Always Eat Left Handed by Rohit Bhargava

These are my personal notes that I have taken from reading Always Eat Left Handed: 15 Surprisingly Simple Secrets Of Success. I only write down what I think I could possibly want to reference at some point in the future. This isn’t meant to be a Cliff Notes version or a substitute for reading the book.

Additional notes I’ve taken while reading other books can be found here.

Micro solutions are tiny lessons, fixes or “life hacks” that change small parts of your daily routine or help you overcome challenges. Any one of them may only have a small effect on your life, but collectively, they can make the difference between winning and losing.

For example, eating left handed (so he didn’t have to clean off his hand while eating to shake hands) at a networking event made Rohit Bhargava (the author) more approachable at networking events. A small change to eating left handed led to a shift in making deeper connections with fewer people at networking events.

Play the Cello

Lesson: Acquire “useless” knowledge

Emily Trask was able to land the role of Viola in 12th Night at the Folger Shakespeare Theater because she could play the cello (what seems like a fairly useless skill) despite having limited acting experience.

How to acquire more useless knowledge

• Ask more questions
• Buy unfamiliar magazines
• Watch documentary films

Overlap Your Legos

Lesson: Be a Connector

Overlapping legos is the key to building a tower (instead of just stacking legos on top of one another).

Connectors are the human equivalent of overlapping legos. They believe success is less about who you know and more about who knows you.

How to become a connector

• Think like a matchmaker
• Solve problems with introductions (one of the best ways to make powerful connections is to think of yourself in every moment as a problem solver)
• Get out of the way (sometimes the best connections require only an introduction and nothing more)

Wear Jeans

Lesson: Prepare for Serendipity

Wearing jeans (at an ad agency) led to feeling more comfortable and free and thus able to think differently / not feel the need to schedule meetings for every interaction.

“Doctor’s Coat Effect”: Students who believed they were wearing a doctor’s coat exhibited a heightened sense of attention than those who believed they were not. The clothes you wear affect your ability to feel more/less confident - it also has an impact on how other people see you and choose to interact with you.

How to create more serendipity

• Show your approachability
• Dress for the situation, not the code
• Find a way to share your personality

Avoid Cauliflower

Lesson: Have a Point of View

Having a point of view means you don’t have to pretend to like everything. It gives you something you can argue for. It may not be something that everyone around you agrees with, but having a strong rationale for why you believe it and sharing it with others is critical to winning respect.

How to have a point of view

• Don’t memorize facts
• Learn to separate belief from fact
• Take an Unpopular position

Build a Bookshelf

Lesson: Overspend on Yourself

Investing in yourself needs to be a life long philosophy.

How to overspend on yourself

• Go Beyond Superficial (spend on learning and development, not haircuts or shoes)
• Invest in Experiences
• Build your bookshelf (this includes learning moments and experiences - adopt the mindset of a collector who uses the combination of experiences and interactions to get smarter and build the right foundation for success).

Take the Window Seat

Lesson: Control Your Own Destiny

Window seat puts you in control of your experience when flying.

How to control your own destiny

• Choose to lead instead of follow.
• Pay attention to symbolic choices (the more tiny yet symbolic choices you can see around you, the more likely you are to make them deliberately).
• Walk away

Use a Sharpie

Lesson: Simplify Everything

Thick sharpie + limited space on a post it note = having to choose your words carefully

How to simplify everything

• Beware the curse of knowledge (we start to forget what it’s like not to know what we know)
• Use drawings / visualizations to help explain problems
• Use plain language

Keep It Emotional

Lesson: Tell Better Stories

We all make decisions based on emotion far more than logic. Use stories to create emotional connections. That’s how history was told and recorded for thousands of years. Only recently have we started to believe that bullet points and logical descriptions are enough to compel people to buy or believe in something.

How to tell better stories

• Show don’t tell
• Make it personal
• Offer some context

Interrupt Often

Lesson: Be an active listener

The real skill is active listening - requiring you to ask questions while listening: digging deeper, reflecting on your own experiences to push the conversation further. Most importantly, it includes something you were taught not to do as a child - interrupt.

How to be an active listener

• Dig for detail
• Use reflecting phrases (what I heard you say was… The thing I found most interesting about that was…) = Ask “story questions” (open ended questions that inspire someone to share a story with you instead of responding with a simple yes or no)

Ignore Job Descriptions

Lesson: Deliver what they don’t ask for

Job descriptions are limiting. No one ever hired someone hoping they would only do what is listed in the job description. A job description isn’t a finish line - it’s a starting line.

Satisfied customers got what they expected - their expectations were met. They may or may not tell someone else about their experience. You want to delight them - deliver above what they were asking for / expecting.

How to deliver what they don’t ask for

• Understand the real need
• Make it better
• Rewrite the job description

Be forgetful

Lesson: Get Over It

Get over failures and grudges quickly.

How to be forgetful

• Don’t mention it
• Start pedaling
• Be low maintenance

Never Serve Burnt Toast

Lesson: Have integrity when no one is looking

Flipping toast over when it comes out “extra crispy” is a common trick at restaurants, so the better looking side is always presented first. Most people don’t know the difference. Until one guest did and sent it back. It would have taken an extra five seconds to get that part of the meal right. Not only did he lose a good tip on the meal, he missed a chance to deliver a message to the guest. And a chance to do what was right versus what was easy. The real job of a waiter is to delight a guest, not flip over burnt toast

How many times in our lives do we get the chance to take the easy way out?

How to have integrity

• Share the unexpected truth
• Follow your instincts (remember what your mom taught you… what you learned in kindergarten actually does apply when it comes to integrity)
• Put your name on it

Lose Your Watch

Lesson: Be in time instead of on time

Being “in time” versus “on time” is all about the moment - you need to pay attention to what is happening around you and identify moments of opportunity.

How to be “in time” instead of “on time”

• Understand what is urgent
• Be in the moment
• Learn skills “just in time”

Let Ideas Travel

Lesson: Share the Credit

Letting ideas travel starts with a philosophy of unselfishness because it can sometimes be hard to see your ideas taken and used by others.

How to let your ideas travel

• Embrace your first followers
• Make participation easy
• Accept remixing

Walk in High Heels

Lesson: Learn Empathy

Once a man actually walks a mile in high heels, it is hard to forget that experience.

How to learn empathy

• Imagine a crazy backstory
• Spot unintentional incentives
• Ask about emotions