Shane Parrish’s Post

This is the most important podcast episode we've done. Over the last decade, therapy has become the default solution to solving every problem. But instead of helping us work through difficult circumstances and solve real problems, what if it’s just making things worse? That’s what Abigail Shrier thinks is happening with Bad Therapy, and in this conversation, she reveals some surprising reasons why. Listen and Learn! https://lnkd.in/eVGnWTXy

Imagine what you could accomplish if you weren't focused on being right all the time. Outcome over ego.

The highest form of leverage is reputation.

Consistency is the reward.

The best way to improve your thinking ability is to spend time thinking. How can we force ourselves to spend more time thinking? One way to engage with an idea is to write about it. Source: https://lnkd.in/ejWd5a4z

When you’re a beginner, every bit of effort translates into significant gains. But as you level up, progress becomes more incremental. It takes more and more work to get better and better. That’s why going from good to great is often harder than going from bad to good.

Building in public. People watched 8.1 million minutes of TKP on YouTube alone last month. See the latest episode here: https://lnkd.in/evNCMBe3

Why write an essay when you can type a few words and have AI generate one for you? Why write an email when AI can auto-respond for you with all the typical pleasantries and talking-points? https://fs.blog/why-write/

The best outcomes don't come from perfection. They come from a mindset of positioning that can not only handle but take advantage of uncertainty. Imagine two startups, Perfecta and Pivota, both trying to create the next big thing in the tech world. They each raised the same amount of money. Perfecta's founders are obsessed with getting everything just right before launching. They spend months and millions perfecting their product, polishing every detail until it shines. They're sure they've predicted exactly what the market wants. Pivota, on the other hand, takes a different approach. They build something small enough to ship fast and test. It's cheap and imperfect, but it's good enough to start learning from real users. They know they can't predict the future, so they focus on rapidly adapting. When both startups launched, Perfecta's product looked impressive, but they misjudged what customers needed. Sales are slower than expected, so they invest millions in marketing, each sale more unprofitable than the last. They are slow to realize the product is the problem. Meanwhile, Pivota's initial product is rough around the edges, but they're quick to iterate based on user feedback. When data shows they are wrong, they quickly change course. They slowly figure out what users need. Investors are growing impatient with Pivota, as they watch the revenue numbers of Perfecta grow rapidly. Luckily they've got an option on time because they have a lot of cash. Slowly, then suddenly, Pivota takes market share. The lesson? When you want to win tomorrow, accurately predicting the future matters. When you want to win in the end, staying in the game matters more. Positioning isn't about perfect solutions; it's about handling uncertainty and staying in the game.

"Immediately after he was elected to office, he received a number of “gifts,” including free passes to all of the movie theaters. I was thrilled with this and could hardly believe it when Dad promptly returned all of the “gifts” with polite thank-you notes. When I complained to him that we should keep the movie tickets, he simply explained that honesty and integrity are not matters of degree." — Benjamin Roth