Book Review: Outliers (The Story of Success)

Author: Malcolm Gladwell

Most people say I read ‘motivational’ books. But, I always counter that notion. I do not read motivational books. Nope. The essence of reading motivational books is to be motivated, right? To me, “If you need motivational books to succeed, it means you are not motivated to succeed.” On occasions, you’ll need inspiring stuff, but motivation should largely come from the inside.

This book, Outliers, is a perfect example of the books I love to read. It is not fiction. It is a real life analysis of what is. So, don’t ask what books I read anymore. I don’t read fiction. I don’t read motivational books. I read books that teach me something new. Self-help, how-tos, most especially (auto) biographies, and eye-opening notes are my faves.

If they are doubly motivational, why not?

Split into two parts and nine chapters, Malcolm Gladwell seems to confirm what I had been thinking prior to reading the book. The major plot of the book is that you can be hugely talented, but you need to be around the right people, be birthed in a favourable year, come from a rich or mid-income background, put in 10,000 hours’ worth of effort, and from a culture that embraces social liberty to be successful.

It may look complex on the surface, but Gladwell analysed every of those elements above. And I must say he is largely right. You may not share the same perspective; but if you sit down to analyse most success stories, you’d see the fruition of some or all of these elements.

For better comprehension, he made comparisons between Chris Langan (a man with more IQ than Einstein who is largely unknown) and Robert Oppenheimer (the physicist who headed the American nuclear bomb effort during WW II). Gladwell showed that their family backgrounds and social class had an influence on their direction. More examples include Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Asian math whiz, Jamaican story, et cetera.

I have some reservations. Gladwell wrote the book with a pre-conceived idea that success stories have more to do with social connections and being at the right place at the right time. The book is a 365 page stretch of his preconception.

He didn’t specifically downplay hardwork in the content of the book, but he did in his mind. I am a firm believer that hardwork pays. However, like Gladwell, I believe the hardwork invested by software billionaires, superstar athletes, finance moguls, famous pop stars, and renowned actors is nothing compared to the number of hours peasant farmers invest.

Life isn’t fair, really. But, hardwork alone isn’t the answer to success. It never has been. And, it is increasingly becoming obsolete because you have to work to succeed, anyways.

One more reason to recommend this book: Malcolm Gladwell has an ‘Igbo’ lineage. How? Just buy and read.

#Monday_Morning_Motivation

Even people who claim everything is predestined,
and that we can do nothing to change it,
Look before they cross the road.

Stephen Hawking
#Monday_Morning_Motivation

#Dont_Dream

The future is empty and meaningless

If today is only filled with hopes and nothing else

#Don't_Dream
Just do it

Man's Search For Meaning

For some days or weeks now, I've been really down. Study, work, life, relationships, money, and family have been the reasons I've found myself in this state.
However, I believe my personal life, my life's purpose, trying to find a meaning for my existence, has been the major concern.
I feel it's time to step up. It's time to move in the direction of what I want to do with my short life. I've been involved in several things in my few decades. I've loved and cherished many moments. I have lots of interests. But, not many of these are what I would love to settle with.
Yes, I don't believe one has to do just one thing in life. I believe everyone has multiple interests. You can even develop more interests and cultivate passion in newer stuff.
Yet, I believe one has to do in life, that thing he sees and loves to do that seems somewhat impossible. I'm talking about crazy dreams. If you have a dream or dreams, it means you're interested and passionate about it. If they're big dreams, they'd seem very impossible.
Right now, I'm at that stage I feel I need to go all out and create stuff; doing things I love that seem difficult and impossible.
I've been very calm these past months, doing activities I love but not something I want to build my life upon.
My inner self tells me to start capturing the "who" that I'm made to be.
For this single purpose of finding purpose, I'm embarking on reading a book titled Man's Search For Meaning -- Viktor E Frankl
I'm not sure when I'll be done. The purpose is to read a piece that helps me to find my feet; to find meaning and purpose to my present state.

Timmy

#Monday_Morning_Motivation

The cheaper you live,
The easier it is to focus on your goals.

