Weekly Snapshot: Reflections, Resilience, and Reaching New Heights.

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Hi friends!

This week, I found myself analyzing my experience at an old startup. What could I have done better? What were the mistakes? What do I have now to make it work? The feeling and clarity after each thought made me excited but the pull to try it again made me nervous because time is finite, and I need to say no to my non-priorities.

The benefit of the exercise was a feeling of confidence in my current work affairs and skills. I left the internal dialogue with rules I must abide by because otherwise, the outcome was undesirable.

In the end, it is okay to move on from past connections, but, at times, I believe it is better to keep holding onto a few and wait for the right time to capture the value left on the table years back. Till then, building your war chest and honing skills are worthy strategies.

Cheers to holding on.

💪 Wins of the week

  1. I stuck with my routine! I went to the gym, read diligently, and worked without context switching - I feel good about myself.
  2. I published my article and YouTube video (watch the video at the end of this newsletter)
  3. I made two new connections (versus my target of 5) this week from the world of real estate investing. I believe it's critical to think about your financial well-being early on in your life.
  4. I've forgiven and moved on from a kerfuffle with an old friend - maybe I am wired that way but I'm still not sure. But still, I believe it is a win.

🧐 Challenges & Learnings

  1. I feel that my comprehension of a text or a verbal argument is waning. I find myself spending more time trying to understand the context and what the other person is communicating. But my frustration lies in my struggle to comprehend the argument when it's first laid out - is my attention or my poorly developed listening skills? I need to figure it out. Meanwhile, I'm buying the latest edition of GMAT and practicing those text-based critical thinking questions to sharpen my brain!
  2. Measuring risks and limitations: I have always believed in no limitations. Whenever I label something impossible or improbable, I shun my thoughts and tell myself that limitations are self-imposed and human constructs. However, the reality is different. In fact, it is full of risks and limitations. My challenge is to train my brain to understand those limitations effectively and devise a course of action to mitigate or eliminate them. However, the prognosis won't work unless I train my brain to identify risks and limitations accurately.
  3. If you've said no to something, don't regret it: I believe this is my biggest strength and weakness. Even if I say no to something, I keep an open mind and end up entertaining it if I'm convinced. But on the flipside - if you've said no to something, it's better to eliminate it from your current priorities. It stops you from distracting yourself. I'm still learning how to balance the two. I believe an open mind is equally important as a focused mind is - maybe I have the wrong understanding about what it means to say no. I'm still learning about it - if readers can share their insights, I'll be grateful.

🎯 Goals for Next Week

Next week is all about networking and respectfully saying no.

  1. Connect with 5 professionals in the real estate investing industry for advice and a constructive conversation.
  2. My goal at CAFU is to accelerate the current development work by 50% and aim to deliver solid results 2-3 weeks ahead of time.
  3. Publish 1 article and 1 YouTube video
  4. Go to the gym - five days - and eat healthy!
  5. Be kind.

📖 My Readings

I've completed reading The Price of Time: The Real Story of Interest by Edward Chancellor. Beautiful and very detailed! I learned a lot about interest rates and how they affect everything that happens in our economy.

Next up, I'll start reading Influence by Robert B Cialdini. I always wanted to read this book because of the valuable insights it offers into human behavior. In fact, funny story, I bought this book back in 2016 but I gave it to someone at work without reading it and I don't remember why! Anyways!

Here are a few other articles that I had fun reading:

  1. How the most successful B2B startups came up with their original idea (Lenny's Newsletter)
  2. Getting Into Y Combinator Is Tougher Than It’s Ever Been (Bloomberg)
  3. Scientists of Chinese descent leaving the US at an accelerating pace (Chemistry World)

🎬 My Latest Video

These Three Lessons Changed My Work Life: Sometimes, lessons can come from anywhere. In my latest video, I share life-changing lessons that I learned from rock climbing. They apply to every aspect of life, from climbing walls to climbing the ladder of life. Happy watching.

✍️ Quote of the Week

“Context switching kills second-order thinking.” - Kunal Shah

Till next time.

Raheel Ahmad