Being Creative
Being creative is hard. It’s a lot like frequently going to the gym. When your consistently going, it’s easier to keep going. But when you fall out of it, it’s like climbing a mountain uphill to get back in your creative flow.
Being creative is hard. It’s a lot like frequently going to the gym. When your consistently going, it’s easier to keep going. But when you fall out of it, it’s like climbing a mountain uphill to get back in your creative flow.
I read this quote from Seth Godin recently and thought it captured this perfect:
“Habits are much easier to maintain than commitments.
I’m pretty sure that the blog would still have an impact if I missed a day here or there, but once a commitment is made to a streak, the question shifts from, “should I blog tomorrow,” to, “what will tomorrow’s blog say?”
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Instead of a few long form posts (which was a goal of mine, back in January), I am going to start doing short quick posts. Which is more how I used to write when I started this blog anyway.
Everyone has a different creative process. For me personally I think I have learned it is more important to exercise my “creative muscle” consistently, in order to keep the creative ideas flowing mentally. As opposed to spending weeks perfecting a long form post which in my eyes will never actually be perfect enough to press publish. You live and you learn.
Conquering The Winter Blues With Colors Of Colleen
It is always impressive to watch when founders and creators show constant persistence over time. One of the most persistent creators I have had the pleasure of watching grow, I am proud to say I am married to. For the last few years I have watched as Colleen has built Colors Of Colleen, a fashion fix with a mindful mix.
It is always impressive to watch when founders and creators show constant persistence over time. One of the most persistent creators I have had the pleasure of watching grow, I am proud to say I am married to. For the last few years I have watched as Colleen has built Colors Of Colleen, a fashion fix with a mindful mix. This month she wrote an excellent post that I feel could be helpful to the lives of some New York City founders. As such I felt it was worth sharing here, with you.
Living in the North Eastern United States means winters can at times be long and brutal. Especially those across New York State, stretching from Buffalo to NYC. When we’re getting less sunlight in the fall and winter our brain is producing less serotonin, which cam impact mood. Two recent studies suggest the culprit is a brain circuit that connects special light-sensing cells in the retina with brain areas that affect whether we are happy or sad. When these cells detect shorter days, they appear to use this pathway to send signals to the brain that can make a person feel glum or even depressed. This is Seasonal Affective Disorder, a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons and begins and ends at about the same times each year.
As a licensed Art Therapist, Colleen shared some of her personal top 10 tips for combating the winter blues and staying at the top of your game, all season long. Head on over to Colors of Colleen and take a quick read for yourself! And don’t forget to subscribe to her newsletter as well!
Smart Goals And Planning Your Future
The past year has been a long grind and while it’s not January yet, admit it, the thoughts of creative ways you can reinvent yourself in the new year have probably already started. You have probably been extremely busy these past twelve months, but, as you know, being busy does not mean you are being productive.
The past year has been a long grind and while it’s not January yet, admit it, the thoughts of creative ways you can reinvent yourself in the new year have probably already started. You have probably been extremely busy these past twelve months, but, as you know, being busy does not mean you are being productive.
Founder Institute Team Offsite 2018
If you are a rockstar founder or CEO though, you may have already met with your team to gather internal feedback, discuss a rough plan, come up with some smart goals, and chart the corporate course for the next 365 days. One example of how awesome teams do annual planning for the coming year; comes from our Founder Institute team offsite a few weeks ago in Lake Tahoe. As, Founder Institute CEO Adeo Ressi writes: “If you do not know what you want and where you are going, then you will never reach your potential.” Here is the 5 step process that we use at Founder Institute for our annual planning:
So this got me thinking. What if individuals planned for the next year with the same thoughtfulness and designed precision that companies do. To create a proper future plan and their own smart goals. Like most people, I juggle many things; I run Founder Institute New York, host the Ambition Today podcast, helped start the NYC Innovation Collective non profit, and have a personal life, etc. The first and non obvious answer is I have help and amazing teammates. Never take those around you for granted and make sure you have help. The second answer is that I view all of these as aligned to my personal core mission statement. I have a north star that guides my career choices day in and day out. It helps determine, at a high level, what I should say yes and no to.
This long term planning to set smart goals can be vital. It is the foundation upon which you manage your daily routine or drive monthly traction for your company. This tweetstorm from Julien Smith, CEO of Breather, does a great job stating how important it can be to stay focused on your north star. And more importantly how the effects of your long term grind start to manifest in your life. I recommend reading the whole tweetstorm, but here are two highlights:
So what things should you keep in mind as you plan your future smart goals and what you want achieve in the next 8,765 hours.
One: Aligning Yourself
First you need to digest your own thoughts. You need to step out of your normal day to day routine to take a step back. Schedule time to reflect, sans technology device. Just you and your thoughts. Even if is just for a cup of coffee one morning a week, or during a run. Go to a museum or visit a bookstore. Read a self help book. Watch an inspiring movie. Keep an open mind. Do whatever you need to in order to break out of your normal headspace. The clarity this will provide you will be very important.
Second, you need to gather raw and honest feedback from those you most respect and admire. Find someone whose actions or lifestyle you want to emulate and see what they do. Ask them what their routines are like and how they have accomplished similar goals in their own lives. Get an understanding of the blueprint, so you can start to build it for yourself.
Two: Define Your North Star
If you know where you want to go in life, you want to try formalize it into one sentence. Be sure you take the time to workshop it. It might go through many iterations, until it is something you love and feel passionate about. Consider it your personal mission statement. For example, my personal mission statement is to “Help Founders Improve The Lives Of One Billion People”.
