When I was in high school, I was not good at French. If someone suggested I was the worst person to study French at the school, I would not have argued with them. It wasn’t for lack of trying - I couldn’t absorb the information, let alone synthesize it to answer the teacher's questions. I was in a foundation French class (by which I mean “you are all so bad we had to get an extra teacher”), and I remember the teacher in question miming flipping burgers and telling us all that “this is the best you’re going to do, so get used to this motion.” I believe his name was Mr. Wilson, or Mr. Willis, or something like that, and he can go fuck himself.
Thank you for laying this out so succintly, Ed! I guess it's always in the interest of the powerful, rich and famous to narrate a story of "legitimacy", that they have to go thru the system to earn it just like everyone else, so that the ordinary or less privileged folks can have hopes and prospects to work hard toward "successes". If such American Dream doesn't exist, the "ordinary" might end up channeling their energy toward "revolutions". This reminds me of our lofty ideal of "we are all born equal" - I truly don't know if it ever can be...
I realized something in my late 20s - there were a lot of people who "did all the right things" to become a C-level manager - long hours, sacrificing time with their family, sacrificing their health, their friendships, all on that quest to be "at the top". But only a tiny fraction of the people who made all those sacrifices were successful, because there just aren't that many jobs at the top. The rest of them sacrificed their personal lives, ruined their marriages, etc - and received no benefit from it.
But you never hear about the ones who didn't succeed. Survivorship bias in action. And the difference between the ones who sacrificed and made it, vs the ones who sacrificed and didn't make it? Often indistinguishable from luck - a single project that succeeded more, the right family connection, the right rapport with a customer, etc etc.
Hard work and sacrifice is almost certainly a prerequisite for dramatic success, but it is not *the key*. It's just one of several keys, many of which will only be obvious in hindsight.
Great post, no quibbles. Ed, I found this after reading your Atlantic piece on mentorship, that was also excellent.
There’s a book called ‘The Wolf at the Door: The Menace of Economic Insecurity and How to Fight It‘ which I think takes a pretty sober looking at our current and future socioeconomic situation given the rise of technology and international business and proposes solutions and almost more importantly, politically feasible paths to achieving those solutions.
Having discovered you several months ago, it fits perfectly that you are also a fellow member of the ND tribe. In my experience, it has been helpful in seeing through all bovine excrement put forward as the rationale for many things.
If you define success as becoming a multi-millionaire or billionaire - that is clearly very hard to attain even with a lot of luck (privilege just being one example of luck). Most fortunes are inherited (or attained through marriage/divorce), not made. Many of those biographies are probably also heavily embellished.
On the other hand, I wouldn't entirely dismiss at least some of it, discipline and hard work is important, especially if you don't have the implied safety net of (moderately) wealthy relatives or life partners. I've met quite a few people who have all the advantages yet are still dependent on their families, not working, in unproductive debt etc.. These are also the people who tend to talk about privilege a lot.
Please pardon me for going off topic, Ed, but I wonder if, given the subject matter, we might see you do a review of this soon-to-be-released book - https://thenowhereoffice.com/book.html
Re: French at school. I think we might have been at school in the UK at similar times (late 90s early 00s) and I'm so sorry for your experience and that the teachers were such dicks - they really could be sometimes at comprehensive schools. I happened to be one of the best at languages at my school and went on to study French at university and have lived in France for 15 years. But it has done sod all for my career and some days I feel like I'm not too far off burger flipping myself (and what's wrong with that?)! What helps is defining my success as living and working in France - and so I've been successful 15 years running, even if I have had to do some random things career wise.
Thanks Ed. Good to see at least some people call this shit out. Outside of this it’s a big fucking circlejerk.
As I've long maintained, I'd rather be lucky than smart.
If only the poor worked harder they would have inherited money like I did.
Thank you for laying this out so succintly, Ed! I guess it's always in the interest of the powerful, rich and famous to narrate a story of "legitimacy", that they have to go thru the system to earn it just like everyone else, so that the ordinary or less privileged folks can have hopes and prospects to work hard toward "successes". If such American Dream doesn't exist, the "ordinary" might end up channeling their energy toward "revolutions". This reminds me of our lofty ideal of "we are all born equal" - I truly don't know if it ever can be...
I realized something in my late 20s - there were a lot of people who "did all the right things" to become a C-level manager - long hours, sacrificing time with their family, sacrificing their health, their friendships, all on that quest to be "at the top". But only a tiny fraction of the people who made all those sacrifices were successful, because there just aren't that many jobs at the top. The rest of them sacrificed their personal lives, ruined their marriages, etc - and received no benefit from it.
But you never hear about the ones who didn't succeed. Survivorship bias in action. And the difference between the ones who sacrificed and made it, vs the ones who sacrificed and didn't make it? Often indistinguishable from luck - a single project that succeeded more, the right family connection, the right rapport with a customer, etc etc.
Hard work and sacrifice is almost certainly a prerequisite for dramatic success, but it is not *the key*. It's just one of several keys, many of which will only be obvious in hindsight.
Great article, Ed
Great post, no quibbles. Ed, I found this after reading your Atlantic piece on mentorship, that was also excellent.
There’s a book called ‘The Wolf at the Door: The Menace of Economic Insecurity and How to Fight It‘ which I think takes a pretty sober looking at our current and future socioeconomic situation given the rise of technology and international business and proposes solutions and almost more importantly, politically feasible paths to achieving those solutions.
I'm actually relieved that I'm not the only person who always thought Gary Vee is a slimy d-bag.
Having discovered you several months ago, it fits perfectly that you are also a fellow member of the ND tribe. In my experience, it has been helpful in seeing through all bovine excrement put forward as the rationale for many things.
This column gives me life.
Every week, another article I want to airdrop into every household in the nation.
If you define success as becoming a multi-millionaire or billionaire - that is clearly very hard to attain even with a lot of luck (privilege just being one example of luck). Most fortunes are inherited (or attained through marriage/divorce), not made. Many of those biographies are probably also heavily embellished.
On the other hand, I wouldn't entirely dismiss at least some of it, discipline and hard work is important, especially if you don't have the implied safety net of (moderately) wealthy relatives or life partners. I've met quite a few people who have all the advantages yet are still dependent on their families, not working, in unproductive debt etc.. These are also the people who tend to talk about privilege a lot.
Please pardon me for going off topic, Ed, but I wonder if, given the subject matter, we might see you do a review of this soon-to-be-released book - https://thenowhereoffice.com/book.html
Re: French at school. I think we might have been at school in the UK at similar times (late 90s early 00s) and I'm so sorry for your experience and that the teachers were such dicks - they really could be sometimes at comprehensive schools. I happened to be one of the best at languages at my school and went on to study French at university and have lived in France for 15 years. But it has done sod all for my career and some days I feel like I'm not too far off burger flipping myself (and what's wrong with that?)! What helps is defining my success as living and working in France - and so I've been successful 15 years running, even if I have had to do some random things career wise.
I attribute my success to having read every one of Ed's newsletters