Sorry, No One Cares about the Diplomas on Your Wall or the Books on Your Shelves

This is a tough pill for the credentialed or “educated” to swallow…

But what you’ve learned academically — either formally or in a self-directed setting — doesn’t really matter.

There’s only 2 things that matter…

And they matter because each requires a rare resource called COURAGE:

1. Results in the REAL world

2. The ability to communicate the TRUTH clearly (especially when it’s an unpopular one)

When I see people start an argument online with “As someone with a PhD in Blah Blah”… or “I’ve actually spent X years studying this and…”

I know they’re about to get ROASTED.

Intuitively, people understand that credibility doesn’t come from a piece of paper, or a notch in a belt…

It comes from the confidence & wisdom of having used ideas PRACTICALLY to deliver ACTUAL VALUE.

There’s a certain clarity someone has when speaking from EXPERIENCE, and that VIBE can’t be “lab-grown”…

Instead, it comes from lessons learned through the inevitable failure & embarrassment of putting yourself out there to attempt to do something IMPORTANT…

And it’s further solidified when that person is HONEST about those lessons.

That’s the type of person who people will stop to listen to.

I love reading books… I love listening to podcasts…

In my 20s, I loved to DEBATE and be a “nuance bro”…

But now, I don’t kid myself that most of that stuff isn’t just for fun.

Yes, knowing a bunch about history, philosophy, psychology, religion, politics, economics, business, etc. is beneficial for “connecting the dots” to understand reality — and yourself — over time…

But eventually, the rubber needs to hit the road:

At a certain point, I realized I needed to figure out what I, MYSELF, believe…

And then work on building a life & moving through the world in alignment with my values…

Values that I need to put to the test against REALITY again and again and again.

Michael McGovern

The Wildman Path

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