Today we published our final essay for 2023, reflecting on achievement as workspaces get more automated. Before reading it, ask what accomplishment means to you and why (if at all) you crave it.
2023 was impactful and challenging in equal measure for Network Capital. We scaled our impact, thanks to your support. This is a snapshot.
As you kickstart 2024, consider gifting or joining Network Capital. Even if it helps you make one solid career decision, the subscription will pay for itself many times over.
9 Mental Models for 2024
Prioritize your health and well-being over everything else. You can’t do justice to the causes you care about without taking care of your body and mind. See how Cult Fit founder Mukesh Bansal approaches fitness.
Don’t feel pressured to follow every new trend. As Warren Buffett says, “I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. That is very uncommon in American business. I read and think. So I do more reading and thinking, and make less impulse decisions than most people in business.”
Strive to make your 18-year-old self proud. As Taleb says, “For I have a single definition of success: you look in the mirror every evening, and wonder if you disappoint the person you were at 18, right before the age when people start getting corrupted by life. Let him or her be the only judge; not your reputation, not your wealth, not your standing in the community, not the decorations on your lapel. If you do not feel ashamed, you are successful. All other definitions of success are modern constructions; fragile modern constructions.”
Read history. If you don’t know where you come from, it will be hard to figure out where you are going. Read former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan’s mental models on history.
Figure out what feels like play to you but is work for others. That’s what you should pursue in 2024.
"Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work."
Take it easy. People don’t think of you nearly as much as you think they do. Remember the spotlight effect. Frame goals for 2024 keeping the people and causes that matter most to you. Obsessive focus on “self-improvement” can backfire.
"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." Maya Angelou. Read more about how she worked.
To conclude, remember that endings matter. Try and conclude the year with as much positivity as possible.
Happy 2024.
Your Network Capital Team