nighters weekly, and it didn’t kill us, but made us stronger. This
approach to work, however, as you get older, can in fact kill you. So, do
it early.
Ask for and Give Help
I had a number of uber-successful men in their fifties and sixties who
helped me when I was coming of professional age in the nineties in
San Francisco (Tully Friedman, Warren Hellman, Hamid Moghadan,
Paul Stephens, Bob Swanson). They didn’t do it because they knew my
parents or thought I was awesome, but because I asked. Most
successful people have the time to reflect on important questions,
including “Why am I here and what mark do I want to leave?” The
answer usually involves helping others. You need to ask for help if you
plan on being successful. You also should get in the habit of helping
people junior to you. Helping people senior to you isn’t helping, but
ass-kissing. Expect that a large portion of the people you help will not
reciprocate, and you won’t be disappointed. However, plant enough
seeds helping others, and a few will pay off hugely where you least
expect it. It also just feels good.