This edition is brought to you by Maya Grossman

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:

Cheers,
Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.

Stories of Excellence

Person: Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday, the bestselling author and modern Stoic philosopher, has become a leading voice in the personal development and self-help space. Born in 1987, Holiday's early career as a media strategist and director of marketing for American Apparel provided him with valuable insights into the power of perception and the importance of character. Drawing from the wisdom of ancient Stoic philosophers such as Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, Holiday's books, including "The Obstacle Is the Way," "Ego Is the Enemy," and "Stillness Is the Key," offer practical guidance for navigating life's challenges with clarity, resilience, and purpose.

Key Lessons from Ryan Holiday:

• On obstacles: "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way."

• On ego: "Ego is the enemy of what you want and of what you have: Of mastering a craft. Of real creative insight. Of working well with others. Of building loyalty and support. Of longevity. Of repeating and retaining your success."

• On self-discipline: "Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not."

• On helping: "Imagine if for every person you met, you thought of some way to help them, something you could do for them? And you looked at it in a way that entirely benefited them and not you. The cumulative effect this would have over time would be profound: You'd learn a great deal by solving diverse problems. You'd develop a reputation for being indispensable. You'd have countless new relationships. You'd have an enormous bank of favors to call upon down the road."

Read more.

Company: Lynda

Lynda Weinman, a self-taught computer whiz, founded Lynda.com with her husband Bruce Heavin in 1995. What started as a free web resource for Lynda's students evolved into a pioneering online learning platform. Lynda.com offered video courses on software, creative, and business skills taught by industry experts. The subscription model proved highly successful, with revenue hitting $100 million in 2012 after 17 years of bootstrapped growth. In 2013, the company raised $103 million from Accel Partners and Spectrum Equity, followed by $186 million led by TPG Capital in 2015. Just months later, LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com for a whopping $1.5 billion.

Key Lessons from Lynda.com:

• On focus: "We don't do PowerPoint, we don't do soft skills, we don't do professional development." "We teach software, technology, and business skills."

• On longevity: Lynda.com stayed independent for 20 years before selling to LinkedIn. Weinman's patience allowed her to scale the business on her own terms.

• On the one thing that matters: ‘Your marketing spend is the price you have to pay for a bad product.’ [What matters is] being passionate about your product, so that people love it and they want to share it.”

Read More.

Break Through to Executive Roles

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Accelerants

High-performance tool

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Bionic Reading

Every few weeks, I’ll share a tool or hack I’ve been trying that’s improved some aspect of my life. I have no affiliation with these and will always clearly share when that’s false.

This week, it’s Bionic. I've always been sceptical of speed reading, but after using Bionic reading, I have marginally improved my confidence that it's possible.

This browser extension and conversion tool starts each word with bold text to guide your eyes. It may look strange at first, but then feels faster. You can take a test to compare Bionic Reading with standard text.

A trend I’m watching

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Spatial computing, which seamlessly blends the digital and physical worlds, is poised to revolutionize how we interact with technology. With the launch of the Apple Vision Pro headset and advancements from companies like XREAL, spatial computing is moving from sci-fi concept to reality. Imagine walking around a virtual car in your own garage or having a dozen screens worth of documents floating in front of you - that's the power of spatial computing to transform everything from product design to office productivity.

Some business opportunities in the spatial computing space:

• Collaborative work platforms: Spatial computing could power virtual meeting rooms and shared workspaces that make remote collaboration feel like in-person interaction. Startups like Spatial are already exploring this area.

• Immersive retail experiences: Retailers could let customers virtually "try on" clothes, test out products, and explore store layouts using spatial computing, driving engagement and sales.

• Enhanced training and education: Spatial computing can enable interactive, hands-on training and learning experiences, from virtual labs to realistic job simulations. Companies like Interplay Learning are pioneering this space.

Read More.

If you’re interested in more trends and business ideas, check out Capital Ideas—Faster Than Normal’s paid sister publication (Subscribe with one click).

Tactical reads

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> When you need to improve company effectiveness
Smart laziness: automation (Read it here)

> When evaluating knowledge vs. behaviour
Knowledge Alone Doesn’t Change Behavior (Read it here)

> When you need to improve your writing ability
The day you became a better writer (Read it here)

> When considering the state of the world
10 Charts That Capture How the World Is Changing (Read it here)

> When deciding what matters: fame or wealth
Rich and Anonymous (Read it here)

1 question

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.

Recommendation Zone

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If you’re interested in more trends and business ideas, check out Capital Ideas—Faster Than Normal’s paid sister publication (Subscribe with one click).

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Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

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