TLDR:
- Become inspired by the outliers you come across, rather than being hyper-focused on them. But to be inspired by them doesn’t mean to indulge in the copycat phenomena, for you’ll just find yourself a part of the massive chain reaction that’s already followed in hopes of getting any remaining pieces of the pie; the crumbles really.
- However, it’s alright to copy certain principles to incorporate into your journey on the road to 10 as Vinh Giang, particularly when they’ve walked the talk and talked the walk of what it is you’re trying to achieve.
- Learn to not be too promiscuous with your attention. Give it respect.
- To not fall prey to survivorship bias is to become deliberate with the content you expose yourself to and how you interpret it, developing your willpower to dictate how the success stories make you feel rather than it controlling you.
The act of deliberation with the content you expose yourself to and how you interpret it
Extending off of yesterday’s article about failure bias, it is also pertinent to touch base on the other side of the spectrum: survivorship bias.
Akin to how tragic sob stories find it easy to make the front page, it is also the case for success stories, particularly those from the “rags to riches” domain.
Sure, it’s a cliché that will never get old and it certainly is inspirational to see the heights one could go to after having nothing to start with, but it’s just as easy for the Average Joe to hyper-focus on as it is for the failed businesses stories.
Rather than comparing yourself to them in how they made a fortune out of nothing while you have access to avenues you can avail at your disposal but still find yourself on square one, be inspired by it. They did the work then, so you certainly can as well in whatever it is you’re trying to do.
But to be inspired by it doesn’t mean to now copy what they did word-for-word, for that’s a classic case of copycat phenomena. Many people fall for this in a bid to get any remaining pieces of the pie, leading to the ripple effect. A prime example is fidget spinners and slime back in 2016.
At the same time, it’s perfectly alright to copy certain principles they had which you can incorporate into your road to 10 as Vinh Giang talks about. And just like Vinh says, it’s also okay to put your twist on it as well, for your road to 10 is uniquely yours, and yours only.
Once again, it ties back to what David Perell says about being too promiscuous with your attention: we’re all guilty of it, especially the Average Joe.
Don’t fall prey to survivorship bias. Instead, to become inspired by the success stories you come across is getting one step closer to developing an averseness towards it by becoming deliberate with the content you expose yourself to and how you interpret it.
The dopamine-releasing success stories won’t seek you, but rather, you’ll seek them out to serve you as a guide to best increase your probability of moving your needle and your road to 10.
After you develop the willpower to dictate how the success stories make you feel rather than it controlling you, you’re one step closer to becoming averse to survivorship bias through deliberation.