If you don’t have a “north star” or a long term goal yet, that is fine. I assure you that you are not alone. And the answer for you is to go back to step one and aim to get as many new experiences as possible in the coming year. You need to test drive new places and people. Join an extracurricular team or activity in the evenings. Go volunteer somewhere. When you find something that feels right, I promise you, you will know.
Three: Establish Measurable Smart Goals
Smart Goals Definition: A goal which needs to conform to the following criteria: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. ie; S.M.A.R.T. is the smart goals acronym.
Now that you know what you want to accomplish from step two, it is time to define what smart goals will determine success for you. When smart goals setting try to only have a handful of primary objectives. Above five and it will be harder to accomplish them in only a few months. These smart goals are the steps that take you closer to achieving your core mission.
Make sure you quantify the smart goals. Here are some great smart goal examples. If your smart goals are health related you could set smart goals around a specific desired weight, business milestones, daily food consumption, weekly number of workouts, average heart rate, etc. If accomplishing one of these smart goals will require the help of another person, for example a significant other, then you should discuss the smart goals with them and involve them in the process Just like these smart goal examples, you need to always be including a measurement along with the objective.
Four: Create Actionable Plans
Now that you have a mission and list of smart goals, it is time to determine the plans you will execute to work toward accomplishing them.
I like to start by writing the actionable first step underneath each goal. This way when you read it, you don’t get overwhelmed. You will simply know the next action that needs to be taken. From there you can take some time to expand and to build out a repeatable process. Writing out a great process can be hard at the onset because it takes time, but the long term freedom it affords you can be a game changer.
Five: Develop Tracking Systems
You will need to track your plans in order to measure success, thereby determining if you have accomplished the smart goals necessary to bring you closer to achieving your mission.
As with all things in life, accomplishing these smart goals will require time. You should keep a digital calendar. This will allow you to schedule recurring time every week in your schedule to focus on the set smart goals.
If your smart goals require other people then create weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings with those people to review them together.
Allow yourself to view your progress. Create a visual space where you can, at a glance, see how you are doing. At Founder Institute we create dashboards using software. I personally use Todoist to track my tasks. But you could use something as simple as a whiteboard, which you take the time to update weekly.
I like to stack order my smart goals by the things in the next 90 days that will bring in the most revenue. Depending on your life, this can at times be a shifting and moving target. Which is why I re-evaluate it throughout the year.
It will take time to accomplish the five steps, but the result will be a strong annual plan for your life. In the coming months you will accomplish more than ever before. Ensuring that your day to day grind is not just busy work, but meaningful work bringing you closer to the long term vision for your life.
If you want some help and guidance in 2019, be sure to check out two of our Founder Institute NY portfolio company’s which might be able to help! Tenshey is on a mission to advance gender diversity and leadership development through executive coaching. The Lighthouse is a curated community of vetted industry insiders providing tailored career advice and support.
Remember, that the long term grind can be a powerful force. When you work toward your personal mission the long tail rewards will be the most meaningful! You may fail more than once, but keep going. That’s the moment when everyone else quits and you start to become an outlier. That’s when you break away from the pack. Keep the grind going.
I for one am excited for 2019, as major internet milestones are passed. Truth Seekers are pushed to the forefront of society as the Time Person of the Year. Private companies like Space X set records for most flights in a year. As investors leave mobile behind to look for new areas to back, such as blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, and more. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow looks like as we build it together!
Allen Saakyan's Simulation, Discussing The Future Of Humanity
We are proud to have Allen Saakyan on our show today. Not only do I get the pleasure of interviewing him, I had the privilege of being interviewed for his podcast, Simulation, as well!
Allen Saakyan, Simulation
We are proud to have Allen Saakyan on our show today. Not only do I get the pleasure of interviewing him, but I also had the privilege of being interviewed for his podcast, Simulation, as well! This episode will be a little different as we go back and forth asking questions for both of our podcasts, you won’t want to miss it!
Growing up, Allen knew he was destined to take a different path. He was always curious, which drove him to wonder why so many people always took the same path. His quest became to figure out how could he help people desire to take their own path? Fast forward, and now he is the successful founder of Simulation, a podcast that facilitates humanity’s most thought-provoking questions. He also is the host of World’s Fair, a festival with mind-blowing technology and futuristic talks. Listen in to hear more about:
- Allen's meaning of Simulation
- How people are working to make the world a better place
- Why mentorship is so crucial
- How Allen is working to bring back the iconic World’s Fair
- The need to talk about the future and why it is important
- What is the most beautiful thing in the world
The Single Greatest Piece of Advice:
Members of the "A-list" can listen to exclusive A-list bonus clips here! If you are not a member yet be sure to join the Ambition Today A-list!
Quote Of The Episode:
“Value is determined by a person's passion to change the world and make it a better place”
Links from this episode:
Listen to this episode now:
The A-List
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Thank you for listening!
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
Transcript:
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Gabe Zichermann's Onward Helps You Achieve Tech-Life Balance
Author, public speaker, and entrepreneur are just a few great titles for today’s guest, Gabe Zichermann. He is the CEO and Founder of Onward, a company that helps you achieve tech-life balance.
