Amateur juggling, attention worthiness, and why we are kicking out the lawyers.

Except when entering relationships with Yoruba men, of course.

Hello guys,

Hope you are doing well. I’m okay, Alhamdulillah.

I write today's (short-ish) newsletter with a clear goal. Minimize the time spent as much as possible. I like to think life is a game of juggling balls. Sometimes, you might simply be throwing and catching a single ball. While it’s easy, the lack of challenge means it doesn’t hold your attention for very long. I am yet to see a viral video of a person who broke some record for the longest time throwing and catching one ball. A quick Google search for records x viral videos around throwing would reveal things like longest throw and catch of a hotdog in a bun, or how high can you catch an egg?

If they are all about throwing and catching, then why are some videos much more time-worthy than others? I'll say humans like the challenges of risk and complexity, whether we admit it or not. Will she catch it or will the egg fall splat on her face? Can he eat a sandwich in 30 seconds while riding a bicycle? These are the things we live for.

Back to the amateur juggling game. As we add more balls, it becomes more interesting. Between two and five balls (Haha quick cost driver x Young's Law reference), every second of the juggling game is captivating. The risk, the challenge, the skill is amazing to watch. We might even spend time watching different people do the very same thing. Will they throw two balls at a time instead of one? Will a new person juggle with their eyes closed?

The thrill goes both ways. The audience is captivated enough to keep watching, and the amateur juggler is motivated enough to continue exerting the energy x skill required for the challenge. But what happens when our amateur juggler introduces even more balls?

It suddenly becomes much less interesting. Why? Because almost nobody can juggle 10 or 15 balls. Unless we happened to be at the circus or some event for professional jugglers, virtually everyone who attempts to juggle these many balls will have them all on the floor in 20 seconds. The constant defeat makes this attempt a futile exercise, and then both the juggler and onlookers lose interest.

Whether we realize it or not, we are all juggling some balls. Maybe at home, work, school, side hustle, relationship, children, Deen, personal development, etc. Take on too many tasks (in all or even some of these), and failure is virtually guaranteed.

With this in mind, lezz get to eet.

Earlier this week, I listened to a Ron Baron interview on the Masters in Business podcast. I had no clue who Ron Baron was before then, but a quick Google search revealed that was an American mutual fund manager and billionaire investor.

** Btw MIB is a great podcast so subscribe!

It was a fairly long episode, but packed with lessons so well worth it. In no particular order, I shall be sharing two takeaways I found useful. Leggo.

Be authentic

This one I really liked. Ron Baron was so natural on-screen (on air? on voice?). He wasn't calm and calculated like many business leaders are. He didn't come to the podcast prepared to be interviewed. He didn't have a list of 5 things he wanted to talk about. He had zero plans of ‘projecting confidence’, announcing ambitions, or anything along those lines. He was like an excited 14-year-old kid. He interrupted a lottt (I’m sure Barry Ritholz was confused 😂), his thoughts were super unstructured, and he was just really having a good time.

I found it personally instructive because omo iya mi, problem no dey finish.

No matter what is going on, always remember to be that excited 14-year-old kid.

Never need a contract

Conventional wisdom says we should always always have a contractual agreement when in any form of (especially business) relationship. You're hiring for or accepting a job? Sign a contract. You're supplying some goods to a company? Sign a contract. You’re getting married? Sign a contract.

** That last one is important o, especially if na Yoruba man. 😉

But Ron Baron has a different view. His approach is to only do business with people with whom you don’t need to sign an agreement. Any contract has a loophole, no matter how complex or exhaustive. And anybody with a good lawyer will find them.

Rather than permanently spending a lot of time (and money) trying to protect yourself legally, put in a bit of effort into building high-value relationships with people you trust. This will save you a lot of stress in the future.

** NB (I know the meaning this time): Building high-trust relationships and having a lawyer are not mutually exclusive. If you can afford it, always get legal support.

And dazz eett. I initially planned to share more takeaways from the episode, but my clock tells me it's time to go. As you begin a new week, I hope you remember to build high-value relationships with high-trust people and remain authentic no matter what the situation is.

Remember to be that super excited 14-year-old kid.

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If you found this newsletter useful, please share it with your friends. Have them read it and subscribe. I like to share personal stories and life lessons as I learn. They will be super random, but common themes will include business, personal development, human relationships, and Islam.

Gracias, and see you around.

Hameed

** Jara:

‘When I was thinking of investing in Tesla, nobody else agreed. But back then, I genuinely thought a 50 million dollar investment could make me a billion dollars. And I could afford to lose 50 million, but I definitely could not afford to not make a billion.’ - Ron Baron