Only by being seen can one have the chance to perform; only by being chosen by opportunity can one know what to do.
When you have nothing going for you, where do you start? You nitpick. You tell everyone what’s wrong and what isn’t. Playing devil’s advocate isn’t about contrarianism—it’s about getting noticed, caught by your boss. Because being seen opens the door to proving yourself; it’s only when opportunity finds you that you figure out what to actually do.
People don’t build meaningful experience by blindly plugging away in isolation. You only learn what builds real momentum once an opportunity actually lands in your lap.
Think about it: what does someone far more powerful and wealthy than you—what we call a “benefactor”—get out of associating with you?
Does your value make sense to them? Can you provide emotional value, making them feel at ease around you? Can you offer loyalty, lowering the cost of trusting you? Or do you possess a unique talent that’s genuinely useful to them?
