ILLUSIONS THAT BLOCK SUCCESS
“you can manufacture luck. passion follows success. you can reach anyone.”
The Lesson
Five illusions block success: (1) 'Luck can't be controlled'-wrong, move to places with more luck (San Francisco vs small town). (2) 'Follow your passion'-wrong, follow usefulness first, passion follows success. (3) 'My market value is what I think'-wrong, add your boss's cost to replace you. (4) 'Bigotry is only an obstacle'-wrong, it creates strategic advantages (Fortune 500s desperate for diverse talent). (5) 'It's who you know'-wrong, it's who you can reach. Steve Jobs cold-called Hewlett. Packard. The less important you are, the more likely important people will help.
Real-World Example
A founder believes they can't succeed because they don't know the right people. Illusion-busting: they email 50 successful founders asking one specific question. 30% respond. They find a mentor through LinkedIn cold outreach. They get an intro to an investor by replying helpfully to their tweets for months. 'Who you know' became 'who you reached.' Same with luck. They moved to SF, attended every event, made themselves findable. Luck found them.
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