4 ms·

This is an important point. You can say no to everything but video games, marijuana, and junk food. You’re unlikely to be successful in life even though you’re

This is an important point. You can say no to everything but video games, marijuana, and junk food. You’re unlikely to be successful in life even though you’re extremely focused on just a few things. What matters is saying yes to the right things and no to almost everything else. Perhaps then what it is that makes the most successful people of all is the judgment (or luck) to say yes to the right things and the fortitude (or stubbornness) to say no to everything else.

jfengel 6y ago
I spent 15 years thinking I had fortitude. Turns out I was just stubborn. Pretty much ruined my life. "Winners never quit, and quitters never win. But people who don't win and don't quit are just stupid." I landed on my feet. Others won't be so lucky. (Ironically, I was only able to be stubborn for so long because I had so much good fortune elsewhere. If I'd had less support, I'd have quit much earlier, and maybe it would all have turned out better.) The moral of the story: it's better to be lucky than smart.
- IggleSniggle 6y ago
  Same. Got a masters and doctorate out of stubbornness rather than real love of the subject. In many respects, wasted decade. At least I have better self-knowledge now, I guess.
  - quesera 6y ago
    On the other hand.. There's a good argument that attaining that self-knowledge takes at least a decade under any circumstances -- and if you can do so while getting a masters and PhD on the side, you've wasted less than most. :)
- stolenmerch 6y ago
  This is probably good advice for founders of a tech company, but horrible advice for workers like me. I need fortitude to survive. I need to get up every day and believe I have what it takes to push through the work. Maybe I'm smart, maybe I'm lucky, but fortitude is what I tell myself I have to finish projects and get stuff done.
- sixdimensional 6y ago
  I think you might enjoy this blog post "intelligence is adaptability" [1]. It's not heavy of facts or references, but I like the inspiration. It also sounds a little like what you shared you learned as well. [1] http://www.actinginbalance.com/intelligence-is-adaptability/ http://www.actinginbalance.com/intelligence-is-adaptability/
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  Perhaps it's better to be wise than smart.
vsareto 6y ago
You'll never know if your "no" answers were a false negative though. Rich people say no to a lot of things because they get a lot of opportunities and there's only so much time to spend. If you have a lot less opportunities and far more time while starting near the bottom, a false negative can be a more significant miss for you.

jfengel 6y ago

I spent 15 years thinking I had fortitude. Turns out I was just stubborn. Pretty much ruined my life. "Winners never quit, and quitters never win. But people who don't win and don't quit are just stupid." I landed on my feet. Others won't be so lucky. (Ironically, I was only able to be stubborn for so long because I had so much good fortune elsewhere. If I'd had less support, I'd have quit much earlier, and maybe it would all have turned out better.) The moral of the story: it's better to be lucky than smart.

IggleSniggle 6y ago
Same. Got a masters and doctorate out of stubbornness rather than real love of the subject. In many respects, wasted decade. At least I have better self-knowledge now, I guess.
- quesera 6y ago
  On the other hand.. There's a good argument that attaining that self-knowledge takes at least a decade under any circumstances -- and if you can do so while getting a masters and PhD on the side, you've wasted less than most. :)
stolenmerch 6y ago
This is probably good advice for founders of a tech company, but horrible advice for workers like me. I need fortitude to survive. I need to get up every day and believe I have what it takes to push through the work. Maybe I'm smart, maybe I'm lucky, but fortitude is what I tell myself I have to finish projects and get stuff done.
sixdimensional 6y ago
I think you might enjoy this blog post "intelligence is adaptability" [1]. It's not heavy of facts or references, but I like the inspiration. It also sounds a little like what you shared you learned as well. [1] http://www.actinginbalance.com/intelligence-is-adaptability/ http://www.actinginbalance.com/intelligence-is-adaptability/
AnimalMuppet 6y ago
Perhaps it's better to be wise than smart.

vsareto 6y ago

You'll never know if your "no" answers were a false negative though. Rich people say no to a lot of things because they get a lot of opportunities and there's only so much time to spend. If you have a lot less opportunities and far more time while starting near the bottom, a false negative can be a more significant miss for you.