4 ms·

This article is selling a narrative that you want to hear with a huge dollop of confirmation bias as andy_ppp points out. It's not very likely that you or your

This article is selling a narrative that you want to hear with a huge dollop of confirmation bias as andy_ppp points out. It's not very likely that you or your family are that 0.01%[1], but it is very likely that you think you are exceptional. (I wish you all and your family all the best, but one needs to be very careful around this kind of narrativium.) [1] Made up number, obviously.

diegoperini 9y ago
This cannot be stressed enough. Well said.
jasode 9y ago
A meta observation around the reaction to the word "exceptional" based on some posters' comments: - lomnakkus: "It's not very likely that you or your family are that 0.01%[1], but it is very likely that you think you are exceptional." - deepGem: ", being frustrated with day to day life doesn't make one exceptional." I think the problem here is that Mz's chosen word of "exceptional" makes it look like a superior attribute and self-aggrandizement. (This triggers a reaction: https://i.redd.it/1sd91qydx16z.gif https://i.redd.it/1sd91qydx16z.gif) So it seems like the word "exceptional" has too much positive connotation and that in turn triggers some to "knock the poster down a few pegs". Can we find an alternative word that doesn't trigger that reflex? For whatever reason(s), a lot of entrepreneurs can't seem to conform to the typical 9-to-5 job. Maybe it is: - ADD/ADHD - DRD2 "thrill seeking" gene[1] - mild sociopathic disorder[2] - rule-maker or rule-breaker personality instead of rule-follower - <some other dominant attribute> Whatever the cause is, don't label it "exceptional" because it will lead to replies correcting you that "you're not exceptional". How about another word such as "misfits"? If you're a person that sees no compatibility for careers such as programmer for BigCo, or doctor, or accountant, or teacher, etc, you'd self-diagnose yourself as a "misfit". Those careers are all noble endeavors -- but they also all feel "wrong" to the misfit. In a conformist-economy, the paths for the misfit earning a living is very different: If you're a "creative misfit", you can write novels or be in a rock band and people overlook your eccentricities. If you're not artistic but see business opportunities, you become an entrepreneur. Is there a better word than "misfit" that captures the spirit above but is also sufficiently self-effacing to not make people think one has a superiority complex? [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=drd2+gene+entrepreneur https://www.google.com/search?q=drd2+gene+entrepreneur [2] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1987.tb00477.x/abstract http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1987....
- spacedmountain 9y ago
  Probably true, but 'twice exceptional' is the established term that describes what you are saying [1]. For example, someone who has 'genius' IQ (of 98th percentile) along with an uncommon neurotype (ADHD, autism-spectrum, dyslexia). These people often don't fit the stereotype of 'genius' nor their neurotype - and so are double 'misfits'. Probably the term 'twice exceptional' was chosen as more tact than 'double misfit', as these people often not accepted to normal society, especially as youth. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- rmah 9y ago
  "For whatever reason(s), a lot of entrepreneurs can't seem to conform to the typical 9-to-5 job." In my experience (almost 30 yrs of working at all sorts of companies, 2 startups of my own, lots of friends and acquaintances with their own businesses) the most people I've seen who are most successful at launching and running their own firms were those who did VERY well at previous 9-to-5 jobs. That said, I've known plenty who did well at 9-to-5 jobs who didn't do so well with their own company. So I don't think that's a predictor for success, per se. But I do think not being able to handle a regular job is, quite possibly, a negative indicator. I mean, face reality, MOST people don't like to go to a 9-to-5 job very much. After all, if they weren't being paid, 99% would not show up.
  - SimbaOnSteroids 9y ago
    Perhaps the people that do well at a 9-5 and do well as an entrepreneur don't do well at the 9-5 because they're a model employee by nature but rather because they seek to be the best at whatever they do, however they can.
- lomnakkus 9y ago
  "different"? FWIW, at least as far as I can know my own mind, my comment wasn't spurred by any notion of perceiving as OP being "arrogant" or thinking that they are "a special snowflake" or anything like that. It's just that unlikely statistical events are... unlikely even though they often do happen to someone (in aggregate). As an individual, and without compelling evidence, it's simply meaningless to think that you're anything other than average in most respects.
harel 9y ago
I'm not sure exceptional is the right word. I wouldn't even call it 'gifted'. Maybe its just being able to function better when the conditions are not ideal and the pressure is up, as opposed to when things are fine and there is nothing to worry about.
- Mz 9y ago
  There are multiple definitions of gifted, including "having a special talent." It doesn't inherently mean that someone has a genius level IQ. By various definitions, 10 percent or more of the population can qualify for the label, last I heard, back when I was involved in such things.
eli_gottlieb 9y ago
The opposite side of the problem is that sometimes people continually tell you you're exceptional, talented, capable, and driven, while you point to your record of actual accomplishments and proclaim your mediocrity. And by "you" I of course mean "me".
- grogenaut 9y ago
  you could also just have a ton of below average coworkers so your mediocrity is still amazing. This is what happens in highschool sports. Folks mistake "above average" which is get you to college sports (I played D3 I know) with exceptional, eg Pro, or even All Star Pro. Few can even tell at that level. I enjoyed myself a lot by going to a place where I was continually challenged in a domain I didn't know, games. Learned a ton, including humility, and got way better. It broke a lot of my assumptions or held beliefs with plain evidence to the contrary.
  - eli_gottlieb 9y ago
    I hugely enjoyed my last job: the coworkers were all above my skill-level in practically everything, but somehow still liked having me around. I learned loads and built great relationships. We still keep in touch. Pity our client cancelled the big project I'd been hired on for, revenue flow never quite got back up, and I was the only person in the company who couldn't do hardware dev :-(.
- gist 9y ago
  > while you point to your record of actual accomplishments and proclaim your mediocrity Luck being the missing ingredient.
  - eli_gottlieb 9y ago
    No, not at all. The missing ingredients are drive from an early age, extreme privilege from almost birth, and/or efficiency of work-ethic from an early age. You can crank things out by putting in a lot of hours, to work towards a goal, but that's not actually enough. You needed to learn how to just process things efficiently and mechanically from the start. You shouldn't have grown a sense of drive at age 23 and then needed to figure out how that works. You should have been efficient since forever, and then been able to deploy that towards drive at whatever age. Ideally, you should have had drive starting around age 14 on top of efficiency. Provided you never managed any of those things, you should have just been born right. It's easy to hit all the top-ranked targets in life without having efficiency, or even an idea or drive before adulthood -- provided someone sent you to prep school, put you through top universities, and let you know you could start a business without worrying about ever starving or missing rent. (I've met some people as privileged as that last description. The best among them is absolutely one of the most friendly, helpful, overall nice people I've ever met. Many of them are self-aware about the whole thing. Those who are neither nice nor self-aware are a danger to society, and IMHO haven't really earned it. Oh, and worse, some of the non-nice, self-unaware ones are in some very, very high places. Apparently they're awkward at parties, too.)

