Capitalogix

Honoring Serena Williams

Serena Williams officially retired on Friday after a loss in the third round of the US Open to 29-year-old Ajla Tomljanovic. Serena won her first Grand Slam Title 23 years ago in the same stadium. 

Serena started playing professional tennis in 1995 as a 14-year-old.  Twenty-seven years later, she walks away from the game with 858 tour victories, an 85% win rate, 73 singles titles, an Olympic gold medal, and 319 weeks at No. 1. With her sister, Venus, they won 14 major doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals.

Recently, I shared this graph that helps put the Williams sisters' dominance into perspective. 

via Yahoo!Sports

Serena is undoubtedly one of the most dominant athletes - man or woman - in any sport. 

To be great requires an extraordinary level of grit, determination, and pain tolerance over an extended period of time.  It isn't just what you choose to do from moment to moment – it's about a persistent commitment to who you choose to be!  

During Serena's final match, an ESPN commentator said something interesting about what makes her (and many famous athletes) great.  For context, Serena was down 5-1 in the final set of the final match, with her opponent having won two sets already.  It's 'game point'.   To get here, Ajla will win a point, then Serena - it goes back and forth like that more than seven times.  Yet, Serena keeps finding a way to keep herself in the match despite everything going against her. 

While this is going on, the commentator exclaims, "How can she care so much?  How can she keep dancing on the lip of the volcano?" 

Imagine being in Serena's position.  She's 40, she's announced her retirement, the match has been going on for almost 3 hours, and her chances of coming back are almost nil ... she has nothing left to prove ... but she keeps finding more in the tank.  She keeps putting herself in a position to turn it around.  After the match, her opponent makes clear that she never once thought that Serena was out of it - that she couldn't turn it around and clinch victory. 

It was beautiful - and it was a testament to the passion and discipline it takes to be that elite for that long. 

There's a difference between good and great - but there's also a difference between great and the greatest. 

Some Cool "Futuristic" Tech You Might Not Have Seen

I joke that I have a "tense" problem. I spend a lot of my time thinking about what will be possible in the future. And once I know something is possible, in my head, it has already happened.

It isn’t a reality distortion engine … it is a reality creation engine.

For me, this is centered around the way technology is transforming the world and how it affects my business. 

Sometimes it's nice to take a step back and look at all the "quality of life" improvements. The gadgets that make you say "Wow!" … even though they may not benefit you directly. 

So, here are a few that caught my eye over the last few weeks. 

Augmented Reality Running 

In 2020, Ghost Pacer put together a pair of AR glasses that would give you a virtual running partner. The app would analyze the running route and the wearer's desired goals and set them up against a virtual runner who would push them to their limits. 

Last year, SNAP and Nike teamed up to create a new AR running experience as well. 

 

Spectacles via YouTube

This is a great way to get moving for those (like my wife) who benefit from a structure around their exercise. 

Magnetic Slime Robot for Healthcare

 

New Scientist via YouTube

Watching the video of this slime is somewhat uncanny. Its movements feel almost lifelike. That being said, the potential for this custard-like slime worm is massive. It can navigate narrow passageways, grasp objects, and more. There are already plans to use this to remove foreign objects from people.  

Functioning Hoverboards 

 

RIDE via YouTube

Multiple generations of kids have dreamed of hoverboards after watching Back To The Future. While it's not in homes yet, it is now a reality as seen in this video with Tony Hawk riding one. Unfortunately, since breaking into the scene in 2015 with a successful Kickstarter, I have not seen much from Hendo Hoverboard. 

Thankfully, they're not the only company in the space anymore. If you're willing to drop almost 15K, you can own a working hoverboard from Arcaboard. 

I remember when we used to go outside to play or exercise.

We live in interesting times!  

A Look At The Best Athletes

There is a huge difference between good and great.

Apparently, there is often a huge difference between the great and the greatest.

In sports, there are many fantastic athletes whose names we will remember.  Then there are the athletes who stand apart from the rest ... like Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt. 

I recently stumbled upon a few charts highlighting the stratification between the top 1% and the #1. 

Tom Brady

via NY Times

To put that statistic in perspective, no other quarterback has even played in 35 postseason games ...  but that is another measure of Tom Brady's greatness. 

Jerry Rice

sdbernard via Reddit

Some prominent names are missing from this list - like Julio Jones or Megatron - but, clearly, Jerry's performance stands apart from other legends of the game.  For context, Julio Jones only had 61 TDs, which is relatively low on this chart, but averages 92 yards per game ... which is so high that he'd be off the chart. 

