I have been living in the US for almost ten years, 6 of which I lived in San Francisco.
I remember when I came fresh out of Boulder, Colorado, and sought advice from mentors in the city. A particular coffee I had with my friend Shane Steele comes as a fond memory.
She said: in the early days, be default to yes. I blogged about it at the time. That strategy turned out to be valuable in the early days.
Thank you, Shane.
I ended up meeting a lot of people, and that generated a positive flow of opportunity.
Default to yes is no longer valid when you start being successful.
Then, you must focus on and be selective.
I like the "No or Hell Yes" framework, popularized by Tim Ferris.
Every day, I get at least 20 people wanting a favor, "15-minutes", a coffee to pick my brain.
If you let other people take your time away, you will die a busy, unhappy person.
Command respect for your time — Double-Opt in people.
Once you start being successful, it is either “Hell Yes or No.”
Start saying No more often and you will live in peace.
Essentialism is a beautiful book on this topic.
That said, always take risks, leave room for the unexpected, and don't try to over-plan your life. Sometimes, randomness is good.
If you are busy, you are not in control of your life.
It is as simple as that.
Lately, I have realized the enormous potential of playing the long game in relationships. There is a simple question I now ask for every new person I meet...
In startup land, we build multi-billion-dollar empires in less than a decade. In startup land, self-reliance is paramount.
2017 was the most challenging year of my life. I had depression. I thought about suicide a couple of times. Often things felt scary.