diegoperini 9y ago

This cannot be stressed enough. Well said.

jasode 9y ago

A meta observation around the reaction to the word "exceptional" based on some posters' comments: - lomnakkus: "It's not very likely that you or your family are that 0.01%[1], but it is very likely that you think you are exceptional." - deepGem: ", being frustrated with day to day life doesn't make one exceptional." I think the problem here is that Mz's chosen word of "exceptional" makes it look like a superior attribute and self-aggrandizement. (This triggers a reaction: https://i.redd.it/1sd91qydx16z.gif https://i.redd.it/1sd91qydx16z.gif) So it seems like the word "exceptional" has too much positive connotation and that in turn triggers some to "knock the poster down a few pegs". Can we find an alternative word that doesn't trigger that reflex? For whatever reason(s), a lot of entrepreneurs can't seem to conform to the typical 9-to-5 job. Maybe it is: - ADD/ADHD - DRD2 "thrill seeking" gene[1] - mild sociopathic disorder[2] - rule-maker or rule-breaker personality instead of rule-follower - <some other dominant attribute> Whatever the cause is, don't label it "exceptional" because it will lead to replies correcting you that "you're not exceptional". How about another word such as "misfits"? If you're a person that sees no compatibility for careers such as programmer for BigCo, or doctor, or accountant, or teacher, etc, you'd self-diagnose yourself as a "misfit". Those careers are all noble endeavors -- but they also all feel "wrong" to the misfit. In a conformist-economy, the paths for the misfit earning a living is very different: If you're a "creative misfit", you can write novels or be in a rock band and people overlook your eccentricities. If you're not artistic but see business opportunities, you become an entrepreneur. Is there a better word than "misfit" that captures the spirit above but is also sufficiently self-effacing to not make people think one has a superiority complex? [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=drd2+gene+entrepreneur https://www.google.com/search?q=drd2+gene+entrepreneur [2] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1987.tb00477.x/abstract http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1987....

