What I Learned This Week: Edition 24
Welcome to the 24th edition of WILTW. This week I had some amazing meetings with Greg, had some really deep and meaningful discussions with Colin, watched a ton of football, got back on the water for surfing and started compiling my best books of 2023 reading list. I also learned a few things.
Without further ado let’s dive into the list:
1. Discover your brain decompression activity
We all have tough stretches that tax our mental energy. We also have the tendency to carry our worries, anxieties and fears running in our subconscious’s background. I have friends who have trouble sleeping, focusing, relaxing or enjoying moments as their daily emotional baggage follows them around.
It is imperative for your health to find an activity that completely switches off your mind. These usually involve motor skills that diverts your brain’s energy away from active thinking.
For me this means wake surfing. The calming power of the water washes over me but as soon as the boat pulls all my concentration is diverted towards balancing on the board. An hour of this and my mind is clear for the day and my troubles diminish in importance.
Mindfulness, meditation, journaling, playing pattern video games like Tetris, and most sports will do the trick. Doing them in nature is an added bonus.
2. AI apps are accelerating at an exponential rate and you will be shocked by their capabilities
I have been completely floored by the advances in AI capabilities. I had last looked at this space two years ago as machine learning and predictive data sciences were the focus.
However AI applications powered by engines such as Open AI and Stable Diffusion are accelerating at a truly impressive rate.
AI can now generate usable content in copywriting, graphic design, photos and videos.
The award winning short film below is AI generated.
Or check the automation below:
AI can currently improve writing (Quillbot), summarize scientific papers and (Summari) even manage your inbox (Plicca). This acceleration is only going to quicken as these engines learn and refine.
As an employee/manager/entrepreneur you should Google AI apps for most tasks in your field and be aware of AI innovations in your industry.
Companies and people who learn to harness these tools will have a meaningful edge over the competition
3. Observe and question your opinions
We are capable of forming opinions in a matter of seconds even about subjects about which we know very little. We form a first impression about a stranger we meet in the first 3 to 5 seconds after meeting them.
This speed was historically useful as a survival mechanism thousand of year ago in a less complex world.
Research also suggests that we are remarkably stubborn to change our mind once we have formed an initial opinion no matter how flimsy or inaccurate the initial information may have been.
Lets do a though exercise:
Should humans resume flights back to the moon? Or, is the current speed limit in Dubai too high or too low?
Within seconds of reading the above questions we will each have formed an opinion we believe to be true and defend it against the opposite side without conducting research, expertise or data to back us up.
One thing I am training myself to do is to ask myself:
· Am I qualified to opine about this topic?
· Is there any data or research that can educate me before I form an opinion?
In most cases I am not even remotely qualified to have an opinion and gladly admit my ignorance and defer to educating myself.
4. Jane McGonigal’s advice on criticism is useful
Jane McGonical is an inspirational game designer, researcher at Institute of Future and a great author (you should check out Superbetter here). Her advice on criticism really resonated with me this week.
In an interview with Tim Ferris she said:
You should never publicly criticize anyone or anything unless it is a matter of morals or ethics. Anything negative you say could at the very least ruin someone’s day, or worse, break someone’s heart, or simply change someone from being a future ally of yours to someone who will never forget that you were unkind or unfairly critical.
I am a firm believer of offering criticism only in private and in a mindful and constructive manner. This does not mean that I have always been able to follow this rule.
A good rule I try to remember to remember though is this amazing maxim from one of my comic heroes Craig Ferguson:
“Ask yourself the three things you must always ask yourself before you say anything. 1) Does this need to be said 2) “Does this need to be said by me? 3) Does this need to be said by me now?
If the answer is yes to all 3 then I will do offer my words privately.
5. “Good stories always beat good spreadsheets”
The above quote is from legendary angel investor Chris Sacca and is also echoed by Morgan Housel’s belief that “it is the best storyteller and not the best product that wins”.
We are deeply social animals and primarily make sense of our universe through stories and not raw data. It is imperative to hone your storytelling skills.
Most pitching, selling, dating, brand building, and communication has its roots in telling compelling inspiring stories.
One of the best places to start is reading the book “The science of storytelling” by Will Storr
Important thing I learned last week:
Humayun pointed to me sobering and disturbing article about plastic recycling. Less than 5% of all plastic is recycled and the rest ends up in landfills. It seems most of the recycling bin items simply cannot be recycled. I still encourage all of you to reduce or eliminate single-use plastic items.
Little tips I learned last week:
· This unreal thread about AI application will take some time to read but is worth your time
Finally, I would love to hear from all of you and the lessons you have learned. Feel free to email me your nuggets of wisdom and I will include you in future editions.
Love
Kaveh.
