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I see a problem with taking advice from super successful people.

There’s a trend of people who’ve “made it” explaining what their routine looks like now, when they’re asked how they became successful.

They’ll talk about work-life balance, the importance of leverage, walking lots, early bedtimes, playing with ease and grace, not obsessing, transcending their resentment and overcoming a sense of insufficiency or the chip on their shoulder.

This sounds fascinating and elevated, but the tactics that actually caused them to achieve success in the past are not the same as the ones they now use to maintain and capitalise on their success in the present.

It’s a failure on the part of the guru to understand that the tools you need to get from 0-50 are not the same to get from 90-95.

It’s also a basic failure of memory.

When you look at what got them to where they are, it’s precisely the traits they’re now avoiding.

Don’t tell me about work-life balance as if that’s what caused your success when you actually worked 6 x 10 hour days and obsessed over your pursuit for 5 years when you first started out.

The same thing goes for what motivates you to succeed - it’s all well and good to talk about transcending your vapid desire for recognition and to prove people wrong.

But that wasn’t what drove you in the beginning.

Almost everyone has more pain and resentment and fear when they start.

Which is why they use it.

Once you’ve achieved enough success and validation from the world to not be fuelled by negativity any more, that’s great.

But that doesn’t mean that people who are just starting out can achieve the success you now have by using strategies which you yourself only developed after becoming successful.

It could almost be seen as a kind of Luxury Belief Of Success.

“Defund The Police” was pushed heavily by people who live in communities that didn’t need a massive police presence.

“You need holistic, balanced drive” is pushed by people who already benefitted from their resentment-fuelled obsession for half a decade.

The best question to ask is not “what does my favourite guru say they do now to continue existing success?”

Instead you should ask “what did my favourite guru actually do when they were at my stage to create their success?”

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MODERN WISDOM

I do a podcast where I pretend to have a British accent.
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This week’s upcoming episodes:

Monday.
Girls Gone Bible - is church the new counterculture? Why are so many young people turning to Jesus and scripture? What are women struggling with the most? Is there a tension in being influencers who talk about God? - Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Thursday.
Laila Mickelwait - the parent company behind Pornhub has a dirty dark secret and Laila discovered it. Some wild insights into illegality, coercion and protective bureaucracy on the world's biggest porn site.

Saturday.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff - the neuroscience and psychology behind behaviour change. How can you make new habits stick? How can you be more comfortable taking risks in your life direction and personal development? Some genuinely novel insights I had never heard of on this one.

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THINGS I'VE LEARNED

1.
​Men are twice as likely to die of a broken heart.

According to a new study in The Journal of the American Heart Association, men are twice as likely as women to die of takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as “broken heart syndrome.”

This condition is thought to be brought on by stress, including the stress of losing a loved one (hence the nickname).

Although the syndrome is more common in women than men, men more often die from it.

Why It Matters: Clinicians have long known that older women disproportionately suffer takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

What’s less well appreciated is that, when men do get it, their mortality risk is much higher.

Worryingly, there was no significant improvement in outcomes over the five-year period covered by the study.

This highlights the need for greater awareness, earlier detection, and improved treatment strategies." — Steve-Stewart Williams

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2.
​Don't confuse stubbornness for certainty.

“So much of what people call “conviction” is actually a wilful disregard for facts that might change their minds.” — Morgan Housel

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3.
​Don't get things backward.

Your looks are a depreciating asset.

Your mind is an appreciating asset.

Invest your self-worth wisely.

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LIFE HACK

Claim it's your anniversary at every hotel and restaurant.

Scumbag move but you'll get tons of extra free nice things and no one can prove otherwise.
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Big love,
Chris x

Try my productivity drink Neutonic.
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PS
4 women on the show in 3 episodes this week. Accusations of Misogyny Wisdom no longer hold water.