One distinguishing feature I’ve noticed among people who are unusually successful is that they just try a lot of stuff — socially, intellectually, professionally. It’s the rate of experimentation, the number of shots on goal, that provides the magic, not the percentage of successes, which might be very low at first.

It sounds stupidly simple, but... See more

If you are withholding your energy for use only in those situations where you know an interaction will benefit you, you are not increasing your surface area for luck at all . You are already failing the assignment.

In an imaginary world where God dropped me into the life of someone who didn’t have any professional connections, starting a blog is one of the first things I’d do. As it is, my Substack has made it much easier to hire at Astera — I’ve been surprised at how many promising candidates come to us through it, or mention it as a factor in why they took... See more

If you are withholding your energy for use only in those situations where you know an interaction will benefit you, you are not increasing your surface area for luck at all . You are already failing the assignment.

I could have easily half-assed it and no one would have blinked. But instead I treated it as important, as if performing less than excellently would be embarrassing, and it led in quick succession to an offer to lead the clinical trial effort, and then to co-found a company.

Of course, not all conversations will be helpful. Some meetings will be a waste of time. There’s really no way to know in advance whether someone will be fun to talk to, or helpful, or informative. When I look back on the meetings that have been the most professionally consequential for me, nearly every one of them was one I almost bailed on... See more

At the beginning of this process, it will feel artificial, like you’re socially flailing and trying too hard. Because you will be socially flailing, and trying too hard. Surely, you might think to yourself, everyone can tell that I don’t belong — sending out a bunch of cold emails, scheduling random meetings, asking a lot of questions. The whole... See more

If someone is trying to figure out what to do with their life, and they’re meeting with 1-2 interesting strangers per day, then all things being equal, I’m inclined to bet on them; if they’re meeting 1-2 people per week, I’m inclined to think they are going too slowly, and aren’t likely to hit escape velocity.

Remember that at any time, the latest information in a field won’t be written down.