Gabe Zichermann, Gamification
Author, public speaker, and entrepreneur are just a few great titles for today’s guest, Gabe Zichermann. He is the CEO and Founder of Onward, a company that helps you achieve tech-life balance. Gabe is also known for his expertise on the topic of Gamification. Having written three books, “The Gamification Revolution”, “Gamification by Design” and “Game-Based Marketing”.
Gabe grew up in Toronto with his two parents that immigrated from Hungary and Romania. He had a passion for games from a young age of 8 when he got his first computer, a Commodore VIC-20, and programmed his first computer game. After college, his first big success was Trimedia, which he sold in 2005. From there Gabe helped define the field of Gamification. In this episode, we get to discuss Gabe's full background, both the ups and downs of life, including:
The power of games and their application to the rest of the world
What is "Gamification"
How to recognize when to change your life
Why it can be so important to take a step back
The importance of doing the self work as an entrepreneur
His success with building Trimedia
Growing his newest company Onward
The future of tech-life balance
Ambition Today Question of the Day™ :
“On the topic of tech life balance, how do you recommend people keep themselves in check?”
The Single Greatest Piece of Advice Gabe Has Ever Learned:
Join the Ambition Today A-list to listen now!
Quote Of The Episode:
“The most important thing is to understand who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are, and be able to name it”
Links from this episode:
Listen to this episode now:
Join the shows A-list backchannel for exclusive access to additional Ambition Today content, deeper guest insights, a community of fellow fans, and much more. Plus, Learn the single greatest piece of advice this guest has ever learned!
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
You can find the full transcript of this episode here.
Be sure to listen and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform.
Terry Young's Sparks & Honey Is Mapping Culture To Forecast The Future
From a small town in Western Kentucky to becoming an entrepreneur on Madison Ave, Terry Young joins us on this episode of Ambition Today. Terry is a successful advertising entrepreneur and the CEO of Sparks & Honey
Terry Young, CEO of Sparks & Honey
From a small town in Western Kentucky to becoming an entrepreneur on Madison Ave, Terry Young joins us on this episode of Ambition Today. Terry is a successful advertising entrepreneur and the CEO of Sparks & Honey, a company identifying and mapping emerging cultural waves through the use of machine learning systems, algorithms, and human insight.
After earning his Master’s Degree in advertising, Terry started working in the digital advertising industry in 1995, when digital marketing was just getting started. A short two years later, he was running the company. Terry got the opportunity to live in China and help start-up initiatives while working for McKinsey. He also lived in Kazakhstan while in the Peace Corp where he helped small business shops with their financing and starting their businesses. Terry brings a great perspective on culture and new trends. On this episode, we also discuss:
Growing up in a small town in Kentucky
The impact of joining the Peace Corp
Rebuilding the traditional advertising model
The intersection of being gay and an entrepreneur.
How Sparks & Honey maps culture
Why predicting the future matters
Defining micro signals and macro trends
What is happening in the space industry
Ambition Today Question of the Day™ :
“How do you best recommend that people in organizations ride the waves in a trend?”
The Single Greatest Piece of Advice Terry Has Ever Learned:
Join the Ambition Today A-list to listen now!
Quote Of The Episode:
“I say to every person who was here … that has left, you are also leaving your shape and your mold on the company, because it is a reflection on them too.”
Links from this episode:
Listen to this episode now:
Join the shows A-list backchannel for exclusive access to additional Ambition Today content, deeper guest insights, a community of fellow fans, and much more. Plus, Learn the single greatest piece of advice this guest has ever learned!
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
You can find the full transcript of this episode here.
Be sure to listen and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform.
Anthony Pompliano Is Going Full Tilt To Invest In World-Class Blockchain And Crypto Asset Ventures
Anthony Pompliano is the Managing Partner at Full Tilt Capital, an early stage venture capital firm. Full Tilt Capital now focuses exclusively on investing in world-class companies in the blockchain and crypto asset space.
Anthony Pompliano, Managing Partner at Full Tilt Capital
Anthony Pompliano is the Managing Partner at Full Tilt Capital, an early stage venture capital firm. Full Tilt Capital focuses exclusively on investing in world-class companies in the blockchain and crypto asset space.
"Pomp" was raised in Raleigh, NC, and is one of the first south easterners that we have had on the Ambition Today podcast. He is the oldest brother of five and during his junior year of college, he was deployed to Iraq. During his deployment, he gained a unique perspective on life. His world traveling allowed him to learn about new cultures all around the world in order study human behavior. Once he returned from duty, he jumped into the world of Silicon Valley. He built two small technology businesses and worked for large tech companies like Facebook and Snapchat before starting Full Tilt Capital. Anthony brings us his knowledge, unique insight, and more on this episode of Ambition Today:
- Life lessons from being deployed to Iraq
- Building and selling his first technology business
- What it was like working for Facebook
- Full Tilt Capital's investment thesis
- How important a founders self-honesty is
- Why GPU will beat CPU's in the future
- The story of Standard American Mining
- Why Full Tilt is going all in on blockchain companies and crypto assets
- How to build a successful Angel List Syndicate
Ambition Today Question of the Day™ :
"How do you think about and manage your personal brand, and also find time to get your day to day operations work done and build Full Tilt?
The Single Greatest Piece of Advice Anthony Has Ever Learned:
Join the Ambition Today A-list to listen now!
Quote Of The Episode:
"You don't have to be honest with me. I want you to be, but you don't have to be. You have to be honest with yourself."
