Guy Reams (00:00.514)
Day 183, training unicorns. There's something intoxicating about the idea of a rare breakthrough, the kind that erupts overnight. In business, investing, entrepreneurship, even creative work, people are constantly looking for the one thing that will change everything. We've come to call this elusive prize a unicorn. The problem is unicorns aren't real, not in the way we want them to be. They're more story than substance.
and the pursuit of them is often distracting from the steady quiet work that actually builds something worthwhile. Most enduring success doesn't arrive with fanfare. It doesn't come from being betting on a fantasy. It comes from the slow, careful raising of good stock, well-bred horses that are trained, cared for, and run with purpose. The well-bred horse wins for many reasons. First, it's a good foundation.
The strong horse comes from a strong line. The same goes for ideas, teams, and systems. When you start with character, clarity, and a proven structure, you can build something that actually lasts. Second, horses are built to last. The unicorn looks fast out of the gate, but it's always the well-trained horse that finishes the race over and over again. Longevity matters more than flashes of brilliance. Third, you can actually train a horse. You can shape a horse, guide it, improve it over time.
A unicorn is unpredictable by nature. It either works or it doesn't. That's not a strategy. We actually call that gambling. Fourth, progress with raising horses compounds. A good horse gets better every day. Small improvements stack. Eventually, they gain momentum. That kind of steady progress always outperforms a sudden lucky streak. Fifth, raising horses is repeatable.
You can't breed unicorns, but you can build a stable full of dependable horses. Each one might not be spectacular on its own, but together they create real strength. That's how empires are built, through systems and not surprises. Quiet work always seems to win. It's tempting to chase what looks extraordinary, but the people who actually get there, the ones who build, grow, endure, usually aren't chasing anything at all.
Guy Reams (02:27.075)
They're raising good horses. They're sticking to the process. They're staying in the saddle, so to speak. They may not get noticed at first, but they're the ones still running when all the dust settles. So perhaps we should forget the myth and actually start training horses.