7 Lessons I Learned From Being Around The Top 0.01%
1. Effort is Your Only Guaranteed Lever
When the odds are stacked against you,
effort is the only lever you can truly control.
This principle often requires “unreasonable effort”—doing something
so many times or working so intensely that
the rest of the world thinks you are crazy.
The magic formula for success is to find something
you are relatively good at and then put all of your focus
into outworking everyone else in that specific area.
2. Don’t Play by the Rules
If you cannot solve a problem,
it is likely because you are playing by the rules.
The problem itself is rarely the actual issue;
the real problem is how you think about it.
Every challenge comes with unspoken assumptions
(e.g., needing money, a specific degree, or following a certain order).
Top performers ruthlessly question the frame of the problem itself.
By breaking just one fundamental assumption,
you can change the entire outcome.
3. Understand Decision Reversibility
When faced with a major crossroad—like choosing between
an elite university degree and launching
a startup—you must categorize your choices based on reversibility.
- If a decision is highly reversible, make it fast and take the leap.
- If a decision is irreversible, take your time to carefully plan. For example, a prestigious college program will always be there, but a time-sensitive startup opportunity will not. Choosing the path that cannot be easily replicated is often the right move.
4. Put Yourself in the Right Environment
Your environment dramatically influences your work ethic.
The ideal environment provides a “magic cocktail”
of two conflicting feelings:
- An insane sense of superiority (knowing you deserve to be there).
- A crippling sense of insecurity (being slightly intimidated because you are surrounded by people who are brilliant). Being in rooms where you feel both confident and insecure will force you to level up and supercharge your work ethic in a way you could never manufacture on your own.
6. Choose the Right Seat
Even in the best environment, you can still be in the wrong seat.
You might be working tirelessly as an advisor
or an employee while watching clients or founders make massive,
life-changing leaps.
You must be brutally honest with yourself about whether
you are a born advisor or a born entrepreneur.
If you watch others win and feel jealous because you know
you could achieve the same success,
you are likely in the wrong role.
There is no point in getting incredibly good at a role you hate
or feel unfulfilled by.
7. Over-Prepare Like the Elite
The final separator between good performers
and elite performers is preparation.
Elite performers do not dabble or look for shortcuts;
they fully immerse themselves.
- “If you don’t prepare, you just don’t care.”
- True preparation is about showing respect and believing that the real work is done long before the actual meeting, sales call, or launch.
Elite performers show up with more research, notes,
and analysis than the person actually running the meeting.
To implement this, look at your calendar,
pick one upcoming meeting,
and over-prepare for it as if your entire career depended on it.