Wayne Gretzky

via NumberHound

Wayne Gretzky is a sports legend, but this chart really puts it in perspective.  Leader by a large margin in both assists and goals.  He also has one of my favorite quotes -

“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

Here's another interesting Wayne Gretzky stat: 

Together, Wayne and Brent hold the NHL record for most combined points by two brothers - 2,857 for Wayne and 4 for Brent,^[2] and are second overall in points scored by any number of brothers (behind the six brothers of the Sutter family who combined for 2,934 NHL points - 73 more than Wayne and Brent, although the Gretzkys' combined totals are greater than any five of the six Sutters.) - Wikipedia on Brent Gretzky

Serena Williams 

via Yahoo!Sports

What about Nature versus Nurture?

Genetics and upbringing might play a part in greatness.  There are several great sibling combos like the Gretzkys, the Mannings, and the Williams sisters. 

Both Venus and Serena are dominant athletes, but Serena is in the running for one of the most dominant athletes in any sport. 

Have you seen any other crazy stats like these?  I'd love to see them. 

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - May 1st, 2022

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.

Lighter Links:

• What is Web 3.0? Here's What the Internet Will Look Like In the Future. (LaptopMag)
• Amazing Video Shows a Tiny Jumping Robot Like Nothing You've Ever Seen. (BGR)
• 103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known. (Kevin Kelly’s Technium)
• Does (Hand) Size Matter? Inside the NFL Draft's Fear of Tiny-Handed QBs. (GQ)
• This $2 Billion Personal Submarine is So Huge that It Can Dwarf a MegaYacht. the Vessel is Almost Three Times Longer Than a Football Field, It Has Lavish VIP Suites, a Helipad and Even an Open Deck Swimming Pool. (LL)

 

Trading Links:

• Bored Ape Metaverse Frenzy Raises Millions, Disrupts Ethereum. (Bloomberg)
• Can Capitalism Survive? 80 Years After Schumpeter's Answer. (AIER)
• Americans are Showing Inflation Fatigue, and Some Companies See a Breaking Point. (FoxBusiness)
• Foreclosure Filings are Up 132% From a Year Prior. Here's What that Means for the Housing Market (And It's Not What You Might Think). (MarketWatch)
• Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger Called Out Stock-Market Gamblers, Dismissed Bitcoin as Worthless, and Underlined the Risks of Inflation. Here are Their 12 Best Quotes from Berkshire Hathaway's Annual Meeting. (Markets)

The Power of Resilience and Grit

I believe in setting high standards and committing to achieving them.  A big part of success is knowing that you can do anything you commit to ... and then all you have to do is honor your commitment and continue to make progress.  As long as you don't stop ... the rest takes care of itself.

Said another way, resilience is the ability to recover from or adjust to misfortune or change, whereas grit is the passion and perseverance for long-term goals.  Sure, you will encounter errors, injuries, setbacks, competition, bad luck, and other practical realities of life.  But, together, resilience and grit make almost anything possible.

Bottom line, if you want success of any kind, you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

When I was in high school, I was a state champion shot-putter.  The first time I got that title was during my junior year.  After winning, I watched my dad run down from the stands.  I figured he was coming down to celebrate.  Instead, he looked deeply into my eyes and asked whether I was disappointed?  I replied: "But Dad, I won!" He nodded and said he knew – but reminded me that I did not throw a personal best that day.  He recognized that winning was important too ... Then he reminded me that the other throwers were not the real competition.  

Going into my senior year, I had a multi-season undefeated streak.  However, I tore a tendon in my throwing hand at the end of the indoor track season where I won State again.  Fast forward to the first meet of the outdoor season ... and I was on the sidelines with a cast on my hand.  A local reporter came up to me and asked how it felt to lose my unbeaten streak.  I was confused.  I wasn't losing ... I just wasn't competing.

But, the concept gnawed at me. 

Ultimately, I cut the cast off my hand and tried unsuccessfully to wrap it tight enough that it didn't hurt.  When that didn't work, I slammed my hand against the floor until it was numb ... I threw once and managed to win.  It got easier from there, and I ended the year undefeated.

I think part of it is in my DNA.  My father and grandfather were both athletes.  My dad played football at Temple University (on the same team as Bill Cosby).  He thought he would continue playing with the Philadelphia Eagles, but his career was cut short by a car accident before tryouts.  And my grandfather was a professional wrestler named the Green Hornet, 

Here is a picture of us together.

