Day 556 - Do the opposite of the 99% - https://golifelog.com/posts/do-the-opposite-of-the-99percent-1657409667885
An interesting all-round technique to get ahead of the pack, in life:
Just do the opposite of what 99% are doing.
OK caveat: Obviously this rule doesn’t apply to fundamental laws of physics things like jumping off a building or putting your hand in fire. Do as the 100% does in those things yes. But for the rest:
"How to get ahead in your 20s:
Look at what 99% of people in their 20s are doing
Do the opposite"
– @WrongsToWrite
For most important things in life that are valuable—career, business, entrepreneurship, money, relationships, happiness—these aren’t things that are clear cut. It ain’t black and white, it’s all grey. There’s definitely more than one way. Context matters in these cases. And being opposite gives sharp contrast, helps one stand out, distribute your message, sell your product. That’s when being contrarian is game-changing.
I see this all the time everywhere. The contrarian hot take on Twitter goes viral. The unconventional growth hack gets millions of users. The weirdos win.
"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
That made me think – what have I done or can I do differently from the 99% of creators and indie hackers to get ahead? What are some of the norms and rules that everyone says to be true, but you learned you can do otherwise? What do I believe in that 99% don’t, that it’s a hill that I’m prepared to die fighting on?
A few popular rules/behaviours and how I do the opposite of the 99%:
❌ Hard work alone is sufficient for success
✅ Learning to lean more on being able to spot opportunity and leverage chance
❌ Going all in on one big bet thing, be known for just one niche, is the only way
✅ Go for a portfolio of bets intentionally, be known for many different things
❌ Sharing mostly wins to shape how successful you look. Even when sharing losses and failures, framing it to show how brilliant/good one is to overcome it
✅ Being vulnerable in public, openly sharing failures, struggles, worries with no heroic ending
❌ Hustle hard, succeed fast
✅ Commit a decade to it
❌ Anytime someone says this is the ONLY way to do it
✅ Always think, “It depends.”
Question to myself: What else can I do differently from the 99%, in business and in life?
Just do the opposite of what 99% are doing.
OK caveat: Obviously this rule doesn’t apply to fundamental laws of physics things like jumping off a building or putting your hand in fire. Do as the 100% does in those things yes. But for the rest:
"How to get ahead in your 20s:
Look at what 99% of people in their 20s are doing
Do the opposite"
– @WrongsToWrite
For most important things in life that are valuable—career, business, entrepreneurship, money, relationships, happiness—these aren’t things that are clear cut. It ain’t black and white, it’s all grey. There’s definitely more than one way. Context matters in these cases. And being opposite gives sharp contrast, helps one stand out, distribute your message, sell your product. That’s when being contrarian is game-changing.
I see this all the time everywhere. The contrarian hot take on Twitter goes viral. The unconventional growth hack gets millions of users. The weirdos win.
"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
That made me think – what have I done or can I do differently from the 99% of creators and indie hackers to get ahead? What are some of the norms and rules that everyone says to be true, but you learned you can do otherwise? What do I believe in that 99% don’t, that it’s a hill that I’m prepared to die fighting on?
A few popular rules/behaviours and how I do the opposite of the 99%:
❌ Hard work alone is sufficient for success
✅ Learning to lean more on being able to spot opportunity and leverage chance
❌ Going all in on one big bet thing, be known for just one niche, is the only way
✅ Go for a portfolio of bets intentionally, be known for many different things
❌ Sharing mostly wins to shape how successful you look. Even when sharing losses and failures, framing it to show how brilliant/good one is to overcome it
✅ Being vulnerable in public, openly sharing failures, struggles, worries with no heroic ending
❌ Hustle hard, succeed fast
✅ Commit a decade to it
❌ Anytime someone says this is the ONLY way to do it
✅ Always think, “It depends.”
Question to myself: What else can I do differently from the 99%, in business and in life?