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Don't Forget Step Zero
The comfort zone of Default Options
- The default option isn’t always the wrong one, but it’s always riskier than it looks.
- The comfort zone of the default option is a dangerous situation and mindset to be in.
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Step Zero
Obvious but important
Skipping Step Zero
When you skip Step Zero, you end up on whatever default path is for people in your situation. You become a doctor because that’s what people in your family, ethnicity, or in-group do. You go to grad school because that’s what people with your academic background do.
You are a follower, not having any space to decide what you really want to do.
The comfort zone of Default Options
- The default option isn’t always the wrong one, but it’s always riskier than it looks.
- The comfort zone of the default option is a dangerous situation and mindset to be in.
Successful people remember Step Zero
Successful people are unusually good at Step Zero, even though not many of them start out that way.
We usually understand that we’re supposed to work hard to be successful. That makes sense: successful people work hard. But how did those successful people decide what they should be working on? That is never shown, and that is the Step Zero.
Before Step One there is Step Zero
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Taking off
Startups take off because the founders make them take off.
Generally, startups take a push to get them going. Once they are on the track, they will usually keep going, but there is a s...
Recruiting users
Nearly all startups have to recruit their users manually. You can't wait for users to come to you. You have to go out and get them.
- At least one founder will have to spend a lot of time on sales and marketing. Don't succumb to shyness and laziness.
- Even if numbers may seem small at first, don't underestimate the power of compound growth.
- At some point, growth has to slow down. If the market exists, you can gradually switch to less manual methods.
Initial vulnerability
Almost all startups are vulnerable initially, like a newborn baby. It's harmless if know-it-alls dismiss your startup. Thinking "there's no way this tiny creature could even accomplish anything" is faulty thinking.
The danger is when you dismiss your startup yourself and fail to see the full potential of what you're building.
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Learning from mistakes
It doesn't happen automatically. It requires thinking and reflection. No one likes to fail, lose time and energy. That’s why we need to make an effort to learn from the things that we wish w...
Lessons learned by making mistakes
- You can't know everything. Be humble.
- Never blame others for your unhappiness. Take responsibility.
- Don't waste time on losers. You might become one of them.
- Most of us have a twisted idea about love.
- You actually don't have a lot of time.
- Learning never stops.
- Sometimes you need to distance yourself from others and be alone.
- Small decisions lead to big outcomes.
How well you’re spending your time
Ask yourself:
- How much time am I wasting on things that give me zero fulfillment?
- Do I like my job?
- Do I like the people in my life?
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Key Ideas
Not Asking for Help
There are a handful of reasons we don’t ask for help, but it’s usually because we’re too proud or scared, and that’s a huge waste of time, because it keeps you from moving forward.
If you fe...
Trying to Make Bad Relationships Work
Reasons people usually use:
- Thinking you have more in common with the person you're dating than you actually do;
- Being in a relationship just to avoid loneliness;
- Staying in a relationship only out of fear of losing the person.
Bad relationships cloud your judgment, prolong your unhappiness, and distract you from things that matter to you most.
Dwelling on Your Mistakes
Learning from your mistakes is one thing. Dwelling on them wastes your time, diminishes your confidence, and keeps you from getting on with your life.
Dwelling makes you feel like a failure. When you feel like a failure, it’s easy to tell yourself there’s no point in trying, because you already suck.
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