Seen and heard. That's what we need mostly. To feel seen and heard. And that's what's rare. What we can do is to show up in a way to make others feel seen and heard. And when we do it, we will realise that we feel seen
Doing one thing really well. That's the key to great products and services. Focus on doing one thing really well. If you can't say clearly what that one thing is, you probably don't have one. Great books do the same. Atomic Habits is about... habits. This is Strategy teaches.
Without the asset. Assets make our lives better. They keep providing value over time. But mostly they become invisible. They can be tangible like a vehicle or an effective tool, but the most valuable assets are relationships and trust. And the people with whom we build them. Would you realise if the asset
False agency. People who go to casinos to win think they are making choices, but most of their choices have been designed by default by the setup. Same goes with social media apps, streaming apps and food companies. The most dangerous games are the ones where we feel we have agency but
What I wish I knew earlier. Some books and concepts I wish I knew earlier. And I am grateful that I do now. The Art of Possibility & The Pathways to Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander & Ben Zander - These books teach us how to engage with possibility, how to move away from a fixed
No floor under the feet. My swimming coach took me to the deep end of the pool today. There was no floor under my feet, at least where I can stand and breathe. It was scary. What I realized is that having the floor under my feet was actually stopping me from learning how to
Asking for help. Asking for help is a generous act. Even though it might not feel like one in the moment. It creates connection and possibility. It allows the other person to show up and do something meaningful. It strengthens and compounds the relationship. We live in a culture where trying to do
Making space for emotions. The world asks us to control our emotions, to not be emotional, to be a professional. But being a professional doesn't mean suppressing our emotions. It means making space for them, ample space, for all the parts. This takes hard work, especially in a culture that fights us
People who care. Sometimes they show their care in ways we can see. Most times they do it in ways we don't even realise. The people who care make things better, they make everything better. It's worth overcoming the resistance and letting them know they matter.
Swimming goggles. My old swimming goggles were tedious. Water would go into them. Their fit was always off. It was a hassle. Luckily for me, they broke. And I had to buy a new pair. And when I swam with the new pair, I forgot about the googles altogether. I could simply
Rule number 6. An Excerpt From The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander & Ben Zander: Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him:
Getting beyond anxiety. Sharing few notes from Martha Beck that you might find helpful: * You are not in trouble. * You are meant to be at peace. * Anything that causes psychological suffering is an illusion. It's not the truth. It's anxiety. * There's something right with you. (in contrast
Really really... Martha Beck shared these two questions in her course based on the book Beyond Anxiety. When thinking of something you are procrastinating on, ask two questions: 1. Do I really really want to do this? 2. Do I really really have to do this? If the answer to both questions
Unoptimise. Optimisation can kill the magic. The magic of Starbucks was that you could go there and work without worrying about how long you sit. The magic of Apple was that they would take risks and make products that would delight you. With optimisation strategies, the magic is gone. What about
What if it... What if it doesn't work? This one question, and most times, a half-baked thought, stops us from taking risks and engaging with possibility. The status quo seems safe and predictable and it's easy to just stay with what's already there. The thing though is
Keep going. If you don't change direction, you may end up where you are heading. ~ Lao Tzu The first challenge is to get started. The other part, the more important one, is to stay on track, to keep going. To let go of detours and detractions. It feels tempting to
At the deadline. Deadlines are helpful. But relying on them isn't. If all you are doing every time is meeting the deadline, your work is not going to improve. And if it's not improving, it's simply getting worse. You don't learn at the deadline. You
Shared meals & happiness. Here's a post from Tim Ferriss that has stayed with me over time. This magic doesn't happen on its own. We need you to be the impresario, the coordinator, the one who raises her hand first, and invite us. Who would you invite? When can you
A gathering of chefs. No one worries about going hungry in a gathering of chefs. There is always more to eat, more to try, more to make. And because each chef gets inspired by the others, they keep pushing themselves more. There are chefs around you, people who give, who make things happen, who
Without stimuli. If your brain gets used to responding to stimuli all the time, you'd not be able to experience how it works in their absence. Find an hour a day where there is no notification, no email, no messages, no stimuli. Maybe, you sit with a notebook and pen,
Running on feeds Many internet businesses, Netflix, Instagram, Youtube, etc., they are all designed to make us run on feeds. They are not focussed on helping us become who we want to become or do what we want to do. They are designed to keep us there, to want more, to spend more
Something new. What's your reaction when you learn something new, something that shifts the way you think? It's unlikely that it is, "Oh yes, that makes sense. Let me change how I think!" Rather it would be something like, "This does not seem right. And
One thing at a time. it’s easier said than done but it’s makes you effective. Do you have breathing space between finishing one thing and starting the next?
The anxiety you choose. You can choose whether you want to put yourself in places that take you where you seek to go or where nothing happens. The thing is that both will bring anxiety. What we can do is to choose which anxiety we can become comfortable with. Only one moves us forward.
5 questions to ask... If you thinking of an idea, a startup or even a passion project, the following 5 questions can help you get clarity and move forward: 1. Who's this for? Who will your idea interact with? 2. When does it start? When does it end? 3. What's
