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- You're Already in the Top 1%
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 41 seconds
You are already in the top 1% at something.
You just need to discover what it is.
Layer your skills and passions to find what makes you unique.
I first shared today’s visual in 2022.
Shall we take a look down memory lane?
Want to see another interpretation of this principle?
Here’s Roberto Ferraro’s take on this concept:
The idea for this visual came from a particular anecdote that James Clear shared on Matt D’Avella’s podcast.
The full podcast is referenced in the Resources section, but the key part comes from a 35 second section where he emulates a reflection that Scott Adams (creator of the Dilbert comics) had:
“I wasn't the best drawer, I wasn't the best cartoonist, but I was pretty good - I would say in the top like 25%.
And I wasn't the funniest person that you would meet, but I was pretty funny - I was probably in the top like 25th percentile there.
And I also had some skills around business (because he had worked in management company).
[…]
Any individual one of those traits would not have stood out, but by layering them all together, I developed this really interesting and unique thing.”
By stacking his understanding of comedy, business and illustration, Scott Adams made something unique and incredibly successful with the Dilbert comics.
What can we learn from the layering of skills approach?
You have skills that put you in the top 25% of that skill. Stack them!
That’s what helped me with starting Wisdom Made Easy:
I am not the best illustrator, but I’m probably in the top 25%.
And I am certainly not the wisest person in the world, but I might be wiser than the next person.
I am hardly a social media guru, but I watch more YouTube videos about this stuff than three quarters of the world.
By stacking these 3 areas, I’ve managed to build a profitable and fulfilling business that allows me to do what I love: get wiser and encourage other people to get wiser!
There are countless examples of this approach.
Consider the people that you look up to, and see if you can identify what layering of skills makes them unique.
And don’t forget to complete today’s Reflection to identify how you could layer your skills.
Consider reflecting on your responses to the following questions:
What skills do I have?
Is there a way that I can stack my skills to make something new?
Is there someone doing something that I aspire to do one day? If so, what skills do they have and how could I work on them?
Today’s resource is Matt D’Avella’s old podcast: The Ground Up Show.
Even though Matt isn’t current releasing new episodes of this podcast, the archive is rich with wisdom and is worthy of a listen.
Below is the episode referenced earlier in the newsletter, though he’s also recorded episodes with Ryder Carroll, Jason Zook, Rich Roll, Thomas Frank and many more.
Have a listen (and watch) here:
