Inside Out.

The outside world is tough to understand. Seth Godin, though, helps us see the map and compass brilliantly. "This is Strategy" teaches us how systems, games, empathy and time engage with each other to make things happen. And "This is Marketing" teaches how empathy, tension, status

With a broken toe.

You can't climb Mt. Everest with a broken toe. The first task is to fix the toe. Then train to climb your Everest. Not the other way around.

Vague promises...

...are not promises. By keeping it vague, we feel that we are off the hook if we break it. We can always say, "I never said that." But why then make the promise in the first place? Becoming someone who keeps his/her promises is the best gift

Simple rules.

When sleepy, sleep. When hungry, eat. When tired, rest. When energetic, create. Start listening to the body. And the body will listen to you.

4 hours a day, 4 days a week.

[This is something that's working well with me. So I think it might help you too.] Let's start with the problem... I have been struggling with this question for years now. How long does a professional work in a day? The industrial era has a straightforward

Your hour.

The world is always at it. Always needing your time and attention. The world won't stop, for sure. But can you find an hour for yourself? For something that brings you joy. Or brings you closer to what you desire, what you yearn for. An hour a day

Alien career strategy.

If an alien shows up... someone who magically gets all the skills that you have, all the experience, connections, and desires, what would you suggest it to do? What career options would you present to it? Why are you not pursuing those options?

But I already...

A trap of three words. It's easy to say "ignore sunk costs". It's easier still to show "opportunity costs". But if we are unable to let go of "but I already...", none of it matters. You can make choices based

Dropping balls.

How many balls did you drop? The answer is rarely - "too many to count". In most cases, it's almost zero. Another way to put it - not enough. The fear of dropping balls stops us from putting more balls in the air. No one comes to watch

May you...

You are meant to be at peace. May you be peaceful.

Down the rabbit hole.

Your curiosity will lead you there if you let it. And down and down it goes, till you get lost in Wonderland. For Michael Crichton, and then Spielberg, it was dinosaurs. For George R.R. Martin, it was the song of ice and fire. For JK Rowling, it was magic.

The 30-min project MBA

If you want to learn everything about projects in 30 minutes, here you go... projects · specs · ship dates · the hard part · decisions · leverage · tasks & chores · AI [All courtesy of seths.blog] Seth’s BlogSeth Godin’s Blog on marketing, tribes and respectSeth's Blog This is more wisdom

Pinky promise.

We make promises. And we keep them. That's the whole game. Which promises are you making? To whom? Are there too many to recall? Or too few? The hard part is not keeping the promises. It's in making them. It might help to say "pinky

The two-week test.

I don't like the word detox. It has gained a cultural connotation that takes away its real meaning. Let's reframe it as an experiment. Take one thing (or two) that might not be bringing joy to your life right now. It might be something you eat

Where do you start?

3 things - Have you slept enough? Have you eaten enough? Have you had enough water? If not, start there. Everything else will follow from there.

The selfish ask.

If your friend were in a similar situation, would you be happy that they asked you for help? How would it make you feel? Relationships are built when we are courageous enough to ask for help. And, of course, show up when it's asked for. The selfish ask

Creating magic.

All magic is nothing but concentrated energy. The sun is the ultimate one. A self-sustaining fusion reaction that generates concentrated energy consistently and lights up everything. A fruit is a more on-earth version. A plant brings together nutrients from soil, water, sunlight and other stuff to create this

The anxiety lie.

You do better when you are afraid. It's good to be anxious. It's hard to believe this when it's told to someone else. You wouldn't want your flight captain to fly in anxiety. But when anxiety whispers this to us, we believe

Who's it for? What's it for?

When we show up as a professional, whether we are doing work as a freelancer or building a product, there are two questions we need to answer before anything else. Who's it for? and What's it for? If we are unsure, we tend to answer them

Something wrong.

If you show up, if you raise your hand, if you make assertions, sooner or later, you'd make a mistake. Sooner or later, you'd do something wrong. Our mind gets fixated on the something wrong. And the eagerness to avoid it going forward. But... what about

Ten minutes of now.

The present is infinite, yes. But that creates its own challenge. When are we in the now? And when are we not? What if the now lasts 10 minutes? Start now. Take 10 minutes to breathe. Or do a task. Or just relax. Use a timer if possible. Slowly, we

Where do we start?

If we allow ourselves, we can start with peace & joy. We can make space for our anxiety and let it be, let it breathe. We can create a little space between us and the anxiety. Then we can look at the problem in front of us without anxiety leading

Emotional labour.

You show up at your desk. What do you do? One option is to see what's on your plate. Clear your inbox. Do the things that are pending. Ensure nothing is left undone. Great. What's next? What's tomorrow? New things show up in the

The unsure doctor.

That's a hard one to find - a doctor who isn't sure - who doesn't show up, who isn't sure she can help, who is trying to hide. Maybe it's the years of rigorous training. Maybe it comes with the coat and

Entropy is default.

Your cup of coffee will become cold if you leave it. Dust will settle on your desk if you don't use it. And your day will just pass if you let it. Entropy doesn't require effort. Making things better does. Dandelions spread their seeds at the