Good morning, friends!

Today’s guest column is written by Jack Kruger, a catcher for the Texas Rangers. He’s also an entrepreneur, building products in the SaaS, productized service, and cryptocurrency industries. In this column, Kruger details his experience as a professional baseball player and deconstructs the myth of“the overnight success.”

I’m a professional baseball player. Here’s why the myth of ‘the overnight success’ is so destructive

By: Jack Kruger

I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want to be an overnight success.

Unfortunately, we’ve dug our own grave. We’ve handed out the title to headline-worthy personas we know little about only to learn through our own trials and tribulations that this glorious title is nothing but a farce. The “overnight success” could be more accurately depicted as the “1,000-nights success.” But if no one saw the 1,000 nights, did they really happen?

As a professional baseball player, I’ve been offered many titles. Some flattering, some not. It’s not surprising — it comes with the territory when your colleagues play on national TV nightly for millions of dollars. As a minor league baseball player with 1 day in the big leagues, I’m hardly living a similar lifestyle.

Unfortunately, our circumstances are significantly different than those of our major league counterparts. Twelve-hour bus rides through the night, endless peanut butter sandwiches, and I distinctly remember a 2-month period where seven of us squeezed into a 2-bedroom apartment. Nevertheless, when we reach the big leagues, we are often dubbed “overnight successes” — never mind the fact that your average major league player spent 5 years in the minor leagues.

I don’t think my story counts as an “overnight success.”

In high school, I committed to playing baseball at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Though it’s possible to play professional baseball after West Point, it’s very unusual. After acceptance and enrollment, I understood that I was likely hanging up my MLB dream. Instead, a bizarre medical disqualification on the first day of summer training sent my West Point plan into a tailspin. With the fall semester beginning in 2 months, I had to find another opportunity – fast.

Thanks to many behind-the-scenes partners in the baseball world, I landed at the University of Oregon. Amidst shock and sadness, I found myself grateful for another Division 1 baseball opportunity.

After a disappointing freshman season, I received a phone call. Oregon pulled my scholarship. Determined to prove my value, I returned to campus for my sophomore year in the best physical shape of my life. But at the end of fall camp, my status worsened: I was 4th on the depth chart at the catcher position.

In an attempt to revive my career, I transferred to Orange Coast College – a junior college in Costa Mesa, California. To this day, it’s still the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. In a moment of daunting uncertainty, it was time to bet on myself.

Though originally skeptical of junior college, I loved my experience — competitive baseball, late-night LA Fitness workouts with teammates, and lots of Baskin Robbins. The risk paid off: I stayed healthy, played well, and earned my way back into D1 baseball. My new home — Mississippi State University.

After a couple of years of heartache and grit, I found myself in one of the most prestigious baseball programs in the country. This momentum catapulted me forward. After a breakout season and a First Team All-SEC honorable mention in 2016, I was drafted in the 20th round by the Los Angeles Angels. The same kid who was 4th on the depth chart a year earlier was now a professional baseball player.

In my sixth season of professional baseball, I finally got the call — I was headed to the major leagues to play alongside Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon. Though my time in the big leagues turned out to be short — one day, exactly — it was still perfect. However, I’m almost certain that it would not have been as sweet, rich, and fulfilling if the quest to get there had been easy.

Success is meaningless if not accompanied by an arduous road. The storied pilgrimage is what ultimately makes the mountain top glorious. Without pain, there is no fulfillment — without challenge, there is no reward.

We expect the moment of victory, the mountain top, the crossing of the red tape to plant a monumental stake in the ground: we’ve made it. Instead, what we find is that many of the things we’ve been chasing — once caught — are underwhelming. We expect a filet mignon, but receive a burger from the diner down the street.

Our interpretation of success has set us up for failure. It’s comically ironic considering that we’re addicted to a good story. We scour social media for the business that boomed amidst years of net loss or the athlete who persevered through multiple injuries to achieve a lifelong dream only to return to our own journey with disgust and contempt for our underachievement.

If our journey is tainted with the stench of impatience, we’re missing the crux of success.

There will come a day when your determination, effort, and courage will culminate in the greatest achievement of your life. You’ll spend countless nights fighting for the future you’ve dreamt of for so long. When you reach your mountain top, you’ll be filled with unmistakable joy and unparalleled pride.

And yet, someone will have the audacity to call your blood, sweat, and tears an overnight success.

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THE PROFILE DOSSIER: On Wednesday, premium members received The Profile Dossier,  a comprehensive deep-dive on a prominent individual. It featured Tory Burch, the fashion icon who built a billion-dollar brand. Become a premium member, and read it below.

The Profile

The Profile Dossier: Tory Burch, the Fashion Icon Who Built a Billion-Dollar Brand

The first time fashion mogul Tory Burch put on a dress was for her high school prom. Burch, the co-founder of the eponymous lifestyle brand, wasn't born into the world of fashion. On the contrary, she grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania with her three brothers. A self-described tomboy, Burch spent her childhood playing sports and hanging out with her sibli…

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PROFILES.