Links from this episode:
Listen to this episode now:
Join the shows A-list backchannel for exclusive access to additional Ambition Today content, deeper guest insights, a community of fellow fans, and much more. Plus, Learn the single greatest piece of advice this guest has ever learned!
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
You can find the full transcript of this episode here.
Be sure to listen and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform.
EO Global Chairman Brian Brault On Investing In Community And Yourself
Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Brian Brault; a successful entrepreneur that has been recognized twice in his career by Inc. 500 for building one of the fastest growing companies in America. Currently Brian is the Global Chairman of the Board at Entrepreneurs' Organization.
Brian Brault, Chairman of the Board at Entrepreneurs' Organization
Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Brian Brault; a successful entrepreneur that has been recognized twice in his career by the Inc. 500 for building one of the fastest growing companies in America. Currently Brian is the Global Chairman of the Board at Entrepreneurs' Organization.
He is also the founder of Advanced Facility Services and Pure Rooms which was deemed one of the best companies to work for in western New York and was awarded best entrepreneurial company in western New York.
A graduate of the University of Buffalo’s School of Business, Brian is very active on community boards. Being the Global Chairman for Entrepreneurs’ Organization Brian helps grow their network of 12,000 entrepreneurial members in 54 countries. He believes in surrounding yourself with strong people because your success is a product of the five people that you spend the most time with. Today Brian talks about:
What got him excited at a very young age to be an entrepreneur
How he build Advanced Facility Services & Pure Rooms
Why he supports Entrepreneur’s Organization globally
Do you need to be in a major market like NY to be successful?
His speech at the United Nations
The importance of community for founders
His 10/10/10 morning routine
Ambition Today Question of the Day™:
"What routines have you built in your life that contribute most to your success?"
The Single Greatest Piece of Advice Brian Has Ever Learned:
Join the Ambition Today A-list to listen now!
Quote Of The Episode:
“Everyone has a little bit of entrepreneurial spirit inside them it's just your tolerance for risk and how that is nurtured in your life will really determine how much you will pursue and build on that entrepreneurial spirit.”
Links from this episode:
Listen to this episode now:
Join the shows A-list backchannel for exclusive access to additional Ambition Today content, deeper guest insights, a community of fellow fans, and much more. Plus, Learn the single greatest piece of advice this guest has ever learned!
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
You can find the full transcript of this episode here.
Be sure to listen and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform.
Productivity Today: Managing Attention in the Digital Age
Want to be more productive? I’m excited to announce my new free online class with Skillshare & Todoist on better managing your attention in the digital age.
Want to be more productive? I’m excited to announce my new free online class with Skillshare & Todoist on better managing your attention in the digital age. In this class, I’ll share how you can increase your attention span, quiet your mind, and get more done. You can take the online class for free here.
In today’s world, everyone wants your attention. From app and website notifications to emails and calendar invites, it can be difficult to stay focused on the task at hand. In this class, I'll share how you can increase your attention span, quiet your mind, and get more done. You’ll learn how to:
Hone your ability to focus
Reduce daily distractions
Improve your prioritization process
Whether you’re freelance or full-time, everyone can benefit from learning how to better manage their attention. After taking this class, you’ll regain control over your own attention, allowing you to put your focus where you want it and be more productive every day. Learn to control your attention and take your productivity to new heights in this class.
Dennis Mortensen Is Hyper Focused On The Future Of Artificial Intelligence With X.ai
From the brand new Fulton Center in downtown Manhattan we bring you Dennis Mortensen. He is founder and CEO at X.ai, an artificial intelligence driven personal assistant named Amy who schedules meetings for you.
Dennis Mortensen
From the brand new Fulton Center in downtown Manhattan we bring you Dennis Mortensen. He is founder and CEO at X.ai, an artificial intelligence driven personal assistant named Amy who schedules meetings for you.
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs in Denmark, Dennis initially strove to be a game engineer at IBM. He soon failed to resist the call to entrepreneurship though as he started and sold three of his first four companies. Dennis is now changing the way people interact with artificial intelligence by pioneering it's future. After raising $30+ million and growing the team to 93 people, he is hyper focused on building X.ai to rescue people's time. It is clear that focus is something he excels at from some of the unique lessons he shared:
- Growing up in Denmark in a family of entrepreneurs
- Difference between being a serial entrepreneur and a first time founder
- The impact immigrants can have creating jobs in the United States
- Importance of doing one thing really well
- Keeping a clear mind is one of the keys to success
- Why this wave of artificial intelligence is different from any before it
- Where the future of Artificial Intelligence is going
Ambition Today Question of the Day™:
"As a serial entrepreneur how do you manage your life and prevent burnout?"
Quote Of The Episode:
"I take pride in the mental freedom Inbox Zero provides me every day. You can start to think again, and really good ideas come with that"
Links from this episode:
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
Be sure to listen and subscribe to Ambition Today in the iTunes Store for iOS, on Google Play Music or Stitcher for Android.
Listen to this episode now:
Protecting Your Time
Both for better and for worse, the way we work in the new digital age is changing fast. The freedom to work anywhere is causing us to work everywhere. But are we really being productive (getting shit done) or creative (having original ideas), both of which are essential to building a strong business.
Both for better and for worse, the way we work in the new digital age is changing fast. The freedom to work anywhere is causing us to work everywhere. The result is that too often we find ourselves being pulled from email to meeting, to text message, to social media notification, to lunch meeting, to viral meme of the day, to phone calls, and so on. In what feels like the blink of an eye 8:00 am becomes 8:00 pm. We end the day having been incredibly busy. But are we really being productive (getting shit done) or creative (having original ideas), both of which are essential to building a strong business.
