How To Be Successful

Key ideas

Altman lays out thirteen habits he has seen behind outlier success, centered on compounding, self-belief, independent thinking, focus, hard work, and ownership.

1. 1

   Compound yourself

   Altman argues for seeking exponential rather than linear trajectories, in businesses and in your own career, and for long-term thinking because the furthest-out years matter most.

2. 2

   Self-belief balanced by self-awareness

   He says the most successful people he knows believe in themselves almost to delusion, but must listen to criticism to avoid self-delusion; they also need to think independently and sell what they believe.

3. 3

   Focus, then work hard

   Altman holds that choosing the right thing matters more than hours, but reaching the top of a field takes both smart and hard work, ideally early in a career when it compounds.

4. 4

   Be bold, willful, and hard to compete with

   He suggests hard, exciting projects attract help, that persistence lets luck arrive, and that leverage such as relationships, brand, or intersecting skills makes you hard to replace.

5. 5

   Own things and be internally driven

   Altman argues real wealth comes from owning equity in things that grow in value, not selling time, and that lasting drive comes from wanting to impress yourself rather than others.

In Sam’s words

Connected in lessons

• Time, focus and running the companyCited in: Focus and intensity
• AI, cheaper intelligence, and who owns the gainsCited in: What it means for a founder

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