The Third Door
Last week in my newsletter, I raved about the book: The Third Door by Alex Banayan. It recounts his mission of tracking down the most successful people in life and interviews them.
I enjoyed it so much I’ve decided to write about it, and share a few (okay, not that few) quotes that I enjoyed! To recap, here is how Alex describes what the third door is:
Life, business, success…it’s just like a nightclub. There are always three ways in.
There’s the First Door: the main entrance, where the line curves around the block; where 99 percent of people wait around, hoping to get in.
There’s the Second Door: the VIP entrance, where the billionaires, celebrities, and the people born into it slip through.
But what no one tells you is that there is always, always…the Third Door. It’s the entrance where you have to jump out of line, run down the alley, bang on the door a hundred times, crack open the window, sneak through the kitchen—there’s always a way. Whether it’s how Bill Gates sold his first piece of software or how Steven Spielberg became the youngest studio director in Hollywood history, they all took…the Third Door.
There were so many little nuggets of wisdom that I took away on differents things.
On building successful businesses
This absolutely holds true - I mentioned this theory of funnels last week in the edition #19 of For The Millennial Newsletter. This theory can also be applied to so many situations in life - whether it be recruiting, sales, or even life situations (like finding the best doctor - check out Jack Conte (CEO of Patreon)’s youtube video on this topic here!)
On trusting your instincts
Don’t get desperate and lose sight what’s right and wrong even as you are pursuing your path. Sometimes after we’ve been hustling for a long time with no results, we get dejected and in that moment of desperation, we end up doing things without clarity of thought. This usually doesn’t end well, so we have to always been self aware and mindful of this trap! Often our gut will tell us that something doesn’t feel right - trust your instincts and follow it.
On having a growth mindset
Never stop learning. It’s something I intuitively continue to do. Having the beginner’s mindset to continue learning will make you a more knowledgeable person. You’ll not only limited to in-depth knowledge of certain things, but you’ll be exposed to a wide range of topics!
On achieving your dreams and living an exponential life
As human beings, we crave social acceptance - and because of that we always try our best to fit in, and follow the conventional path. No one ever became great by following the usual path. I get it - this other path can often be scary. It’s often unguided and full of setbacks. But to me, that’s the beauty of it! People often learn the most when they are thrown into such ambiguous situations. The learning curve may be steep, but if you persevere and push on, the eventual rewards you reap are amazing.
On genuinity and personal connection
You’d be surprised at how much things change once you create a genuine connection with the other person. Face to face meetings are ALWAYS different from chatting with someone over email or even a virtual setting. If you’re keen to really get to know someone and learn from them, make the effort to meet them in person. It changes everything.
On Serendipity
My Dad always says that everything good in life oftens requires a little bit of luck for it to happen. Make such opportunities happen for you by seeking them out! I wrote about being a window opener vs. a door knocker in my previous article and believe creating serendipity is always within our reach!
Opportunities are not always straightforward or visible, and the path to success is not a straight line.
Door Knockers… don’t know what’s on the other side and they have no idea what they’re going to get, but they take the courage to knock, and open them to see what’s on the other side. They are the ones who take the plunge and try various different opportunities.
Over time, the Door Knockers end up slowly increase their leverage.
There might not be an immediate, guaranteed short-term return, but they’ll go for it anyway and use it as a learning opportunity, and one day, they may find hidden treasure behind one of those doors!
I’d absolutely recommend anyone to read The Third Door, especially if you are keen to learn and absorb some wisdom from some of the smartest and successful folks on earth. It’s truly an enjoyable read - and I really admire and appreciate what Alex has done.
It’s definitely inspired me to continue my journey as a content creator, and to keep growing and learning.
