The story of Picasso and the napkin. Life Lessons from Picasso

Legend has it that Picasso was dining at a Paris when an admirer approached and asked if he could do a quick sketch on a paper napkin for her.

Picasso politely agreed, promptly created a drawing, and handed back the napkin — but not before asking for 5 million Francs.

The lady was shocked: “How can you ask for so much? It took you five minutes to draw this!”

“No”, Picasso replied, “It took me 50 years to draw this in five minutes.”

Notes to self

1. Play iterated games, all the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, skills, or knowledge, come from compound interest – Naval.

2. There is no such thing as overnight success.

3. Build specific knowledge by pursuing your genuine curiosity, your unique knowledge cannot be outsourced or automated.

“Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the earth” – Archimedes

4. Leverage is a force multiplier, the marginal cost tends to zero over time.  In Picasso’s case, the time spent to earn a living reduced dramatically thereby giving him control over time to pursue his genuine interests.

5. The Internet is the egalitarian leverage available to all, whatever you enjoy doing- singing, dancing, playing, writing, coding, put it out there in the open. Iterate and learn to fail forward publicly by doing.

“Live, Laugh, and Learn every day”

You can read all my “Notes to Self” at view all blogs.