Unlocking the Golden Ticket to Success in the Digital Renaissance
Striking Gold in the Digital Age: Your Guide to Leveraging Luck and Tech
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How would you fancy your chances of winning if you only bought one lottery ticket? What if you bought 1 million tickets?
If you're not totally delusional, you probably answered that someone with 1 million tickets has a bigger chance of winning. So why do you forsake opportunities daily? What is keeping you from hoarding all the chances to get lucky you possibly can?
In "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory," Willy Wonka hides 5 Golden Tickets in his famous "Wonka Bars." Whoever found these Golden Tickets would have the chance of visiting his legendary factory. If you were paying attention, you might have noticed that this children's book guards important lessons.
Each of the 5 children finds their ticket through very different devices:
Augustus Gloop: Found his by eating tons of chocolate bars every day. His method was sheer "hard work."
Veruca Salt: Took the opposite method. She had her father's employees in his own factory open loads and loads of Wonka Bars until they unveiled her Golden Ticket. Her method was leverage (of capital and labor).
Violet Beauregarde: As much as she loved gum, Violet loved a challenge. Faced with the possibility of winning a competition, she forsook her beloved bubble gums in favor of candy bars until she found her ticket. She's a case of winning by sheer will.
Mike Teavee: Mike is a very intelligent boy who manages to get his ticket after buying just one chocolate bar. He does this by leveraging complex data or hacking Willy Wonka's computers. In both cases, Mike gets lucky by being witty and leveraging technology.
Charlie Bucket: Charlie was a very poor kid, who only got to eat Wonka Bars once a year (on his birthday). By sheer luck, Charlie ends up finding money on the street to buy extra bars and become the last Golden Ticket holder.
As we can see, each of the kids in this story "got lucky" by very distinct mechanisms. Each of them employed a different strategy to get to the same result.
But they had one thing in common:
Every one of them chose a path with upside potential. And one of them even used the biggest game-changer in our times: Technology.
In a world where opportunities are often hidden like golden tickets, technology can be our golden key. It levels the playing field, whether you live in Rio or Singapore, and opens doors to luck that were previously locked.
Today we are going to muse on the importance of amplifying our chances of getting lucky. What should you do so you don't have to count on blind luck, like Charlie? Why not try to use leverage like Veruca and Mike did? And while you are at it, why don't you apply some of Violet's tenacity? Let's go!
The Luck Razor: Choosing the Path with the Most Upside
Nassim Taleb coined the term “Antifragility” to describe things that not only are immune to disorder; they thrive in chaos. Becoming “Antifragile” means choosing the paths with the best upside to downside ratio.
In simpler terms, there are 3 types of things:
Fragile: Vulnerable to any disruption. Think of a glass of champagne or a plate of china. In life choices, it would be one with a very limited upside and a disproportionate downside. Think of a game such as Russian roulette or refinancing your house to buy GameStop stocks.
Robust: Disruptions don’t affect them too much. Think of a boulder being hit by a boxer. Or maybe some granny investment like index funds (in a long time-frame) or T-Bills.
Antifragile: Things that thrive under chaos. Think of graphite becoming diamonds under pressure. Or a well-placed hedge bet (like an option to buy something for 10 when the price soars to 100).
Luck Razor from Deepstash
A very interesting philosophical concept that comes to mind when I think of this is the Luck Razor. According to the Luck Razor, you should always choose the path with the most potential of getting lucky. If Charlie hadn’t bought more candy bars with his newfound money, there would be no book!
What stories are you forsaking by not leveraging your chances of getting lucky?
For example, this week I had one of these moments. One of the leading minds in productivity and knowledge management in the World, Tiago Forte, would be in São Paulo to launch his book in Portuguese. On the day before, I faced a dilemma:
If I didn’t go: Maybe I’d work a little more. Maybe I’d get to work out that day. Maybe I’d watch a few more YouTube videos (my version of Netflix addiction) or read a little. Nothing much.
If I went: I’d meet one of the top guys in an area I am very keen on working. I’d be one of the first to buy Building a Second Brain in Portuguese. I’d be able to ask Tiago a couple of questions and soak up some insight from the cream of the crop.
Needless to say, I did go. And ended up having a lovely dinner with my dad later. Win-win!
In the end, you gotta take risks that favor the lucky charm. Smart, calculated, risks with loads of upside. And do it consistently. As Forrest Gump would say, “life’s like a box of chocolates; you never know what you will get”.
Or, as Samuel Goldwyn put it:
“The harder I work, the luckier I get”
The more coins you toss, the more likely you’ll get that one “lucky break”. Or, as the ever-present Alex Hormozi would say, putting in the work increases your contact surface. The more you do, the more likely it’ll be that luck will find you. Like in chemistry, increasing the surface area is one of the key factors in accelerating a reaction.
We live in a fantastic time for those who like to learn and tinker. As Dan Koe would put it, we are in the beginning of a Digital Renaissance. An era rich in opportunity. And this leads to our next section, in which we’ll talk about how to leverage the key contributors to this new era.
