For the year that was, 2024 gave me plenty for me to be thankful for, Which I don't take for granted. Here are my Top 10: The gift of life. Not everyone made it this far in life, so every day is a gift. I have a roof on top of my head. Sure, rent takes X% of my monthly salary, But at least I have a place to call home. Again, it could've been worse. I have food to eat. I'm not at a point where I can order takeout everyday if I wanted to, Or consistently do Teriyaki ad hoc… But I have enough that gets me through the night and not go to bed hungry. I have a loving family and good friends. The older I grow, the more I appreciate the people in my circle because of the mutual rapport we share. They sustain me in one way, and I can reciprocate it in the spirit of Ubuntu. As Les Browns says, " Focus on your OQPs - Only Quality People. " I have a cool job. 15 months ago, I couldn't tell exactly what I was diving into. But I'm glad I get to play with tech tools for a living and help my clients make the most out of them. ( Business Data Analysis ) I have a good camaraderie of colleagues. I'm thankful for the people I work with, whether it be colleagues or clients. Through my interactions, I've become a better leader and communicator and have created wonderful working relationships with clients who refer to me more business. I have mentors. I have guides who are where I want to be and have done what I want to do. So, by learning from them, I expedite my dreams in half the time. And I reciprocate their efforts by reflecting on their advice and becoming ( one of ) their best mentee(s) yet. I have mentees. My mentees motivate me by keeping me accountable for my word, And I'm honored to be their pillar of support in their growth journeys. I pray that they succeed more than I ever do. I can write and communicate. While I can't judge how proficient my writing is ( at least objectively ), I can acclaim that my writing and articulation have drastically improved over the last year. I have a vision. I'm thankful for the North Star I have that guides me to my desired destination, and everything I do daily leads up to it. I pray that you too may have a peaceful Thanksgiving. God bless you, and have a good one. Peace, . . . ~T.K.K Subscribe to The Weekly Chronicle  for weekly bangers in under a minute.

We'd love to hear them too. I learned something interesting in my personal life: ( Which applies professionally too. ) Success is a highlight reel. We’re naturally pre-conditioned to show progress on our timelines. ( Or at least signs of it. ) I’ll take my generation as an example —  Gen Z : ↳ A Rolex ↳ Beaching in Miami ↳ 10,000 sq ft mansion ↳ A closed business deal ↳ Flashy lives on Instagram. ↳ “ Benjamins ” in your hands ( A “Benjamin” = A $100 bill because it has Ben Franklin’s face on it. ) And while that is okay, It's better to acknowledge our failures more often. It’s through our failures that we’re more: ↣ Relatable ↣ Authentic ↣ Human And most failures naturally occur behind the scenes: ↳ Divorce. ↳ Job layoffs ↳ Business shutdown ↳ A 1.9 GPA in high school. Endless list. People yearn for failures — They relate most to that. Today’s message: ↳ Fail more. ↳ Celebrate. ↳ Rebuild. Until you win. Happy Tuesday. . . . ~T.K.K Subscribe to The Weekly Chronicle for weekly insights shared in under a minute.

