Newsletter 102: Learning in Public and the Ascending World
I just reached a significant milestone by publishing my 101st newsletter!
At the beginning of this journey, I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about. However, I always recognized the value of writing. Not just as a way to convey ideas but also as a means of developing them. Writing, like engaging in thought-provoking conversations or reading, allows you to delve into your thoughts and explore them in greater depth. But I do have to admit that it's not always easy to use writing to encourage clarity of thought. The process requires research and deep thinking about a topic, and even then, many of your ideas may still feel imprecise and incomplete.
Despite all that, the effort is worth it because it helps you learn. Changes your perspective. Connects with like-minded strangers and improves your communication ability.
“You can't think well without writing well, and you can't write well without reading well.”
“The need to read” by Paul Graham
As I thought more and more about starting a consistent writing practice, it felt like the right thing to do. But then I worried about what would happen when my inspiration ran out. We are all familiar with the feeling of getting excited about a new idea, only to lose interest and give up on it a short time later.
So, instead of making a goal to write more, I announced the idea to all my friends. I called it “learning in public” and launched this newsletter.
Learning in public
This way, I couldn't back out of my commitment. I also pressured myself to write regularly, which turned out to be an effective strategy. Over the past two years, I have never missed a deadline, even when traveling or facing major life changes. Sharing my goals and writing schedule with others helped me stay on track.
Throughout my writing journey, I received a lot of feedback. Some of it helped me better understand my strengths and interests. More importantly, I learned how to establish connections with like-minded individuals online. Even negative feedback turned out to be valuable at times. Especially if I could set aside my ego and use it to improve my communication skills. Upon reflection, I can see that I went through a phase of exploration. Meaning I wrote about a wide range of topics, including:
🇸🇬 The benefits of choosing where to live and work, with popular essays “on why Singapore is a progressive startup city” and “the road less traveled.”
🎯 Deep dives into marketing channels, tactics, and strategies.
🧠 Mental models that have made a lasting impression and brought improvements to my life. My most-read essay on this topic is “luck vs. hard work.”
🌏 Doing business in Asia, drawing on my experience working across several countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Philippines, Thailand, and Taiwan), including popular articles on “winning fast-growth markets” and “culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
💡 Startup ideas because I can't help but constantly search for the next big thing. A notable example here is “opportunities in education.”
My goal was to transition from being a passive content consumer and join the ranks of the 1% of people who create.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena"
The exploration phase brought several benefits:
Rapid experimentation — while sporadic at times, experimenting often gives you opportunities to dip your toes into new topics. In the process, you observe how those topics excite you and what resonates with your audience.
You get better — this goes back to the 10,000 hours rule. The more you write, the higher the probability you will get better at it.
Over time, I noticed that three topics were particularly popular with my audience: my adventures, well-researched deep dives on entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia, and resource giveaways.
Going through all those learnings was fascinating. But I often felt that I needed to choose between what my audience wanted and what kept me excited.
In an ideal world, authors must focus equally on two things. What their audience wants and what the author aspires to write about. By understanding the interests of his audience, the author can create valuable content. But, at the same time, the author should also be true to his own aspirations. Writing about topics that excite and inspire him. This balance between the audience's needs and the author's aspirations proved tricky to get right.
As I thought more about the direction I wanted to take, I kept coming to the same topic.
The Ascending World
In a world that often seems to be dominated by negativity and pessimism, it's important for people to believe that we can overcome obstacles. To have a conviction that we can reach new heights.
Challenges like climate change, economic inequality, and global conflicts may seem daunting at times. Yet, our history has repeatedly proven that humanity has a remarkable ability to come up with solutions to even the hardest problems. By staying (rationally) optimistic, we can work together to create a better future for everyone.
To embody an optimistic mindset, I thought it would be valuable to streamline my content and write on three core topics: mindset, technology, and growth in the world of atoms.
Mindset — take the topic of a positive sum mindset as an example. In a positive sum game, both parties can win and benefit from a situation, rather than one party winning at the expense of the other. This mindset is crucial for addressing today’s most prominent challenges.
Technology and the importance of encouraging innovation and progress. I believe that technology is a force of good because it has the potential to bring about positive changes and improvements. Think of new technologies such as renewable energy sources and electric vehicles. Solutions like that can help combat climate change and reduce our environmental impact. Technology also enables us to connect and communicate with people worldwide. In turn, that fosters collaboration and cooperation among individuals and organizations. For instance, even the highly criticized social media platforms allow us to connect and work together and work together. In the process, we are often enabled to solve global problems and create positive change.
Highlighting the incredible growth we are experiencing in the so-called “developing world.” In fact, I believe that the term "developing world" is somewhat misleading. It simply does not reflect the reality of many countries. Instead of seeing these countries as behind or lacking, we should view them as ascending and rapidly growing. By changing our perspective and seeing these countries as ascending, we can learn from them and support their potential.
So I have decided to go through a rebrand. The core objective is to serve my audience better. My goal is to offer clear and consistent content.
From now on, I will write one essay per month on any of the topics described above. The reduced frequency will allow me to deeply research topics I care about. Hopefully, that will help deliver more value to my readers.
Here are a few topics I am planning to delve into in the coming year:
Exploring the strategies and approaches needed to build and scale a startup in Southeast Asia successfully.
Examine the latest developments in longevity, space technology, artificial intelligence, and web3.
Sharing mental models and recommendations for books/resources that can help us maintain a positive and productive mindset.
Books recommendations — 2022
As a bonus, I wanted to share with you my top picks for books in 2022 and why I enjoyed them.
Wow! What a milestone 👏
Honestly, you are one of the few writers that I recommend other entrepreneurs to follow (alongside CDixon, Paul Graham, and group newsletters like a16z, YC, NFX). Keep shining and setting the bar high.