— The crown prince who has absolute power [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— Ukraine’s courageous wartime leader
— The neuroscientist who says reality is a hallucination
— The human rights lawyer who won’t back down
— The accidental multibillion-dollar powerhouse
— The social network re-inventing itself

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The crown prince who has absolute power: Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, is 36 years old and has led his country for almost five years. After Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered, the world began to see the crown prince as brutish, thin-skinned, and psychopathic. His father’s eventual death will leave him as the absolute monarch of the birthplace of Islam and the owner of the world’s largest accessible oil reserves. He will also be the leader of one of America’s closest allies and the source of many of its headaches. (The Atlantic)

“When he’s King Mohammed, Crown Prince MBS is going to be remembered as an angel.”

Ukraine’s courageous wartime leader: Volodymyr Zelensky was a comedian before he became Ukraine’s president in 2019. Although many said Zelensky has thin skin, he underwent a transformation as Russia began invading Ukraine. He not only rallied his own people to defend their nation, inspiring them to toss petrol bombs at Russian military vehicles and stand in the way of tanks. He also galvanized the world’s democracies in ways that seemed unthinkable just a week before. As one observer put it, “It’s as if Charlie Chaplin had morphed into Winston Churchill.” (TIME; reply to this email if you don’t have access to this article)

“The enemy has marked me as target No. 1. My family is target No. 2.”

The neuroscientist who says reality is a hallucination: Neuroscientist Anil Seth believes that reality is simply a hallucination we can all agree on. Our brains are constantly making and refining predictions about what we expect to see; in this way, we create our world. Seth points to the example of #TheDress, the viral photo of a dress that to some people appears gold-and-white, and to others as blue-and-black. After decades of research into the mysteries of consciousness, Seth has reached a radical conclusion – the way you see yourself and the world is a controlled hallucination. This one is fascinating. (The New Statesman)

“When the end of consciousness comes, there’s nothing to be afraid of – nothing at all.”

The human rights lawyer who won’t back down: Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney gets personally invested in the cases she works on. In this longform interview, she says, “I don’t agree with advice that I’ve been given over the years where people have said that you shouldn’t get too close to your clients. I do these cases because I believe in the clients.” Take a look at the progress she’s made working with clients like Yezidi survivor Nadia Murad and others. (TIME)

“Justice doesn’t just happen—you have to wage it; you have to bend the arc toward it.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The accidental multibillion-dollar powerhouse: Just over four years ago, Animoca Brands was struggling. Revenues at the tiny mobile game business had fallen 25% to $5.2 million, and its market cap was less than $6 million. Then, in 2017, co-founder Yat Siu stumbled across CryptoKitties, an early blockchain-based marketplace where users bought, sold and collected virtual pets. He caught the bug and made more than 150 NFT-related investments. Animoca Brands now has stakes in most of the world’s most successful NFT businesses, including OpenSea, Dapper Labs, and Sky Mavis. The company is now valued at an eye-popping $5.4 billion. (Forbes)

“Maybe we can even reshape how people think about classic forms of capitalism.”

The social network re-inventing itself: Since its inception, Twitter has remained a tightly controlled island on the internet that eventually drew in hundreds of millions of users. But now, the company is reversing course. Twitter executives now believe that decentralizing the social media service will radically shift online power, moving it into the hands of users, and pose a fundamental challenge to the walled gardens of companies like Facebook. Take a look inside the effort to build a so-called open protocol for social media. (The New York Times)

“If Bitcoin existed before Twitter existed, I think we’d see very different revenue models.”

✨ This installment of The Profile is free for everyone. If you would like to get full access to all of the recommendations, including today’s audio and video sections, sign up below.

AUDIO TO HEAR.

Tory Burch on pairing patience with explosive speed: When building a business, do you need patience or speed? Although the two may seem at odds with one another, fashion mogul Tory Burch has mastered the art of speeding forward while simultaneously showing watchful patience. In this wide-ranging conversation, she explains how she's done both. (Link available to premium members.)

Matthew Walker on how to master your sleep: Sleep expert Matthew Walker says each of us is walking around with a number. That number is what he refers to as our “sleep debt.” Every time we hit the snooze button, our bodies are telling us, “You need more sleep.” Listen to this fascinating episode and learn how to take control of the one thing that could genuinely change your life. (Link available to premium members.)

VIDEOS TO SEE.

Bobbi Brown on her entrepreneurial journey: Beauty icon Bobbi Brown is a true entrepreneur at heart. After founding and selling her eponymous brand, she spent 22 years in corporate America. When she left her job, she realized she still had ambitions to create something new. Since then, she’s founded wellness company Evolution_18 and organic makeup brand Jones Road. “A lot of people need to understand that it’s not just about how you look, but it’s about how you feel,” she says. “And if you feel good, you look better.” (Link available to premium members.)

Michael Larson on managing Bill Gates’s wealth: Michael Larson is Bill Gates’s money man. He’s the quiet, secretive investor who has overseen Gates’s sprawling fortune since 1994. In this mini-documentary, we learn how Larson has grown the wealth of one of the richest people in the world. (Link available to premium members.)