Standards Become Requirements

Shaan Puri and Sam Parr discuss how having high standards, particularly around doing things that are "awesome" or "dope," is more effective than just having desires. They emphasize that making something cool or awesome should be a requirement, not just an optional feature.

Key Points:

• Standards vs Desires:

  • You will meet your standards, not your desires
  • Standards are "musts" while desires are optional
  • You adopt the standards of people you spend time with

• Making Things "Dope":

  • Focus on making things as awesome as possible, with money being a byproduct
  • The same thing can be done boring or dope - it's about how you approach it
  • Example: Feeding vegetables to kids can be boring or turned into an engaging game show

• Practical Application:

  • Add "Is it awesome?" to your checklist of requirements
  • Don't just check boxes like "makes money" or "makes mom proud"
  • Make coolness a standard, not just a nice-to-have

• Impact of Social Circles:

  • You automatically adjust to meet the standards of people around you
  • It's not about their advice, but their baseline expectations
  • Example: When hanging out with fit friends, food choices automatically adjust to their standards

• Changing Perspective:

  • Stop over-analyzing every decision
  • Sometimes do things simply because they're cool
  • Don't always need to justify decisions with rational explanations

• Business Implications:

  • Example: Boosted Boards founder chose skateboards over NASA "because it's fucking awesome"
  • Success can come from pursuing what's genuinely cool
  • Making something awesome should be a fundamental requirement, not an afterthought