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✏️ ON MY MIND

Last Thursday, I woke up at 3:45 am to show up for a podcast interview that was scheduled to start at 4 am. (Yes, I’m crazy, and I’m damn proud of it! 😂).

I was interviewed by Erica, host of a new podcast called “The ME Bet” (which will be launching soon).  

Erica asked, “What does success FEEL like to you?”

I loved Erica’s question because we often associate success with tangible and measurable aspects, such as money and status. We typically answer from our heads and neglect what we feel in our hearts.

We had a lengthy discussion about the dangers of chasing superficial definitions of success, something we were both familiar with from our time in the corporate world.

That’s not to say that corporate life is evil and that entrepreneurship is for everyone because we both agreed it’s not. Rather, success comes in all shapes and sizes, so it’s important to ask yourself what success looks like for you.

Taking a moment to consider the emotions associated with success can be incredibly rewarding in itself.

Twelve hours later, I caught up with my UK-based friend and expert live content creator, May King Tsang. Remarkably, both of us encountered a particularly tough time last year. What got each of us through our individual experiences were our supportive partners and friends (when we got out of our own way and asked for help, that is).

As I reflect upon the best moments I’ve experienced over the past year, they all involved spending time with people who mean the world to me.

A few moments that come to mind:

Spending quality time with my father and his partner over a delicious dinner, followed by an insightful interview about his life the next morning. My better half was by my side the whole way, making it all possible. This was right before we left Sydney last June to move abroad. Grabbing a coffee, lunch, or dinner with family and good friends. I love these moments of connection, where we can share laughter, joy, stories, and even tears together. Hanging out with kindred spirits, and a couple of friends I’ve known for years, at World Domination Summit X in Portland last July. I’m so glad that Cindy and I made the decision to attend the last ever WDS (and we did that literally three weeks before the event date). The community that shows up for that event is truly special.Deep and honest conversations with people who “get me.”

So my answer to Erica’s question?

To me, success feels like a delicious meal surrounded by the people I love most in the world, laughing, sharing, and being connected. It’s a never-ending celebration of life, love, and happiness.

Now it’s your turn:

What does success FEEL like to you?

(oh, and hey, if you want to see May King in action, check out this interview that she did)

Hey @anferneec thanks for our catch up!

Really appreciate your lessons, guidance + inspiration🙏

You’ve given me a lot of homework to do for which I’m truly grateful 🤣

Here’s one part of my homework. Do I get an A+? 🤣

Interview by @writingcookbook

— FOMOCreator (she/her) (@MayKingTea)
Jan 26, 2023

🔨🧰 MARKETING TIP

Live Mini-Workshop: Turn ChatGPT Into Your Marketing Coach & Blog Writing Assistant

Seen all the buzz about ChatGPT but don’t have time to learn a new tool by yourself? Prefer to have someone guide you through how to use it for marketing?

​Introducing my new 60-minute mini-workshop on “Turn ChatGPT into Your Marketing Coach & Blog Writing Assistant.”

​This is not your typical webinar where you’ll just sit and listen. Instead, you’ll have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience with the tool during the session, ask questions, and get guidance on optimizing ChatGPT for your business.

Thu, 9 Feb, 10 am Vietnam (2 pm Sydney)

👍 3 THINGS THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION 

1/ Read: How Committed Are You to Your Goals? 

My awesome friend Coach Jennie poses a great question to test your commitment to your goals. 

Random fact: Back in 2014, Coach Jennie and I co-hosted a workshop in NYC together. And the venue that Jennie found was a dance studio. It was a super fun evening with beautiful people and deep conversations.  

2/ Watch: Tiny House Nation

Cindy and I binged an entire season of Tiny House Nation on Netflix this week. We dream of owning our own tiny home over the next few years, and seeing the couples and families getting their tiny home dreams made a reality on the show was really inspiring.

If you happen to be somewhere in Asia (or use a VPN with a server in Asia), I found a bunch of episodes on this Youtube channel. 

Here’s a trailer for season 3 of the series:

3/ Read: “Little Prince” Author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on Losing a Friend

“Old friends cannot be created out of hand. Nothing can match the treasure of common memories, of trials endured together, of quarrels and reconciliations and generous emotions.”

A wonderful read from a beautiful mind.

💸 WEALTH BUILDING TIP

Allow yourself to have “incremental upgrades” in your life.

That’s where you buy something that doesn’t cost a whole lot but makes you feel like your life has been upgraded in some small way.

For example, today, I upgraded my Spotify account to a Personal Premium account. Whilst that might sound trivial, I’ve been using Spotify almost daily for a couple of years now. It helps me to focus while I’m working and to relax at other times.

One thing that annoyed me for ages is the ads. Here in Vietnam, it’s even more annoying because my Spotify literally freezes as it can’t play the Vietnamese ads for some reason.

So I finally cracked today and thought, “why am I being so cheap? Just pay the $11.99 per month!”

I did it, and I’ve been enjoying a non-stop musical experience for hours. No more ads or interruptions! It makes me wonder, “Why didn’t I do this earlier?!”

Other examples of incremental upgrades could be:

– Going to a cafe and grabbing a really nice latte instead of opting for something cheaper.

– Joining the gym rather than trying to figure out ways to get fit without it.

– Buying a laptop stand to help you work more comfortably. Life is too short to be constantly hunching over your laptop and hurting your back.

– Investing in a robot vacuum cleaner so you don’t have to vacuum your wood, hard floor, or low pile carpet yourself. (Yes, I’m serious.)

These small investments add up over time, and they can make a huge difference to your quality of life and your progress toward building wealth. 

What’s one incremental upgrade that you can make in your life?

🐦 COOL TWEETS OF THE WEEK

#userexperience in Jack Ma’s words. @AlibabaGroup#UX#design

— Victoria Lai (@thevictorialai)
Feb 23, 2017

@anferneec it’s not the remote work that’s the problem, it’s the complete lack of boundaries between work and life when you step out of the office structure.

management has always been about maximizing, not optimizing. the underlying problem is the shit culture.

— Lily (@itslilybruns)
Jan 25, 2023

🔧 TOOL HACK OF THE WEEK

Here’s a quick and easy hack for bypassing all email subscriptions in your Gmail inbox. That way, you can view ONLY emails you might need to act on.

Copy the text in the speech marks below and paste it into your Gmail’s search field. 

🤓 My new email hack includes searching for “is:unread -{unsubscribe}” and bypassing all email subscriptions. YW.

— Lolita Taub (@lolitataub)
Jul 9, 2021

🤔 PARTING THOUGHTS

When I was a kid, bedtime was 9 pm and I couldn’t wait to be a grownup so I could go to bed any time I wanted… turns out that’s 9 pm.

— mariana Z (@mariana057)
Jan 8, 2023

Anfernee Chansamooth

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