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Life Lessons From Unsuccessful People
I took the garbage out this morning and found a hobo sleeping in the waste storage space. After straightening my back I asked him how he ended up there. His answer stroke me hard:
“I followed my passion, you pretentious fuck. Let me sleep.”
Successful people are getting all the attention and all the articles. Anywhere we look, we find their quotes on how to be better, stronger, more prosperous versions of ourselves. But suddenly, it all sounded winner’s bias to my ears.
“Winner’s bias is perhaps especially pronounced in sport. The behaviors of winners are remembered and dissected far more thoroughly than those of losers, and given greater weight, even if the outcome was decided by a tiny margin.[1]”
I decided to check my assumptions and interview the bums, weirdos, and losers in my network. Did they have insights to share? And would they be any different from the ones billionaires are continuously spitting out during long format podcasts?
The Crazy Cat Lady
I started with the crazy cat lady on the first floor. Whether sitting on her balcony or walking around the block, she’s always talking to herself. “Why would you do that?” I asked her on my way up from the garbage. Her answer seemed to come directly from Steve Jobs in his famous Stanford…
