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Hi Zenith Catcher, One of the most powerful shifts I’ve made in the last years is simple: assume you’re the dumbest person in the room. If you listen to Rogan’s podcast, he regularly asks the “stupid” questions. He doesn’t pretend to be the smartest guy in the room. And because of that, he learns from everyone he talks to, thousands of experts across every field. I had to learn this the hard way. During my master’s at university, I thought often contributing was the path to respect. Raise your hand, show you’ve done the reading, speak up more than everyone else. But in reality, it just made me look like I was trying too hard and it stopped me from actually learning. Here’s the truth: the “dumb” question you’re afraid to ask? Seventy percent of the room probably has the same question in their head. You’re just the one brave enough to say it out loud. And that’s how real learning happens. So the next time you walk into a room, try this mindset: don’t posture, don’t prove. Listen more, talk less. If you want to look smart — don’t. Focus on becoming smart by listening. Much love, Nicola PS: Share this article with your friends here. Catch The Zenith PodcastI do a podcast where I pretend to have a Swiss accent (wink). 200+ episodes online about high performance and business. You can subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. This week’s episode: Episode 218: Most people choose what feels good now without realizing the hidden cost it creates. From fast food to debt to business shortcuts, short-term thinking slowly destroys progress. In this episode, I explain why chasing instant gratification leads to failure, how to think in second-order consequences, and why choosing the harder path today sets you up for long-term success. Listen here.
Next week’s episode: Episode 219: 219: At 18, I thought success came from being the smartest guy in the room, saying what people wanted to hear, and chasing every new opportunity. I was wrong. In this episode, I share 14 life lessons that would have saved me years of mistakes — from authenticity and disagreement to sacrifice, focus, and cycles of success. Goes live tomorrow.
Things I’ve Learned This Week:1. Pressure is a privilege. It means things are expected of you. 2. It’s Okay to Have Different Opinions Back in the day, I tried to avoid upsetting people. I’d say what they wanted to hear, just to please them. But here’s what I’ve learned: it’s okay to disagree. Two people can have completely different opinions, and that’s fine. The goal of a discussion isn’t to “win.” The goal is to approximate the truth, to learn something. One person I respect here is Roger Köppel, editor-in-chief of Weltwoche in Switzerland. He publishes opposing views in the same issue — sometimes even printing an article and then, a few pages later, a rebuttal. That’s what real diversity looks like: not everyone thinking the same, but people openly challenging each other. Seek first to understand. But don’t be afraid to disagree. That’s how real progress happens. 3. Learned in Chris Williamson’s newsletter: Not having children to save the environment won’t work. But feel free not to anyway. “A new paper argues that reducing the size of the human population would have close to zero effect on climate change. A baby born today will have a smaller carbon footprint than one born a decade or two ago, and their kids’ carbon footprints will be even smaller. As a result of population momentum, population numbers won’t decline for several generations – and by the time they do, people’s carbon footprints may be negligible anyway. The authors estimate that population reduction would lower global temperatures by only 0.05°C compared to population stabilisation.” — Steve Stewart-Williams Quote of the Week:“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” — Carl Gustav Jung
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