The Anatomy of Determination
paulgraham.com
The Anatomy of Determination
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Re: The Anatomy of Determination
#2> I can't think of any field in which determination is overrated
Getting into land wars with Russia with winter approaching.
Re: The Anatomy of Determination
#3Very true in my experience:
"When you take people like this and put them together with other ambitious people, they bloom like dying plants given water. Probably most ambitious people are starved for the sort of encouragement they'd get from ambitious peers, whatever their age."
Re: The Anatomy of Determination
#4Is there any hope for someone who is extremely willful but not all that disciplined? :/
Re: The Anatomy of Determination
#5Good points well made.
An interesting second-derivation of this is with co-founders. Two (or more) people who share a goal can spur each other on via internal competitiveness & a symbiotic pattern of compensating for dips in the other's discipline or willpower. For example I'm sure neither Lennon or McCartney would have achieved half of their combined output.
Re: The Anatomy of Determination
#6> I can't think of any field in which determination is overrated Getting into land wars with Russia with winter approaching.
That's willfull. Having the discipline to wait until spring (no matter what the cost) would have been determined.
Re: The Anatomy of Determination
#71.
Easy way to become better at controlling will power is controlling your diet. Yep - glucose increases will power. http://psr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/short/11/4/303
2.
"Environment trumps discipline"
I'd read an article that said that for most people - their income will be very close to the average income of their 5 closest friends. Create the environment - and discipline will come on its own.
3.
Ambition either comes from having kickass heroes or from facing strong problems. England started becoming a super power only when King Henry read the book of King Arthur and his Knights of the round table. (King Arthur's story was a false story written by Thomas Malory - while in prison. A convict changed the fortunes of England which was until then a land of misfits and barbarians - by giving them a hero!)
When there is a lack of heroes, you need strong problems to build that burning ambition. Eg: how Chandragupta and Chanakya went on to unite India 2300 years ago - because Alexander threatened their existence. Up until Alexander showed up in India - no one even dreamt of uniting India...
4.
I think what is missing is luck - which can also be hacked somewhat. Book: The Luck Factor: The 4 Essential Principles: http://www.amazon.com/Luck-Factor-Four-Essential-Principles/...
Re: The Anatomy of Determination
#8This has got to be, in my opinion, my 2nd favorite PG essay, right after the 'How Not to Die' essay.
So here in sum is how determination seems to work: it consists of willfulness balanced with discipline, aimed by ambition.
The essay is probably meant to help investors pick good investments. But I say that founders can use it to help pick good co-founders, as well as improve themselves. I would love to read more on things/characteristics about a person that might give evidence of a person's willfulness, discipline and ambition, or lack thereof.
Re: The Anatomy of Determination
#9> I can't think of any field in which determination is overrated Getting into land wars with Russia with winter approaching.
That's willfull. Having the discipline to wait until spring (no matter what the cost) would have been determined.
If you're "ambitious", you may be going where no one has gone before. These days, everyone knows that getting into a land war with Russia is a bad idea, but it may not have always been so. Same thing with lots of other people whose ambition caused them to push the limits (mountain climbers?). If you're at the limits, you may not know when 'determination' means pushing on despite everything to achieve some great success, and when that same pushing on will cause you to die, when turning back may have let you live to fight another day.
Not sure where I'm going with this, I guess I just like to play devil's advocate a bit:-)
It's a good essay, but perhaps what I don't care for in general terms is the vagueness that surrounds the whole issue. Some people are smart because they push on in the face of great opposition. Others win plaudits for "knowing when to quit" and changing direction. It's all a bit wishy washy, although I think that PG's elements for success are, in a generic way, about right. Just that that vagueness sort of precludes one from applying them to specific situations until after the fact.
Re: The Anatomy of Determination
#10Is there any hope for someone who is extremely willful but not all that disciplined? :/
Have the discipline to read the whole essay; it explicitly addresses that.