Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.
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Today’s edition:
> Stories: Josephine Bonaparte & Nikon
> High-performance: Aristotle’s 3 methods of persuasion
> Insights: Good art
> Tactical: Strategies for declining requests
> 1 Question: Unique value
Cheers,
Alex
P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.
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Stories of Excellence
Person: Josephine Bonaparte
Joséphine Bonaparte, born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie, was a pivotal figure in French history. She rose from humble beginnings in Martinique to become Empress of France. Her marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1796 marked the beginning of a tumultuous relationship that shaped European politics. Joséphine was known for her charm, extravagance, and political acumen. "I win battles, but Joséphine wins hearts," Napoleon once remarked. Despite her inability to provide an heir, which led to their divorce in 1810, Joséphine remained influential. She was a patron of the arts and a trendsetter in fashion. Her legacy lives on in the Château de Malmaison, where she cultivated rare plants and animals. Joséphine's life was a testament to resilience and adaptability in the face of revolution and empire.
Key Lessons from Joséphine Bonaparte:
On relationships: Despite her tumultuous relationship with Napoleon, Joséphine maintained his respect and affection even after their divorce. "You to whom nature has given spirit, sweetness, and beauty, you who alone can move and rule my heart, you who know all too well the absolute empire you exercise over it!" Napoleon wrote to her.
On social skills: "I am the sounding board of the army," Joséphine once said. Her charm and social grace were instrumental in winning allies for Napoleon and herself.
On playing the cards you're dealt: "I play out the cards. They say: This is Heaven, this is Hell. It is one." -
Company: Nikon
Nikon was founded in Tokyo, Japan on July 25, 1917, as Nippon Kogaku K.K. (Japan Optical Industries Co., Ltd.). The company initially focused on producing optical instruments like microscopes and binoculars. In 1932, Nikon adopted its brand name for camera lenses. The company's first camera, the Nikon I, was released in 1948. Nikon gained international recognition during the Korean War when photojournalists praised its lenses. In 1959, Nikon launched the groundbreaking Nikon F single-lens reflex camera, which became a industry standard. The company went public in 1949 and changed its name to Nikon Corporation in 1988. As of 202, Nikon's annual revenue was approximately $4 billion USD.
Key Lessons from Nikon:
On optical excellence. Build on your core competency. Nikon's obsession with optical quality set them apart from the start. They didn't just make cameras. They made the best lenses. This focus on optics became their moat. As former CEO Makoto Kimura said, "Our optical technology is our DNA."
On professional partnerships. Embed yourself with users. Nikon built deep relationships with professional photographers. They provided equipment and support at major sporting events and to news agencies. This real-world testing improved their products and cemented their reputation.
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Aristotle’s 3 Methods Of Persuasion
Insights
Neil Gaiman on making good art:
"I hope you’ll make mistakes. If you’re making mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something. And the mistakes in themselves can be useful. I once misspelled Caroline, in a letter, transposing the A and the O, and I thought, “Coraline looks like a real name…”
And remember that whatever discipline you are in, whether you are a musician or a photographer, a fine artist or a cartoonist, a writer, a dancer, a designer, whatever you do you have one thing that’s unique. You have the ability to make art.
And for me, and for so many of the people I have known, that’s been a lifesaver. The ultimate lifesaver. It gets you through good times and it gets you through the other ones.
Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life and in love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all the other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do.
Make good art.
I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Somebody on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid or evil or it’s all been done before? Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn’t matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art.
Make it on the good days too."
Tactical reads
⎯
> When compiling strategies for declining requests
Compilation of saying no resource (Read it here)
> When mastering the art of saying no gracefully
Saying No — Lenny (Read it here)
1 question
What can I do to be different from my compteition?
That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.
Have a wonderful rest of week, all.
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