Thank you for always reading — I'm glad it's been useful.
You're right — setting goals effectively leverages the brain's structure. What appears in your field of vision and what doesn't comes down to the brain's settings. And it's the actions that follow from those perspective shifts that ultimately bring results.
I genuinely love this idea, but when someone is in such a mental rut, you can’t just convince yourself you can do extraordinary things. When someone has tried and failed so many times they fall into a mental state of realism. That’s the most dangerous state to be in. They settle, stop chasing. They used to care, they used to seek thrill and be passionate. But nothing worked out. Life chewed them up and spit them out one too many times and now they’ve surrendered to its unfairness. Watching others succeed who barely tried at all. All the while watching from the sidelines knowing they did everything they could and still got nothing from their efforts. What then?
Great comment Zeke. Love the Z name and this is another Z coming at you. I 100% get what you put down here, feel it in my bones level. Tried and failed way too many times with a couple of successes here n there. Am I where I want to be? No. Do I feel like you do? Yes. What are the facts we have to realize? Really there’s 1. Time. How much time do you have left before you’re too old, too incapable, too tired? Me. I’m 58. I figure I have 15 more years to settle the score I carry. I’ve nailed health, friends, relationships yet that financial piece is always illusory or is it? I always say, “comparison is the thief of joy.” There are so many examples of people who never gave up. People who came into their wealth at 70-80 etc. KFC founder Harlan Sanders. What a story!! Pick something and per Dan’s post, set an audacious goal and get back in the game. I’m doing the same. As Byron said. “The mind is its own special place, it can make a heaven of hell or a hell if heaven.” You’ve got this Zeke. 👊🏼 Zamon
Incredibly good question. Looking forward to an answer. I think this is a good example of where I am, and a couple friends.
People who have hustled & strived (& done right by others), only for life to say 'not for you, but watch everyone around you have it/enjoy it'.
Infuriating & unfair. So if life works like this, why bother caring & striving & hoping, the efforts begin to feel pointless.
Although I know inside me, I am meant for more & better, its just hard to believe when life keeps throwing curve balls creating more financial &/or emotional stress & overall exhaustion.
Most people don't realise that passivity - or helplessness - is a default response to repeated failure you can't do anything about. You have to actively train your mind to learn that you have control. Autonomy becomes the skill to cultivate before any other lofty goal is pursued. This requires small wins on the board initially, in order to develop what amounts to a habit of agency.
You can have lofty goals, sure. But if you don't break them down into small enough pieces, you'll dig the hole you're in deeper.
This hit's hard. Thank you for sharing this great letter.
Here's another angle nobody's talking about…
For most B2B founders, the delusion isn't about the outcome. It's about the belief. Most founders write newsletters that say "here's how to do x." The delusional version says "the way your category does x is wrong, and here's the proof." That's a belief, not a goal. And beliefs are what buyers actually subscribe to. Set the impossible number if it helps. But the thing that rewires your attention is taking a position nobody asked you to take.
Sobering article, but thank you for writing such a thoughtful piece, to remove us from our business and towards making the change necessary to actually do something useful in life.
“The goal is a filter that decides what your brain sees as important and what it ignores” is the part that really stayed with me. I think there is something powerful in recognizing that we can be incredibly productive while still moving toward a life we never consciously chose. Sometimes the most difficult part is not working harder, but admitting that the goal underneath all that effort may have been inherited from family, culture, fear, or some old idea of what a respectable life was supposed to look like. I also liked your point about a big goal forcing you to question what actually deserves your attention. Maybe the useful part of being a little “delusional” is not believing effort guarantees an impossible outcome, but allowing yourself to want something large enough that your current assumptions stop being the boundaries of the conversation. That shift from “What can I realistically do from here?” to “What would have to change for this to become possible?” can reveal an entirely different path.
Spot on. I ran into this post right as I transitioned into making video games after years as a developer, simply because I felt this lingering itch and had no idea what it was. I really wish I'd read this earlier.
Loved this perspective and you also gave importance to making good strategy. But I couldn't help but notice that this article faces a big question : survivorship bias. What about the ones who failed ? I am sure their numbers would be bigger compare to winners. So, luck plays as much role in it. And often it is survivors luck too.
In one of Dan’s recent videos, he listed failure, after failure, after failure. But one things he said, failure isn’t an option…so he kept going until several things stuck. His determination was stronger than his fear. He feared drowning into debt. This same level of fear has helped me stay above water. But above water is not my destination, walking on water is…and it’s going to happen.
'The most common error of a smart engineer is to optimize a thing that should not exist.
– Elon Musk'
Quoting 'genius' Elon Musk....after the Cyber Truck....really?
The contradiction is....amusing.
Thank you, that’s a well articulated and insightsfull post.
In my humble opinion, I think obsession ought to be included among the "5 intrinsic drivers."
Thank you for always reading — I'm glad it's been useful.
