Gyms serve as an apt illustration of the Pareto Principle, where roughly 80% of the impact is generated by 20% of the inputs. A small core group consistently shows up to work out day after day, while the majority pop in for a quick squiz at the start of summer or fall and then fade away. The commitment and daily grind displayed by the regulars speak volumes. The discipline they exercise at the gym also extends to other aspects of their lives.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has often said that building muscle and achieving fitness objectives are long-term commitments that demand dedication and sustained effort. You can’t fake physical fitness; it’s a testament to your discipline, perseverance, and work ethic.

This pattern of discipline is observable in various life domains:

• Job Tenure: Jumping around is OK sometimes, and there’s no shame in quitting, but if there’s a checkered history of short stays and short stints, then the person probably doesn’t have the discipline to stick it out through the hard times. 
• Academic and Professional Credentials: Earning a four-year degree or professional certification doesn’t necessarily make you a great employee or business partner but signifies persistence and discipline. You’ve shown up, studied, and completed the task.
• Well-Maintained Gardens: Creating a beautiful garden cannot be brute-forced. Even if you employ a landscaping company, gardens require ongoing care—like regular weeding, pruning, and watering. A well-kept garden often reflects the order within the home it surrounds.
• Well-Trained Pets: Animal training requires resources, consistent effort, love, and patience. A well-behaved dog is usually the result of a disciplined owner. As a side note, if you’re patient and loving with animals, those traits likely also extend to your interactions with humans.

In places boasting high ‘serendipity scores,’ the likelihood of serendipitous and invaluable interactions is amplified. These chance meetings can blossom into new friendships, solidify partnerships, or spark stimulating conversations. The advantage isn’t solely in walkability; it’s also about the mixing of curious and motivated people that populate these areas. When these individuals collide, it paves the way for unanticipated moments of opportunity and insight. The design philosophies behind the Pixar Campus and the new Apple Campus resonate with this idea, juicing cross-pollination and facilitating organic learning.

While the tranquility and spaciousness of car-centric bedroom communities have their merits, they often fall short in offering regular serendipitous encounters. Hubs like San Francisco, New York, Sydney, pockets of London, and numerous bustling port cities worldwide stand testament to the irreplaceable value of being in an environment that nurtures such interactions.

The messy urban cities and the High Streets are where the alchemy happens.

Look for these 2 attributes in people when deciding to work with them or invest in them:

“Hard to kill” – Do they keep getting up even after getting knocked down multiple times? Do they persist and keep pushing forward? If so, these are the individuals you want to hire and entrust. Seek out their stories and anecdotes; their actions during challenging times, when the only way out was to persevere, will reveal their nature.

“Are they before the fall or after the fall?” – Has life humbled them, leading them to recognize that success, happiness, and progress result from a blend of hard work and luck? Despite adhering to rules and putting in the effort, life can deal with hardships—misfortune, illness, betrayal, accidents—that can be crushing in business, personal matters, and spiritually. But they get up and keep going. Hire those people because they have been humbled but kept going. You can normally see it in their eyes when you spend time with them. 

I learned from an Invest Like the Best with Patrick O’Shaughnessy interview with James Griffon. Worth listening to here