Hacks to finish the year strong

 Ten great hacks 

1. When you sign up for anything online, put the website’s name as your middle name. That way when you receive spam/advert email, you will know who sold your information.
2. If you're on a first date and aren't connecting with the other person or feel they're dull, ask them what job they'd choose if money wasn't an issue. It initiates a talk about one's passions, which are rarely dull and are simple to connect.
3. If you want to be an effective communicators, let others talking about themselves and their interests
4. Do not try to be the man your father would want you to be. Be the man you would like your son to be be. It more clearly defines your own convictions, desires, goals, and motivates you to be your best.
5. Pay Attention to the smell of your home when you come back from a trip - that's what it smells like to guests all the time, you just get used to it.
6. When a friend is upset, ask them one simple question before saying anything else: 'Do you want to talk about it or do you want to be distracted from it?'
7. No matter how much your workplace pushes "team building" and "family culture" - remember, they're not your friends and it's still a workplace.
8. If you’re stuck on an annoying call, put your phone on airplane mode instead of just hanging up. The other person will see “call failed” instead of “call ended”.
9. If you want to learn a new language, figure out the 100 most frequently used words and start with them. Those words make up about 50% of everyday speech, and should be a very solid basis.

To people who walked out and it's amazing

 Stop holding onto people, just because you have a history together.

Accept people as they are, but place them where they belong.

The day you let go of the people you've been pointlessly holding onto, is the day your life gets a whole lot better.

Sometimes growth requires new company, new friends and new mindsets.

Some disconnections will bless your life.

Sometimes you block your own blessings, by telling everyone your business.

A lot of people become unattractive, once you find out how they think.

Most people will show you who they really are by mistake. 

Pay close attention

Your greatest test will be how you handle people who mishandle you

Live instead in a world of yes-anyway

 You don't have to remove all of your flaws and insecurities in order to succeed. You just have to accept them and move forward anyway.

   
I had major doubts about my writing talent and worthiness. I was hyper self-conscious about my shortness and big nose. Yet despite feeling like not enough, I still made steps toward my dreams. Even though they were timid, self-doubting steps.

     
So the message I want to share is: A lot of people live in a world of if-then.

  
Such as:

  
If I can fix this problem, then I can pursue my dream.

  
Or

  
If I can get this certain amount of money, then I can do this thing I've always wanted to.

  
What I want to tell you today is: Don't wait.

    
Live instead in a world of yes-anyway.

  
Yes I have this problem right now, and I will pursue my dream anyway.

  
Yes, I only have this much money, but I'm going to find a way to do this thing I've always wanted to do anyway.

  
Of course, we can simultaneously work on our inner issues and our financial issues as we move forward in life.

  
But  there are so many people who exist in a constant state of if-then. And as soon as they deal with one if, another if  presents itself. And consequently they never get to pursue their passion, their dream, their life wish list.  

   
So, if there’s somewhere in your life where you’re doubting yourself, I hope today’s story helps you remember…  

  
That’s totally normal. Even to be expected. And you may never feel 100% ready or certain.  

  
Whatever the “next step” is for you right now, you’re probably far more ready for it than you realize.  

  
And in many years, after moving forward with your dreams anyway, I hope you’ll look back on where you are today and have the same feeling of awe and gratitude for how far you’ve come.   

   
Because there's nothing better than working on your outer life and your inner life simultaneously...

  
...until one day they meet in the middle at a beautiful place called congruence.

  
Yes you're imperfect, but heck, do it anyway

Become fearless

“Sounds awesome. But how do I do that?”

Simple—here are your instructions:

• Pack your bag.
• Fly to South East Asia.
• Stay there until you run out of money.
• Run out of money.
• Get a job or find a way to make a tiny amount of money.
• Live on the bare minimum—eat only rice, live in a shitty house.
• Realise you can fend for yourself and that you don’t actually need a lot to survive in this world.

All of this is about experiencing your worst case scenario.

Doing this will give you the freedom and the confidence to try anything—because you know you’ll be okay.

Whatever happens, even if you lose everything, you know you can fend for yourself and survive.

This is what Elon Musk did in his early days.

He wanted to move to America but was scared about not getting a job—yes, Elon Musk was scared about not getting a job.

So, he decided to live on $1 a day. He ate nothing but oranges, hotdogs and pasta.

He figured it’s pretty easy to find $30 a month so he’d probably be okay.

That gave him the confidence to move.

He practiced poverty.

Voluntary poverty can liberate you.

You can pursue anything you want to do in life without fear—because you’ve already experienced your worst case scenario.

Go and become fearless!

What exactly is an optimist?

  According to the dictionary:

1. a person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something.

"only an eternal optimist could expect success"

2. a person who believes that this world is the best of all possible worlds or that good must ultimately prevail over evil.

Being an optimist doesn't mean you can't have frustrating moments or feel down sometimes.  

What it does mean is that you can see past the doom and gloom with the expectation of brighter moments and days ahead

Career lessons

 Career lessons

1. Slow down big decisions, speed up the rest. I’m not the first to say this, but boy it’s correct.
2. Wait and find a truly great co-founder. I’ve done so, so much better when I had a great co-founder. But when I’ve had one that wasn’t as committed … that led to mediocre outcomes. At best. And a lot of pain. No matter how smart they were.
3. Make your first customers wildly successful. They teach you how to make the next 10, 50, 100 wildly successful, too. Your first customers are your future. You will get more just like them.
4. Power laws are real. If your startup is worth $20m today, it can be worth $100m in a few years, and maybe, $1000m a few years after that. Value, brands and revenue compound.
5. Don’t worry as much about the competition. They can maim you, but they rarely can kill you. Especially if you are growing at even a half-decent rate.
6. Go all-in. If you don’t commit 100%, you’ll never maximize the success.
7. A great team is a family. Few things are more special than having a great team at a start-up. Family members will leave and go on to other great thiings. But you’ll be a family for decades.
8. Being on the journey makes you relevant. If you sell your startup, you’ll see that no matter how much money you make, you start to feel … less relevant afterwards. Not everyone, but most of us as founders. A great journey gives you purpose and relevance.
9. 90% transparency is about right. You can’t share every single issue, every drama. That’s too much. But about 90% transparency is good. The team can take it, and will appreciate it. Don’t share everything. But hide less.
10. Time is the ally of the committed. If you are willing to work not just harder, but for longer than the rest — you probably won’t fail. You won’t let the tough times, that terrible year, kill you. You’ll push on. And you’ll stay in the game long enough for those power laws to finally kick in.