Welcome to Wise & Wealthy: A weekly newsletter full of proven ideas to become smarter and wealthier. I send this every Monday.
#147 – October 21, 2024
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Harsh truths on career success
Before they hit it big, The Beatles played four to five-hour gig marathons, non-stop, per night and almost every night for two years as an unknown band in German bars and nightclubs.
Lennon and McCartney later attributed their meteoric rise to fame to this marathon of practice and performance. The Beatles would go on to release twelve original UK studio albums in a seven-year span (1963 to 1970), with many of these albums reaching multi-platinum status.
This trend of consistently creating high-quality work is one harsh truth about career success. The key to succeeding is NOT simply getting big opportunities but attempting more shots than your peers.
When you look at the most successful folks in various industries, you’ll notice that they often create and release a consistent stream of high-quality work.
- Mozart and Beethoven each wrote over 600 pieces of music, far surpassing the output of most of their contemporaries. Other composers made less than 100 pieces in their entire careers.
- Picasso was incredibly prolific, creating an estimated 13,500 paintings, 100,000 graphic prints or engravings, 34,000 book illustrations, 300 sculptures and ceramics. His output far surpassed that of most other professional artists.
- Research indicates that Nobel prize winners generally produce almost twice as much work as their peers in the same fields.
The idea that success happens due to a “big moment” or a “hit of inspiration” is a myth. Inspiration and success happen by doing the work, doing a lot of it, and being consistent.
Much like in basketball, these folks achieved success not because they never missed, but because they attempted the most shots.
I talk about another harsh career truth in my latest article.
↳ 2 Harsh Truths on Career Success That People Hate to Admit
One interesting thing
Now and then, we do things right and we end up having a bit more money. Whether that’s through a promotion, a successful business venture, or some unexpected windfall. Marcus Aurelius has good advice for these moments:
“Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance; and be ready to let it go.”
Being attached to your material wealth doesn’t just change you for the worse, it also makes you fearful. Money isn’t permanent. So don’t get overly attached to it.
Wealth is a tool that can create opportunities and bring joy, but it shouldn’t define who you are.
Thanks for reading! I hope you found this edition of Wise & Wealthy useful.
All the best,
Darius
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