Some lessons I learned the hard way

The last 6 months have been a challenging and tough period in my life, prompting considerable reading and self-reflection. Now as things are finally getting back on track, I’d like to share some valuable lessons that helped me. If you find yourself sitting in front of the computer, bored enough to open this article, you might find these lessons helpful to you as well.

Embrace Longtermism

The concept of longtermism embodies various layers of interpretation. It might seem outdated or cliche in a fast-paced world where technological advancements progress rapidly. However, I maintain that focusing on long-term gains, while disregarding short-term fluctuations, is not only worthwhile but increasingly essential.

Good capital theory

Good capital is ruthless for profit, and patient for scaling.

I first encoutered this great quote in one of my favorite author Clayton Christensen’s book ¹. The dichotomy of short term and long term effort, and the dynamic relathionship is greatly summarized in this sentence. Specifically, the longtermism I’m referring to is exactly the one mentioned in this quote.

A mindset of “fail fast” should always be embraced, which helps you navigates the uncertainties in today’s technological shift, this is the “ruthless for profit” part. However, I think the true difficulty lies in the patiently scaling side, where one can get distracted easily.

I often find myself thinking “Auh.. I wish I had spent the last year solidify this skill”, whether it be exercising, learning a new language, mathmatic skills or writing. Like many others, I often find myself too eager to reap the benefits before properly sowing the seeds. In reality, life is a marathon. Once you know you are heading towards the right direction, it’s crucial to grow the necessary skills before scale it up.

Grit, your effort counts twice

$$ \text{achivements} = \text{gift} * \text{effort}^2 $$

This is another great summary I read from the famous book “Grit”, and also something I deeply felt in my past experience. While I think I’m a quick learner that tend to grasp 80% of things in a short amount of time, I some times failed to spend enough efforts to achieve mastery. The key idea encoded in this equation is that, while you can achieve a skill with high gift and low effort. True achievements can only be achieved when you also spend enough time practicing those skills and become an expert.

I also find this quote optimistic. When you work hard, and much harder than others, the quadratic multiplier will eventually catch up and let you surpass anyone who is either gifted or privileged.

Patience

For those who aim high, It seems many are eager to achieve success quickly. I even have friends who made hundreds of millions of dollars in their mid 20s.

But those are indeed exceptionally rare cases. Remember your life is a marathon, and you should measure your life in a span of years. Try to compare to who you were yesterday, reflect, and focus on doing better today. If I could tell myself something 5 years ago, I’d say “give it more time”.

I’ve also come to observe that the astonishing achievements don’t just appear out of thin air. They are usually the result of years of practice, failure and growth, all accumulating to a significant turning point. Therefore, one should not expect overnight success without years of dedication.

Money is only a means to an end

In my first few years, I was really desparate to achieve financial security. The finantial burden on my family is quite real.

However, just a few years after graduation (thanks to Google), I managed to achieve that financial independence. Gradually, I realized that money isn’t on top of my list.

I won’t deny that it feels great to get a pay raise, or a huge bonus. But even when I do get money, spending it on others - like host a party with my best friends, buying gifts for my parent - brings me more joy than spending them on myself.

My true joy really comes from working on very important things and solving hard challenges whose solutions are beneficial to the society, and with people I deeply love and respect. When I’m doing so, the fulfillment from the process is as much as the reward from the outcome. In that sense, I’m very happy right now to tackle some of the hardest problems with my friends in the new Labs team.

One last thing… your action defines your value

As the final part, I think it worth talk about the word value.

Over the past 6 months, I worked in a team where a winning strategy was clear but unsettling: high achievers in this team require aligning with your boss’s desire, double down on it and ruthlessly micromanage anyone assigned to the task (Note, you don’t have to be technically strong scientifically correct, it’s all about people games). In this environment, other values like accountability, transparency, creativity, or even basic respect were disregarded.

Some of the middle level managers tried to justify their actions by saying “oh I’m in a tough spot”. However, I truly believe it’s your action that justify your value, not what you talk about.

Jean-Paul Sartre once said, “In fashioning myself I fashion man²” suggesting that every choice we make sets a moral standard for others. That applies here, it’s true that those middle managers can justify their actions (or inaction) with the pretext that it’s just temporary. Yet fundamentally, they chose a path where climbing Google’s corporate ladder takes precedence over building an impactful product, or being a good person. Essentially, they chose their values through actions.

My takeaway? You should act what you value, and put your moral compass before subordinate goals such as money or power.

I truly believe that everyone bears the responsibility to shape the world with their values, and it is your action in daily life does that. It is crucial to act in accordance with your beliefs to lead a coherent life. Admittedly, doing so will be extremely challenging at times. But in doing so, I believe, is an essential expression of freedom and independent spirit.