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Julian Shapiro
5,942 posts
Julian Shapiro
@Julian
Investing in early stage hardware startups at Julian.capital. Telling stories at Julian.com. Creator of Deep Checks.
Joined May 2011
THREAD: 10 significant lies you're told about the world. On startups, writing, and your career:- A rare find for my fellow movie nerds. This is Christopher Nolan’s hand drawn plot map for his film Inception.
- Replying to @JulianPeople don't have short attention spans: • They finish 3 hour Joe Rogan episodes. • They binge 14 hour shows. They have short *consideration spans:* they must be hooked quickly. Point: Don't fear making great, in-depth content. But, ensure your first minute is incredible.
- Replying to @JulianMost friends aren't friends. They're acquaintances. Friends phone you out-of-the-blue because they want to hear your voice. Friends would drive you to the emergency room at 3 AM. Friends are the family you choose, and they're key to happiness in old age. Invest in good people.
- Replying to @JulianSuccess isn't an end state. Success is having the freedom to focus on the grind you actually enjoy. Most people should spend way less energy trying to get rich and way more energy building a tight-knit friend group that will be with them until old age.
- i finally did it! i eliminated all mosquitos. haven't seen one in ages the technique: - fill buckets with water, dirt, grass - place buckets in shade, spread 50ft apart - put a "mosquito dunk" ($0.50 each) in each - wait 6 weeks that's it! it works because...
- I'm finally done. I automated my home with 30+ smart home gadgets. Sensors are everywhere—all across the farm. I feel like a crazy person. My most clever home automations so far:
- The most interesting thing I learned last year is this mental model for generating world-class writing.
- Replying to @JulianReading many books is the most socially accepted vanity metric for adults. You get zero kudos for reading 100 books a year. You get massive kudos for learning efficiently and making interesting things.
- Replying to @JulianBloggers who post frequently (2x/wk) are rarely worth reading consistently. I read for insights. And no writer can generate profound insights on a fixed schedule. I aggregate writers who publish sporadically. When they post, they truly have something to say.
- Replying to @JulianIn observing friends who’ve sold startups and made millions: After a year, they’re back to toying with their old side projects. They used their money to buy a nice home and eat well. That’s it. They’re otherwise back to who they were. Point: Aim to be fulfilled, not rich.
- Replying to @JulianThe world is not run by exceptional people. This is the hidden reason for imposter syndrome. We mistakenly think imposter syndrome is due to low confidence/anxiety. No, it’s caused by not accepting that your new, world-class peers aren’t that special. It’s mostly discipline.
- Bi-annual public service announcement: If you want to avoid 95% of promotional spam in your inbox, just set up a Gmail filter that moves any email with the word "Unsubscribe" into a separate folder. Welcome to a clean inbox.
