Why Momentum Beats Talent: How a Higher Slope Outpaces Any Head Start
Why momentum beats talent (every time)
Smart people often obsess over where they start:
“I’m behind.”
“She’s already way ahead.”
“He’s more talented, better connected, already crushing it.”
That thinking leads to hesitation.
Or worse, no movement at all.
But here’s the better mental model, straight from Naval Ravikant:
What matters most isn’t where you start but how fast you’re improving.
In math, this is called slope vs y-intercept.
The y-intercept is where the line starts.
The slope is how steep it climbs.
Imagine two people learning guitar.
One started at age 10 but barely practices.
The other picks it up at 35 and practices 30 focused minutes a day.
At first, the beginner sounds rough.
But after a few months? They’re playing full songs.
After a year? They’ve passed the person who’s been “playing” for 25.
Why? Because the first person had a head start, but the second person had slope.
→ You can start below average.
→ You can feel behind.
→ You can be unknown, underfunded, and unprepared.
But if your slope is higher - in other words, if you're improving faster - you’ll pass everyone eventually.
This isn’t just math. It’s how real-life compounding works.
Habits. Learning. Skills. Health. Wealth. Confidence. Relationships.
High slope? You win long-term.
Flat slope? You’re stuck no matter how “ahead” you feel.
Incremental but Consistent Gains
I wasn’t a natural at....well, much of anything.
Not productivity. Not communication. Not fitness. Definitely not discipline.
But at some point, I made a quiet commitment:
Get 1% better. Consistently.
I didn’t overhaul everything.
But over time, it got easier to do more.
I started tracking one habit.
→ Then added reflection.
→ Then carved out 20 minutes for deep work.
→ Then, I turned phone notifications off.
None of those things made me “talented.”
But they changed my slope.
And that compounded into growth.
3 Ways to Increase Your Daily Slope
Think of slope as your rate of improvement.
You can increase it through tiny, consistent shifts in how you learn, decide, and act.
Here are three micro-habits that create real slope:
1. End Your Day With the “Slope Review”
Every night, ask:
What improved today (even slightly)?
What could improve tomorrow?
What did I repeat that I want to keep?
This keeps the feedback loop alive.
Your brain starts optimizing without forcing it.
2. Shift from Outcome Goals to System Goals
Bad: “I want to lose 10 pounds.”
Better: “I want to become someone who trains daily and eats clean 80% of the time.”
Bad: “I want to write a book.”
Better: “I write for 20 minutes a day, no matter what.”
When your system is slope-focused, the outcomes take care of themselves.
3. Compare to Your Past, Not Someone Else’s Present
Your slope isn’t theirs.
Their 7-year overnight success? You’re on chapter one.
Track your rate of improvement.
And if it's inching up, you're winning.
Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast
Everyone loves the idea of exponential growth.
But they forget what it looks like up close:
Small. Invisible. Awkward. Repetitive. Slow.
It might feel counterintuitive in a world where you're tempted by
A four-hour workweek
7 minute abs
$100 million offers
5 minute journals
But the long game is one 1% at a time.
“Play long-term games with long-term people.”
(That includes the game you’re playing with yourself.)
So stop worrying about your starting line.
Raise your slope.
Let time do the rest.
Find your next edge,
Eli
