Rich Karlgaard, author of "Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement," dives into the often-overlooked advantages of being a late bloomer. He challenges the societal obsession with early success, offering examples of historical figures who thrived later in life. The conversation highlights qualities like resilience and self-awareness that late bloomers possess. Rich argues that embracing self-doubt can actually foster growth, redefining the path to personal and professional success.
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Tom Brady's Late Bloom
Tom Brady, considered a late bloomer in football, achieved greatness despite early setbacks.
He was not highly recruited and drafted late, highlighting the unpredictable nature of success.
insights INSIGHT
Shifting Perceptions of Late Bloomers
The late bloomer was once valued but has become less recognized in modern society.
This shift might be linked to the rise of industries prioritizing early achievement.
insights INSIGHT
Economic Drivers of Early Blooming
The emphasis on early achievement is linked to lucrative fields like finance and tech, which often recruit from elite universities.
This trickles down, pressuring kids to excel early for college admissions.
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In this book, Carol S. Dweck introduces the concept of two mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe their abilities are static, while those with a growth mindset believe their abilities can be developed through effort and learning. Dweck shows how these mindsets influence success in school, work, sports, and personal relationships. She also discusses how to adopt a deeper, truer growth mindset, and how this can transform individual and organizational cultures. The book emphasizes the importance of perseverance, learning from failures, and embracing challenges as key components of the growth mindset[1][2][5].
Range
Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
David Epstein
In this book, David Epstein examines the success of generalists in various fields, including sports, arts, music, invention, forecasting, and science. He argues that generalists, who often find their path late and juggle multiple interests, are more creative, agile, and able to make connections that specialists cannot. Epstein uses stories and research studies to show that wide sampling and late specialization can be more valuable than early specialization, especially in complex and unpredictable environments. He also discusses the distinction between 'kind' and 'wicked' learning environments and the importance of balancing specialization with range for long-term success[2][4][5].
There's an unspoken timeline that people supposedly need to follow to have a successful life: be a good student in high school, get into a good college, and then get a good job right after you graduate.
But you've probably met successful people whose lives didn't follow this kind of linear arc and neat timeline, and maybe yours didn't either. Their young adult years weren't very auspicious, and they didn't come into their own and find their bearings until after college, or even much later. My guest today explores the upsides of this kind of trajectory in his book: Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement. His name is Rich Karlgaard and we begin our conversation discussing how he defines a late bloomer and a few examples of some famous late bloomers in history. We then dig into how late bloomers got a bad rap and how society became increasingly obsessed with finding success at a young age. Rich then walks us through the disadvantages of being an early bloomer and the advantages of being a late bloomer, including resilience, self-awareness, and a healthy, motivating sense of self-doubt.
The Art of Manliness 
