Most people want social proof that what they’re doing is valuable. Competing (n.b., being in a crowd) makes them feel relevant.
In reality, “the crowd is untruth”. You should be doing something which you are uniquely equipped to do. Otherwise, you compete on the same axes as others. Undifferentiated competition is miserable.
Individuality (uniqueness) is both an aesthetic value and a practical matter. It is aesthetic because it is the highest expression of yourself. It is practical because it helps you avoid miserable competition.
This is in contrast to some professionals I’ve met who “do the thing that everyone else does, but harder than everyone else.”
Most people don’t have a strong sense of aesthetics, and believe that economics are more important.
Jim Simons said: “Be guided by beauty. I really mean that. Pretty much everything I’ve done has had an aesthetic component, at least to me. Now you might think ‘well, building a company that’s trading bonds, what’s so aesthetic about that?’ But, what’s aesthetic about it is doing it right. Getting the right kind of people, and approaching the problem, and doing it right […] it’s a beautiful thing to do something right.”
Many people celebrate when they raise a round of funding. This, to me, always felt backwards. Receiving funding is when the work begins. Celebrating funding is a form of status signaling, and subtly disincentivizes the real work.
With the exception of a few companies for which an endless spigot of capital is necessary to “blitzscale” e.g., bootstrap network effects through subsidized CAC, or to quickly stand up capex-intensive infrastructure, few companies benefit from endless funding. So long as it does not subtly impose a ceiling on ambition (“return”), we follow in the value tradition to consider ROIC, or return on invested capital.
Value creation is the real milestone.
Most people shout from the rooftops. They claim that that’s the only way you can stand out.
In reality, there’s no need to be so loud about what you’re doing if you’re actually doing valuable work.
Most people think in terms of zero sum games. They want to get something from their counterparty. Some will go so far as being dishonest or concealing terms of agreements.
In reality, it’s better to be a decent person. It’s better to work with decent people who you trust and with whom you can play repeated, iterated games. Everyone can win - really!
Most people use credentials and accolades as measures of merit.
They don’t realize that credentials can be gamed and fabricated. Underwrite substance, not resume line items.
Most people would prefer, consciously or subconsciously, to rest on their laurels.
The Greeks asked: “is it better to be virtuous, or to appear virtuous?”
One should seek to engage as deeply as possible with reality. Reality is truly the best teacher. It will be painful. But it is also beautiful.