Building in Public
Writing not only helps elucidate your own thoughts, but publishing ideas is fun. This I can personally attest to.
You have no clue what the upside could be.
However, whenever you publish something, you’re constantly saying “here’s what I think. Have at it, world.”
That takes courage.
The same sentiment applies to entrepreneurs. As Nassim Taleb would say, they have skin in the game.
By taking the risk of putting yourself out there, you’re rewarded.
No, you’re not guaranteed to stumble into lucrative opportunities. You are, however, increasing your odds by growing your surface area of luck.
You’re growing along both axes simultaneously by creating this work and publicly sharing it.
Will Tom Brady read this article? No. Not anytime soon, at least.
Will there be more possible futures that include good outcomes as opposed to not publishing work? Absolutely.
The surface area of luck reminds me of the title image for Sunday’s article on fractal habits.
All of us are relying on our systems of habits to propel us towards our goals. I thought nothing of making a trampoline representative of habits. (Yes, these drawings are all original artwork).
What if the size of that trampoline varied? Physics aside, you’re better off with a bigger trampoline. If the trampoline had a diameter of one foot, you’re in. If you had more room to bounce around, you’re less likely to fall off.
That’s what it’s like to increase your surface area of luck.
Tomorrow we’ll take a look at payoffs and strategies in more detail.