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July 1, 2024

Lucky Break: Once in A Lifetime Opportunities are Overrated

What does it mean to have a lucky break?

On 29^th May 2024, football fans were shocked when Bayern Munich the biggest club in Germany announced their newest club manager. A popular sports media agency carried the announcement with an headline saying “the World has officially gone mad.”

Apparently, this manager is inexperienced. Just four years of coaching experience. And one of those years was spent in the English second division.

His only European campaign ended in a Conference League qualifying loss. He has never coached in a Champions League game.

In corporate terms, it’s like a multibillion international company hiring for the role of their managing director. A position that demands decades of experience and influence.

Then this company gives this position to a young man who has only managed a small startup in a local city.

This man does not appear to have the capability or achievements to get the coaching role.

But this is what the available data indicates.

Stay with me. There are important lessons to be learned from this appointment.

Vincent Kompany. That’s the name of Bayern’s newest manager. He is not at fault here, even if it feels like a massive jump.

At 38 years old, Kompany is still a promising manager with the potential to become a great one. After a few seasons at mid-level clubs, he should be able to refine and expand on his ideas, and then he could be prepared for a position as important as that of Bayern Munich. However, it all seems to be happening much too soon.

From a wider angle, it highlights the mess Bayern were in. This ‘multibillion dollar organization’ blew through their managerial targets after asking their current manager to leave the club.

They were left with a manager who appears underqualified and unprepared for a job of this magnitude. Months of searching Europe for possible targets. Pursuing big names, and repeatedly failing. All efforts were in vain.

Getting a Lucky Break

When Preparation Meets Opportunity

“If you are very skilled in a field, you will notice when a lucky break happens in that field.” – Naval Ravikant

A “lucky break” is often seen as a stroke of good fortune. However, those who are skilled recognize these breaks because they understand the context and the implications of the opportunities presented.

When a prepared individual encounters an opportunity, they can take immediate and effective action. This ability to act quickly and appropriately can create what seems like “luck.”

It looks like Vincent Kompany already knew about this one.

His managerial credentials don’t jump off the page. Kompany first became player-manager at his boyhood club, Anderlecht, in 2020. The club legend was tasked with bringing the sleepy giant back to the top by the Belgian team, who offered him a four-year contract.

Anderlecht finished fourth in his first season in charge. He also finished third in his second season while making the Belgian Cup final. Kompany then accepted a coaching job at Burnley.

His first season was historic as the team played delightful playing football. Burnley topped the Championship, winning the league with 101 points – becoming the first team to hit triple digits in nine years.

To be frank though, it felt Kompany was doing something great with Burnley.

Small club or not, the quote of “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”

I understand that his next season with Burney was disastrous, that saw them finish 19th in the Premier League, being relegated back to the Championship.

But his “lucky break” came at the right time.

LESSON 1: THERE’S ALWAYS A COMEBACK

Life is in cycles and seasons will always come back and go.

Therefore, everyone in life would experience significant life changing opportunities.

You will have several opportunities in life to experience breakthroughs.

Before these breakthroughs arrive, have a combination of hard work and the ability to recognize and act on opportunities.

Like Kompany, this combination is essential in becoming the best option for successful breakthroughs

Will you be prepared when your own lucky break comes?

When Opportunities are already missed

At the start of 2024, Bayern Munich decided to rid their previous manager before the season ends. With this strategy, they believed they could get a head-start on finding the best candidate to take over.

Their primary target was the manager of their domestic rival club. It was Bayern’s tradition to bring anyone who threatens their dominance in their league to their club and it was believed that their primary target would carry on that tradition.

After all, they were the biggest club in their country. It was not to be, though. In retrospect, this was a messy strategy.

Because of this rejection, Bayern were then left scrambling for other options. They turned to the man they had sacked only 12 months previously in controversial circumstances. This man rejected them too.

The German giant began a second wave of search. Rejection. Upon. Rejection. All potential candidates turned down the role. Because they had signed new contracts with other clubs. Or personal reasons.

And this is how the biggest club in Germany ended up with a manager of a relegated club in England.

LESSON 2: DON’T BE ANGRY IN THE FACE OF REJECTION

“Even the migratory birds are punctual to their seasons.] Yes, the stork [excelling in the great height of her flight] in the heavens knows her appointed times [of migration], and the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane observe the time of their return.” – Jeremiah 8:7 AMPC

You might have missed some opportunities in the past. Or gotten rejected.

This does not mean you get angry or bitter in those times. Rather look at them as learning opportunities

It is like what an old king once said, “The stone which the builders rejected eventually becomes the chief cornerstone.”

Rejection might just be a step in fulfilling your destiny. So don’t be careless in the times of abundance. Don’t be afraid in the times of leanness too.

This is all for my end.

Will Kompany be successful at Bayern Munich? We don’t know yet.

That’s your homework to find out as the year goes on 😉.

April 15, 2024

Real Happiness: What it Means to be Truly Happy

How can you experience real happiness?

Here are some guidelines on how to go about it. These guidelines are paraphrased from the Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE REAL HAPPINESS

Today, I believe happiness is really a default state.

Happiness is there when you remove the sense of something missing in your life. If you constantly walk around thinking, “I need this,” or “I need that,” trapped in the web of desires – you are not happy.

Happiness is the state when nothing is missing. When nothing is missing, your mind shuts down and stops running into the past or future to regret something or to plan something.

