Nate Johnston [email protected]

Just a few notes to myself (a driven & ambitious person): 1) Kings are overrated and usually unhappy. It is much better to be kingmaker. 2) Eventually, everyone realizes that they don’t want to be Elon Musk or Steve Jobs. How quickly do you want to get there? 3) Legacy is overrated. So is impact. 4) Learn from everyone & everything. Don’t view people as better or worse than you, worthy or unworthy of teaching you. And if something doesn’t fully resonate, don’t reject it wholesale. Try extracting the useful bits and learn from those. Wisdom is everywhere, if you can spot it. 5) When you find someone inspiring, try to separate their content and their charisma. And if it’s the charisma that inspires, be very careful. 6) The chief indicator of authentic confidence isn’t bravado. It’s the person’s openness to discovering why they’re wrong. 7) Whatever industry or domain you are in is probably smaller than you imagine it is. People talk. Don’t burn bridges over the small stuff. 8) When in doubt about where to take a job, pick the place with the better people. Even if it ends up being the wrong bet, you will still be more fulfilled with your work. 9) In the tech industry, things often change. Platforms change, technologies change, office signs change, employers change, centers of gravity change. The one thing that remains constant is the people. Always optimize for the people. 10) If you choose to understand just one cognitive bias, let it be the Fundamental Attribution Error. If you choose to understand one more cognitive bias, let it be Confirmation Bias. Last but not least, very important note: No rule is valid for every single situation in life. Except this rule.