I’ve just forced myself back into reading last night by reading the first chapter of Never Eat Alone. I haven’t been reading as regularly as I used to. Opting for the quick dopamine doses from YouTube videos and endless “quick” matches on Clash Royale. Hopefully this habit sticks. I discovered this book from a TED talk titled the 3 bones of Success (or something along those lines) where the speaker mentioned how a friend recommended him this book and changed his life. Taking it a step further, the TED talk itself was recommended as an example of a good presentation in the online course on becoming a data analyst I’m taking.

Enough rambling, on to the quick recap of the first chapter.

Recap

The book starts off with the author detailing his background as a young kid from a remote country household of his physical labor parents. His parents worked hard to be able to send him to private schools and finally to the prestigious Harvard Business School. There he is surrounded by people who came from money, the likes he never experienced before. But that whole thing wasn’t the important point. He was working part time as a caddie. As you can imagine, golf is the type of sport and pass time where wealthy people mingle. There he observed how rich people support one another. He said that most successful people are not particularly skill or talented. But they all had a network of skilled and talented people that they can tap into to get the help and support they needed to succeed.

Takeaways

• Successful people are successful with the help of their networks
• Connect with others with the mindset of “How can I help that person succeed?”
• People who’ve received help are likely to be willing to help you back
• Don’t keep tally. Unconditionally offer your expertise.