Category: Short Thoughts (Page 1 of 3)

“I have done it before” is such a powerful anchor.

You will not always have to do “it”, and when you are not doing “it”, it can be unnerving to think about not doing “it” in that moment. However, your ability to say, “Well, in the past, when I wanted to, I did it,” can be a strong anchor to help you escape that feeling. It is often also sufficient to get you through having to do “it” again.

Metadata is the stuff of life, the art that makes life even more interesting. I think in language, you could refer to them as contextual data.

You went to a restaurant to eat. The meal was delicious and you enjoyed it. To retell the experience to yourself, you could say, “Oh, the meal was delicious and I enjoyed it.” And that would be true. But only as true as saying David bought a book from this store… and nothing more.

When you are pursuing something, be watchful for the moment when the metric turns into the goal. It is often a very delicate line and extremely easy to cross.

During my presentation last Saturday, I talked about an idea that has been one of the secret sauces of my career: Curiosity-Driven Self-Development.

Reading biological books is one of my favourite pastime activities. Recently, the behemoth PE company Blackstone hit $1T in AUM, reaching its ambition three years ahead. As I started to read the founder’s account in ‘What It Takes,’ I stumbled on this seminal quote that explains its growth strategy:

When you attend an event, you’re not just there to listen to the speaker. The real value lies in the conversations you have with other attendees and the network you build from there.

That phrase implies that your career path is not a linear progression from one job to the next. Instead, it is more like a jungle gym, with many different paths that you can take. You may move up, down, sideways, or even backwards at different points in your career. This is because the world of work is constantly changing, and the skills and experience that you need to succeed may change as well.

There are three things to optimize for in any job that would bring you the most satisfaction.