Newsletter 88: you become the books you read
My twenties were years of exploration and adventures. I lived in 9 countries. Started several companies. Trekked the Himalayas. Spent nearly a year on a tropical island. Studied martial arts. Obtained several degrees overseas and made friends around the globe. All that while steadily building a career in tech.
No one in my close circle of family and friends has ever been through remotely similar experiences. In fact, my family is everything but adventurous. They are very comfortable living predictable and comfortable lives. As an orthodox Christian, I have been raised to think that the most important things in life are to a) become kind and b) build a good family. We never talked about money, traveling, adventures, taking risks, leaving one’s comfort zone, or building a career. My parents would have been incredibly proud if I simply had a decent job. Yet, I refused to take the easy path and ventured into the unknown.
The more I reflect on my journey, the more I ask myself — what made me take all those risks?
Moving to Denmark for studies with ~$300 in my bank account? Taking on an internship in Taiwan when I did not have enough cash for the return flight? Starting a company when I did not know shit about building products and managing people. All that seems crazy today, it did not feel so scary back then. People rightfully say ignorance is bliss.
Only now am I realizing how crazy all those choices must have been at that time. So I started reflecting on what caused all that? The more I think, the more I am convinced the answer is:
“We become the books we read.”
Matthew Kelly
My reading journey
My reading journey started with the fantasy genre until I fell in love with all kinds of literature. Books like Harry Potter, The name of the wind, A song of ice and fire, and Mistborn were quite impactful initially.
Later, I ventured into non-fiction. Memoirs and biographies proved to be a great way to transition. After all, who does not like to read about great people who have achieved incredible things against all odds?
Leaving aside the joy of reading memoirs, studying other people’s journeys imprints a few important lessons in your mind:
Nothing is easy.
There is no one path to success.
No one is perfect; we all have flaws.
You need to find meaning in what you do to achieve great things.
The more I read, the more daring my goals became. Suddenly the thoughts at the back of my mind started feeling more feasible. So I kept on reading which led to taking on more risks.
Studying other people’s paths helped me understand myself better. After every book, I asked myself, “what’s it like to be like the protagonist?”, “how to become like them?” and “do I even want to become like them?”
I acknowledge that studying biographies and memoirs may not paint the most objective reality.
“Memoirs are radically subjective versions of objective events.”
Steve Almond
At the same time, reading such literature is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in one’s life. Then you start understanding how incredible people approach day-to-day struggles, the pressure greatness requires you to go through, and how to navigate all that to success.
“The beauty of the internet is the entire library of Alexandria times 10 is at your fingertips at all times. It’s not the means of education or the means of learning are scarce, the means of learning are abundant. It’s the desire to learn that’s scarce. So, you really have to cultivate the desire.”
Naval
Pivoting careers
Over time, those books helped me to cultivate a strong ambition. Yet, given that I do not come from a family of entrepreneurs, my first instinct was to take a more conventional path. So my career started in the only sector that seemed accessible at the time — hospitality.
Seven years into working at large hotels around the world, I realized how that’s not what I want to do. But pivoting to a new industry seemed scary. The idea of starting from the bottom made me feel uncomfortable at the best of times. In fact, I can see my brother going through the very same challenge today. He is debating the merits of moving from one sector to another, and it visibly wears him down.
Most probably, this is where many young people make mistakes. Instead of embracing short-term pain for long-term gain, they default to what’s comfortable.
People simply do not want to look dumb, even for a short period. Although, looking dumb early on is exactly what one needs to do. At the beginning of your twenties, there is no way to know it all, so ask questions and embrace learning.
Asymmetric upside
Pivoting my career to tech was the very definition of short-term pain for long-term happiness. As I was going through the process, I stumbled on the concept of asymmetric upside. Founders and Venture Capital investors often talk about the importance of making asymmetric bets. Meaning, take on opportunities that have significant upside if things work out, and great learnings in the case of a failure.
Let’s take the example of getting a secure job versus starting a new business. At first, glance, securing a stable job in a prominent firm seems like the best place to build your career. Great perks and work-life balance is often encouraged. At the same time, your opportunities to grow and build wealth are capped. The risk of failure is limited, but so is your upside.
Now let’s take a look at building a startup. Your salary would be lower, holidays inexistent, and the pressure/stress will be at dangerous levels most of the time. Yet, the risk of failure is not as bad as most people assume. In today’s modern society, the most common downsides of a startup failure (I can think of) are damaged reputation and time. On the other hand, you need to get it right only once. One startup's success can be a transformational experience not only for the investors and founders behind the business but also for all employees.
“Asymmetric opportunities usually have meaningful upside in a success case, and meaningful learning or development in a downside case. If the downside case is still one of the best case scenarios you can imagine, then that’s an easy asymmetric bet to take.”
Erik Torenberg
As I started embracing the concept of asymmetric upside my reading diet shifted almost entirely to startup-related literature. The byproduct of consuming tech books was an accelerated learning pace which led to taking on more risky decisions.
At the same time, reading did not prevent me from falling in my startup journey. But, it did bring the necessary determination and confidence to keep on pushing. So I dived into topics like execution, growth, leadership, culture, product, venture capital, and many more.
Books do not solve all of your problems but reading relevant literature does help. In a startup, whenever you learn something new, you can implement it. The more you rinse and repeat the more you accelerate your learning velocity. No need for bureaucratic permissions, long meetings, or politics. All that matters is getting shit done.
Reading relevant literature definitely played a crucial role in my pivot from hospitality to tech. A few benefits that come to mind are:
Understanding industry jargon — CAC, LTV, bandwidth, A/B tests, and engineering as marketing, etc., can feel quite intimidating.
Embracing empathy.
“Reading, is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin.”
Joyce Carol OatesDevelop imagination — concepts that seem unrelated at first glance start connecting, leading to creative solutions to complex problems.
Borrow best practices — you do not need to reinvent the wheel at all times. Often the solutions to many of your day-to-day challenges are well documented in great books.
To say the least, my twenties were quite eventful. I took on significant risks sacrificing short-term comfort for long-term growth. My three best asymmetric bets were:
Studying abroad despite financial constraints
Pivoting my career to tech
Relocating to Southeast Asia
While I did not have anyone to guide me, I was fortunate enough to develop a strong reading habit, which repeatedly paid dividends.
In my experience, all successful people are avid readers. So I do my best to find time to read and reflect no matter how busy my calendar gets.
In case you do not know where to start but consider founding a company, I prepared this brief guide. A summary of what books, podcasts, and newsletters left a lasting impression on me. Enjoy!
