Unknown photographer
Looking back, what marked the times of your über-growth?
For me, it always came down to two things: absence of ego and wild curiosity.
I’d dive into a field where I was a complete zero. If someone had told me, “Here, you’re nothing,” I would’ve agreed easily, even cheerfully. Ego found no hook for doubts, jitters, dread.
Free from all that, I could do what felt right—what fit the moment. I could knock on any door, write to their “demigod,” or directly ask the dumbest question.
I say “their” because that’s how it felt—I was a guest, an alien, an outsider. That freed not only me but everyone around me. Maybe I annoyed some people, but no one saw me as a rival. Nor was I one.
As I explored a new field, I always aimed for its core. Like a traveler fascinated by new lands but destined to move on and, eventually, return home.
People were drawn to my genuine curiosity—it wasn’t about profit, fame, or replacing anyone. I was simply in love with their domain, just as deeply as they were.
Where did this powerful drive come from? I couldn’t explain it, even to myself. Once it appeared, it grew on its own, pulling me upward. All I could do was admit, “Solo, I’d never have climbed that high.”
It’s easy to guess when the flight ended. When my ego kicked in, afraid it finally had something to lose. Or when comfort, reward, recognition tempted me—and I aimed my arrows not at curiosity's bull's-eye, but into the milk.
The lesson: find something so compelling that it makes you forget yourself.
Yours sincerely,
-Alexander
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