Your first big win teaches that you only need to be right once, that success is built from mindset, resources and sustained action, and that wins are made in overtime. Everyone talks about what failure teaches. The argument here is that if failures are all you have, those lessons are incomplete, because some things only make sense once you have won.
This article covers the 15 lessons in the video’s order, grouped in five parts, plus a bonus about money.
Watch the full video here, or skip to the breakdown below.
The 15 lessons at a glance
- 1-3. Be right once, results over origin story, and the easier way (0:18)
- 4-6. Your why, everyone improvising and what you can count on (2:29)
- 7-9. Business math, sustainability and windows of opportunity (4:37)
- 10-12. Ask, watch costs and act (6:48)
- 13-15. Nobody works as hard, emotion and overtime (8:12)
1-3. Be right once, results over origin story, and the easier way
Lesson one: you only need to be right once. A big win can set you up for life, or at least give you the momentum and resources to get bigger. It does not matter how many times you get it wrong if you get it right once, as long as you are not wrong so often that you can no longer afford to play. You only grasp this by experiencing it. Winners also know they can win because they have seen it happen, and that gives them the discipline to do it again.
Lesson two: it does not matter how you get there, as long as you get there. Nobody cares about the origin story, the sweat or the sacrifice. The only thing that counts is whether you got what you wanted, and if the end product is good, you did good. Nobody can gatekeep success by telling you to do this or that.
Lesson three: it is hard because you do not know how to make it easier. Think about renovating an apartment for the first time. You underestimate the budget, the time frame and the final look, it costs double, contractors cause problems you did not think possible, and you are not fully satisfied. Do it a second time and you will likely finish on budget and on time, because you have seen what works. There is always a faster and better way, even when you cannot see it yet.
Just because you cannot see an easier way does not mean it is not there.
4-6. Your why, everyone improvising and what you can count on
Lesson four: it is only worth it if you make it worth it. Without a real reason, you face an uphill battle, because most days are tiring and long. All the motivation books in the world mean nothing until you find your own personal why. Success is not a part-time hobby but a full-time commitment, and without a good reason to commit, it has no good reason to reveal itself.
Lesson five: everyone is full of crap. You notice this once you spend time with other successful people. Nobody is perfect, everyone makes mistakes and there is a collective sense of all of us trying to work this out. There is no formula and no foolproof guidebook, only trial and error based on educated guesses. Some people have been through more trial and error, so their guesses are more educated.
Lesson six: mindset and immediate resources are the only things you can count on. A wrong mindset blocks you from thinking big or complex enough, and if you do not believe it is possible you will not see the route even when it exists. It echoes the saying that those who say they can and those who say they cannot are both right. Immediate resources are your time, energy, skillset and money if you have any, and later on perhaps people working for you. Ideas, business plans and estimates mean little if those resources are not effective.
Plans are only as good as the resources you can actually deploy today.
7-9. Business math, sustainability and windows of opportunity
Lesson seven: everything is basic business economics. Business people like to make it sound fancy, yet it is kindergarten math. Sell something for more than it costs to build and you make a profit. Spend 1 and earn 1.1 and you are profitable. The video says this is life advice too: if you get more than you put in, it is a net win, and that is where the money is.
Lesson eight: if you cannot do it sustainably, you cannot do it at all. After a win, the line about life being a marathon, not a sprint, picks up nuance. It is less about how hard you work than for how long. Wins take years to materialise, and if you cannot see yourself doing the thing for at least 1 to 3 years, which is the first stage, your chances of a win are close to zero.
Lesson nine: success lives in windows of opportunity. What worked in the past will not work now, and what works now will not work later. The video’s example is that Facebook cannot be started today. The social media window is gone, there is no room for another platform and the cost has gone up 100-fold. The world looks different every 3 to 5 years, as AI shows, and windows are getting shorter because things become irrelevant faster. Sometimes you do not realise you are in the perfect window. That is what luck is.
Duration beats intensity when the win takes years.
10-12. Ask, watch costs and act
Lesson ten: ask, or you do not get it. It sounds simple and is powerful. There is no promotion without asking for one, no client without marketing, no customer if you do not make an offer. First get very clear on what you have to give, then double down on the ask.
Lesson eleven: costs can pile up fast. You can only work alone for so long before you need other people, tools and resources. The risk is crumbling under your own weight, because the bigger the operation, the easier it is to lose track. Costs get out of hand and things become hard to manage. The advice is to stay focused on the thing that got you here, your main strength.
Lesson twelve: success is triggered by action. It does not happen by accident or at random, and things happen because someone made them happen. That is why the opposite of success is not failure but inaction. If you find yourself thinking more and doing less, you are stagnating.
The opposite of success is inaction, not failure.
13-15. Nobody works as hard, emotion and overtime
Lesson thirteen: nobody will work as hard at this as you do. It matters most to you, no matter how well you sell the vision to others, so expect to be the hardest worker. If you do not bring your A game every day, you cannot expect others to. Be the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Lesson fourteen: you need to pour some emotion into it. If what you are doing stirs nothing in you, you will probably not stay until the end, because people are driven by emotions and desires. If nothing about it inspires or motivates you, and it gives you nothing you actually want, you may be playing the wrong game. This loops back to making it worth it with a good reason, plus things that inspire you and give you the energy to keep pushing.
Lesson fifteen: wins are made in overtime. Progress comes when you do not feel like doing it. Everyone can do something that improves their life for a day or two, and everyone has had the moment of deciding to take charge from today. Almost everyone then quits, postpones or tones it down, because wins take time. You might work five years at something to win in the sixth, and few people are comfortable with that.
The lesson in overtime is that the work you do when you do not feel like it is where the win comes from.
Bonus: money matters before you have it
The bonus lesson is that money does not matter only after you have it. Early on, securing positive cash flow is the biggest win you can get. The world runs on checks, not promises and kind wishes.
Satisfaction, work-life balance and fulfilment are things you cannot yet afford, and the sooner you accept this the better. The video says it is not here to sugarcoat things.
FAQ
What do you learn after your first big win?
The video says you learn that you only need to be right once, that nobody cares about your origin story, that costs pile up fast and that nobody will work as hard as you. It also says success is triggered by action and wins are made in overtime.
Why do you only need to be right once?
A big win can set you up for life or give you the momentum and resources to get bigger. The caveat is not to be wrong so many times that you can no longer afford to play.
How long does it take to get a win?
Wins take years to materialise. The video says that if you cannot see yourself doing something for at least 1 to 3 years, which is the first stage, your chances of a win are close to zero.
What does the video mean by windows of opportunity?
What worked in the past will not work now, and what works now will not work later. The video argues that windows are getting shorter because things become irrelevant faster, and that sometimes luck is simply being in a window without knowing it.
What does it mean that wins are made in overtime?
It means progress is made when you do not feel like doing the work. Almost everyone eventually quits or tones it down, because wins can take five years of work to arrive in the sixth.
Keep reading
- 15 Success Lessons to Learn from Hollywood
- Richard Branson’s Most Valuable Lessons about Success
- 15 Ways to Bet on Yourself (& WIN BIG)
