Reading Skin in the Game burned through a few of my own blind spots. Taleb talks about a simple rule: if someone doesn’t bear the consequences of their own opinions, don’t take them seriously. It sounds obvious. But it made me look back and realize how much guidance I’d accepted from people who had nothing to lose if I failed.

It also made me turn the lens on myself. It made me notice how often I talk like they’ve got it all figured out—especially when it’s not their problem. I’ve done it too. Said things that sounded smart, felt useful, but didn’t really cost me anything.

This book made me tighten the screws on my own work. I question more. I speak less. And when I do offer something, I ask myself one thing: would I bet on this if the stakes were mine? If the fallout was mine too?

Sometimes the answer is no. And that’s been useful to know. Because in the end, advice without skin in the game is just opinion in a nice suit.