This is something I wrote last year and I want to publish publicly as a way to help hold myself accountable to the message of this blog post

“Taking what you’ve learned, then building something that’s your own from it, then opening that up to feedback, that is the process.” – Patrick O’shaughnessy

It’s no coincidence that quote came from Patrick when during his interview with Bethany Mclean he was also probably thinking about his now much shared Q2’18 investor letter. OSAM has taken the philosophy of “Learn, Build, Share, Repeat” and we as investors will all be better for it. I want to embrace this philosophy as well. But there is a part of this philosophy that scares me, sharing. It’s difficult to share. Not only because it makes you vulnerable, but it will also make your failures public. It will force you to defend your results, process, and overall beliefs. But that is the feedback we should all be looking for. It makes us smart, helps us examine other viewpoints, and shows our weaknesses. 

Cal Newport points this out as one of the reasons people fail to develop a Deep Work lifestyle. They are fearful that their work might be very mediocre. But that is one of the purposes of this blog. To see if my work is any good; if I can add any value.  

One of the many lessons I took from the Bethany McLean podcast was how she deals with confrontation and her lack of understanding. Writing is how she figures out whether she knows something or not. That process of having to write something out in a clear and concise manner can be very humbling. If she doesn’t understand something, she will relentlessly pursue the truth until she finds it. 

Bill Watterson used the red wagon in his Calvin and Hobbes comics as a vehicle to discuss life. I hope this blog will serve as my vehicle to share what I am learning.