You're right — setting goals effectively leverages the brain's structure. What appears in your field of vision and what doesn't comes down to the brain's settings. And it's the actions that follow from those perspective shifts that ultimately bring results.
I genuinely love this idea, but when someone is in such a mental rut, you can’t just convince yourself you can do extraordinary things. When someone has tried and failed so many times they fall into a mental state of realism. That’s the most dangerous state to be in. They settle, stop chasing. They used to care, they used to seek thrill and be passionate. But nothing worked out. Life chewed them up and spit them out one too many times and now they’ve surrendered to its unfairness. Watching others succeed who barely tried at all. All the while watching from the sidelines knowing they did everything they could and still got nothing from their efforts. What then?
Great comment Zeke. Love the Z name and this is another Z coming at you. I 100% get what you put down here, feel it in my bones level. Tried and failed way too many times with a couple of successes here n there. Am I where I want to be? No. Do I feel like you do? Yes. What are the facts we have to realize? Really there’s 1. Time. How much time do you have left before you’re too old, too incapable, too tired? Me. I’m 58. I figure I have 15 more years to settle the score I carry. I’ve nailed health, friends, relationships yet that financial piece is always illusory or is it? I always say, “comparison is the thief of joy.” There are so many examples of people who never gave up. People who came into their wealth at 70-80 etc. KFC founder Harlan Sanders. What a story!! Pick something and per Dan’s post, set an audacious goal and get back in the game. I’m doing the same. As Byron said. “The mind is its own special place, it can make a heaven of hell or a hell if heaven.” You’ve got this Zeke. 👊🏼 Zamon
Incredibly good question. Looking forward to an answer. I think this is a good example of where I am, and a couple friends.
People who have hustled & strived (& done right by others), only for life to say 'not for you, but watch everyone around you have it/enjoy it'.
Infuriating & unfair. So if life works like this, why bother caring & striving & hoping, the efforts begin to feel pointless.
Although I know inside me, I am meant for more & better, its just hard to believe when life keeps throwing curve balls creating more financial &/or emotional stress & overall exhaustion.
Most people don't realise that passivity - or helplessness - is a default response to repeated failure you can't do anything about. You have to actively train your mind to learn that you have control. Autonomy becomes the skill to cultivate before any other lofty goal is pursued. This requires small wins on the board initially, in order to develop what amounts to a habit of agency.
You can have lofty goals, sure. But if you don't break them down into small enough pieces, you'll dig the hole you're in deeper.
This hit's hard. Thank you for sharing this great letter.
Here's another angle nobody's talking about…
For most B2B founders, the delusion isn't about the outcome. It's about the belief. Most founders write newsletters that say "here's how to do x." The delusional version says "the way your category does x is wrong, and here's the proof." That's a belief, not a goal. And beliefs are what buyers actually subscribe to. Set the impossible number if it helps. But the thing that rewires your attention is taking a position nobody asked you to take.
Charles F. Haanel - the Master Key System.
Sobering article, but thank you for writing such a thoughtful piece, to remove us from our business and towards making the change necessary to actually do something useful in life.
Awesome letter, Dan. So helpful 🫶
previse vjerujete tudim umovima pustite to.Ko je uspio slusajuci nekog pisca,filozofa,naucnika,bez lazi i prevara.
“The goal is a filter that decides what your brain sees as important and what it ignores” is the part that really stayed with me. I think there is something powerful in recognizing that we can be incredibly productive while still moving toward a life we never consciously chose. Sometimes the most difficult part is not working harder, but admitting that the goal underneath all that effort may have been inherited from family, culture, fear, or some old idea of what a respectable life was supposed to look like. I also liked your point about a big goal forcing you to question what actually deserves your attention. Maybe the useful part of being a little “delusional” is not believing effort guarantees an impossible outcome, but allowing yourself to want something large enough that your current assumptions stop being the boundaries of the conversation. That shift from “What can I realistically do from here?” to “What would have to change for this to become possible?” can reveal an entirely different path.
Dan said we should be impractical, well the most impossible thing rn is booking a flight to come see you in person😂.
Spot on. I ran into this post right as I transitioned into making video games after years as a developer, simply because I felt this lingering itch and had no idea what it was. I really wish I'd read this earlier.
Loved this perspective and you also gave importance to making good strategy. But I couldn't help but notice that this article faces a big question : survivorship bias. What about the ones who failed ? I am sure their numbers would be bigger compare to winners. So, luck plays as much role in it. And often it is survivors luck too.
In one of Dan’s recent videos, he listed failure, after failure, after failure. But one things he said, failure isn’t an option…so he kept going until several things stuck. His determination was stronger than his fear. He feared drowning into debt. This same level of fear has helped me stay above water. But above water is not my destination, walking on water is…and it’s going to happen.
Couldn't agree more. Being status quo is the first step towards failure; you truly have to be a pioneer of sorts.
Just ask the Wright Brothers.
💯