The Way of the Wall Street Warrior

CHAPTER 18Get the Last Word and Drop the Mic: Recency Bias at Work

When I was a kid and sassed back at my mother, she'd yell back, “Why do you always have to have the last word?!” I'd never leave an argument without declaring victory—even on my way to a time-out. I'm glad I did because it made me the man I am today. I made sure I'd always be remembered as a deal-making god by getting in the last word and dropping the mic.

Nobel Prize–Winning Shit

Nobel Prizes are given for bestowing upon humanity the greatest contributions to science, literature, and peace. But have you ever wondered who was its creator, Alfred Nobel? He created weapons and was the wartime equivalent of a crack dealer. But you know why we don't dwell on that? First, like many old rich people, he decided to turn a new leaf toward the end of his life to atone for his sins, and second, he made sure history remembered him not for the source of his stash cash, but rather for what he did with it. He didn't want to be remembered as the brainiac who invented dynamite, made piles of dough selling arms, and was left off the tree-hugging community's holiday card list. So what did he do? He gave his money to create the Nobel Prizes and, in effect, rewrote his own history. Ask anyone today what comes to mind when they hear the name Nobel and I guarantee you they think of peace, love, and harmony, not blasted limbs and exploded torsos.

So why am I giving you this gory detail? It's because the tip I'm going to cover in ...