Three Generations of Getsons

My youngest son, Zach, was just selected to represent the USA in rugby in the Maccabi Games this July.  This selection comes after 3 ACL surgeries and countless other injuries.  And he's doing it in a sport with no pads at the ripe old age of 29. 

I continue to watch him get better at the game, despite adversity and what I like to call a "burst of slowness".

He's currently raising money for his trip.  If you'd like to support his journey to represent the USA, you can learn more and do so here. 

Despite our family's relative "accolades" in sports, we're not the fastest or most athletic people. 

My dad used to joke that our people were meant to own the teams, not play for them. 

So, despite the lack of raw athleticism, what drives us to success?  I believe the answer is mindset.

The Secret To Success

Your mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself.  It influences how you think, feel, and behave in any given situation.

My family jokes that my first complete sentence was "It's my way, and you're in it."  Meanwhile, I also believe that "the game isn't over until I win." Combine those beliefs ... and it explains why my feet would still be moving toward my goals even if you shot me in the head.

Likewise, my son has continued to reach new heights in rugby because he's stayed committed and hard-working long after most of his more athletic peers gave up.

Life is not a sprint; it's a marathon. 

How long can you put more effort in, and how many times can you fail without giving up?  The answer is as long as you choose! 

The habits and lessons of resilience and grit serve well in sports, business, and life.

Too many give up right before they win. 

Frankly, too many people stop at the beginning.  But you will likely suck at something before you are okay at it.  Likewise, you have to be okay before you can be good.  Then you have to be good before you can be great!

It takes time and energy to separate yourself from the pack. 

My father taught me that most people's lives are defined by their minimum standards.  Why?  Because once those standards get met, it is easy to get distracted by other things and how to meet the minimum standards for them as well.

Here is something else worth sharing; it was one of his favorite sayings.  "The difference between good and great is infinitesimal." People who are good take advantage of opportunities; people who are great create them.

The secret to "better" is to set higher standards and commit to achieve them.

It is really quite simple.

1. Set big goals and high standards
2. Plan how to get there
3. Never stop moving
4. Never give up

If you follow those rules, it's hard not to succeed. 

A Busy Day ...

I was just in Arizona, at a Genius Network event. Listened to some interesting speakers, spent time with some great friends and business partners, and also got to share some ideas with them as well. 

My big takeaway for the weekend was on the power of contests and competition not just for attracting customers, but for hiring and as a catalyst to adoption and experimentation. 

Unfortunately, my flight coincided with the first half of the Super Bowl.

Luckily, the Cowboys avoided conflicting with my schedules.  I’d hate to think how I’d feel if I had to decide whether to attend the Super Bowl.

Conveniently, being on a plane didn’t limit my ability to watch. 

 

Essentially every other person had the game on their device - so Zach and I could watch the game we don’t really care about while thinking about what could have been. 

Do you think the Rams really have home-field advantage?

Here’s an idea.

 

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - February 13th, 2021

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.

Lighter Links:

• The Metaverse is Inevitable, and It's Already Changing Product Design as We Know It. (YD)
• The Metaverse Hype Cycle. (Marketoonist)
• DeepMinds's New 'AlphaCode' Can Program at a Competitive Level. (9to5Google)
• Odell Beckham Jr. Has 1,494 Diamonds On His Super Bowl Cleats by the Shoe Surgeon. (FootwearNews)
• Why Your High-Performing Employees May Be Slowly Disengaging from Work. (FastCompany)

 

Trading Links:

• The Winner of this Year's Super Bowl – Money. (Vox)
• Why the Stock Market Doesn't Like High Inflation. (AWealthOfCommonSense)
• AirPods and Beats Make Up Half of the U.S. Headphone Market. (iMore)
• Elon Musk's Net Worth Will Exceed $1 Trillion Thanks to SpaceX. (ZDNet)
• These 3 Companies Could Be the First to Reach an Eye-popping $5 Trillion Market Cap. (FastCompany)

It Isn’t Whether Tom Brady Is Retiring – It’s About When ... and Why We Care?

In 2017, I wrote an article “asking” why the Patriots were so good. Then Tom Brady left, the Patriots have suffered (somewhat), and Tom Brady won another Super Bowl with the Buccaneers. 

