How to Think Like a Mad Genius, Sell Like a Rock Star, and Get Luckier Without Even Trying

“Going from a Japanese toilet back to a regular one feels like going from a normal toilet to squatting over a dented metal bucket in some back alley lockup.” — Rory Sutherland

Some ideas? They slap you in the face. They sit in your brain like a song you didn’t ask to hear but can’t stop humming.

And once they land, they don’t leave.

This is a list of those ideas — the kind that change how you sell, how you think, and how you make things people actually want.

1. Why Selling Is Just Messing With People’s Heads (In a Good Way)

So, there’s this brand called Liquid Death. And, well, it’s water. In a can.

But they make millions selling it like it’s the official drink of rebellious misfits and punk rock funerals.

What’s going on here?

• Slap a weird name on something and it gets attention. If you’d called it “Alpine Mountain Water,” no one would care.

• How it looks changes how it tastes. A dented plastic bottle feels cheap, but crack open a cold can with a skull on it, and suddenly, it’s the nectar of the gods.

• People buy things that make them feel like a different person. Drink this, and you’re not just hydrating — you’re flipping off society while doing it.

Steal This Trick

• Call your product something that makes zero sense at first glance.

• Make it look like something you’re not supposed to have (or shouldn’t be enjoying that much).

• Sell the attitude, not just the thing. No one’s buying “sparkling water” — they’re buying a feeling.

2. People Don’t Want “The Best” — They Just Don’t Want To Screw Up

Here’s the truth: people don’t walk into a store hunting for the single most amazing product ever made.

They just don’t want to regret what they buy.

Example:

Ever noticed how folks will happily pay extra for a Samsung TV when they have no idea why? It’s not because they love Samsung. It’s because they know it won’t suck.

Use This to Your Advantage

• Make your brand the one that people trust to be “not a disaster.”

• Show that other people already picked you. Reviews. Testimonials. Logos from big companies. All of it.

• If you’re unknown, borrow someone else’s trust. A famous person. A respected company. A publication people actually read.

3. How to Make Something Feel More Expensive Without Changing the Product

Ever wonder why watching YouTube on your phone feels kinda cheap, but watching the same video on your big-screen TV suddenly feels high-end?

Or why drinking the same water from a can instead of a plastic bottle makes it taste better?

Or why first-class airplane seat reviews are weirdly addictive even though the actual seat isn’t that much better?

That’s your brain messing with you.

How to Use This Trick

• Make the experience of using your thing feel premium.

• Change the way it’s presented — packaging, sound, lighting, the “ritual” of opening it.

• Get people to talk about the experience, not the thing itself. A boring product with a cool ritual? Suddenly interesting.

4. The Dumbest Reason a Business Fails: The Protein Pancake Problem

You know when people take two good things and smash them together, thinking they’ll get something even better — but instead, they ruin both?

Yeah, that happens in business a lot.

Like This:

• Protein? Good.

• Pancakes? Good.

• Protein pancakes? Dry rubbery sadness on a plate.

🔥 The big mistake: Thinking that just because two things are great separately, they’ll be great together.

Another Example: Sky Glass TV

• Wanted to combine a TV with a streaming service.

• The TV wasn’t great.

• The software was slow.

• Now it’s collecting dust somewhere.

Don’t Do This:

• If two things work fine on their own, don’t mash them together unless it actually improves both.

• Ask yourself: Would people still want this if they could get each part separately?

• Keep things simple. No one asked for a smart fridge that tweets.

5. Luck Isn’t Magic — It’s Just Exposure Therapy for Opportunity

People who seem lucky? They’re just around more possibilities.

🎲 Here’s the formula:

• If you’re under 30, say yes to weird, random stuff — new places, new people, new projects.

• If you’re over 40, go deep on something specific — become the best at a niche thing.

• If you want to “get lucky,” hang out in more places where lucky breaks happen.

6. The “Life Feels Like It’s Over” Phase (That’s Totally Normal)

Ever notice that people in their early 40s seem kind of miserable?

Yeah. It’s real.

• Men, in particular, hit their lowest happiness levels between 40–45.

• After that? It actually gets better.

Why?

• At 40, you realize some things just aren’t happening — that dream job, that perfect six-pack, that band you were definitely gonna start.

• But then, at some point, you stop caring about impressing people you don’t even like.

• Happiness starts creeping back up.

✅ Takeaway: If you’re between 40–45 and life feels like a disaster, don’t worry — it’s just a phase.

7. The Next Big Thing Will Probably Talk Back

People hate voice assistants. Mostly because they suck.

But the thing that’s changing? AI that actually understands you.

Why This Matters:

• People don’t want to search for answers. They just want the answer.

• Once AI stops being dumb, talking will replace typing for a lot of things.

• Most businesses are still thinking about marketing for screens — but what happens when screens become less important?

🚀 What to Do Now:

• Start using AI tools before you get left behind.

• Think about how your business fits into a world where people ask questions instead of clicking links.

• Watch for voice tech actually getting useful — because when it does, things will shift fast.

The Most Useful Idea in This Whole Article

You can spot a bad thinker by how often they blame different problems on the same thing.

📌 Dumb thinking sounds like:

• “Social media ruined everything.”

• “Capitalism is why things are bad.”

• “It’s all [insert one word cause].”

✅ Smarter thinking sounds like:

• “What else is influencing this?”

• “Are we even looking at the right problem?”

• “Is this just a pattern we think we see?”

So, yeah. If you want to think better, ask better questions.

Your Cheat Sheet for Actually Using This Stuff

✅ Selling: Weird names and packaging that mess with people’s heads? Good idea.
✅ Branding: Be the choice people make when they don’t want to risk failure.
✅ Experience: How something feels is more important than how it actually is.
✅ Business models: If two things work separately, don’t assume they’ll work better together.
✅ Luck: More random encounters = more chances to win.
✅ AI: Get ready for voice to matter more than screens.