Time is the scarcest personal resource in existence. Unlike money, which every year the government prints more of, your time is finite. You can never get more time than the amount you were born with and therefore it is priceless. It is your duty to protect it.
Protecting your time so your mind has time to actually think and your body has time to actually get shit done is something which can be a bit tricky. I recently blew up my calendar to make some lifestyle changes in the pursuit of being more efficient, better focused, and having a greater clarity in the way I work. I have been finding these new changes very effective, so I thought I would share them with you.
Monday:
After the weekend it is important to start the week organized. Aside from one global call with the Founder Institute Directors from all over the world, Monday is reserved for E-mail and getting organized. Reaching inbox zero each Monday allows the peace of mind later in the week to know I am not missing anything urgent that may have come up this week. While answering and archiving e-mail, the action items from them get moved onto my to-do list for the week.
Tuesday:
Starting Tuesday with the peace of mind that my inbox is in great shape is incredibly refreshing. Especially because there will not be much time for e-mail today. Tuesdays are for meetings! I try to schedule all my meetings and coffees exclusively on Tuesdays. Back to back meetings can make for an exhausting day, but I have found I am able to give much more attention to being present & attentive during meetings, as I am not thinking about e-mail throughout the day. Again, the action items from my meetings get moved onto my to-do list for the week.
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday:
With the bulk of e-mail and meetings behind me for the week, it is now time to get shit done. It's time to throw on my headphones, a great playlist, and to start crossing tasks off of my to-do list. I use Todoist, which provides karma insights into how productive I am being week to week. I have seen a big uptick in the amount of actual productive work I have been getting done.
This time is also for getting your creative brain power flowing again. I have been finding that around Thursday afternoon I have usually accomplished enough tasks that the original ideas start to come flowing naturally again. These moments are essential if you want to actually innovate on your business in unique ways, as opposed to just doing what everyone else is.
Weekend:
Spend time with family and friends. Taking the time to maintain your personal relationships is vital to playing the long game of life. It will be a lonely and difficult journey without them. Many an entrepreneur have missed the mark here and you need to make sure you're not one of them.
Be bored! I mean it. To clarify though, watching Netflix is not being bored. That's just called relaxing. I am talking about actually letting your mind wander. This is when the best original ideas come to you. For you, this might be while in the shower. For me, this is at the gym, while I am driving, or while I am walking around New York City. You need to give creativity the room to strike you.
More:
- Over-ear headphones make a difference. I love my Apple Airpods while walking around the city, but they do a lousy job preventing you from hearing distractions like side conversations while you're working. Getting even a cheap $20 pair of over-ear headphones will help you focus.
- Work to accomplish tasks within specific blocks of time. We have a shot clock style timer in the office we set when doing work. You may not always get your tasks done within the set amount of time, but regardless it will give you self-awareness into how long tasks are taking and how much you are actually getting done.
- Tracking your progress is the only way to know how you're getting better. You can use services such as Escape or RescueTime to track how often you're getting distracted. And a to-do list app such as Todoist to track how many tasks you're accomplishing.
- Set up something to block websites you traditionally find distracting. There are many to choose from but I have recently been using one called "Go F**cking Work" because I liked its motivational tone.
- If you really need help pulling away from the addiction of technology then be sure to use Onward. A new app which helps you change your overuse behavior in 1 minute per day to achieve tech-life balance!
Obviously, this is a pretty rigid schedule that can be hard to maintain. And yes, there are weeks where meetings happen on a Monday, work happens on the weekends, or e-mails get answered on a Thursday, but think of this more as a goal. When you find what works best for you and you start to constantly follow it effectively, I promise you will start to get some of your brain power back for yourself. Allowing you to dictate your future as opposed to everyone else dictating it for you.
Startup News Essentials
At the start of every new cohort of Founder Institute New York I like to share some of my favorite news sources with the founders. I am going to share them here too!
At the start of every new cohort of Founder Institute New York I like to share some of my favorite news sources with the new founders. For many founders starting out, consuming the right news from the right sources can really help to plug you into the global startup and tech community.
If the old saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” is true, then one of the incredible advantages of the internet is the fact that you can customize whose opinions and knowledge you decide to spend the most time with.
The below list could easily be hundreds of links, but for the sake of simplicity I am going to focus on the core recommendations of what I read everyday. I am also going to focus mostly on news sources. I might do another post on the topic of specific blogs and which individuals to follow in the future. Feel free to add any more news sources that you love in the comments below and up vote the best ones!
For Everyone:
Nuzzel - This is my favorite news source! Nuzzel's algorithm finds trending articles from your personal network. And even better, they make it really easy to see the trending articles in influencer's networks as well.
Techmeme - If you want to know what the whole industry is talking about on any given day, then this is your one stop! The essential tech news of the moment curated by a mix of editors and an excellent algorithm.
Launch Ticker - Efficient tech news broken down to the most important three sentence summary of the original article. Really good at extracting the most important, essential, and relevant information from news to save you time.
Hacker News - Social news website focusing on computer science, tech and entrepreneurship.
Axios Pro Rata - Dan Primack's daily newsletter breaks news about deals and dealmakers from Wall Street to Sand Hill Road.
Fortune Term Sheet - Fortune's daily newsletter about venture capital deals and dealmakers.