"What am I getting out of this?" Edited July 8th, 2024. What's an ROI? ROI = Return on Investment. Basically, what you put in is what you get out - Your return on investment. AKA, ROI. And everything we do has a return to it. Our actions have results and consequences, constituting our ROI. An ROI answers the question: "What am I getting out of this?" We do many things in life and attain results, both good and bad. The investment needn't always be financial but rather about action. It starts from: "What am I getting myself into here?" to "Is the effort worth it?" In investing, you ask, "What am I getting from this investment?" In the real world, you ask: "What am I getting from this action?" Habits and ROI For habits, the ROI is compounding — You don't see results instantly, but they occur in the long run. Let's use investment terminologies here: Say you invest $100 with a 10% return annually. ( Assume a perfect world. ) In your first year, you make $10; Total = $110. In your second year, you make 10% of what you made your previous year. That is 10% of $110 ( $11. ) Total = $121. The third year, 10% on $121 becomes $133.2 And so on. By compounding, you earn interest on your investment, building on top of what you've already built. Hence why Albert Einstein said that compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. The same goes for habits. Your habits compound the longer you do them. If you workout everyday, you improve on your previous workout. If you learn a new skill, you build on the last time you practiced it. Communicating more with people improves your social capital through networking. The ROI of good consistent habits is compounding. Playing the Long Game Say you're lifting weights: You won't gain muscle doing 40 reps in two days. But you will if you do 20 reps over 1,000+ days. Instead of expecting immediate results, delayed gratification is your best friend here. With habits, the ROI isn't immediate but gradually compounding over time. 20 pushups daily for a year will be a toned upper torso. One Quora answer per week equals 52 articles per year. $200/week in an index fund over five years at 8% returns yields $58,356. And much more. For such reasons, consistency, patience, and faith are highly underrated values in today's instantly gratified society. ROI Mindset Starter Pack SMART Goals. A goal is vital toward embracing the ROI mindset, with the best goals being SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant ( or Realistic ), and Time-Bound. ( More about SMART goals here. ) Self-awareness & honesty. You must be honest and aware enough to know your limits and capabilities. If you aren't self-aware, you'll run into ends that make nada sense, and if you aren't honest with yourself, you'll dig yourself into a pit of regret and lost time. Optionalities. When plotting how to achieve your goals, consider your options and their potential returns. Will they add to your goals? Will you meander? Do they align with your passions? Make informed choices that will yield a return on your time, effort, and energy. Energy and time. Time and energy are critical resources, and how you spend them matters. Assess whatever consumes your time and energy; see if it aligns with your goals and whether it energizes or drains you, then act accordingly. Progress tracking, wins-stacking. Tracking your progress enhances your efficiency, which helps your ROI. If there's an optimal route to achieving your goal, you'll achieve it more efficiently. The mini-wins you hit along the way deserve credit, too—they serve as evidence of the accomplished milestones in achieving your main goal. A Growth Mindset. The growth mindset is the " always learning, always improving " mindset. With this, every obstacle is an opportunity to grow, and overcoming each obstacle yields mini-ROIs through experience, resilience, and wisdom. Isn't this selfish? It might look like it... but it's not. The goal of the ROI mindset is to help you live a more intentional life that aligns with your priorities. And an ROI can be anything...including a goal that benefits others. If I participate in a local environment clean-up, the ROI is a clean( er ) neighborhood and personal satisfaction from that mission. If I donate to a local charity, the ROI is the charity receiving extra funding as I receive a tax break—A Win-Win situation for both parties. Social workers are a good example of this - Their ROI is service to others. How the ROI Mindset can help you Improved decision-making. By clearly understanding your objectives, you decide how you invest your resources: Time, energy, and capital. You achieve your goals faster. By investing in the right areas, you strategize your plans well and accelerate progress toward your goals. A more intentional life. By adopting an ROI mindset in your life, you make more calculated choices that align with your goals. This leads to a higher sense of purpose, improved relationships, and overall satisfaction. Carerra's Take I've embraced the ROI mindset since late 2022—still a work in progress. It's helped me abundantly in rationalizing some life-changing decisions. Corporate vs. Grad School Which post-grad job to take Where to live during and after school Et cetera. I'm not an SME on it yet, but through practice, it'll take me places. And I'm yet to fail at it. Conclusion Our actions are our investments with good actions breeding progress. For a quality life, Perform quality actions And get a positive ROI. The same applies to misactions...but no one wants to get there. In today's rushed economy, the ROI mindset is key. And to get ahead in life, ask yourself at any chance, "What do I stand to gain from this?" Then get your deserved ROI. . . . ~T.K.K Subscribe to The Weekly Chronicle for weekly insights in under a minute.

Which is more important? Someone asked me: Which is more important - Consistency or Intensity? I think consistency. Why? By ( my ) definition: ↳ Intensity = How much you’re doing now. ↳ Consistency = Showing up everyday. ( Or at least periodically. ) The argument is: Too much intensity upfront can disintegrate your consistency. You focus on too much output too soon That you burn yourself out And dysfunction on most other days. Demotivated on the rest. For example: The intense rabbit couldn't beat the consistent tortoise. Most people go hard in the gym the first week and quit the second. 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by March . