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A Thread - What to read in 2021?

Wisdom via @EricJorgenson via @naval via @illacertus... from @Navalmanack a book I’ll be rereading in 2021.

Here’s why.

“I don’t want to read everything. I just want to read the 100 great books over and over again.” - @illacertus

 “I think there’s a lot to that idea. It’s really more about identifying the great books for you because different books speak to different people. Then, you can really absorb those.” - @naval
It was a few years back I started thinking about the idea of rereading books vs trying to “keep up” with the constant consumption of new material rolling off the book publisher’s assembly lines.
I believe the consept first landed on my radar from that very @farnamstreet podcast where @naval shared the quote referenced above.

It immediately made sense to me.
It’s crazy to think about how much the world has evolved in just the last decade.

Technology is creating shorter attention spans with the constant bombardment of bite-sized “click bait” headlines and iPhone notifications.
For those who haven’t watched the Netflix doc The Social Dilemma, look no further than the algorithms designed to constantly keep our eyes glued to our phones and in turn the ad dollars being spent there.

Which leads me to a thesis I believe to be more and more true.
I believe the ability to focus...

to absorb...

to go deep...

is becoming a true super power.
Which brings me back to the idea of compiling a short list of books that you want to truly absorb and reading them over and over until you understand them to the level you’ve acquired all they have to offer.

With that in mind...
Today marks my third time reading through @RyanHoliday & @SteveHanselman’s @dailystoic.

Pictured is my copy below, which I grabbed back in 2016 when it came out.

As you can see, it’s got some miles on it as it’s literally traveled with me mostly wherever I’ve gone since.
All cliches aside, this book has made me a better version of myself.

More patient.

More accepting.

Less anxious.

A better listener.

I can honestly say this year’s reading was by far the most impactful.

Yes, maybe some of that was due to the year that was 2020.

However...
Looking back, I simply wasn’t ready for many of the passages my first few times through.

“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” - Tao Te Ching
Also, with multiple readings, I’ve benefited from the “compound effect” of absorbing, putting into action, and building upon that which I’ve read before.

So...
Here’s to distilling your list of books/ideas/goals down to what is essential this year.

Go deep.

Absorb.

Make those “words become works” in 2021.
If you could choose only 1 book to reread this year, which one would it be?

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@WilsonCompanies
This is a very long thread. @SamtLeslie asked to give the playbook for service companies so here it is. Follow it and you’ll get to 5M+ in a few years.

This is pure operations playbook.

No leadership, financial or HR discussion. Enjoy.

Industry:
Doesn’t matter much. @sweatystartup has an awesome list of service industries on his website that will get the job done.

Trades:
If you are under 3M and in multiple trades you’re doing it wrong. I was there and it was a mess.

Businesses under 3M don’t have good system, managers, effective onboarding, training, hiring practices, or pricing methods. If you did then you’d be bigger.

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Multiple trades doubles that mess. Get your first business figured out then work on another.

I would recommend earliest 4M to add a second trade, if at all. Any earlier you’re splitting focus and treading water.

Focus Focus Focus.

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If you’re using anything besides Servicetitan then please stop and go get Servicetitan. No other software even close to their capabilities.

It is 50% more expensive than other programs on the market while making you 100% better than any competitor not using it.
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@studentofcycles
1/ "Inflation is dead!"

"We can print as much money as we want!"

"Don’t worry about it, there will never be any inflation!"

Time to take a closer look. 👇


2/ First, a few definitions:

Inflation measures how much more expensive a basket of goods and services has become over a certain period, usually a year.

Looking at the US and Europe the numbers don’t look too bad.

But wait there is more ;)


3/ As Winston Churchill once said:

The only statistics you can trust are those you falsified yourself.”

Over the past decades the government changed the way how to measure inflation several times to give you the expression there is nothing to worry about.

4/ If we calculate inflation the same way as in the 80ies or 90ies, it is at least double the amount!


5/ But there is more....

The Chapwood Index reflects the true cost-of-living increase in America. It reports the unadjusted actual cost and price fluctuation of the top 500 items on which Americans spend their after-tax dollars in the 50 largest cities in the nation.
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Rob Chauncey
Rob Chauncey
@BertoChauncey
I worked at a very hip startup that was once on the move but then had crested and was on the slight decline.
1/

I was running a team of people who did video conferencing. They were really good at it, and I didn't know anything about the technology. One of the tricks I sometimes use in management is to shut up when I don't know anything.
2/

it was IT in a different gear than I'd seen before
e.g. your wiring had to be perfect, there would be decisions by people that required insane costs &
white gloves
3/

a day or two after they announce earnings, they want to do an All Hands where the CEO, CFO and various bigwigs claim credit for the smart work of their teams.
4/

This team runs that conference setup. It's a big deal and a lot of work, and this was the first one I'd run by myself. None of the old leaders
5/
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Frank Rotman
Frank Rotman
@fintechjunkie
1/23: One #startup trap to avoid (founders and VCs) is to fall in love with a value prop that can’t be delivered IRL now. Good diligence will surface disconnects but they’re often brushed under the rug by #VCs who believe fixing delivery over time will be fine. Unpacked:


2/23: The foundational reason why this matters from day 1 is that building a franchise of loyal customers is difficult for any #startup to pull off but the challenge is amplified if the #startup has to rebuild its franchise as it scales.

3/23: Broken or unfulfilled promises lead to customer behaviors that have real consequences. Poor ratings and reviews. High customer service costs. High complaint volume. Low engagement. High attrition/returns/cancelations. Low organic growth.

4/23: Undoing damage takes time and sometimes is nearly impossible. Convincing inactive customers to “retry” your product isn’t easy. Overcoming bad reviews can be a Herculean task. And resources will be thrown at fixing past sins at the expense of new functionality.

5/23: And guess what happens when #VCs dig into questionable early performance numbers? These conversations tend to revolve around caveats, apologies and synthetic analysis that bakes in significant improvements (many of which are still “unknown” in nature).
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India in Pixels
India in Pixels
@indiainpixels
198 engineering seats were available for every 1 lakh people in India. Of all states, Tamil Nadu has the highest per capita seats with 705 for 1 Lakh Tamil Nadu citizens.


However, based on the Employability Test report by SHL, it seems that the states with the highest per capita seats also produce the most unemployable engineers (software engineers shown in this map)
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Liberty, Equality, Fraternity - James Fitzjames Stephen
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#keralatemples

One of the Powerful Anjaneya Temples in Kerala. Hanuman temple is adjacent to Shri Ramar Sannidhi. Here Hanuman's head is tilted towards the left to hear Shri Rama's words. Shri Rama is entrusting Hanuman👇


Task of locating Mata Sita in Lanka.

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Shri Rama shares with Hanuman the Abhignana Vaakhyam, the words that would enable him to gain the confidence of Mata Seetha.


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Alathiyur Hanumane
Pedi Swampnam kanarudhe
Pedi Swapnam Kandalo
Val Kondu Thattiyunarthename
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:It is believed that Sri Vyasaraja used to draw a picture of lord Hanuman here on the rocks before offering prayers using charcoal and the sketch disappeared after prayers.This incidence happened for 12 days in a row until he pleaded to bhagwan to appear in front of him.


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@HiteshAwasthi89
Sri Devi Karumariamman mandir, Chennai, Tamilnadu

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