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- Exploratory Mimicry
There is always someone out there that has the life you desire.
Your job is to find out what mental models they have for making decisions.
And then incorporate those models into your decision-making process.
There is no better example of this than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
From an early age, it was clear that he would use the example of to guide him on his winding path from post-WW2 Austria to the podium of fitness in America.
Long before he became the “Arnold“ that we know him as.
He was preparing to forge ahead to achieving the life of his dreams,
So he looked to an example.
A guide.
Reg Park (left), Arnold Schwarzenegger (right)
Someone that had already created a path from one, mediocre reality to another, much more incredible reality.
“I read everything about Reg Park and followed his footsteps and trained like him. I said if he could make it, I could make it.
It was a blueprint…”
Cool story.
But today’s letter isn’t about Arnold or Reg Park.
It is about the frameworks (models) that you are using to conduct your life
But more specifically, why you must use other people to rapidly upgrade your own operating system for navigating life.
I'm here to present my mental model for modeling.
Exploratory Mimicry
It can be concisely described as:
Seek those ahead on your desired path.
Observe their methods.
Experiment applying them in your own way.
Retain what propels you forward.
The core principles of Exploratory Mimicry are:
Identify your goals and the type of person already achieving them.
Study their frameworks, mindsets and tactics non-judgmentally.
Try on their approaches and see what resonates.
Adapt the parts that align with your authentic self.
Iterate continuously as you uncover more role models.
We all stand on the shoulders of giants we've never met. With an open and discerning mind, you can rapidly grow by judiciously mimicking those farther along your chosen road.
Absorbing the life-tested wisdom of others provides shortcuts up the winding path.
The destination is reached faster when you are walking in the footprints of your heroes.
I Have a Confession…
That last section was written with the help of Claude 2.
It is a new AI model.
That means a model just gave you a mental model about modeling.
Generate a meme quality image of Cliff having a mental breakthrough about mental models
Anyways.
Now you understand Exploratory Mimicry.
This letter came about because I’ve decided that my lifestyle, and the decisions I make on a daily basis, aren’t going to get me where I want to go.
Sure, things might be good. But we don’t want good - we want great.
You need to model the behaviors of the people that are living the life that we want to live.
And those people are found in books, podcasts, videos, and hopefully in person.
Prioritize this. It is important. Your future is at stake.
But I have nothing more to add right now.
See ya next week!
- Cliff