of innate talent on how people fare in their careers—and you also conflate talent and skill level—it won’t leave you feeling great about your chances…