The real me isn't the person I describe, no the real me is the me revealed by my actions. - Malcolm Gladwell

"In epidemics, the messenger matters: messengers are what make something spread. But the content of the message matters too. And the specific quality that a message needs to be successful is the quality of "stickiness.

It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success. It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention. And it’s the biggest nine-and ten-year-olds who get the most coaching and practice. Success is the result of what sociologists like to call “accumulative advantage.

Criticism is a privilege that you earn — it shouldn’t be your opening move in an interaction…