Entrepreneur, Author, Content Creator with 9M+ followers across platforms. I share this newsletter every Friday around personal growth, books, quotes, pictures - it is the most personal version of me online.
How do you create opportunities for yourself?
warikoo Wanderings
Welcome to yet another edition of Wanderings. In this edition, I talk about opportunities, productivity, my top books from 2020, share some quotes, results from last week's question and pose yet another question for all of you.
So let's get started!
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OPPORTUNITIES BY DESIGN, OR BY LUCK?
I had a catch up call with one of my mentees last week. He has been working on a startup idea around organic farming and we were discussing that on the call. He is in the research stage right now.
He mentioned that as part of his research, a lot of conversations hinted that while he can produce organic vegetables, he will find it hard to sell them because the local nexus is very strong and political.
He was dejected, because he had come to realize that this was true and it would indeed be really hard to break the nexus.
I, on the other hand, was thrilled that he had uncovered this. Because hey, we found this out BEFORE we actually started. This is precisely what the research phase is all about. It isn't about confirming what you believe it. Instead, it to test your hypothesis and see if it holds true or not.
And then I asked him an important question:
"Did you figure out this fact by luck or by design?"
He took some time to digest the question. Some more to answer it.
"It was by luck. I just happened to get to know this information."
Well, then, you were doing it wrong!
Let me break down how opportunities work
While we do not know which opportunity will work out for us and how, the creation of opportunities happens either by luck or by design.
Through our habits, through our actions, we either increase the probability of opportunities emerging, or they just randomly happen, in which case we do not really know how to replicate them.
For example, if you were to send a cold email to a different startup founder everyday, YOU WILL create opportunities by design.
If you were to smile and say hello to every stranger you met, YOU WILL create opportunities by design.
If you were to make a video once every week on something you are passionate about, YOU WILL create opportunities by design.
If you don't do any of this, then good things may still happen to you. But now it will be luck.
And luck by definition, cannot be defined.
I love thinking in 2x2 matrices, and here is a good way of thinking about this.
If opportunities happen by design, we find it MUCH easier to say no to them, if we have to, because we know how to generate them again. There is no regret.
However, when they happen by luck (a new job opportunity just happened, out of the blue) saying no is intensely hard and worse, if we didn't see it as a great opportunity back then, we are left with regret and nothing else!
That reminds me of one of my favorite quotes.
Great opportunities, do not come with the subject line "Great Opportunity"
MY PRODUCTIVITY HACKS
I am a productivity nerd and I wrote about 10 of my productivity hacks, that allow me to take charge of my time and spend it on the most important things.
You can see it on Twitter or on LinkedIn.
Some examples:
Sharing your calendar with your spouse (Yes, I am serious).
Sending emails to yourself, scheduled for the future.
Taking an afternoon nap
Let me know what you think, will you?
BOOK I AM READING
I have been slow the last week and am still on Think Again, by Adam Grant.
To give all of you some variety to explore, here are my top books that I read in 2020 (some of you have seen it already, but a lot of you haven't done anything about it!)
Almanack of Naval Ravikant - Compilation of the writings of Naval! Brilliant book
Waking Up: Search for spirituality without religion - If you are into spirituality and meditation, this is a great read
Psychology of Money - BRILLIANT! Book of the year for me!
The Courage to be disliked - Unreal awesome book. Challenges a lot of our preconceived notions
One from many: VISA and the rise of chaordic organization - The story of how VISA came into being
What you do is who you are - A book on work culture. Must read for managers, leaders and founders
Siddhartha: An Indian Tale - Stunning book on the meaning of life
No Rules Rules - Book on Netflix's famous culture
Laws of human nature - Stunning book on why we behave the way we do
The moral animal: The new science of evolutionary psychology - Again explains why we are the way we are
Range: how generalists triumph in a specialized world - Beautiful book on how generalists are more important
Awareness: They key to living in balance - The first book of Osho that I read. Pretty good!
On the shortness of life - By Seneca. One of the best books on life's philosophy
QUOTES TO SHARE
If you share because you are expecting something in return, it is not sharing. It is a transaction!
(Share on Twitter)
We will be driven by either our thoughts or by what the world thinks of us.
(Share on Twitter)
Once we are out of school and college we spend the rest of our lives trying to undo what school and college did to us.
(Share on Twitter)
Focus on being productive instead of busy.
(Share on Twitter)
"Log kya sochenge?"
Agar yeh bhi tum sochne lagoge
To log kya sochege?
(Share on Twitter)
RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTION
Last week I asked all of you
Which one would you choose and why?
- An online course that is 100% recorded, so I can see it when I want and at whatever speed I want
- An online course that is 100% live, so that I can engage with the members and the instructors
An overwhelming majority - close to 95% of you, selected Option 2 (100% live).
The big reasons stated were community, live clarifications, and creating accountability.
Of course, a lot of you also said there should be a third option of hybrid (live, followed by recordings of the live). But that's the easy one. I wanted to force a condition to see which one is preferred and why.
Reason I ask is because as I build more and more courses, finding the right delivery model becomes important to me.
PS:
If you asked the same question in the US, the results would be 100% opposite. Reason being, there people want to be in control and prefer to do things at their own pace and will, instead of being forced to a schedule.
THIS WEEK'S POLL
Which one would you choose and why?
- I am male and I have more male friends than female friends
- I am male and I have more female friends than male friends
- I am female and I have more male friends than female friends
- I am female and I have more female friends than male friends
The 'why' is important here, okay? Do not forget.
To participate, simply reply to this email with your choice and reason.
I read all my emails.
ALL OF THEM.
(SRK ki gandi acting ki kasam)
warikoo Wanderings
by Ankur Warikoo
Entrepreneur, Author, Content Creator with 9M+ followers across platforms. I share this newsletter every Friday around personal growth, books, quotes, pictures - it is the most personal version of me online.
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