Whatever you’re working at today, you might consider the possibility that it’s also pre-competitive, even if it feels “late” to other people. Many, many human beings had engaged in distance running before the four-minute mile was achieved in 1954. So, if a given skill plays a crucial load-bearing function in your life, try to completely ignore the... See more

this woman was incredibly cool . She was so self-assured that it seemed like the most natural thing in the world for her to have done. She narrated the story without apparent amazement about her learning. And, I thought: oh, that is what a generally competent person looks like.

For some time after that, whenever I stepped up to a wholly foreign... See more