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The whole point of all of this personal development is to become successful, isn’t it? And maybe we all have different definitions of success but they probably all relate to a combination of financial, professional, health, relationship and spiritual aspirations.
This article by former president of Y Combinator and current CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman is one of the best I’ve read on the topic of professional and financial success. Through studying founders during his years at Y Combinator, Altman characterized 13 traits that were likely to make someone successful.
Near and dear to my heart, Altman’s 1st trait is about compound interest and playing the long game.
“Compounding is magic. Look for it everywhere. Exponential curves are the key to wealth generation…You also want to be an exponential curve yourself—you should aim for your life to follow an ever-increasing up-and-to-the-right trajectory”
Altman continues:
“I am willing to take as much time as needed between projects to find my next thing. But I always want it to be a project that, if successful, will make the rest of my career look like a footnote.”
This isn’t just about money either. I wrote more in-depth about how to play long term games with long term people, using the compound effect in your life.
You are your greatest investment. Throw your resources today into increasing who you are as a person: your learning, your skill development, your wealth creation.
Keep playing the long game.