spacedmountain 9y ago
Probably true, but 'twice exceptional' is the established term that describes what you are saying [1]. For example, someone who has 'genius' IQ (of 98th percentile) along with an uncommon neurotype (ADHD, autism-spectrum, dyslexia). These people often don't fit the stereotype of 'genius' nor their neurotype - and so are double 'misfits'. Probably the term 'twice exceptional' was chosen as more tact than 'double misfit', as these people often not accepted to normal society, especially as youth. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
rmah 9y ago
"For whatever reason(s), a lot of entrepreneurs can't seem to conform to the typical 9-to-5 job." In my experience (almost 30 yrs of working at all sorts of companies, 2 startups of my own, lots of friends and acquaintances with their own businesses) the most people I've seen who are most successful at launching and running their own firms were those who did VERY well at previous 9-to-5 jobs. That said, I've known plenty who did well at 9-to-5 jobs who didn't do so well with their own company. So I don't think that's a predictor for success, per se. But I do think not being able to handle a regular job is, quite possibly, a negative indicator. I mean, face reality, MOST people don't like to go to a 9-to-5 job very much. After all, if they weren't being paid, 99% would not show up.
- SimbaOnSteroids 9y ago
  Perhaps the people that do well at a 9-5 and do well as an entrepreneur don't do well at the 9-5 because they're a model employee by nature but rather because they seek to be the best at whatever they do, however they can.
lomnakkus 9y ago
"different"? FWIW, at least as far as I can know my own mind, my comment wasn't spurred by any notion of perceiving as OP being "arrogant" or thinking that they are "a special snowflake" or anything like that. It's just that unlikely statistical events are... unlikely even though they often do happen to someone (in aggregate). As an individual, and without compelling evidence, it's simply meaningless to think that you're anything other than average in most respects.

harel 9y ago

I'm not sure exceptional is the right word. I wouldn't even call it 'gifted'. Maybe its just being able to function better when the conditions are not ideal and the pressure is up, as opposed to when things are fine and there is nothing to worry about.

Mz 9y ago
There are multiple definitions of gifted, including "having a special talent." It doesn't inherently mean that someone has a genius level IQ. By various definitions, 10 percent or more of the population can qualify for the label, last I heard, back when I was involved in such things.

eli_gottlieb 9y ago

The opposite side of the problem is that sometimes people continually tell you you're exceptional, talented, capable, and driven, while you point to your record of actual accomplishments and proclaim your mediocrity. And by "you" I of course mean "me".

grogenaut 9y ago
you could also just have a ton of below average coworkers so your mediocrity is still amazing. This is what happens in highschool sports. Folks mistake "above average" which is get you to college sports (I played D3 I know) with exceptional, eg Pro, or even All Star Pro. Few can even tell at that level. I enjoyed myself a lot by going to a place where I was continually challenged in a domain I didn't know, games. Learned a ton, including humility, and got way better. It broke a lot of my assumptions or held beliefs with plain evidence to the contrary.
- eli_gottlieb 9y ago
  I hugely enjoyed my last job: the coworkers were all above my skill-level in practically everything, but somehow still liked having me around. I learned loads and built great relationships. We still keep in touch. Pity our client cancelled the big project I'd been hired on for, revenue flow never quite got back up, and I was the only person in the company who couldn't do hardware dev :-(.
gist 9y ago
> while you point to your record of actual accomplishments and proclaim your mediocrity Luck being the missing ingredient.
- eli_gottlieb 9y ago
  No, not at all. The missing ingredients are drive from an early age, extreme privilege from almost birth, and/or efficiency of work-ethic from an early age. You can crank things out by putting in a lot of hours, to work towards a goal, but that's not actually enough. You needed to learn how to just process things efficiently and mechanically from the start. You shouldn't have grown a sense of drive at age 23 and then needed to figure out how that works. You should have been efficient since forever, and then been able to deploy that towards drive at whatever age. Ideally, you should have had drive starting around age 14 on top of efficiency. Provided you never managed any of those things, you should have just been born right. It's easy to hit all the top-ranked targets in life without having efficiency, or even an idea or drive before adulthood -- provided someone sent you to prep school, put you through top universities, and let you know you could start a business without worrying about ever starving or missing rent. (I've met some people as privileged as that last description. The best among them is absolutely one of the most friendly, helpful, overall nice people I've ever met. Many of them are self-aware about the whole thing. Those who are neither nice nor self-aware are a danger to society, and IMHO haven't really earned it. Oh, and worse, some of the non-nice, self-unaware ones are in some very, very high places. Apparently they're awkward at parties, too.)