how to not give a fuckstudy the greats
greatness leaves clues
albert einstein failed his entrance exam. michael jordan got cut from his high school basketball team. jeff bezos started amazon in a garage. you've heard these stories a million times, but have you ever actually studied why these people succeeded where millions of others with similar starting points didn't?
the answer is almost never talent. it's psychology.
what biographies actually teach you
most people watch biographies for entertainment — the drama, the rise-and-fall arc, the big moments. that's the wrong approach. watch them like a scientist. pause and ask:
what did they believe about themselves? extraordinary people almost universally have an irrational level of self-belief. not arrogance — genuine conviction that they would figure it out, regardless of evidence.
how did they handle failure? this is where the separation happens. average people see failure as a verdict. great people see it as data. jordan used his high school cut as rocket fuel for the next 20 years.
what were they willing to sacrifice? greatness costs something. einstein's personal relationships suffered. bezos worked through weekends for years. knowing the price helps you decide if you're willing to pay it.
the reverse-engineering process
pick someone whose achievements genuinely impress you. watch the best documentary or biography you can find about them. then write down answers to these questions:
- what mental model did they operate from?
- what habit or practice did they maintain that others didn't?
- what did they ignore that most people obsess over?
- what would they do in my current situation?
steal the frameworks, not the path
you're not trying to become einstein or jordan. you're trying to extract the mental operating systems that powered their results and install them in your own life. the specific domain doesn't matter — the psychology transfers.
greatness isn't a mystery. it's a pattern. study enough of the greats and the pattern becomes obvious.
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