How to Achieve Rare Success

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Dear Daughters,

We live in a very special place. A glorious valley, geographically known as Santa Clara Valley and economically known as Silicon Valley, the world’s epicenter for technology.

Our valley is gifted with bright sunshine, blue skies and vistas to envy.

It is also home to some of the most high-achieving, skilled and driven people on the planet.

There are two things to keep in mind, however, about high-achieving, skilled and driven people.

The first thing is that these types of people tend to succeed more often than others do.

And by succeed, I mean they tend to achieve external measures of success easier than the rest. Many of these high-achievers are the founders, executives, and entrepreneurs that earn the millions and billions that translate into the magnificent homes, cars, buildings and luxuries that surround us here in Silicon Valley.

The second thing to keep in mind is that many of these people, although successful from the outside, aren’t necessarily successful on this inside.

Just because someone is a successful entrepreneuer, venture capitalist, or tech executive doesn’t mean they’re peaceful, happy and healthy.

Titles, prestige and wealth can be woefully deceptive, sometimes.

A surprisingly large proportion of financially successful people struggle with some of the same kinds of issues everyone else struggles with, namely, finding happiness, maintaining loving relationships, dealing with stress and feeling fulfillment.

I know from first-hand experience that many of the richest people would do anything to have better relationships with their spouses or children or to have better sleep or to struggle less with weight gain or mental health issues. They’d love to be able to relax more easily and without the aid of alcohol or substances. They’d love to be on edge less often.

Money and power can do a lot to ease stress. But it can’t buy peace of mind, health and love.

For those things, you have to use a different kind of skillset and drive. You have to be ready to do the inner work and be open to doing the egoless self-reflection that’s required to achieve these very different, and arguably, more significant life rewards.

So, what’s the takeaway? Just because someone has achieved external measures of success doesn’t mean that the thing above their neck and between their ears is operating successfully.

The outside may look pretty and successful. But the inside might be ugly and unsuccessful.

That’s not to say that there are people with a pretty outsides and pretty insides. When you grow up, you can be one of those people, and I want you to be one of them.

But they’re more rare than you might imagine.

Remind yourself of this when you feel like you might be getting caught up in or mesmerized by the glitz, glamour and magnificence of external success here in Silicon Valley or in London or in Miami or in Paris or wherever you may find yourself in the world.

External success can never guarantee internal success, not matter how grand it is.

Quote from Naval Ravikant

A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought - they must be earned.

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