Thread by @SahilBloom

Shared a lot of wins publicly in 2021, so it feels appropriate to share the losses just as publicly.

Here are my 10 biggest Ls from 2021 (and what I learned from each one):

Dopamine Addiction

Humans were not made for social media—the dopamine hits are dangerous.

I fell victim.

On several occasions, I found myself constantly refreshing my notifications on a viral thread.

It was gross.

I’m learning to physically force separation to avoid it.

Hustle Culture Fail

I spent the better part of the last decade as a hustle culture aficionado.

Then I burned myself out and was totally incapable of thinking creatively.

I made a change. Now I:
• Work like a lion
• Sleep 8 hours
• Take more walks

My life & work have 10Xed.

Solana Fail

I invested in Solana early and was riding high when it hit $30+ in April—10X+ on my investment.

I sold it and thought I was the next Warren Buffett.

Then it hit $100, $200, & $250—as I stubbornly sat on the sidelines refusing to re-enter.

I am not Warren Buffett.

The Hedonic Treadmill

I tweeted this in May—and then failed to practice what I preached.

Every win felt a bit less exciting. It’s part of our biology, but it was no way to live.

Measure internally, not externally.

https://twitter.com/sahilbloom/status/1395786403984728067

Job Rejection

In April and May, I got rejected for a few jobs after months of interviews.

It was a gut punch. I felt lost in the darkness.

In hindsight, I realized I had gotten overly-confident and needed a serving of humble pie.

Sometimes life gives you just what you need…

NFT Fail

In September, I fat-fingered and accidentally bought a mystery NFT pre-reveal for 2.5 ETH when the going price was 0.25 ETH.

Ouch. $9,000 mistake.

On the reveal, it turned out I got a rare one and I quickly sold it for 5 ETH.

Lesson: Rather be lucky than good!

Ignoring Smart Friends

I spent Q1 ignoring the fact that my smartest friends were all leaving jobs to build in Web3.

I convinced myself it was probably nothing and missed out on huge wins as a result.

If your smart friends are all doing something, it’s worth paying attention.

Low Time Leverage

I wasted a lot of time on low value activities that could have been outsourced to someone better suited to handle them.

I prioritized value capture vs. leverage on my time.

I now realize that time is our most precious resource—it has to be treated as such.

Overcommitted, Underdelivered

I am really bad at saying no.

In 2021, it led to my taking on too much—I overcommitted and underdelivered on several projects with friends.

I hate doing that, but it was a painful lesson learned.

Saying no is a superpower of effective people.

Zero Meditation

I planned on several occasions to develop a mindfulness practice in 2021—then I failed to follow through in every single instance.

I realized I needed to find a way to put some skin in the game—to make it painful to flake.

This is a work in progress…

We all love sharing our Ws, but I think it’s time we all started getting more comfortable sharing our Ls.

I hope this thread inspires you to embrace yours and do the same.

Follow me @SahilBloom for more in 2022!

And for anyone saying that a 10X on Solana isn’t an L, it certainly felt like one. The pain of “what might have been” is so real—missed gains are an awful feeling.

Especially when you reallocate into a total dud instead of riding the rocketship.

Update: Biggest L of 2021 was losing in my fantasy football semis after being up 23 going into last night with only the Miami defense left to play.

@NdamukongSuh pls advise.

Getting a lot of hilarious responses and heat on this thread. I’ll wear that.

The two best so far:

@Cokedupoptions: “My biggest L: I only made $99 million, short of my $100m goal. I also had to fly commercial once this year”

@ParikPatelCFA: “#1 losing your wife to me.”

🤣🤣🤣

This one also killed me. Touché, @divine_economy! 🤣

https://twitter.com/divine_economy/status/1475864126454997001