PMA Positive Mental Attitude

A wonderful article on page 9 of the December 5, 2006 Financial Times newspaper recounts author James Altucher conversation with venture capitalist John Pappajohn. Altucher is 39 and contrasts depressing examples of items he recently was exposed to in the worlds of professional baseball, chess, and financial trading. In all cases, the industry literature or friends cited shockingly lower and lower ages for practitioners considered in their "prime." Joe DiMaggio was "breaking down" at 34; Boris Gelfand is an "oldtimer" at 37 on a list of predominantly younger chess stars; a trader is hired by the seat of his pants at 29 by a firm that doesn't hire over 30s.

This article immediately reminded me of my friend ^ and our interactions since 2000. We both shared uncertainty post high school and fretted over being "behind" peers of our age group who had already decisively gone onto graduate schools or employment at famous companies. ^ got over this sooner than I and began to staunchly believe it was still possible for us laggards to make something of ourselves, no matter how old. I admired her as she stuck with a dead-end job at an unprofessional firm yet continued to believe. Of course, she still got massively discouraged at times, but ^ could always call me for shared chats, analysis, and agreed renewals. So, even though ^ was not perfectly productive all the time, several years later, she has obtained a new position at a big and famous firm that's not under the table and includes health insurance! Her attitude eventually worked and she got this position even though she didn't have perfect grades, wasn't an overachiever at an ivy league school, graduated after 22, and didn't go into the workforce immediately afterward.

Altucher is also encouraged after calling John Pappajohn. We learn that Pappajohn was 41 in 1969 when he started his new heatlhcare venture capitalist career, after being rebuffed by Warren Buffett and right before interest rates went to 16 percent--certainly not "good timing" for becoming a VC!!! However, he and his wife continued with their "PMA--positive mental attitude," and have returned 60 percent annually since then starting over 50 companies.

There is more information about John Pappajohn at his website. What an uplifting individual to think about--very useful for those of us who get caught up in worry that we haven't got it perfect early enough. Pappajohn was 41 when he started and ^ and I are 27! Combined with increasing life expectancy, we could be fine, but we must defend, maintain, develop, and grow that Positive Mental Attitude!


The photo above is a sculpture of a thinking hare a la Rodin by Barry Flanagan. Pappajohn and his wife donated this statue to the Smithsonian. I wonder if the hare is summoning up his PMA to continue on despire the discouragement so he can go on to great things!