Product Hunt - Because it is one of the most fun sites on the internet! And because Product Hunt is a curation of the best new products, every day. You will almost always leave the site with something new and exciting to check out.
Angel List - It is quickly becoming the case that if you want to "exist" in the startup world then you need to be active on AngelList. You can find trending companies, make a hire, invest in a syndicate, connect with other founders, and more. They recently acquired Product Hunt too!
For New Yorkers:
Digital NYC Voices - Tips and thoughts from the leaders in NYC business and government.
AVC - The only blog on this list because Fred Wilson's insightful posts have become daily reading. The comments from the community are often just as good as the original content.
NYC Innovation Collective - A semi-monthly newsletter that is the byproduct of over 70 NYC startup accelerators, incubators, innovation programs coming together to share resources and news!
Gary's Guide - Weekly collection of all the startup and tech events happening in New York. Gary does an excellent job curating the information each week, and oh by the way he wears a red tie you can advertise on IRL!
Charlie O'Donnell's Weekly Newsletter - A curated list of NYC innovation community events each Monday morning.
Gothamist - Never miss a NYC meme again. From breaking news on the cronut, to mayoral soda tax scandals, to changes in the subway system, to Banksy's central park popup stand, the Gothamist constantly has you covered!
🎊 🎉 Happy New Year 🍾 🥂
Life is what you make of it and being as I only have a limited number of years to live I refuse to declare one of them sucked. So with that I wanted to reflect on the wins of 2016!
The consensus on 2016 seems to be the same everywhere you look. After a year of campaigns, Zika, Brexit, exploding batteries, the loss of greats like Muhammad Ali, Prince, David Bowie, Harambe and more; many people (so many people) have said 2016 sucked. Negativity has become rampant across society, but in my opinion; Sic Vita Est (Thus is life).
Life is what you make of it and since we all only have a limited number of years to live, I refuse to declare one of them as having sucked. So with that I wanted to shed the negative and reflect on the wins of 2016!
The biggest win of the year is that I had the most incredible woman in the world say YES when I asked her to marry me in July! We recently set the wedding date in 2017 and I couldn't be more excited.
This year I was also blessed to be able to work with 35 great founders and help them start new companies as they joined the Founder Institute New York family. We launched the new FounderX program this year and Ramphis Castro and I were awarded Best Ecosystem Builders of the Year for New York City across Founder Institute's 150 cities.
Last but certainly not least, I got to share my story and thoughts with you. There are now thousands subscribed to this blog. The Ambition Today podcast has shared numerous journeys to success over 25 episodes. Hopefully this has helped you, as that is always my goal. As 2016 comes to a close I am grateful that you are each a part of this community.
Even when it feels the world is not always so great, is important to still see the greatness out there, and within yourself.. So upward and onward into 2017! I am excited for the next year and hope you are as well! I can't wait to see where we take it.
Happy New Year! - Kevin
A Consciously Fresh Perspective
It is time for a consciously fresh perspective. I have always been extremely curious about what is happening in the world around me. In college I mixed that curiosity with scientific analysis when I majored in Cognitive neuroscience...
It is time for a consciously fresh perspective.
I have always been extremely curious about what is happening in the world around me.
In college I mixed that curiosity with scientific analysis when I majored in Cognitive neuroscience, the analytical combination of Neuroscience, Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics, and Artificial Intelligence. If that wasn’t enough, I then minored in Philosophy as I enjoyed solving deep and challenging logic problems.
Fast forward to today and I work with startups. As a result over the years, I tend to have a habit of early adopting new technology before the majority of people get it. Some of which I have written about before such as Fitbit, Google Glass, Apple Watch, Boosted Boards, and several innovative companies. I do this because I believe there is an advantage while working in Venture Capital to experience and understand new technology first hand in order to be able to accurately see future trends.
Also, I live in New York City, which means that anything I can think of is literally accessible within walking distance of me every day.
Combining all of the above, if I were to describe myself today I would say I am an extremely curious, analytically scientific, deeply philosophical, and optimistically futuristic person. Side-note: I still like having fun too 😉 .
The reason I have been thinking about this and am sharing it with you, is that along with 47.9% of America that went blue I did not see the U.S. election results coming. Brexit and the rise of populism have caught me by surprise as well.
The point of this post is not to dive into political waters though. So putting aside specific political candidates, echo chambers, inaccurate polling, my own personal beliefs, and more; what this post is really about is me reconciling that I failed to empathize with the other 47.2% of red America.
To be clear, empathy doesn’t mean you need to agree with someone. It means you understand another person's experiences and emotions; the ability to share someone else's feelings. I have not done a good enough job of that in recent months. Last week was a sobering reminder for the need to stay constantly aware of the lens that one views the world through.
It is important to keep a clear and honest perspective that balances the past, present, and future at the same time. To force oneself to take a step back and keep a consciously fresh perspective. To grow the personal self awareness to be able to see that at times there are differences between how your own experiences cause you to perceive the world, how other people are perceiving the same situation, and what is really happening.
Lastly, while personally working to view the world through that unbiased lens it is important that we talk to more people. Including those who disagree with our viewpoints. Exposure to the opinions and beliefs of others is the only way to gain a wider and more accurate view of the world.
It's Friday Night
It's Friday night... What are you doing tonight? What did you do this past week?
It's Friday night.
What are you doing tonight? What did you do this past week? Did you take action and enjoy your week? Or was it one of those weeks you just dreaded going through?
