"The concept of always being reachable makes us present nowhere." This was as true then as it is now when I read this some years ago.

Tools such as television and radio facilitate the rapid dissemination of information to large audiences, but also foster a culture of passive consumption. On the other hand, the internet allows for more active participation in communication, but the proliferation of messaging apps can lead to an overwhelming amount of content and a constant urge to keep up, often at the expense of thoughtful engagement.

Intent in communication is lost when it's real time and always on. When FOMO(Fear of Missing Out) drives your actions, you compete with your self on what gets a "reaction" vs what needs a "response". Think about it, you are conditioning your self to be immediate by foregoing being intentional. How can you do that?

#1: Don't let those pesky notifications and messages push your buttons.

Cut back on my time spent on email, Facebook, Twitter and the like. And before hitting that reply button, ask your self: "What's the end goal here? Is responding the best option or is there a better way to communicate?" Or is it ok to Pass..?

#2: Practice the art of non-judgment.

In life, in business in any thing at all really, t's all too easy to fall into the trap of being the resident judge and jury. But let's be real, judgmental communication isn't exactly a recipe for success. This year, challenge yourself to bring a more curious mindset to every interaction and to frequently ask "Why?", "How?", and "Could you tell me more?" vs thinking "I already know this".

#3: Keep the end goal in mind.

All the time and energy saved from reducing email and messaging will help you focus on connecting the dots. And when you do share ideas, they'll be backed by a solid "why" and a clear call to action. Just like a good game of connect the dots, except instead of a cute animal, we're creating a successful business. Let that be your driver.

Outcomes

Do we really control our outcomes? Are we rational beings? I have been grappling with this for a while. Because on the one hand yes, it feels like the choice is ours, in any decision we take, we can drive outcomes. But at 2am when you are hungry and food can trigger irrational emotions to consuming dis proportionate amounts of food, are we really in control? Do we even have free will? Does free will decide our outcomes. Is free will = will power. If you are not careful can you really mess up your outcomes?

Do you think about this? How often? This thought was triggered as I read this thread, but most of all as I made it to the end of the thread.

Does education make us rational? Does high will-power have a co relation with being successful? Does any of this even matter? In some ways it does, we are in control of our outcomes when we want to be vs when we need to be. We may need to control our outcomes many times in life, but they rarely change till we want them to. Control/manage/regulate/pay-attention to your want, when you do, good things happen.

One New Thing (that I learnt some yrs ago)

The concept of self talk. No not talking to your self, but yes in some ways. It means what it sounds like.

One thing that many people may not realize but has a significant impact on their life outcomes is the power of self-talk. Self-talk refers to the inner dialogue that we have with ourselves, and it can have a big influence on our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Research has shown that negative self-talk, such as constantly criticizing oneself or focusing on negative thoughts, can lead to negative outcomes such as lower self-esteem, increased stress, and difficulty achieving goals. On the other hand, positive self-talk, such as expressing gratitude, setting positive intentions, and focusing on one's strengths, can lead to positive outcomes such as improved mood, greater motivation, and better performance.

It is important to be aware of one's self-talk and to try to monitor and change it when it becomes negative. Some ways to do this include:

By being aware of one's self-talk and making a conscious effort to change it, we can have a great impact on out life outcomes and improve their mental and emotional well-being. It starts with valuing your self, leading to better outcomes when you do.

Boring Stuff that Scales

2 Decades of work has taught me one thing for sure. Focus on the boring, the highest returns comes from things that, although may not be exciting, can have a great impact on one's life outcomes: Heres my Top 5 Boring list for you to own, re-use, distribute, learn from and embrace.

1. Consistently learning and self-improvement: Investing time and effort in learning new skills, knowledge, and abilities can greatly improve one's employability and earning potential.(Ive gone from Anti-Money Laundering, to Software, to Ad-Tech, to Media to 3PL across geographies and cultures) Self improvement scales every time.

2. Building and maintaining a strong network: Establishing and nurturing relationships with people in different fields and industries can open up new opportunities and provide valuable resources and support. Be shameless in helping people, but wait to cash in the chips, the way to operationalize this is, be the first person some one thinks of when they are looking for a "solution". Be it in life, work, or some where in the middle, being "recalled" by people in "need" helps you build a 5* rating in your network.

3. Building a strong work ethic: Consistently showing up on time, completing tasks to the best of one's ability, and taking initiative can lead to promotions and other opportunities.(If you aren't around, you are not profound, not 24/7 but when assigned to some thing, make sure you ffing show up)

4. Staying organized: Keeping track of appointments, deadlines, and tasks can help to manage time and energy more efficiently, leading to better productivity and outcomes. If you cant get this right in your 20s, you will continue f this up for the rest of your life. Fix this and your outcomes will scale greatly.

5. Staying healthy: Taking care of one's physical and mental health can greatly improve one's overall well-being, leading to better performance in all areas of life.

It's important to remember that while these things may not be as exciting as other activities, they are essential for building a strong foundation for success and can greatly scale one's outcomes in life over time. Start small but start today.

What you should be Watching/Listening to

Today we do a change of pace. Today you need to listen to a song, not any song, but a song that will teach you more about life, outcomes, doing things and understanding that life is a package delivered in increments of decades, live in the present, optimize for the future but execute with intention.

The lyrics are taken from a famous essay — written in 1997 by Mary Schmich, a columnist with the Chicago Tribune — which gives some amazing advice for life, article below:

Monetize your time

By allowing your self to find what it is you are good at, not what people expect you to do, by doing the things that you find challenging, vs things that people wish challenged you. There is a profound statement from the book "The Gardener & The Carpenter": We should tend to our children like we tend to a garden, offering support & nourishment & letting them take whatever shape they'll take. We're not building chairs.

Some if not most it applies to you: the young adult, the person in their 40s wanting to re start, the retired banker who wants a second chance in life, the mom with grown up kids, the first time dancer, the new grad. Essentially all of us. You can only ever monetize your time if you do not cast your self, or allow other to cast you in roles, themes, ideas and professions that make you uncomfortable.

Whether you are a parent or not, whether you are an established business leader or a first time founder. If there is one thing you need to read today is this. This ANTI-Advice will make sure you hit it out of the park.

Made in Pakistan

Icons of History, now forgotten. Pakistan was a major hub for global travel, way before I was born. But the stories led me down a rabbit hole to figure out what made it so attractive as a travel hub. Karachi was perhaps the modern day Dubai. Heres a look back as to what we got right and where we fumbled (Blog posts within the Twitter thread) and what it would take to get better outcomes by becoming a destination of choice for global travel.

One Last Thing

This hits hard. Do not live life on a deferred payment plan. Life's not BNPL, Burn Now Party Later. Live with intent, live in the present.