376: David Perell - Why You Should Write

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

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@RyanHawk12

Full notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Episode #376: David Perell - Why You Should Write

Notes:

• The importance of writing -- Why everyone should write… "Having a website with articles you've published is like having a personal agent who finds career opportunities for you 24/7."
• "Writing crystallizes ideas in ways thinking on its own will never accomplish." — Morgan Housel
• "The person who writes sets the strategy. If you want to lead, write."
• "Writing is a 'proof of work' mechanism"
  • It shows the world that you've thought deeply about a topic
• Networking - The old way vs the new way
  • Old -- Go to conferences, happy hours, networking events
  • New -- Publish your work online. You attract the type of people you want...
• Bill James analytical approach. His book only sold 550 copies, but one of them was to Billy Beane (General Manager of the Oakland A's). And the "Moneyball" revolution was created...
• The Venn Diagram of Specificity
  • Learn how to create this for your business
• How to built a career? Do things that are unique, in demand, but the world doesn't have yet
• Your first draft is what is top of mind -- "Rewriting is rethinking." It's the process to make our ideas better. Writing and re-writing will make you a more thoughtful person and will create clarity.
• Writing is an element of teaching.
  • Expertise is like a ladder -- Be like an investigative reporter about a topic that fascinates you
• The benefits of learning in public: "It is the best way to build a network." It's a forcing function. It forces your brain to always be on.
• "Want a great spouse? Deserve one." - Charlie Munger
• Publishing your work online (podcast, essays, book) is the greatest networking tool in the world. I've met amazing people because they've benefitted from my work (head coach Atlanta Falcons, Brooklyn Nets, Ohio State basketball coach, SVP of Fortune 50 companies).
• Community and connection —- community becomes the byproduct when you're going through something challenging together (ie: Navy SEALs).
  • "The strength of a community is hard to quantify, which makes it hard to advertise. But like good music, you measure it by how it moves your spirits and how you feel in its presence."
• Competition is for Losers: Avoid competition. Stop copying what everybody else is doing. If you work at a for-profit company, work on problems that would not otherwise be solved. If you're at a non-profit, fix unpopular problems. Life is easier when you don't compete. (Hint: don't start another bottled water company).
• Personal Monopoly: Corporations reward conformity, but the Internet rewards people who are unique. If you work in a creative field, strive to be the only person who does what you do. Find your own style, then run with it. Create intellectual real estate for yourself. (Jerry Garcia -- Be the only person who does what you do)
• The Map Is Not the Territory: Reality will never match the elegance of theory. All models have inconsistencies, but some are still useful. Some maps are useful because they're inaccurate. If you want to find an edge, look for what the map leaves out.
• There are two kinds of companies:
  • 1) Product-First Audiences: Build a product, then an audience. Attract customers with paid advertisements.
  • 2) Audience-First Products: Build an audience, then a product. Attract customers with differentiated content.
• Take Action -- "Taking action will teach you more about yourself in a month than years of contemplation ever will."
• Making something easier expands the market... But making it harder gets you the clients you really want.
• Twitter is the town-square of the internet. It can be the best learning tool in the world if you use it right:
  • Mute politics
  • Unfollow people who make you angry
  • Understand your opponent's opinion better than they do
  • Production: Make tweets useful. It forces you to focus on ideas that are timeless. It forces you to have constant epiphanies.
  • Have "spiky" ideas -- They pierce society.
  • Have a point of view
• Sustained excellence =
  • Obsession - Doing great work is hard. You need to love it. "I can't live without creating."
  • Vision - Set a goal that scares you and march toward it. Have ambition
  • A keen understanding of what one is good at - Self-awareness.