I love reading Seth Godin. From one of his blog posts

If you are unable to declare, then you're going to slog, and instead of starting new projects based on what you've learned, you'll merely end up trapped. I'm not suggesting that you flit. A project might last a decade or a generation, but if it is to be a project, it must have an end.

While you may be tempted to be situational about this, to know it when you see it, to decide as you go, it's far more powerful and effective to define victory or failure in advance.

Jim Carrey put a $10M check signed to himself in pocket even before he got his first big break. Though, it is an exterme example, a goal that marks victory or failure is a great way to keep us in check. Code, career moves, dreams, manuscripts,...all need a firm goal, which is tangible.

The more weird you are, more interesting you can be. However, the more weird you try/force to be, the more annoying you will be. To be weird, one doesn't need to try anything special. It just means to be who we are and being happy that way. It means that we don't try to fit in. And, more importantly, we don't try to stand out. Whatever happens, happens as a side-effect of us not relenting to be anything except who we are.

A great picture, a short video, a crisp article, an uncluttered web or mobile application conveys a point much better its long form. Long form is easier to create, but more tedious on our users. Short forms are easier on our users, but more tedious on us.

Who said anything about simplicity meaning simplicity in the process of creating?

Few years ago, I wrote an article about collaborative advantage. I was with Qualcomm at that time and my article talked about why companies should also think about collaborating with each other in addition to securing that competetive advantage. It still happens today, but I am seeing that trend shifting more and more.

Today, companies build technologies using open source tools or make their tools open source. In turn, they give something back to the open source community and beyond. The lines have blurred between competetive advantage and collaborative advantage. Technology stackes developed by one company is used by several others. As a company or individual, if you are not part of this paradigm shift, you will be left behind.

Showing up is not a problem. Showing up and being relevant is. That social media status update, email, or even physical presence does not mean anything. If you are showing up in any form, consider being relevant as well.

is the first step to creating something. Without that, no research can be possible. But, some forget that it is not even close to reality. It is merely one person's opinion on how something should be working. In media, we see this - analysis, debates and shoutouts about what someone is doing wrong and what should be done to fix it. Unless you are in media, you might not gain a whole lot of success by mere hypothesis and opinions. Make it real.

There is blank canvas, less blanker canvas, lesser blank canvas and not a blank canvas. First one leaves you clueless, second one leaves you optimistic, third one leaves you concerned and the last one leaves you satisfied.

Why do we always talk about the blank canvas problem and not the other kind? Once you put words on a paper or start a task, they still have a long way to go. They all stare at you in the face and ask questions about the next step. Until the canvas is no longer blank, it might as well be considered blank.

Can unsubscribe buttons be as huge as subscribe or sign up buttons? This tells us that you care about what you are sending. This tells us that you stand behind your content and give us respect and choice.

Can unsubscribe really mean unsubscribe and not a dummy mockup? Can we not see mails from you anymore after we click unsubscribe?

After unsubcribing, can we not get emails anymore? Even, the ones that are confirmations to our unsubscription? They are moot.

If money and recognition does not exist, would what we do for a living change? If it changes, should we be doing it in the first place now? Maybe it is an impractical question, but it will be awesome if money and recognition is treated merely as a by-product.

I read an HBR article about forgeting passion and following opportunities. The article emphasized that passion is overrated and rather it is fruitful and fulfilling to pick a problem that interests us and turn that into our passion. Only, if something can be turned into passion that easily, it would make everyone in the world much happier.

When technology sneezes, two things generally happen. One, an existing problem is solved and two, another problem is created as a by product. It always happens. It is amazing. When internet happened, search became a problem. When search happened, relevance became a problem. With relevance starting to happen, personanlization is a problem. 

Technology never combusts without a by product or a side-effect. As entrepreneurs, we need to start looking at these side effects along with marveling how technology has changed our lives.