Steve Jobs on authenticity, Ray Dalio's formula for progress, and lessons from Melanie Perkins

Welcome back to the Z Fellows newsletter! Every Monday we share 3 ideas - to help you build companies, ship products, and create your life's work.

1: Steve Jobs on Following an Authentic Path

"Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Source: Steve Job’s Commencement Address at Stanford, 2005

2: Ray Dalio’s Formula for Progress

"There is no avoiding pain, especially if you're going after ambitious goals. Believe it or not, you are lucky to feel that kind of pain if you approach it correctly, because it is a signal that you need to find solutions so you can progress. If you can develop a reflexive reaction to psychic pain that causes you to reflect on it rather than avoid it, it will lead to your rapid learning/evolving. If you're not failing, you're not pushing your limits, and if you're not pushing your limits, you're not maximizing your potential."

Source: https://www.principles.com/principles/4a903526-2db6-4a0a-9b71-889868f0f475/

3: Melanie Perkins on Being on the Outside

“I’m female, which apparently represents only 2% of venture capital funded CEOs. I’m Australian, and if you look at the likelihood of raising venture capital when you’re from my home-town Perth, the stats drop even further. If I were to look at all these discouraging stats, I probably would have shied away from even trying in the first place.

However, I’ve learnt a couple of things along the way that have helped along our journey:

1. Don’t worry about people who don’t like you

2. Just concentrate on your goals

3. Know that determination wins

4. Wherever possible, blame things you can fix

5. Find people that like you

6. You have to believe in yourself and your vision for a very long time before anyone else will

7. Don’t care about the stats

8. If it were easy, it probably wouldn’t be worth doing

9. Love challenges

10. Ask for feedback often

11. Ask for help more

12. Know that it’s hard for absolutely everyone

Source: https://medium.com/canva/a-message-for-those-who-feel-like-they-are-on-the-outside-3bb8b0f2d5b5

Best of The Week

See you next Monday,

- The Z Fellows Team

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