🗺️ Mental Models

The Truth About Talent (When Genes Matter and When They Don’t)

2 mental models in this chapter

Genes and Habit Alignment

flowchart

This flowchart illustrates how genes influence habits based on environment and opportunities. Alignment of ambition and ability leads to success and motivation, which in turn leads to hard work and fulfilling potential. Exploration and creating a new game are feedback loops to find optimal alignment.

Diagram Code

graph TD
    A[Genes (Natural Abilities)] --> B{Environment/Opportunity}
    B -- Favorable --> C[Advantage: Easier Habits, Satisfaction]
    B -- Unfavorable --> D[Disadvantage: Difficult Habits, Frustration]
    C --> E{Aligned Ambition & Ability}
    D --> E
    E -- Yes --> F[Success & Motivation]
    E -- No --> G[Trial & Error, Explore/Exploit]
    G --> H{Find Right Game/Create New Game}
    H --> F
    F --> I[Hard Work & Right Strategy]
    I --> J[Fulfilling Potential]

Explore/Exploit Trade-off

flowchart

This flowchart visualizes the explore/exploit trade-off strategy. Depending on if you're winning or losing, you either exploit your current best solutions or explore new possibilities. The time available influences the balance between exploration and exploitation.

Diagram Code

graph LR
    A[Start: New Activity] --> B{Exploration Phase}
    B -- Try Many Possibilities --> C{Evaluate Results}
    C -- Winning? (80-90%) --> D{Exploit: Focus on Best Solution}
    C -- Losing? (10-20%) --> B
    D --> E[Long-Term Results]
    B --> F{Time Available?}
    F -- Lot of Time --> B
    F -- Limited Time --> D