Finding Our Own Personal Greatness

Sweet Bites for May 23, 2025

Mind Candy is a newsletter on practical philosophy and human flourishment—aka how to live “the good life.” Each month we tackle a new theme.

This month we’re exploring the theme of Potential.

Welcome to another edition of Sweet Bites, Mind Candy’s bite-sized newsletter with thought-provoking finds to send you into the weekend with.

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🍰 Mini Bite

In 2006, film director Ang Lee stood before the world on the Oscar stage to accept his award for Best Film Direction. He was 58 years old and it had taken him over half his life to perfect his craft.

Lee is known as a late bloomer, someone whose potential blossomed later than expected.

“I don’t want to hold [directors] back from development, but they shouldn’t grow too fast,” he said in an interview.

Lee understands that to perfect one’s craft, to find their potential, it takes lots of effort, dedication, and most importantly, time. In his own words, he had “long periods of immaturity” as he honed his craft.

This is reality. Even the most talented need time to uncover their potential, to allow themselves time to flourish.

The year after accepting his Best Director Oscar for Brokeback Mountain, he won again, this time for the film Life of Pi.

We tend to glamorize early blooming, whether it be child actors, prodigies, or young tech moguls. We love the narrative of finding success early. Yet these narratives are the minority, not the majority.

But that doesn’t mean people can’t bloom later in life, and for those who found success early, it is no guarantee of future results. Robert Greene did not have his first book, The 48 Laws of Power, published until he was nearly 40. Morgan Freeman didn’t find success acting until he was in his late 40s. Henry Ford didn’t change the auto industry with the Ford Motor Company until he was 40, and that was only after he had a string of failures.

“In the past, success was not about becoming rich or famous, or about achieving as much as possible as early as possible,” writes Rich Karlgaard in his book, Late Bloomers. “Rather, it was about having the opportunity to live to our fullest potential. It was about being appreciated for who we are as individuals.“

Whenever we enter a pursuit, we start out on a high note. We’re excited and engaged, we have high hopes and dreams. We dive head first ready for the challenge. But this enthusiasm fades, and we find ourselves riding a downward roller coaster as we encounter setbacks, long periods of stagnation, and frustration.

This is what Seth Godin calls the dip.

“People settle. They settle for less than they are capable of…,” Godin writes. “For good enough instead of best in the world.”

This is because the dip is long and scary. It is filled with uncertainty and self-doubt. What if I’m wasting my time? What if I am not as good as I thought I could be? What happens if I fail?

But Godin reminds us, “Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny minority of people who are able to push just a tiny bit longer than most.”

Godin’s cure for the dip? “Quit the wrong stuff. Stick with the right stuff. Have the guts to do one or the other.”

“Winners quit all the time. They just quit the right stuff at the right time. Most people quit. They just don't quit successfully.”

It’s all about making the most of the situations you are presented with.

Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, yet he was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft as the 199th pick.

Early in his career, he was frustrated with the limited reps he’d get in practice. But a coach told him something that would set the trajectory of the rest of his life: make the most of what you’ve got, focus on what you can control, nothing else.

“There was a certain amount of repetitions in practice, the starter would get 20, the backup would get 10, and I would get two. And I'd go in and I'd say, ‘well how can I ever get better? All these guys get all the reps and I only get two…’”

Instead of continuing to complain, he shifted his mindset and spent all his physical and mental energy on those two reps.

“I'd Sprint in there like it was Super Bowl 49… and I did really well with those two cause I brought enthusiasm, I brought some energy, and I had a little more confidence in myself.”

Two reps became four, four became 10.

“Success and achievement come from overcoming adversity,” Brady says. “To be successful at anything, the truth is, you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined, and willing to work for it. No shortcuts.”

We don’t need to be obsessed with others around us—what their success is, when they achieved it, whether or not we will. We just need to focus on what we can do, and make the most of that.

There is no greater recipe for uncovering our own potential.

🧘🏻This Week’s Monday Meditation

🦉 This Week’s Wednesday Wisdom

📖 Book Recommendation

Late Bloomers by Rich Karlgaard

Karlgaard does a great job of breaking down the myths of early success and society’s obsession with it.

📚 Wisdom

Three quotes from Seth Godin’s The Dip:

“The Dip is actually your greatest ally because it makes the project worthwhile (and keeps others from competing with you).”

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“Quitting when you hit the Dip is a bad idea. If the journey you started was worth doing, then quitting when you hit the Dip just wastes the time you've already invested. Quit in the Dip often enough and you'll find yourself becoming a serial quitter, starting many things but accomplishing little.”

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“The essential thing to know about the Dip is that it's there. Knowing that you're facing a Dip is the first step in getting through it.”

🎥 Video worth a Watch

The below video dives into creating a high performance mindset with psychologist and former NBA player John Amaechi.

Think someone you know would enjoy these? Hit below to forward and spread the love.

Until next time,

D.A. DiGerolamo

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