Jacques

Christian | Private Equity | Don't be a victim of your circumstances, but rather a product of your choices

[David Senra @davidsenra]

For 2 years in his 20s, Rafael Vivas woke up at 4 AM and worked until midnight:

“I dated a girl at the time, and I told her, ‘I'm going complete Black Mamba.’”

“I was kind of a psychopath. I listened to these motivational videos all day while working.”

“I understood the future of the company was on my back, because at this point, all guns are pointed at us. We've burned the ships. We are there to win. There is no other option. So I would wake up at like 4 AM, and stay up until midnight.”

“Nothing else mattered to me besides work. It was the most important thing.”

[David Senra @FoundersPodcast]

“Money matters to me but I'm not taking a hundred spins around the f*cking sun just to pile up more chips than the other guy. Money isn't the thing that makes me get up at 4 a.m.

“Work has always been central to my identity, my physical and mental health.
I'm also hazily aware that my anxiety isn't about work. It's about meaning. What do I want my life to mean? I want my life to mean something.”

— From the new episode on Ari Emanuel’s autobiography

[James Clear @JamesClear]

An idea from Atomic Habits:

When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running.

[Colossus @colossusmag]

Mark, by @colossusjeremy.

This is a story about the head of history's largest nonterritorial empire, who nonetheless remains a prisoner of his rivals. Has he finally found a way out?

The profile has been nearly a year in the making. Stern interviewed three dozen people, including Zuckerberg, his MMA coach, and his critics and competitors at the frontier AI labs. He spoke with his parents, Karen and Ed, and watched their son get punched in the face.

The story spans Meta HQ in Menlo Park, the Zuckerbergs' homes in Palo Alto and Lake Tahoe, and a party in a Manhattan warehouse with Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet. There is also a sneak peek of Aaron Sorkin's forthcoming sequel about Zuckerberg, sourced via a Hollywood fixer Stern first encountered in Russia.

The result is a profile unlike one you've read before.

https://t.co/uO3zL1HKDl

[Andrew Ross @maddog_sa]

The interweb has today reached peak levels of usefulness.

https://t.co/cRxgZmbdaq

[no.mind @the_no_mind]

Shopify billionaire co-founder & CEO Tobi Lütke — one of the most analytically rigorous founders alive — uses affirmations.

His exact words:

"If you tell yourself or write down something about yourself 100 times, it writes into the neurofrontal cortex at such a deep level that your brain will start reconciling you to that. It just works."

His personal example:

He was terrified of public speaking.

For one week he sat down every day for 10 minutes and wrote: "I love public speaking."

A week later the fear was gone.

"It's not like a placebo. You just actively change your neurofrontal cortex in this moment."

Your brain starts shaping your behavior around the identity you rehearse most.

[Al Jazeera English @AJEnglish]

South Africa’s largest city is facing a growing water crisis. Broken pipes, ageing supply networks and poorly managed municipal services lead to regular outages in Johannesburg.

Al Jazeera’s Clement Manyathela reports.

[Tim Denning @Tim_Denning]

This video will force you to become self-sufficient, so you stop attending adult daycare centers.

[New Mentalities @NewMentalities]

BECOME OBSESSED W/ SPEED

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

My entire life changed when I realized that nobody was thinking about me.

It completely rewired my brain.

I wonder how many extraordinary people waste their lives fearing the judgement of people who were never even thinking about them in the first place. Fearing a spotlight that was never even on. Performing for an audience that was never even there.

Because the truth is that you aren't afraid of failure. At least not really. You're afraid of other people seeing you fail. You're afraid of what they'll think of you.

But nobody is thinking about you. Everybody's too busy thinking about themselves.

So, that thing you've always wanted to do? Just go do it.

[Jacques @JacquesRussouw]

@KP24 Pink Day ODI at Wanderers

[Patrick OShaughnessy @patrick_oshag]

Dara on the chip he's been carrying since his family lost everything:

"My father built an incredible family business. We came here. We lost everything, and I saw it destroy my father.

As I grew up, I observed my father, who when I was a kid was a giant of a man, become less giant. He just lost that spark.

It drove myself and my brothers and my family to rebuild. Many immigrants have a chip on our shoulder, and I had a particularly big one.

But, it's never satisfied. I just believe in being all in in anything that you do.

When I'm with my kids and my family, I'm not checking messages. I'm not getting distracted.

If you're going to do something — whether that's work, sports, personal life — just go all in. Get rid of the distractions."

[Dr. Julie Gurner @drgurner]

"Until death, all defeat is psychological." - Marcus Aurelius

Refuse everything that would lead most people to give up.

Refuse it.
Rise from the dead 1000 times.
Commit to never stay down & never give up.
Everything you want is on the other side of struggle.

[Jacques @JacquesRussouw]

@JohannBiermann1 Business Breakdowns
Business of sport
Buyers and Builders
Capital Allocators
The Intentional Owner
Masters in small business M&A
The Rugby Pod

[Jacques @JacquesRussouw]

@jack_9947 Marketing

[Jacques @JacquesRussouw]

@alifcoder Ebook

[Geordin Hill-Lewis @geordinhl]

This is a matter for the urgent attention of the GNU. South Africa has been through enough. But losing Chuckles? No.

@CyrilRamaphosa must act.

[David Senra @FoundersPodcast]

Marc Andreessen on going for it:

“I am continually amazed at the number of people who are presented with an opportunity and pass.

There's your basic dividing line between the people who shoot up in their careers like a rocket ship, and those who don't - right there.

I am also continually amazed at the number of people who coast through life and don't go and seek out opportunities even when they know in their gut what they'd really like to do.

Don't be one of those people. Life is way too short.”

[David Senra @FoundersPodcast]

Marc Andreessen on why it’s critically important to expose yourself to risk:

“Put yourself in situations where you will succeed or fail by your own decisions and actions, and where that success or failure will be highly visible.

Why?

If you're going to be a high achiever, you're going to be in lots of situations where you're going to be quickly making decisions in the presence of incomplete or incorrect information, under intense time pressure, and often under intense political pressure.

You're going to screw up - frequently - and the screwups will have serious consequences, and you'll feel incredibly stupid every time.

It can't faze you.

You have to be able to just get right back up and keep on going.

That may be the most valuable skill you can ever learn. Make sure you start learning it early.”