🏆 How to be successful

This is the One Minute Wonder — get useful tools, frameworks, and ideas summarized in 60 seconds (give or take).

Today, we’re talking about how to be successful.

Here’s the truth: Success isn’t magic; it’s method. Sam Altman has distilled the art of thriving into 13 factors.

Go deeper below (1 min read time)

The Internal Traits of Success:

1. Compounding: Focus on actions and skills that build on each other over time.

2. Have Almost Too Much Self-Belief: Confidence propels you forward, even in uncertainty.

3. Learn to Think Independently: Avoid following the crowd; form your own judgments.

4. Get Good at “Sales”: Persuasion is essential in all facets of life.

5. Make it Easy to Take Risks: Create a safety net to enable bold decisions.

6. Focus: Concentration on the right things drives meaningful progress.

7. Work Hard: Outwork the competition and yourself.

8. Be Bold: Take action that separates you from the rest.

9. Be Willful: Persistence and determination can overcome immense challenges.

10. Be Hard to Compete With: Build unique strengths that give you a lasting edge.

11. Build a Network: Strong relationships amplify opportunities.

12. You Get Rich by Owning Things: Ownership creates leverage for wealth creation.

13. Be Internally Driven: Motivation from within sustains long-term effort and focus.

What resonated with us the most: Make it Easy to Take Risks and Be Hard to Compete With.

Taking risks doesn’t mean being reckless — it’s about setting up safety nets, like saving money or leaning on trusted collaborators, so you can focus on opportunities instead of worst-case scenarios. This mindset turns risk-taking from terrifying to thrilling.

With competition, the best strategy isn’t just to play — it’s to build a unique “moat” by stacking your skills, experiences, and perspectives in a way that makes competing with you feel impossible.

The External Factors:

It’s undeniably an incredible shame and waste that opportunity is so unevenly distributed. But we’ve seen enough people born with the odds stacked against them rise to incredible success to know it’s possible. One of the factor that arguably would bring everyone a tad more equal is universal basic income (UBI). That’s why people like Sam Altman have advocated for UBI as a way to unlock immense human potential by enabling more people to take risks without the fear of financial ruin. But we’d like to hear your thoughts.

Debate: Can Universal Basic Income Unlock Potential?

Pro-UBI Perspective: Altman and other proponents argue that UBI provides a safety net that empowers people to take creative risks without fearing financial ruin. Studies, like one from UNC, show how UBI can reduce anxiety and unleash ambition. In a world with UBI, more individuals might dare to innovate, start businesses, or pursue passion projects.

Anti-UBI Perspective: Critics counter that UBI could reduce the incentive to work and lead to economic inefficiencies. They argue that success often emerges from necessity—pressure that pushes individuals to perform. Would a safety net dilute this drive?

The question remains: Is UBI the key to unlocking more success from people coming from less fortunate backgrounds? Until we have that privilege, work hard and try the 13 thoughts from Sam.

Final Thought:

Success isn’t just about avoiding failure; it’s about balancing internal traits with external opportunities. Your internal engine—ambition, resilience, and boldness—drives you forward. But external conditions, like societal support or family influence, shape the road you travel.

Go be the main character of your life this week.