fast is not enough, accelerate it
“We shouldn't be surprised, since small minorities often achieve disproportionate results.
We don't live in a normal world; we live under a power law.”
Peter Thiel
It's been almost a month since my last post here. The reason for the absence is that I had nothing interesting to share.
I refuse to hit the publish button when I don't feel I'd love to read what I write.
The root cause of why I had nothing interesting to share was because my past 30 days were lukewarm. By lukewarm I mean I sustained speed rather than accelerated. This is a HUGE miss.
It's a miss because I believe disproportionate results are for those who keep increasing speed and excellence rather than just sustaining it.
Speed is about how fast you're moving. But, it doesn't say whether you're speeding up or slowing down.
Acceleration is about the change in speed. It measures how quickly an object's speed increases or decreases over time.
Most people accelerate until they reach the first sign of something slightly good.
They move from their hometown to a city with higher talent density. Join an average-ambition firm. Write one or two times and then stop. Meet a couple of interesting people and then stop.
They operate like the following graph.
Constant speed. Constant excellence. People like this can achieve great things. Sustained speed over a long period is powerful. But, I don't believe that's how people who make history operate.
I believe people who make history operate with accelerated hunger. You see it in their eyes, in their body language. They're increasingly ambitious, sharp, and well-connected. Their speed keeps getting faster and faster. Ferociously.
They operate like the following graph. Speed keeps getting faster and faster.
I've been thinking about this acceleration vs speed principle for a while. This 30-second piece is one of the clearest manifestations of accelerating vs sustaining speed.
This is the Netflix show on Pep Guardiola and Manchester City becoming the first club in the world to win five championships in a single year.
This is how Pep Guardiola reacted after City scored 4 x 0 against their biggest rival in the 1st half.
Hunger. Accelerating vs sustaining speed.
Why make a miss public?
My level of ambition hasn't matched the level of hunger with which I've operated over the past 30 days. There's no reason to hide it or share false hits.
Don't get me wrong. I met a lot of interesting people, built impactful stuff at Alinea, spent a great time with my parents, and learned interesting new stuff. But, it's not meaningfully more. Like, ferociously more.
Quick example.
In January I shared that one thing to double down on in 2024 would be making intros between interesting people.
In 2023 I made 44 intros. 3.6 intros per month. ~1 per week.
In March 2024, I made 5 intros. 1,25 per week.
Conclusion: 25% increase. It's ok. Not substantial. Paraphrasing Pep Guardiola “I wouldn't say it's bad. But, it's not perfect”
PS: This is just a simple example
Final Thoughts
“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish”
Steve Jobs
I couldn't internalize how powerful this quote is as I can capture it now.
Sustaining the bar doesn't build momentum. It doesn't energize. It's not scary. It's monotonous. Boring.
Fast is not enough. Accelerate it.
e/acc
great article