This edition is brought to you by Long Angle

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

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Today’s edition:

Cheers,
Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.

Stories of Excellence

Person: Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, has redefined competitive swimming. Born in 1985 in Baltimore, Phelps started swimming at age seven. His talent was evident early. By 15, he was breaking world records. Phelps's Olympic journey began in 2000. It peaked in 2008 when he won eight gold medals in Beijing. "When people ask me how do I swim so fast, I find that amusing. I didn't wake up one day and start swimming. I worked my tail off," Phelps says. His career total of 28 Olympic medals, including 23 golds, is unmatched. Beyond the pool, Phelps has been open about his mental health struggles. He now advocates for mental health awareness. Retired since 2016, Phelps continues to influence swimming through his foundation and coaching.

Key Lessons from Michael Phelps:

• On preparation: "When I stood on the bar, I was prepared for anything. I had done the physical work, the mental work, I had done everything."

• On goal-setting: "Goal setting was something I learnt early. Bob trained me to see it and live it in my head."

• On doing things others' aren't willing to do: "If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do."

Read More.

Company: Bose

Bose Corporation was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar Bose, an MIT professor of electrical engineering. Inspired by his disappointment with a stereo system, Bose started the company with a $10,000 loan. His academic background in psychoacoustics led to innovative speaker designs. The company's first product, the 2201 speaker, launched in 1966. Bose gained prominence with the 901 Direct/Reflecting speaker system in 1968, which simulated concert hall acoustics. By 1980, Bose had expanded into car audio systems. The company remained private, with Dr. Bose donating the majority of shares to MIT in 2011. In 2022, Bose reported annual revenue of approximately $4 billion.

Key Lessons from Bose:

• On education: Keep learning. Dr. Bose continued teaching at MIT while running the company. This kept him connected to new ideas and talent. Your company is a classroom too.

• On patience: Take your time. Bose spent years developing their first product. Don't rush to market with half-baked ideas. Quality trumps speed.

Read More.

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Accelerants

High-performance tool

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The Great Temptation

The Great Temptation

We haven’t found aliens yet, so what if extraterrestrial intelligence has a deep tendency to be self-limiting or even self exterminating?

Like getting obsessed with computer games or virtual reality instead of worrying about reproduction.

Insights

Tactical reads

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> When seeking personal growth and improvement
The Holy Grail of Self-Improvement (Read it here)

> When aiming to make a meaningful impact
A Dent in the Universe (Read it here)

1 question

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

Recommendation Zone

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Alex Brogan

Find me on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok

Offshore Talent: Where to find the best offshore talent. Powered by Athyna.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

Faster Than Normal is a ‘state' of being’ rather than an outcome. Outlier performance requires continuous, compounded improvement. We’re your partner on this journey.

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