The Algebra of Wealth: A Simple Formula for Success

In their book Designing Your Life, Dave Evans and Bill Burnett define “gravity problems” as obstacles or contrary forces you can’t do anything about. “If it’s not actionable,” they write, “it’s not a problem, it’s a circumstance.”

Peaks and Valleys, Not a Ladder Career progression is not the steady staircase to the executive floor it once was. Rigid expectations of a linear, upward trajectory can blind you to diagonal opportunities.

Success is the best thing. Failing fast is the next best thing.

If You Can’t Fix It, You Have to Stand It

All our actions take place against a backdrop of forces outside our control. There are plenty of things we can invest time and energy into that we can truly affect, so don’t waste resources fighting battles you can’t win.

Any time you play the odds, quitting should be an option. In tech, we rebrand quitting as “pivoting” to make it more palatable. Great gamblers are great quitters—Kenny Rogers’s signature song28 reminds us we have to “know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em.” Poker champion Annie Duke wrote an entire book about quitting;29 she makes a compel

There are two steps to dealing with gravity. The first is recognizing it. The second is reframing your response so you have a problem you can solve. Gravity doesn’t mean we can’t climb steep hills or even fly. But the solution to those challenges must work within the reality of gravity, not against it.

Don’t quit because it’s hard, it’s supposed to be hard. Quit because the data, or a mentor you trust, or multiple external signs, indicate your time would be better invested elsewhere. There is no shame in this.

Persistence should be a feature, not a suicide pact. When you are fighting your way through the jungle, take out your compass regularly and make sure you are headed in the right direction.