 

Now, several sports pundits are reporting that he may be retiring. Tom Brady insists that he hasn’t made a final decision yet. 

Of course, there is the matter of the $15 Million portion of his signing bonus that becomes payable to him on Friday. That might explain the “confusion” on timing?

Regardless, all this talk reminded me about what makes Tom Brady special. 

There is a difference between ‘luck’ and ‘skill’.

Both exist ... yet, luck favors the prepared.

In life, as in sports, hard work often beats talent (especially if talent fails to work hard).

But, when you see this picture from the 2000 NFL Combine, it’s hard to believe that Tom Brady would be a 7-time Superbowl MVP taking the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl in his first year with them. All at the geriatric (for an NFL player) age of 44. 

 

via CBS Sports

When I talked about the Patriots, I focused on the fact that they were a well-oiled machine with a powerful framework of success that allowed individual greatness to shine. 

I think Brady’s continued success is emblematic of that. 

Tom Brady is a paragon of culture, process, and hard work. Much of his approach was molded by his time with Belichick, but of course, he gets enormous personal credit as well. 

He expects the best of himself and brings out the best in his teammates. That’s enabled him to stay a top-level competitor despite not being the strongest, fastest, or most mobile QB (and that was when he was young). 

As well, Tom Brady is remarkably consistent and disciplined; his diet, his routine, his exercise, his film routine, etc. All NFL athletes have impressive routines for the most part, but take a look at Tom Brady’s routine. It’s a routine built for him and his needs - and he’s got it dialed in. He doesn’t need to waste time trying to get big in the gym, so he focuses on 9-key exercises to support his goals. 

The System is the ‘system’; but, within it, you can measure what works, who contributes, and then use those insights to identify the best things to try next.

Win, lose, or draw ... some things speak for themselves. And whether he retires today, next year, or never, we don’t need to wait five years to know he’s a Hall of Fame player with an incredible career. 

2022 Predictions

About a month ago, I shared visualcapitalist's 2021 predictions to check how well they fared at the end of the year. 

Honestly, the list was pretty good. It wasn't perfect, but you wouldn't expect it to be. 

In that article, I asked this question: 

What's going to happen as a result of the continuing pandemic, inflation, interest rates, the ongoing supply chain issues, and the growing anxiety and unrest brewing underneath the surface of the new normal? In January, we'll get to see VC's predictions. Before that, what do you expect to happen in 2022? - How'd These 2021 Predictions Fair?

With that, here are visualcapitalist's 2022 predictions: 

via visualcapitalist

Let's be clear - most predictions are either vague and easily guessed (and therefore not helpful) or random conjecture. 

But, there's value in prediction, and there's value in analyzing the data before you. The caveat is that prediction is better when it's applied to human nature and not the machinations of fate, and data can be a distraction if it's not being carefully curated and analyzed to remain relevant to your goals. 

For example, I agree with their general direction for technology. Tech is continuing to grow in influence, and as Web 3.0, the blockchain, and AI mature as platforms for sub-technologies, I think their importance is only going to skyrocket. 

Prediction can also be entertainment. I certainly catch myself looking for patterns and differentiators for everything from whether my meal is going to come to the table correctly, to who's going to win the Super Bowl. 

I know the chances are low, but I still think it's going to be the Cowboys ... 

Cowboys Are Out of the Playoffs Again

It's always exciting for me to watch the Cowboys make the playoffs. Meanwhile, yesterday, the San Francisco 49ers ended the Cowboys season in the first round of the playoffs. 

Only one team can win the Super Bowl.  I know that.  Yet, most seasons, somehow, I expect the Cowboys to have a real chance.  That form of hope and wishful thinking comes with being a fan. 

Whether you like football or not, one thing we can probably agree about is that geriatric white dudes shouldn't rap. At least ... that's what my kids tell me when I try. 

Unfortunately, Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones,  didn't get the memo. 

Here is the video.

 

Hopefully, our season (next year) will be better than that video. 

For another light-hearted NFL video, here is an oldy, but goodie.

It is kind of the opposite of one of those old Kung Fu movies where the dubbed words you hear aren't synched with the mouth movement. 

Here it looks like they are saying what you hear … it's just that someone changed the words.  You could call it "So THAT'S what they were saying …"

 This video works for the same reason trading often doesn't … Humans are great at finding patterns (even when there isn't really a pattern to find).

Regardless, this was fun (and it's gotten over 70 million views on YouTube).