Real Happiness

HOW YOUR HAPPINESS IS OFTEN DESTROYED

You can literally destroy your happiness if you spend all of your time living in delusions of the future.

For instance, when you crave experiences that will make you be present, the cravings themselves take you from the present moment. A lot of your unhappiness likely comes from comparing things from the past to the present.

The idea you’re going to change something in the outside world, and that is going to bring you the peace, everlasting joy, and happiness you deserve, is a fundamental delusion we all suffer from, including me.

The mistake over and over and over is to say, “Oh, I’ll be happy when I get that thing,” whatever it is. That is the fundamental mistake we all make, 24/7, all day long.

THE ILLUSION OF HAPPINESS

When you’re young, you have time. You have health, but you have no money. When you’re middle-aged, you have money and you have health, but you have no time. When you’re old, you have money and you have time, but you have no health.

So the trifecta is trying to get all three at once. By the time people realize they have enough money, they’ve lost their time and their health.

Here is a short story that perfectly describes the illusion of happiness. It is from the book – The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

THE SHOPKEEPER’S SON AND THE WISE MAN

“A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

“Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man’s attention.

“The wise man listened attentively to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

“‘Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,’ said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. ‘As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.’

THE REALIZATION OF THE SHOPKEEPER’S SON

“The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

“‘Well,’ asked the wise man, ‘did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?’

“The boy was embarrassed and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

“‘Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,’ said the wise man. ‘You cannot trust a man if you don’t know his house.’

“Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

“‘But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?’ asked the wise man.

“Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

“‘Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,’ said the wisest of wise men. ‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.’”

YOUR HAPPINESS IS CONNECTED TO YOUR PEACE

Peace is happiness at rest, and happiness is peace in motion.

You can convert peace into happiness anytime you want. But peace is what you want most of the time. If you’re a peaceful person, anything you do will be a happy activity.

Today, the way we think you get peace is by resolving all your external problems.

But there are unlimited external problems. So, do you become peaceful then? Well, you can adopt the advice of the wisest person who ever lived. In his words – When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future (Ecclesiastes 7:14 -15 NIV)

The only way to get peace on the inside is by giving up this idea of problems.

THE BIG QUESTION – HOW TO BE TRULY HAPPY

Training yourself to be happy is completely internal.

There is no external progress, no external validation. You’re competing against yourself—it is a single-player game. This means you should forget about the world of competition and comparison.

Rather, focus on increasing your happiness over time, and it starts with believing you can do it.

The most important trick to being happy is to realize happiness is a skill you develop and a choice you make. You choose to be happy, and then you work at it.

This is what it means to be truly happy. This is how you experience real happiness.

Bibliophile-How-to-Fall-Love-with-Reading

March 17, 2024

Bibliophile: How to Fall in Love with Reading

Is it possible to be a bibliophile in this era?

A Bibliophile is someone who loves books. In today’s fast-paced world, information is everywhere. But with so much content at your fingertips, how do you sift through it all and truly learn? The answer is simpler than you might think: reading.

This guide will unveil the power of reading, not just for staying informed, but for personal and professional growth.

You will learn why reading is essential, what to read, and most importantly, how to love the process.

Bibliophile-How-to-Fall-Love-with-Reading

WHY SHOULD YOU LEARN TO READ EVEN TILL NOW?

You can stay up to date on the latest research and trends in your field by reading. For instance, keeping up with the most recent findings can offer you a competitive advantage if you work in a technical field. Similarly, if you work in a creative field, branching out into new genres can inspire innovative ideas and techniques.

Reading also enhances your writing skills and communication abilities. And these are valuable assets in any profession.

WHAT SHOULD YOU READ?

The secret is simple – Read what you love until you love to read.

What do you enjoy reading now? Starting with topics you’re interested in makes reading fun. And you’re more likely to stick with it and develop a lifelong habit.

Since every person is different, finding the right books for you is more important than anything else.

HOW TO START READING?

It almost doesn’t matter what you read.

Books. Blogs. Tweets. Anything with ideas and information and learning. The best ones to read are the ones you’re excited about reading all the time.

You will eventually read enough to make a significant improvement in your life (and your interests will lead you there).

HOW DO YOU INTERNALIZE WHAT YOU READ?

Explain what you learned and read to someone else.

Teaching forces real learning. Do you know that you retain approximately 90% of what you learn when they explain/teach the concept to someone else. This is the best way to internalize and remember what you read.

3 Important Factors to Consider if you want to Love to Read

Reading is not a race.

Infact, the better the reading material, the slower you should read it. Enjoy it like a delicious meal – slowly instead of gobbling it down. Take your time to absorb and understand the content fully.

The number of books completed is a vanity metric.

A true bibliophile focuses on quality, not quantity.

Stop counting how many books you finish in a month or year; rather focus on what you get out of reading. The truth is that as you gain more knowledge and experience, you might start reading more challenging books or in-depth articles. Because you’re now choosier about what you spend your time on, it’s okay to ditch reading materials that isn’t grabbing your attention.

So it’s not only about finishing books; it’s also about also about the quality of learning and insight gained from them.

No book or article should scare you.

Whether it’s a lengthy Medium article, complex e-books, or X threads. You should be able to pick any book or article from the internet and read it to the end. You might find many of them to be too challenging. It’s alright, read them anyhow. After that, go back and read them again and again.

After all, the beauty of online information is you can revisit it easily.