The Third Door
Alex Banayan

Summary

Stumbled upon this book through an Instagram story and so happy I did. Alex tells the story of how he did everything he could to interview some of the greatest minds in America and his journey along the way.

His thesis comes down to this: Imagine life is like a night club. There's always 3 doors in. There's one door, which is the line 95% of people wait in. There's a second door where rich people and those with connections get in. Then there's the third door, the backdoor, which most people don't know exists, but still gets you into the club. Look for the third door in life.

For more info, see here

Notes

Find an inside man and ask for his/her help to bring you in

Get credibility by volunteering for credible organizations and write or be featured in known publications

When writing a cold email, think about a specific question and answer you’re looking for. Be direct

Don’t say ‘thanks in advance’ but ‘I know you’re super busy and appreciate it’

‘Luck is like a bus. If you miss one, there’s always the next one. But if you’re not prepared, you won’t be able to jump on’

‘You may have a desire, a dream but you’ve got to work it to the point of where it hurts - most people never get there. They never tap into the hidden reservoir we all have’

Don’t let anyone ever tell you your dream isn’t possible. You’ve just got to hang in there, you’ve got to stay in the fight

Elliot Bisnow’s 5 rules for success:

• Never be on your phone in a meeting. Use a pen
• Act like you belong. Never ask for a picture of peers
• Mystery makes history: don’t let people know too much about you
• Never ever break trust. Your word and reputation is your best asset
• Adventures only happen to the adventurous 

Everyone has experiences in their lives but only some make them into stories

The best cure for nervousness is immediate action

What your story is isn’t as important as how you tell it

The only person whose permission you need to live an exponential life if your own

Success is a result of prioritizing your desires

If you don’t ask, you’ll never get it

Read the footnotes, pay attention to the details

If you have a problem, reframe the questions that is amenable to a different kind of solution

Desperation clogs intuition

People like human beings, not random names in their inbox

Do great work and let your work change the world

Choose long term positivity over short term profits

Figure out your opponents fears and use them to your advantage

Think bigger and have a pipeline of opportunities

Always stay an intern in life. Never stop learning

‘Every storm runs out of rain’ - Maya Angelou

Easy reading is damn hard writing

‘Try to get out of the box, learn from all the leaders around you’

Cherish your mistakes

Steve jobs - think different on youtube

It’s our desires for more than our ability

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