Love this quote from Naval Ravikant.
Select your purpose and find the right people that will get you to various steps in your journey.
Are the online reviews playing you?
Time and time again, I hear from friends that they bought a ‘thing’, selected a book, went to a place, went for a movie or have spent their hard-earned money and invested their time based on the online reviews. Many times they come disappointed.
In this day and age where we want quick answers and quick gratification, we want something and we want it now. This is even easier with the Internet. But before we take the plunge, some of us want to confirm if their decision is the right one and they go and check the reviews. They do that on Amazon, IMDB, shopping sites, financial products, builders, buying perfumes, restaurants, food items, buying cars, boats, checking online people references etc. Essentially we get reviews for nearly everything. Again, the connectivity comes handy and people are just one search and few clicks away before they can dive into reviews of their desired products or services.
Although this mechanism to make informed decision is great but has a big (but an easy) flaw! The reviews can be faked and relying on those reviews can cost someone tens to thousands or a lifetime of savings and agony. You will survive if you buy a book based on fake reviews or waste 3 hours of your life based on fake reviews but imagine investing thousands or millions based on star rating given by an rating company?
When was the last time you identified some fake reviews?
So if it is too true to be true, check again! Just don’t blindly follow the star rating but open the bonnet to check further details! Fake reviews most times are easy to spot. Assess the risk of you making decisions based on the ratings. Don’t let the online reviews/ratings play you, dig deeper.
Who is (or should be) taking accountability for the fake (or inaccurate) reviews? In some countries there are laws which forces business/platforms to take ownership of checking on false reviews but who is checking on Businesses if they are following through? You won’t pick a life parter just based on online reviews then why not extend the same due diligence on some other things in your life!
Don’t rush through that book
Reading is a type of meditation. Don’t rush through the process.
Tejas Patel
As a book reader, I often ask people as to what they are reading and sometimes the conversation becomes about what people have read and how long it took them. As times I sense that some people take pride in how quickly they are reading the book (or skipping through it)!
Read to learn, to understand and to connect the dots. The more you read (and understand), the better you will get at connecting the dots between different point of views, topics and your own experiences.
There are hardly any medals if you finish the book early unless you are taking part in the speed reading competition. So relax, let the words sink in, let your mind decide if you agree or disagree with what the author is saying and formulate your own perspective.
News on streaming service – Is it a matter of when?
I write this on the eve of Disney+ launch in Australia. With more and more streaming services coming to market, I wonder how long before streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime etc. before they start broadcasting localised news?
How long before one of the streaming services re-define what the local news is like? How long before streaming services start delivering news that matters than the current version of broadcasting TVs?
The local broadcasting channels have lifted their game in the last couple of years but still nowhere near that I would cancel my Netflix subscription anytime soon. In the last few years, I am used to paying for the privilege of enjoying my TV time without the intrusion of ads. Is it a possibility that to begin with, a streaming service partners with local broadcasting service to offer a daily news service (nationally)? What is stopping Netflix from being a one stop shop? Is it just a better of time before they become one?
Watch your attitude towards ‘problems’
One should focus more of their time on seeking solutions for their problems than staying engrossed in the problems they are facing. ‘Can Do’ always yields more results than ‘Can’t Do’. Surely there are things that are in one’s control and then some that there are not – focus on what can be controlled.
Keep a problem into your perspective but only for identifying an appropriate solution to it.
So are you focusing on problems or their solutions right now?
Expectations
Expect more from yourself than others and you will be less disappointed.
Tejas Patel 😊
Better Questions or Better Answers
I am continuously striving to ask better questions – to myself, with my family and people that I work with. It is an acquired skill that needs to be continuously refined.
Questions, especially better questions will contribute to lifetime growth. Growth lies in uncovering the unknowns.
If you want a better answer, ask a better question. Formulating better questions will force you to get clear on what you want to ask and achieve. Garbage in, garbage out.
Don’t ask questions to show how much you know (or prove your superiority) but ask questions so that you can uncover more and to move forward.