Leveraging AI, Tech, and Coding for Greater Impact
In these Digital Renaissance times, scarcity is about to become a thing of the past. Well, at least if you enable yourself for this new era. When everyone has access to incredible computing power and information sources at their fingertips, these factors alone won't make you stand out.
According to Naval Ravikant, the main driver is finding a position of leverage. But today, it's not necessarily about taking Veruca’s path of using her daddy’s capital and his employees’ labor. Today, pulling a Charlie is more about combining Violet’s tenacity with Mike’s tech-savviness.
In a world bursting with unimaginable possibilities—thanks to AI, coding, and media—it's about following your genuine intellectual curiosities. What makes you, well… you? What do you do when no one’s looking? What topics do people always seek your opinion on? These are your starting points for discovering what levers you should pull!
By aligning your passions with the technological vehicles of leverage now available, you can achieve real productivity. It’s not just about working hard; any idiot can do that. It’s about working smart.
Use technology to do one (or both) of these things:
Impact more people: Imagine helping 1 million people instead of just 20.
Solve bigger problems: Address the issues of an entire enterprise (or even a country!) and you'll strike gold. The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity!
As some of you might know, I’m not just a nerd about business and philosophy. I’m actually a mechanical engineer by trade, and I've recently completed an MBA in Data Science and Analytics. So, I know a thing or two about leveraging tech.
This year, I’ve been diving deep into tech Twitter and YouTube, and I can’t stop tinkering with all the new tools launched EVERY SINGLE DAY. I don’t want my fellow rockstars-in-the-making to miss out on this revolution.
That's why I’m launching a course on how to Rock Your Productivity by Leveraging Chat GPT and Other AI Tools. I’ve just released the Lead Single Edition, and it will equip you with all the tools you need to master ChatGPT, the most renowned AI tool out there.
And the best part? For the first 100 RockStars-in-the-making, it’ll cost you a total of…
$0
Yep! I really want you guys to join me on this journey! So get it while it's hot. When the first 100 slots are filled, I’ll release an updated version with a whole new module (and it will be free for my first 100 rockstars, too!).
Conclusion: Rocking the Road to Success
Today, we took a nostalgic trip down memory lane with Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, unearthing valuable life lessons from each character's distinct approach to achieving their dreams:
Augustus' HARD WORK
Veruca's LEVERAGE (of capital and labor)
Violet's TENACITY
Mike's Tech-SAVVINESS
Charlie's sheer LUCK
We also delved into the transformative principle of Antifragility, aligning it with the Luck Razor's philosophy of positioning yourself in situations ripe for serendipity. We explored the concept of increasing our "contact surface" with luck by consistently putting out valuable work.
But we're not just any generation; we're the pioneers of a Digital Renaissance. So, what are you known for among your circle? That's the unique knowledge that will make you indispensable, and that's what you should leverage.
By seizing every opportunity and harnessing the technological revolution, you're not just inching closer to success—you're sprinting toward it!
Thank you for joining me on this exhilarating journey today! If you know someone who absolutely MUST read this, please share it. We'll bring them along for the ride, whether they're ready or not!
🏁 Pit Stop Discoveries: Fuel Up on Wisdom and Insight! 🏁
Rev those engines, fellow travelers! It's time for a pit stop filled with discoveries that'll supercharge your mind and soul. Grab your favorite beverage, buckle up, and let's dive into this week's gems:
🧠 Cutting-Edge Productivity with Tiago Forte: I had the chance to meet Tiago Forte, a leading productivity expert. We discussed the latest tools like Obsidian and the challenge of their learning curve. Sometimes, less is more when building a second brain. Check out more about are meetup on Twitter!
🤝 Building Relationships with Nicholas Crown: Learn the art of relationship building from Nicholas Crown on the Really Rich Podcast. Discover methods that can help you connect and grow your network. Watch the episode here!
🤖 The Brink of AGI: Is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) about to become a reality? Will AI soon see us more like plants than animals? Dive into this thought-provoking tweet and ponder the future of AI. Explore the tweet here!
🌍 An American in Europe: What's it like to see the US after living in Europe for 2 years? This eye-opening video shares an American's perspective on the cultural differences and insights gained. Watch the video here!
⏰ The Pressure to Perform: Are you someone who thrives under pressure and can ONLY work when the clock is ticking? You're not alone! See this tweet for a relatable take on working under pressure.
That's the fuel for this pit stop, my friends! Keep rocking the road to success, and don't hesitate to share your thoughts on these discoveries. Until next time, keep your engines roaring and your minds expanding! 🚗💨
Stay tuned into my rock 'n' roll journey through these social media channels:
X/Twitter: For when 280 characters are enough to capture a moment on the road. Click here
Medium: For Mindblowing Articles
YouTube Channel: Where rock meets reality. Click here
Merch Store: Where poetry meets profit. Click here
Anticoach: My website about no-nonsense self-development. Click here
Instagram: For those insta-worthy moments on the journey. Click here
LinkedIn: Where business meets the beat. Click here
And that's it for this week's edition of "Rock n’ Road to Success"! Until next time, keep rocking and rolling towards your dreams! 🤘
Ameiii. 👏👏👏