Ten working theories
You might notice that some of the most interesting people on the planet are those who create new things. We experience life by doing something, and people who accomplish more in their lifetime are usually the most ‘experienced’.
After spending a meaningful amount of time with some of the most interesting and successful creators/entrepreneurs, I put together ten working theories — observations that I found useful for myself and hope can be useful for others.
1/ Focus on making things faster, rather than perfect
As someone who came from a classical art, engineering, and design background, you always seek to make everything perfect. The ugly truth is: nothing in life is perfect, and opportunities usually have a very short timeframe. Capture them now, or wait until the next one.
2/ If everyone goes to the south, go to the north
If you do business and pick the super crowded niche most likely you’ll fail because the competition is already tight. If you buy the same stock as everyone else is buying, most likely won’t make more money than others. If you write in the same music genre as everyone else, you most likely won’t be the most interesting band on the street. To outperform the average, you have to act differently, and look for the paths no one wants to take.
3/ Create more, consume less
There are so many great books, music, movies, and events to attend, but you’ll never catch them all. The only way to understand life is to experience it. Instead, writing your own book, recording your own song, filming your own movie or organizing your own event is usually the better choice.
4/ Build habits and make them all-in
If you're committed to doing something, do it. Whether it's going to the gym, running every day, or learning something new, never skip a day, no matter how late you went to bed, how bad the weather is, or how tired you feel. The best things have a compound effect.
5/ Start your day early
There is something magical with that — you feel like you are at the forefront of everything, and everyone else is catching up. You have longer days and more focused hours. Starting the day at 5 am was one of the best habits I gained in the last few years.
6/ Be helpful when you meet new people
I like to think that with every new person I meet in my life, I give them a maximum credit line and try to be as helpful as possible. As the relationship goes on, this credit line can only decrease but never return to its original high. Your reputation is your net worth.
7/ You don’t need a hundred thousand followers, you need a hundred friends
As someone who grew up surrounded by 'niche' celebrities and worked with some of the world’s most recognized among them, I can say for sure that the most followed people on the planet are the loneliest. In the era of the internet and a hyper-connected world, people often get confused about this. However, it’s always a good idea to go all-in with a small number of meaningful relationships rather than becoming mediocre with everyone.
8/ Avoid people with bad communication habits
In most cases, people who have a bad communication culture are not good for you. Taking a long time to respond, ghosting occasionally, etc.—the number one reason people behave like that is because they don’t know how to respond, they procrastinate, or it's simply a bad habit. The most successful people that I know respond on the same day.
9/ Always invest in your friends
Give your friends a like, a repost, send them a text message, be the first one to invest in their new company, introduce them to the best investor you know, call them in the middle of the year when no one else is calling. Those small or not-so-small things matter.
10/ Have fun
This one is simple — make sure you have some fun, otherwise, what is it all about?
about: I'm an engineer, designer and award-winning musician. In 2019 I introduced a human equity asset class (HCBA) that allows investing in people directly.
I founded creator economy pioneer HumanIPO, and helped to build one of the largest DCB payment platforms in Southeast Asia. I’ve spent 3 years in Google NYC, and dropped out of my PhD in CS.
I really like #9. :)