My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

Develop competencies and self-worth sources beyond your primary professional or financial identity

Successful people who derive most identity and self-worth from one domain (career, wealth, etc.)

Multi-year practice requiring sustained commitment

What Success Looks Like

Resilience against setbacks in any single domain, reduced psychological dependence on external validation, multiple sources of progress and fulfillment

Steps to Execute

Identify areas where you currently derive self-worth and identity

Choose completely unrelated domains to develop competency

Commit significant time to learning in these new areas

Accept beginner status and potential failure in new domains

Measure progress in new areas independent of your main identity

Gradually shift some self-worth to these new competencies

Checklist

New activities are genuinely different from your main competency area

You're willing to be bad at something initially

You're tracking progress and celebrating wins in new domains

You're not abandoning your main area, just adding others

You can feel good about yourself based on new area progress

You're less affected by setbacks in any single domain

Inputs Needed

Time and energy to dedicate to learning new skills
Psychological willingness to be a beginner
Financial resources for training, equipment, or instruction
Mental framework that values process over immediate results

Outputs

Psychological resilience against single-domain setbacks
Multiple sources of progress and achievement
Reduced dependence on external validation
More interesting and well-rounded personality
Protection against 'fixed gear psychology'

Example

“A successful venture capitalist who derives identity from deal-making begins seriously learning piano, archery, and game design, eventually finding fulfillment and self-worth from creative progress rather than just financial returns”