If you think this week could have been better then you should take the minute and forty seven seconds to watch the below video from Gary Vaynerchuk. I could say more, but I think Gary said it all for me. Enjoy!
Taking Action
September 27th is National Voter Registration Day in the United States. As such, I could list off a bunch of facts about the electoral college, the popular vote, democracy, or the current political system in order to convince you that the system is worth your time. But I'm not going to do that.
September 27th is National Voter Registration Day in the United States. As such, I could list off a bunch of information about the current political landscape, the Electoral College, or democracy in general just to convince you that the system is worth your time. But I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to even talk about the candidates. I just want to talk about taking action.
Yes, all the systems, processes, and entities above could be stronger. But something being broken doesn't mean it is hopeless.
I watch entrepreneurs beat the odds day after day to improve and fix the broken systems, industries, and entities in the world. They do so using only the scarce tools and resources provided to them. So, why is that they can do what others can't? It's simple. It's because they take action. They take action instinctively, again and again, day after day, without hesitation.
A handful of people who we call entrepreneurs take action and change the world over time. So imagine if everyone seized each day and took action without hesitation in their own lives. I am not going to ask you to register to vote. Nor am I here to tell you that need to vote on November 4th. Instead I am going to ask you to take action, in order to solve the problems in the world that you see. If there are tools at your disposal, don't squander opportunity and watch them waste away. Use the opportunities in your life to make the world better.
In other news, here are some tools I happened to find on the cyber; I mean Internet:
- TurboVote: Sign up to receive election reminders, get registered to vote, & apply for your absentee ballot.
- Vote.org: Everything you need to vote.
- VotePlz: Get ready to vote.
- And many more!
See what I did there? 😉. Hope it helps!
Swallow The Frog 🐸
“If you know you have to swallow a frog, swallow it first thing in the morning. If there are two frogs, swallow the biggest one first.” -Mark Twain
"Swallow The Frog."
I heard that phrase recently. It wasn't the first time I heard it and apparently Mark Twain originally said it quite some time ago. His original Swallow The Frog quote was:
“If you know you have to swallow a frog, swallow it first thing in the morning. If there are two frogs, swallow the biggest one first.” -Mark Twain
As human's we are all guilty of procrastination. In fact, it is actually programmed in us to do so.
Making sure you swallow a frog on your todo list each day is so important for progress in one's life and especially in entrepreneurship.
For some reason when Matt Rodak reminded me of the swallow the frog meaning in a recent conversation, it stuck with me. I woke up the next day, looked at my Todo list in ToDoist and starting swallowing some of the larger frogs on my list! I completed the items that I really hated doing normally and that had this stench of anxiety around completing. And I felt great afterword!
The best part about swallowing the frog earlier in the day is you don't spend the whole rest of the day thinking about it. It's done. It's gone. The progress is made and you can now use your brain power in other productive ways. And if you do the worst part of your day first thing in the morning then when bad things happen the rest of the day, they are quickly put in perspective as not that awful.
One little productivity hack I started to use that I think you might find useful is this. When I caught myself snoozing an item on my todo list or I found myself feeling anxiety around an item to work on, I started adding the frog emoji 🐸 in front of the task's name. That way the next time I looked at my todo list, I knew exactly which I item's I needed to accomplish first that day.
So tomorrow wake up and Swallow The Frog. Ensure you get the tasks you dread the most, done first each day! And if you have to swallow more then one frog each day (as most startups founders do) then make sure you swallow the ugliest and wart-iest first! And if you still need help, someone even wrote a swallow the frog book, which might be helpful.
Paul Polizzotto Transforms Advertising Into Real World Positive Social Change With CBS EcoMedia
Serial Social Entrepreneur Paul Polizzotto, who is one of the most passionate and dedicated entrepreneurs I know, joins us for episode 19. Paul is the founder and CEO of CBS EcoMedia, which harnesses the power of advertising and transforms it into a powerful engine for positive social change.
Paul Polizzotto (Eric J. Smith / CBS EcoMedia)
From the CBS EcoMedia office’s in New York City, Serial Social Entrepreneur Paul Polizzotto, who is one of the most passionate and dedicated entrepreneurs I know, joins us for episode 19. Paul is the founder and CEO of CBS EcoMedia, which harnesses the power of advertising and transforms it into a powerful engine for positive social change.
Paul’s personal philosophy and actions around social entrepreneurship over his lifetime have created an incredible story thus far. His journey started in California when he was younger and used to surf the then polluted waters of Santa Monica Bay. Paul noticed that the existing companies in the contract cleaning industry were improperly discharging contaminated water into the storm drains, which then drained into the bay that his friends and him surfed in. His first company Property Prep helped to improve those conditions through a solution that properly disposed of the contaminated water. He now works to improve the world through his most recent company CBS EcoMedia, which was acquired by CBS and funds the most effective non profit companies that are taking on the most urgent social issues of our time. In this episode we also discuss:
Seeing opportunity around you in the world everyday.
How surfing and risk taking has influenced Paul as an entrepreneur.
What happens at the intersection of art and engineering.
Difference between working hard FOR an idea and working hard ON an idea.
How to be receptive to the right ideas in your life.
Paul’s 4 criteria for knowing if an idea is worthwhile to pursue.
How Paul created the national Adopt-A-Waterway Program in the United States.
Using existing business models to transform other industries.
The partnership with CBS that led to EcoMedia being acquired.
If you get exactly what you want, will you have the courage to follow through with it to meet your goals.
