An Argument For Being Second

• 💡 Wisdom

• ✏️ Illustration

• 💬 Saying

• 🧭 Explanation

• 📝 Reflection

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 41 seconds

The second mouse gets the cheese.

Even though there’s value in being a pioneer, sometimes it is beneficial to be second.

Want to enjoy a WISER Newsletter exclusive?

Here’s a visual that I have never shared before:

Before we look at today’s principle of wisdom in more detail, let’s look at the quote that inspired the above visual:

I love the context of “The second mouse gets the cheese” when juxtaposed beside another well-known saying of “The early bird catches the worm.”

It speaks of the value in both being early and being patient.

Both are important, but let’s look at an example of where one of the most successful companies has excelled by consistently being second.

I use Apple products to help make Wisdom Made Easy a reality.

Even if you’re not a fan of Apple products (or the high price tags that come with them), you can’t deny that they make exceptional products.

But something that Apple won’t want to admit is that they are never first to the party.

The Osborne 1, considered to be one of the first commercially successful laptops, came out a whole decade before Apple released its first laptop in 1991.

The Apple Watch shipped in 2015, but smartwatches had been spotted on tech enthusiasts wrists for years, with Samsung and Sony already releasing multiple models of their wearables.

In 2024, Apple introduced widgets to the iPhone Home Screen, even though Android phones had been utilising widgets since 2007 - a whole 17 years earlier.

Apple almost never do something first, but they often do it better.

I am typically someone who places huge importance on taking action, and even though I tend to encourage people to be pioneering, there is value in waiting, learning from other people’s experience, then taking action too.

Today is your opportunity to reflect on what “cheese” that you are eyeing up, and whether you would be better suited waiting to be second.

Consider journaling your responses to the following questions:

• What “cheese” am I currently pursuing?

• Has someone already achieved or got what I am pursuing? If so, what can I learn from their experience? What traps can I avoid?

• What do I believe is more important? Being pioneering or patient?

Want to journal? Enjoy 50% off Journal Wiser today!

This week’s resource is a TEDx Talk from author Oliver Burkeman.

He’s the writer behind Four Thousand Weeks - the New York Times Bestselling book to help you to manage your time.

If you’re inspired to be the second mouse, you will need patience.

Learn why Burkeman spent 3 hours looking at the same piece of art here:

If you have any feedback on the WISER Newsletter, I would love to hear it! Simply reply to this email, and I will get back to you. Alternatively, just DM me on social media.

You can find my social links and learn how to work with me here.

Catch you in the next issue!

Thanks,
Michael