From: alexhormozi
Understanding the ongoing journey of learning and the inherent cycles within success is crucial for personal and professional growth. This involves embracing humility, committing to consistent action, and reframing perspectives on failure and achievement.
The Foundation of Continuous Learning
Effective learning begins with a humble approach to learning, self-improvement, and mastering skills. It’s about recognizing that better decisions and more profound learning occur when one assumes they are “dumber than everyone else” [00:00:08]. This contrasts with a college mindset focused on appearing smart through talking more [00:00:14].
“Fundamentally, you can’t learn if you’re talking, and so if you’re trying to learn, then not talk. Talking is the first requisite for doing that, and if you want to make better decisions, then you need to learn.” [00:00:55]
Instead of talking about one’s achievements, it’s more beneficial to listen and allow others to speak, learning about them and their career status [00:01:42]. This passive approach can lead to greater insight [00:01:42].
Deep Learning and Application
True learning goes beyond superficial engagement. It’s more beneficial to read one great book five times than to read five mediocre ones [00:04:07]. The goal is to read a book multiple times—two, three, four, or five—until one can teach its concepts [00:04:51]. This deep understanding allows for the creation of personal frameworks to better remember and apply the knowledge [00:05:08].
A crucial measure of learning is behavioral change [00:05:15]. If one’s behavior doesn’t change after reading a book, no real learning has occurred, making the time spent a waste [00:05:18]. The aim is to extract all possible value from quality material to facilitate this change [00:05:25]. This aligns with the approach to successful learning and competence levels.
Achieving Extraordinary Accomplishments
Achieving success through consistent behaviors is a core principle. Extraordinary accomplishments stem from “doing ordinary things for extraordinary periods of time” [00:08:10]. This contrasts with seeking shortcuts [00:08:26]. The key is the commitment to the action, not the action itself [00:08:55]. For example, lifting weights isn’t extraordinary in a single set, but doing it for 23 years leads to significant results [00:09:09].
This dedication to a vision, even when faced with new opportunities or distractions, is what makes someone extraordinary [00:09:24]. It’s about saying “no to everything else” to maintain singular focus [00:06:26]. This ruthless allocation of time and elimination of distractions is characteristic of “champions” [00:05:51].
The Value of Doing Things Well
Another crucial lesson is: “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well” [00:09:45]. This implies a selective approach to tasks, ensuring that time is spent on activities that truly matter and align with goals [00:10:07]. Investing more time upfront, such as taking a year to write a book, can lead to long-term impact, reaching millions over decades [00:10:50].
The “ocean between good work and great work is vast,” often requiring five to ten times the effort to elevate something from good to great [00:11:07]. Therefore, being highly selective about which few things are worth doing well is essential [00:11:16].
The Cyclical Nature of Success
Success is not a linear path but a cycle: “Failure leads to learning, learning leads to success, success leads to complacency, complacency leads to failure” [00:17:22]. This concept views entrepreneurship and life as seasons or cycles rather than a fixed destination [00:17:35].
“Either the business is growing or I am. Either I have learned lessons and I am applying those lessons to the business and the business is growing, or the business is not growing and has problems, and now I am the one receiving the lessons from the business.” [00:17:44]
The goal is to identify and accelerate through the complacency step, moving quickly from learning to success and back to learning [00:18:13]. This perspective removes judgment from events, as failure is seen as a precursor to learning (which is good), and success is also good [00:18:28]. This continuous role of failure and perseverance in achieving success fosters a resilient mindset.
Knowing that periods of amazing success are often followed by regression to the mean helps maintain perspective, preventing excessive highs during good times and recognizing that bad times can only improve [00:18:48].
Overcoming False Realities and Investing in Self
Many people operate under “false truths” shaped by past influences [00:19:11]. The entrepreneurial journey involves shedding these false beliefs to gain a clearer view of reality [00:19:14]. Those who consistently succeed possess a more accurate understanding of the world [00:19:25].
This clarity is vital because an “ignorance tax” or “ignorance debt” is paid for not knowing how to achieve higher levels of success [00:19:51]. Therefore, it is worthwhile to pay any amount of money to accelerate the process of seeing the world more clearly and accurately [00:20:20].
This highlights the importance of learning over earning for young people’s success and the overall benefit of investing in self-education and skills development. By shedding ego and adopting a student mentality, one can learn valuable lessons from anyone, regardless of their methods, especially if they are further ahead in the game [00:20:44]. This relates to foundational personal development for success.