Paraphrasing
Mark Cuban

#Monday_Morning_Motivation

Book Review: Zero to One – Peter Thiel

A book by PayPal co-founder and Facebook early investor

If I say this is the best business book I’ve ever read, I may be right, and I may be wrong. But, the most important thing is that Zero to One is among the best business books I’ve ever read.

In Zero to One, Peter Thiel talked about everything every start-up should know in just 14 chapters. This 160-page book uses concepts from physics, biology, and other fields to explain business growth.

“Every moment in business happens only once.” “The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Mark Zuckerberg won’t create a social network. If you are copying these guys, you are not learning from them.” Those are the first statements you will find in Zero to One.

Beyond startups, this is a book for every business leader. The concept of the book which is also the title is that moving from nothing to something is a vertical growth. However, moving from something to another is rather a horizontal progress. In real terms, 0 as a number means nothing. Rising from that point of nothingness to substance which is 1 takes effort. From 1, you can move to 2, 3...which Thiel describes as “n.” However, you are not progressing upward; it’s a mere horizontal improvement.

Think about the most pressing issues in today’s business landscape, and Thiel got an answer or clue for each. He succinctly made known his optimism for the future as regard AI (Artificial Intelligence). To him, computers will never replace humans; they are complimentary tools that make humans work faster, better, and more effectively. He made an example of his time at PayPal when they devised a new means of limiting scammers’ activities by complementing man and machine.

If you read between the lines in tech, business, and energy, sustainability is one of the major discussions. Clean tech makes headlines quite frequently. Thiel noted that energy startups are failing because they are not honest with what their market is. He made a comparison between Solyndra and Tesla. The first is a failed company; the latter is a thriving venture creating its own industry.

There are lots to learn from this book than I can compile in a review.

It’s easy to say I recommend it for business-minded individuals. But, this is highly recommended for those who want to grow from nothingness to substance. This is a book for those who have enjoyed massive success but still want to create new and interesting things for themselves and the people they will never be able to reach. 

GuysNetwork 4th Newsletter: Jan 2018

GuysNetwork 4th Newsletter: Jan 2018 

Connecting People with Opportunities

The Mission:       A networking platform for those who want to move forward

Our Vision:          To help people achieve dreams that are bigger than them

Content

1.      Dedication

2.      Intro – Rowland Olawale Emmanuel

3.      Seeking and Seizing Opportunities – Timmylehyn Okungbowa

4.      Epilogue

Dedication

To people who keep pushing forward

To those who see beyond now

For their vision and strength

Intro

When we started GuysNetwork, everyone wanted to be a part. Probably because then, it told toward merry-making. Maybe not. But as we grew, as we clarified, identified, classified, modified, and defined what GuysNetwork is and what it is not, people began to draw back. This got me thinking, and I asked myself some serious questions – is it because we aren’t go-getters? Perhaps, because we aren’t high-fliers? When I examined those of us in this network, it took me no time to discover these weren’t the causes. We are a team of brilliant, energetic, young individuals that can do extras to get whatever we want.

So, what could make promising young lads wane out of a network that promises to be something bigger than life itself? Honestly, I never knew I was waning out, until my recent discussion with one of the influential members of GN. Like me, you may not know you are waning out too – it may not be intentional. As I write, none of us has indicated interest in any of the roles/positions published in the second newsletter. Only very few paid their monthly subscription fee. All the plans we had – the fresher’s orientation, publicity, awareness, and conferences – are only taking their tolls on paper. A clear indication of laxity!

We all clamour for a bigger GN; a platform for everyone who wants to move forward; a network that will connect people with opportunities; a network that will help people achieve dreams that are bigger than them; yet, we sit with our fingers crossed, while one, two, three guys run the affair. One is too small a number to achieve greatness. We all have to get involved and stop seeing GN as someone else’s thing.

Although, it will be cool to have everyone ride along with us, yet we wouldn’t love to push anyone to do so. Our dedication towards the success of GN should be more of a reflex. We don’t have to be pushed. The cure for alienation is commitment, but there is no cure for commitment. Sure, some will definitely fade out, some will not. Though the future may seem blur today, if you can take your time to see close, you’ll discover that the success that lies ahead is bigger than us all. Gone are those days when we were still clueless. Now, we have direction, we are men of focus, we are determined, and our recent inattention isn’t enough to shatter our dreams for GN. We will not quit! Not even till forever. 

