Become a personal monopoly

The future will belong to the digital polymaths.

Those who can connect the dots across multiple disciplines and break the narrative that it is only profitable to specialize in one field.

Learning has especially evolved in the last few decades.

Our learning has become more digital. And this has increased the speed at which we can learn.

I’m a huge fan of David Perell and his writings.

I think that his insights are very unique and special in this age of the internet.

I recently read one of his articles about the future of learning in our society.

It not only confirmed what I had already been thinking but also gave me some new ideas to think about.

In the article, Perell points out the coming age of modern polymaths (..this idea is literally one that consistently keeps my mind racing and will be the topic of a future newsletter).

Being a polymath is combining your skills and interest to create something unique.

With how much access we have to information, this has become easier. You can take your love for woodworking and your ability to code and create something entirely unique.

Cathy Hughes

Cathy Hughes built Radio One into one of the largest radio stations in the black community (and one with a one BILLION dollar valuation might I add!).

This “How I built this” episode of her story absolutely floored me!

The story of her perseverance is one that any aspiring entrepreneur should listen to.

Hughes became pregnant at the age of 17 and was on her own. She raised her son, faced divorce, and multiple rejections by banks for funding to build Radio One.

But Cathy never let any of this stop her!

Today Huges is worth millions of dollars and Radio One is still the most listened-to talk show radio in the nation’s capital. I hope you enjoy her conversation with Guy Raz as much as I did!

Monozukuri

I’m a software engineer by trade.

One thing that I’ve noticed about the current landscape of software engineering is the lack of commitment to craftsmanship.

Everyone wants to learn the quickest, be up to date on the newest programming language, etc. Even if that means sacrificing the quality of what they’re building.

I have a deep admiration for Japanese craftsmanship.

The Japanese word “monozukuri” puts an emphasis on craftsmanship and the “making of things”.

Most times in the western world, we are more fascinated with how fast can we ship rather than optimizing for a good quality product.

I’ve been studying this Japanese philosophy lately and have started to apply it in my own work. Focusing on craft over speed.

There is a time for quantity over quality. But most of the time what you really want to shoot for is the inverse.

Be dedicated to craftsmanship.