Mean Feedback

How often do you receive unpleasant feedback?

How do you react to it?

How serious do you take it?

Can you take something positive from it, nevertheless?

The sound makes the music.

Schadenfreude or other toxic comments are mean.

The intent behind them is to hurt the other.

Feedback given with the wrong intent is worthless.

Yet, sometimes there is a grain of truth.

If you spend time on the feedback, search for the grain.

Otherwise, you'd better ignore it.

Product ready

When do you deem a product ready?

How do you know what the customer needs?

How well can you design the product?

How do you get the necessary knowledge?

We tend to wait too long for our product launch.

Involving the cusotmers is product design is crucial.

Innovators will gladly buy a half-finished product.

They love to be part of the evolution.

Whenever you think you are ready is too late.

Sell early, get that feedback, repeat.

Economic Decisions

How economic are your decisions?

How principled are your decisions?

What is the trade-off between them?

What are the outcomes?

Sometimes we are put between two options,

choosing the economically rational or,

choosing what is morally just.

Rarely will they align.

Some issues are not worth pursuing economically,

yet they may well be worth pursuing morally.

The opposite is also true.

These decisions are difficult,

thus are worth careful consideration.

Do you dare?

How daring are you?

How often do you follow your instinct?

How often do you over-dare?

How often are you too scared?

To make things happen, we need to dare.

Often, we only have a hunch.

Often, our minds will try to stop us.

Follow your hunch and plan with your head.

To not dare breeds regret.

To dare is truly liberating.

Forgetfullness

How often do you forget things?

For what reason do you forget?

How do you handle these mishaps?

How can you mitigate them?

We all forget things at times.

The more we do, the higher the risk.

We can mitigate these with tools.

Lists and calendars are the foundation.

The more we do, the more they count.

Yet, we can still forget to use them.

What then? I do not know.

A bad feeling

How important is logic to you?

How do you respond to a bad feeling?

Which overrides the other — logic or feeling?

Why is this your go-to solution?

Our gut feeling is a crucial data point.

Our subconscious is trying to tell us something.

Rarely will we know what the problem is.

It serves to take at least a second look.

Some may say that intuition trumps logic.

What is the higher risk?

A wrong yes, or a wrong no?

Principles of partnership

What are your principles of partnership?

How do you pick the people to work with?

What traits do they need to have?

How do they need to behave?

Picking the right partners is a crucial skill.

It requires having criteria and principles.

Taking time to observe people.

Rate them against your principles.

Your principles are non-negotiable.

So take your time and pick wisely.

Cost vs Investment

How do you define a cost?

How do you define an investment?

What is the difference?

How balanced are costs vs inestments for you?

This is less straightforward than many think.

Many things that are seen as investments,

are in reality a cost.

Many things that are seen as costs,

can be an investment.

It depends on the goal of a purchase.

It depends on what you achieve with it.

And often it is a matter of perspective.

Sharing Wisdom

How often do you share your wisdom?

What do you expect in exchange?

How often do others share with you?

How often is it unconditional?

Sharing our wisdom is rewarding.

Professionally, we may be paid for it.

When sharing unconditionally,

the reward comes in different forms.

These can be even more rewarding.

There need not always be an exchange.

Problem Perspective

How often do you fight with others?

How could you frame the problem differently?

How can you work together for a solution?

Would you rather fight another or together?

We often see the other person as the problem.

Yet the problem is the problem.

We can solve this problem together.

You and I against the problem.

Fight the problem, not the person.

Grumpy ol' Grump

How often are you grumpy?

How often do you know why?

How do you deal with it?

How can you find the reason?

We are all grumpy at times.

Often, we are not aware of why.

The subconscious is sending a message.

But there will always be a good reason.

Ignoring your mood is a losing strategy.

Taking some time to explore the origin is crucial.

Everyone has an optimal way to do so.

Go find your preferred method.

Lost Connections

Whom have you lost connection with?

What were the reasons for it?

How well do you even know them?

What is stopping you from reaching out again?

Losing connection to people is part of life.

Some for good reason and others for no reason.

Often, we do not even know why.

We will assume all sorts of reasons.

And I assure you, they will be wrong.

The only way to know is to ask.

If not, you need to accept the status quo.

Consideration

How considerate are you of others?

How considerate are others of you?

How much common sense is required?

How does consideration differ across society?

Some people are more considerate than others.

Some are more selfish than others.

We have social norms on where to draw the line.

Yet, this is different in each county.

Often, we are angered because others are less considerate.

Yet we might also be ashamed because we are less considerate.

Who are you?

How well do you know people?

The people you work with?

The people you are friends with?

How well do you even know yourself?

We don’t even understand ourselves fully.

In accordance, we do not know those around us.

We will know parts of them.

We will know what they show us.

We do not get to look under their hood.

We do not get a full look into their lives.

For better and for worse, we cannot judge a book by its cover.

If you do, all you can do is make assumptions.

So be ready to be surprised regularly.

Experiences

Which experiences do you enjoy?

What is it that you enjoy about them?

How do things need to go?

How can you ensure more of them?

Everyone has different preferences.

Some enjoy quantity, others quality.

Some prefer serenity, others action.

Some prefer groups, others loneliness.

Know what makes your perfect experience.

Then go and create more of them.

Revisiting Conversations

How often do you revisit old conversations?

How far do you go back to do so?

What happens when you do so?

How do you react when someone else does this?

Everyone loses track of a conversation at times.

You do it, and so do others.

Picking up a conversation that died can be rewarding.

You will positively surprise the other party.

thus success is more likely.

The further back you go, the better.

What conversation can you revisit?

Who is it for?

Who is your audience?

Who is your market?

Who is giving you feedback?

How qualified are they?

We receive feedback for our work,

yet often from the wrong people.

They often are neither qualified,

nor are they your audience.

Remember who you are catering to.

Focus on your market.

And ignore the rest.

What you are building is not for them.

The Challenger

How do you respond to challenges?

Why do you respond this way?

How invested do you get?

What are usually the outcomes?

People will challenge you at times.

Some will do this respectfully,

Others will do this rudely.

Often, engaging them is not worth it.

Yet, not doing so can damage your image.

It is crucial to learn when it is and when it is not.

Being Ready

When are you ready for a project?

How often do you commit too early?

How often do you foolishly refrain?

How do your too-early projects go?

We are never truly ready.

When we feel ready, it is often too late.

We pass by many a chance due to this.

It is called insecurity.

Yet, hesitating can save you from stupidity.

It is a fine line that we walk.

Commit with confidence and deliver.

Committing with insecurity can end in failure.