📍 What you missed in May & June (+ book giveaway)

My master book list, opportunities to raise capital for your startup, and common misconceptions.

Jul 02, 2021

Every two months, I’ll be sending a brief recap to summarize my top articles, interesting resources I’ve come across, and also what I’m currently working on.

I’d like to take a moment to thank YOU — my readers and friends — for your continued support on my newsletter. And an extra thank you to those who consistently engage, provide feedback, and share ideas. I’m extremely appreciative.

I’m four months into Musings & Perspectives and just hit 950 subscribers. I sent my last recap in April, but it almost seems like it was yesterday. Time is really flying by in 2021.

I recently reflected on my newsletter and writing after receiving feedback. Excited to share that I’ve got some new stuff planned for the rest of 2021. You can expect shorter, bite-sized articles, more collaborations and partnerships, and a bigger push to create a community within Musings & Perspectives readers. Stay tuned!

To the newer folks: I’m incredibly passionate about community and like to think I know most of my subscribers. If we haven’t connected before, please feel to respond with a brief introduction — I’d love to get you know you. Feel free to also connect with me on Linkedin or Twitter

📚 Book giveaway contest

I love buying books. And reading books. I also enjoy gifting my favorite books to friends. I’m that guy who only gives books as presents during birthdays and holidays.

I’m holding a giveaway contest for those in the United States and Canada. If you’re selected, I’ll send you my all-time favorite book on performance, productivity, and growth.

All you have to do is:

Make a post on your Linkedin feed, sharing Musings & Perspectives
Tag me and this newsletter
Reply back when you’re done with a screenshot

Here’s an example:

The contest will run three weeks, until Friday, July 23rd. I’ll randomly select one person from the group to receive the prize.

✍️ Top articles this month

Take a read if you haven’t already!

Career Spotlight: Rajiv Asdhir, Investor at a Hedge Fund (& previously Goldman Sachs, Bain Capital) — an interview with one of the highest performers I’ve met and how he thinks about prioritization and time management, avoids burnout, and sets rules for his life.

Activate your “flow” to maximize performance — how to channel your inner euphoric, focused, and high-performance state to get stuff done (and feel great while you’re at it).

The first 100 (remote days) — starting a new job or role? Use this framework to effectively onboard and demonstrate value in the first 100 days.

🏄🏽‍♂️ Internet things worth sharing

List of common misconceptions — a list of all the misconnections out there: fortune cookies were invented by the Japanese… what!

Gatheround — virtual team event templates for almost every scenario imaginable.

Tiny Acquisitions — only have a few hundred bucks to invest? buy or sell tiny, tiny businesses here.

280+ Top Directories to Submit Your Startup In 2021 — building something? here’s a list of websites where you can ‘launch’ your product.

How to Build Muscle — a simple, no-nonsense guide on how to actually build muscle, backed by science.

The Great Online Game — why life is a video game — and how you can win it.

The Fun Scale — three types of fun exist: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 Fun.

The Profile Dossier: Magnus Carlsen, the Mozart of Chess — a profile ‘spotlight’ on one of the best chess players ever, and how he excels.

🙋🏼‍♂️ What I’m working on

To builders, entrepreneurs, and founders:

(1) Are you seeking funding?

I recently joined Clearco as a Venture Scout. If you’re at >$2k MRR, let’s talk.

(2) Are you looking for advisors?

A few folks in my network with a ton of industry and tech experience are looking for early-stage startup advisory opportunities — both pro-bono and compensated. Please reach out if interested.

Master book list of all the books I’ve read in the past 6 years.

Looking for a new book to read? I recently created a Google Sheet with every book I’ve read by category and genre, and my recommendation of “Don’t Read”, “Worth Reading” or “Must Read”. It’s a work-in-progress and I plan to add more details. Yes, my friends tell me I have too much free time.

📚 Other stuff to share

I just finished “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” by Trevor Noah — I’ve never laughed harder from reading a book. Compelling and inspiring read on Trevor’s childhood and some of the principles he learned growing up.

I’m currently reading “Blockchain Bubble or Revolution” by Neel Mehta, Adi Agashe, and Parth Detroja — I’m late to the crypto bandwagon, and these folks do a great job providing both a TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) and ELI5 (Explain Like I’m 5) explanation of the crypto trend. I’ve also chatted with Parth before — he’s an incredibly smart and insightful dude.

New York City’s Social Communities — I’ve lived in five different countries growing up and boy — is New York City special. I’ve never been in an environment that was more conducive to meeting new people and going out of your comfort zone to do so.

Plugging some of the most interesting and well run NYC community groups I’ve come across:

NYC Crew — private dinner parties, outdoor picnics, and rooftop happy hours.
Jet Black Social Club — Friday night parties, bowling leagues, and park hangs.
NYC Tech Connect — professional and social network geared toward tech and VC folks.

Let me know if you’d like an intro to the founders of the groups above.