FS | BRAIN FOOD
June 22, 2025 - #634 - read online - Free Version
Welcome to Brain Food, a weekly newsletter delivering timeless wisdom in an accelerating world.
Tiny Thoughts
*
You become what you scroll. Choose accordingly.
**
Commitment issues aren't about the options. They're about the operator.
When you know what you want, most choices eliminate themselves.
***
The greatest business failures often come not from playing the game poorly, but from continuing to excel at things that no longer matter.
Insights
*
Japanese saying on the art of thoughtful elimination:
"Your garden is not complete until there is nothing else you can take out of it."
**
Napoleon on having a detective's eye and noticing the details, even the invisible ones:
"All great events hang by a single thread. The clever man takes advantage of everything, neglects nothing that may give him some added opportunity; the less clever man, by neglecting one thing, sometimes misses everything."
***
Sherlock Holmes on consciously curating your inputs:
"I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands."
The Knowledge Project
Anna Wintour has spent four decades at the top of an industry that reinvents itself every five years. In this episode, I explore how the legendary Vogue editor-in-chief used unreasonable standards, clarity, and complete indifference to others' opinions not just to reach the top, but to adapt fast enough to stay there.
Here are 3 of the 12 lessons I learned from her journey to the top (read the rest):
+ High Agency: When passed over for fashion editor at Harper's despite doing the job's work, Anna didn't complain or negotiate. She resigned immediately, taking her assistant with her. She moved to New York without a job lined up, betting everything on her vision. The system won't fix itself for you. When merit meets politics, choose exodus over argument.
+ Don't Care What They Think: Putting Madonna on Vogue's cover in 1989 horrified fashion purists. The woman had just lost her Pepsi sponsorship over a controversial video. Religious groups wanted boycotts. Anna did it anyway because a businessman on a plane said Vogue would "never" feature Madonna. The issue sold 200,000 extra copies. When everyone agrees something would "never" work, that's precisely when it will. Consensus kills innovation.
+ Signal Without Static: When Grace Mirabella asked what position Anna wanted at Vogue, Anna's answer was one word: "Yours." The meeting ended immediately. She got the job anyway. This was Anna's gift: surgical clarity. No maybes. No committees. "People work better when feedback is fast, direct and honest," she said. "She was kind but not always nice," one colleague observed. Nice people soften rejection with false hope. Kind people say no and let you move on. Clarity isn't cruel. It's the most expensive gift you can give.
This 60-minute episode is dense with lessons and insights you can use in your life and work.
+ Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Web
SPONSOR
Optimise your sleep and wake up feeling refreshed. Blue light blocking glasses can help regulate your circadian rhythm. BON CHARGE Blue Light Blocking Glasses use science-backed, advanced blue light blocking technology that's optics lab made, lightweight and stylish to wear. If you're serious about improving sleep quality, this is a must-have tool for better sleep hygiene. Use code KNOWLEDGEPROJECT for 20% off at BONCHARGE.COM
Thanks for reading,
— Shane Parrish
P.S. Whoa.
P.P.S. The best no-show socks.
Want to share this edition with a friend? Use this link: https://fs.blog/brain-food/june-22-2025/
Talk to Our Podcast Guests Anytime
You can now have a conversation with any of our 200+ podcast guests through AI trained on every transcript and book highlight in our archive. Ask them anything. Get personalized insights for your toughest problems. Members also get ad-free episodes, early access, and searchable transcripts. Join → here.
No comments:
Post a Comment