Ambition Today Question of the Day™:
How should a person take an idea they have and navigate it into reality?
Links from this episode:
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
Be sure to listen and subscribe to Ambition Today in the iTunes Store for iOS, on Google Play Music or Stitcher for Android.
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Your Heart Rate At Gunpoint
It’s a beautiful evening, albeit a little cold. I’m heading home after a long day. I’m walking down a familiar street. I feel safe, I feel happy. Two guys are walking in my direction. Nothing unusual about them. As we are about to pass each other...
Recently my friend Aleksandar Vukasinovic, Founder of Emozia, was robbed at gunpoint while walking home from work. Luckily, I can confirm Aleks is alright. Also, it turns out that during the encounter he was wearing some wearable technology. I felt there are some profound lessons about technology and the meaningfulness of life in his story, so I wanted to make sure I share it with you. Here is Alek's story in his own words:
Aleksandar Vukasinovic Heart Rate
It’s a beautiful evening, albeit a little cold. I’m heading home after a long day. I’m walking down a familiar street. I feel safe, I feel happy.
Two guys are walking in my direction. Nothing unusual about them.
As we are about to pass each other, one of them bumbs into me. He grabs my hand and shoves a gun into my rib. He instructs me not to speak or move. His accomplice covers my other side. I am cornered.
My first thought is “Is this seriously happening to me?” I look down at the gun — yes, yes it is. “Should I run, should I fight, should I scream?” I though. In a split second, I decide to fully cooperate. I don’t want to get shot.
They showed me into an ally off the main street. There is no one around. No one can see us.
And then it really hit me: they could kill me right there. No one would see. No one would know what happened. My fear turned into horror. What was I going to die for? I want to experience life, I want to help people, build companies, have a family. I was going to be denied that, for what? Because of what? I felt pure horror as I realized that my time to experience life and use my skills to build a better world might be up.
The guys told me to empty my pockets. They instructed me to unlock my phone and other personal accounts. I did everything they asked me to do. They backed away with my belongings pointing the gun at me. The guy with the gun told me to stay put and then they ran and disappeared form sight.
A few days later, once the ordeal was over and I was able to process what had happened, I began analyzing wearable sensor data form the event. Unbeknown to the perpetrators, I study wearable and mobile sensor data as part of my work. Luckily, I had a bunch of wearables on me that I was testing that day. One of them captured my heart rate through the ordeal.
My usual resting heart rate is 58bpm. My heart rate right before the confrontation was 80bpm. When the perpetrator pushed the gun into my ribs, my heart rate spiked to 130 bpm. When I began thinking about my death, my heart rate rose to 164bpm. When they took my belongings and started backing away, my heart rate decreased to 118bpm.
I found the data fascinating. To me, it suggested that the most stressful part of the ordeal was not getting assaulted or seeing a gun. The most stressful part was realizing that I was out of time to live through the experiences I wanted to have and to make the contributions I wanted to to my family and community.
The more I thought about the heart rate variations and the thoughts that went though my head about my mortality, the more I looked at the experience as a blessing in disguise. I kind of got to experience how I would feel before I am about to die practically at the start of my life. And I don’t want to feel that I didn’t experience everything I wanted to, that I didn’t contribute everything I could, that I didn’t leave the world a better place than I found it.
The event drastically changed my outlook on life. It motivated me to doubly pursue my goals, to mold my life into what I want it to become and fight for what I believe is right. In a weird way, I not only forgive the perpetrators but also feel thankful for the perspective that I got from the experience.
If you want to find out why I had the wearables on me — check out emozia. I hope that sharing this experience inspires you to live your life in a way that makes you and others smile!
Ambition Today: Adam Besvinick Teaches The Art of Hustle and How To Break Into Your Dream Role
Venture Capitalist Adam Besvinick explains the value of pure hustle in pursuing his dreams of breaking into the Startup and Venture Capital industry. Recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30, Adam has invested in several startup companies as Principal at Deep Fork Capital.
Adam Besvinick, Principal VENTURE CAPITALIST aT Deep Fork Capital
Venture Capitalist Adam Besvinick explains the value of pure hustle in pursuing his dreams of breaking into the Startup and Venture Capital industry. Recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30, Adam has invested in several startup companies as Principal at Deep Fork Capital.
In episode 14 we explore where Adam came from and how that connects to where he is now. Adam started blogging on VentureMinded.Me years ago and created his own track record through taking ownership of his brand. He has always strived to be continually helpful and add value to others. Through that hustle he previously worked his way into a role at Lowercase Capital to learn from Chris Sacca. Afterword Adam was one of the early employees at Gumroad while going to Harvard Business School. Now Adam is Principal at Deep Fork Capital and has invested in several companies across the country, with a focus on New York City and Silicon Valley. We go over what he looks for in great startups, how he used self-marketing to break into venture capital, and also cover:
The influences of growing up around entrepreneurship.
The value of experiencing life abroad.
How to demonstrate your expertise in a given field.
Why self-marketing is important.
How Twitter can create real world connections.
How constantly being helpful to others, leads to opportunity.
His experience at Duke and Harvard.
The differences between Silicon Valley and New York City.
How being an Investor in New York City is beneficial.
What Adam looks for in startups today.
Exploring some of the Deep Fork Capital portfolio companies.
Ambition Today Question of the Day:
How important is networking?
Links from this episode:
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
Be sure to listen and subscribe to Ambition Today in the iTunes Store for iOS and on Stitcher for Android.
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