As we draw closer to the second month in 2018, I want each of us to have a new look at GN. Be willing to take-up responsibilities and make GN a true networking hub.

If you carefully read through the lines, you’d have known what I covet – it’s is your COMMITMENT. We all need to be involved.

Rowland Olawale Emmanuel

Rowlandolawale100@gmail.com

+2348106151712

Seeking and Seizing Opportunities

In the 1970s and 80s, the United States was privileged to have a number of young men in their 20s and 30s who saw great potentials in the utility of a computer. These people forged friendships among one another, matching themselves with other people who matched their drive and complemented their weaknesses. They would change the world forever, putting computers on every desk, on every palm, and in every pocket. There are huge lessons we can learn from them. However, I am only using them as illustrations in this article – Seeking and Seizing Opportunities.

Often times, we say “I just need a big break.” While I truly believe everyone needs a break to showcase the talents they have inside of them, I also believe opportunities are all around us. In this article, I will be telling you how to seek opportunities, and how to seize them. Let’s get started.

Seeking Opportunities

When seeking opportunities, you should remember these things are vital…

1.       Information

Today, everyone can leverage information. No one is more privileged than another in terms of the information you can get. Well, except you can’t access the internet. If you can access the internet, the information you get is fundamentally the information you seek. The quality of information you access will largely determine the opportunities you are open to, and eventually the quality of your living. Everything you need to know is already well-documented on the web. You just have to seek it, retrieve it, and execute.

2.       People

The people you have in your circle will directly influence the opportunities you have. Have you noticed that your friends know about everything you know? A circle of friends operates in a way that once an individual knows about a certain subject, the rest of the team become knowledgeable of same, and are either motivated or dissuaded by the subject. If you are looking for a high-yield stock to invest in, having a circle of friends who are inclined to entertainment news would be fatal to your target. Everyone around us, everyone we spend our time with, influences us in some way.

3.       Purpose and Passion

Inasmuch as I wanted to separate the two, I believe success is impossible when one becomes missing. What are you passionate about? What do you believe is your purpose? I’ve noticed this: You can have several professions in a lifetime, but purpose is usually one. For me, purpose is communicating, simplifying things, doing the simple things in a complex world. Like I said about information, your purpose and passion will direct you to the information you want, to the opportunities you crave.

Seizing Opportunities

Presumably, you’ve found that ‘big break.’ What next? A lot. Opportunities are all around you. Everyone finds opportunities at some point. However, few seize the opportunities. Seizing opportunities is more important than actually seeking them. More so, what’s the point of seeking what you won’t or can’t seize?

To seize opportunities, you need

1.       Passion

You have to be passionate about what you do. Without passion, there is no reason to pursue anything. Passion keeps you going. It is the fuel you need to stay on track and keep moving forward.

2.       Drive

I consider Drive to be much bigger than Passion. There are times you wouldn’t feel like doing what you should do. There would be days of emotional breakdown, financial woes, and lots. Passion may not be enough, but drive will sustain you. Being driven is like being crazy. You know it’s not just about being passionate. You are no more doing it for the fun. You are doing it because you should. You are doing it because to you, it is the only thing that makes sense.

3.       Timing

Every achievement in life is about timing. Irrespective of your perspective, everything in life has a deadline. Even your life has a deadline. The same thing with opportunities – they all have deadlines. When you find an opportunity, the best way you can seize it is by executing it before the deadline. The quality of work together with awesome timing will push you to the next stage.

Everything man needs is around him. You just have to look for it and seize it.

Cheers!

Timmylehyn Okungbowa

Founder, GuysNetwork; Environmentalist; Business and Tech Analyst/Consultant; Writer

Timmylehyn@gmail.com

+2348136830824

Epilogue

This edition is centered on ‘passion,’ ‘commitment,’ and ‘drive.’ It was never pre-planned. It just happened. I believe it’s a message someone needs to hear at this moment. The world needs you at your best. No one can replace you. No one can do the things you can do. It’s time to fly like an eagle that you are.