this mental model is just too good.

this one is worth reading.

Just landed in Tokyo last night, gonna be here for the next 3 weeks at least!

developing my mental strength

One month ago someone hacked my OpenAI key and which resulted in $2.5k lost overnight.

This morning I just found out someone hacked my facebook ads account and ran up my bill overnight, this one also cost me $2000.

Really trying to be stoic about this. I mean in 2023, when building Conch AI, me and my 2 co-founders dealt with stuff far more stressful than this, which was good training for all of this bullshit I’m dealing with right now. But having to deal with it alone is a new challenge I’m trying to overcome.

I’m just writing this off as the tax for doing business. Lesson learned, I just gotta move on and keep pushing (fking sucks though lol)

the 4 levels of competence

I’ve been following Alex Hormozi since he only had 10,000 subscribers on Youtube. He has some of the best content on the internet right now.

I think Naval and Alex are on the same level when it comes to how clear and potent their writing is. They are gifted at putting into words what so many of us are thinking

This past week I stumbled upon this video and as result this mental model I will use for the rest of my life. These holy fuck moments when consuming content continues to happen less and less for me every year mainly because I’ve consumed so much in the past and the same messages tend to be repeated over and over again. But every once in a while you stumble across a gem that will change the way you view the world forever. It’s called the 4 levels of competence.

#1 Positive Active (Top .01%)

The characteristics of somebody who has this belief set is that no one has proven that it cannot be done and they ask other people to prove to them why they can't do it

Highest locus of control. Even if you're teacher or school system is bad you think "I will be the most successful student this school has ever seen, no matter how incompetent my teachers are" 

I will win because that's who I am 

You are going to be the THING that will make it work.

This is Roger Banister (the first person who broke the 4 minute mile record).

This is Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Leonardo Da Vinci.  

#2 Positive Passive (Top 1%)

This is all the people who ran the 4 minute mile right after Roger Banister ran it.

"he did it so I can do it"

These are your A minus players. 

If this person did it, there is absolutely no reason why I can’t. You don’t quit until you figure it out.

Failing only happens when you quit.

This is a great level to be at. Most successful people fall under this bracket.

It is obvious that positive active people are relentlessly resourceful but so are people who are positive passive. 

These people get shit done and don’t doubt the process.

#3 Neutral Passive (Average)

"it's worked for other people, let's see if it works for me"

You're open it to it not working and giving up. 

This is where most people are. 

"Let's see if this course / program will help me" 

I’m definitely hovering between neutral passive and positive passive. Everyday I’m working towards being someone completely in the positive passive bracket.

#4 Negative Passive (The Rest)

It might work for other people, but it probably won't work for me.

These people are actively seeking information to confirm why it won't work for them.

You want other people to take accountability for your failure. 

Victim's mentality, woe is me. 

There is a training scene in The Matrix where Neo (the main character) has to hit Morpheus as part of his training. 

Morpheus looks at Neo and he says “stop trying to hit me and hit me"

it's basically the difference between going through the motions, acting as if, versus actually trying to succeed.

"Stop trying to make paid ads work and make it work"

"Stop trying to make content work, and make it work"

“Stop trying to win and actually win”

Yoda says there is no try there's only do and not do (fail).

The reason that try is such an insidious concept is because it allows the possibility of failure.

It basically says that there is a way that this won't work but if you fundamentally believe (#2 positive passive) if someone else can do it so can I then there is 0 possibility of failure because if they can do it I will do it. 

The level about that (#1 positive active), even though no one has done it, it is not impossible therefore I will. 

Think about these 4 levels of competence the next time you want to quit.

Until next time, be kind, keep grinding.