Sunday Summary — 01.10.21

Hello my friends,

I’ve been attempting to settle on a format for this newsletter for some time, and today’s issue is the latest iteration in that pursuit.

Sunday is most often a day of reflection before the working week, and I often spend it mulling over what worked (and what didn’t) in the week prior.

So, why not share those notes with you?

Here’s last week in review:

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Circle of Competence 101

The idea that Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett credit for their decades of success has nothing to do with how brilliant they are, quite the opposite in fact — success is almost exclusively about knowing what you don’t know.

I collaborated with the brilliant Sahil Bloom to add some visual context to a Twitter thread on defining your Circle of Competence. This is the first installment in a series of collaborations we’re planning on working on together.

If you’re interested in the demystification of the complex world of finance, or accessible storytelling in general, Sahil is one of the best practitioners in the game and well worth a follow on Twitter.

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What is Cancer?

Arguably one of the scariest words in the dictionary, cancer is a topic we’d rather not confront. It’s complicated, frightening and most of us just cross our fingers and hope to avoid it. Unfortunately, that luxury doesn’t last forever for many of us.

How to Visualize Value graduate Dr. David Grew is doing the incredibly important work of breaking down this intimidating subject into simple, visual, first principle explanations on his new YouTube channel.

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How to Make Things Resonate

Last week, I had a 40 minute conversation with one of the internet’s most notorious writers, David Perell.

We talked about the process of coining language — David has introduced many terms to the internet entrepreneur lexicon, among them: Niche Fame, Personal Monopoly, and The Paradox of Abundance.

We also cover how you know when you’ve got a good idea, and why people remember some language, but forget most.

I loved this conversation and if you’re interested in communication in any capacity, I think you will too.

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Visual of the Week

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”

— Flannery O'Connor

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Extra Curricular

My wife and I discovered this brilliant British sitcom: The Detectorists — set in rural England, it follows the lives of two metal detection enthusiasts, but serves as a fantastic metaphor for all of the things we spend our lives in pursuit of.

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How did you like this format? Shoot me a note and let me know.

Wishing you and yours a healthy and prosperous week,

Jack