Unfair Advantage: The Secret Weapon You Didn't Know You Had

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When I was in 7th grade, I was an average student. I wasn't the fastest runner, the best artist, or the top of the class in math. But I had one thing, one thing that set me apart. I’ll explain that in a minute.

During computer class, I would finish the assignment 30 minutes before everyone else, that means I have 30 minutes to play Flash Games online (if you know, you know 😉) Our school was a little strict with their internet access, so they blocked all the mini-game sites, except for me. There was this proxy service (Hidemy*ss.com) that helped you access blocked websites. While some kids were playing the default Windows games like Solitaire, I was playing all the cool games till the class was over.

And that, my friend, was my unfair advantage. I had access to computer and internet at a young age, while a lot of kids didn’t (I grew up in a 3rd world country, not every household had a computer back then). I would spend hours and hours messing around with the computer, installing random pieces of software from the internet, got the computer infected by virus, then got yelled at by my dad lol. One time I deleted some files, and the computer bricked, had to stay up till 4 AM reinstalling the OS before my parents wake up.

Like me, you have your own unique strengths or “unfair advantages”. Find out what they are, and use them to your benefit. It will feel like you have a cheat code to life.

The secret weapons you have

There’s this framework called MILES (based on the book The Unfair Advantage)

It can help you identify your unfair advantages

1. Money

Wealth can provide access to resources and opportunities that others may not have.

For example, having wealthy parents who can invest in your startup. Or how my family was able to afford a computer, that gave me early exposure to it.

2. Intelligence and Insight

Innate or developed intelligence can be an unfair advantage.

For example, the Collison brothers, founders of Stripe, it became a multi-billion dollar payments processing company before either of them had turned 22. One of them invented his own programming language when he was 16, he even left high school a year early to enroll at MIT. Of course, they put a lot of hard work and effort into it, but it’s fair to say the Collison brothers’ intelligence was some sort of unfair advantage

Like how Asians are good at Math, isn’t that an unfair advantage 😆 

3. Location and Luck

Being in the right place at the right time can be a significant advantage.

For example, businesses in Silicon Valley have access to a unique network of VCs and resources. Luck can also play a role, but it's often a result of taking action and creating opportunities.

I’d say I was pretty lucky because I found my current job at a startup by being in the right Discord server, and DMed the right guy 🤷‍♂️

4. Education and Expertise

Having a good education or specific expertise can be an unfair advantage. However, the value of education is shifting from formal qualifications to self-learning and developing expertise.

That’s brought us to today’s sponsor - Skillshare, just kidding.

But for real, if you feel like you can’t afford to go to college, you can still learn all kinds of valuable skills online (Yes, you can make a lot of money type of skills). You don’t need that piece of paper called a degree anymore.

I was able to learn how to code online, I paid $12 for a Udemy course to get started. A lot of knowledge is free all over the internet, even if it costs money, it will be a fraction of the college tuition.

5. Status

High status can provide an unfair advantage. Elon Musk’s status in the world is so high right now that if he starts any new company, it’s guaranteed to be successful in some way or at least everyone’s going to hear about it.

But, we can develop inner status, such as confidence and self-esteem, they can help us even if we don’t have the outward status of people like Elon.

Okay my friend, YOU have your own set of unfair advantages, so go out there identify them, and leverage them.

TL;DR

1/ Money

2/ Intelligence and Insight

3/ Location and Luck

4/ Education and Expertise

5/ Status

Alright, I’m going to increase my unfair advantage of Expertise by writing more articles like this, and deep dive into the world of copywriting. Follow my journey daily on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Justin “good at math” Nguyen

P.S: It's not about focusing on the negatives, it's about knowing the realities and leveraging the unfair advantages that we do have to help us live our best lives.

P.P.S.: If you're diggin' my newsletter, why not share it with your friends? We can spread the inspiration and help more people break free from the shadows and live their best lives.

Appreciate you being part of the journey!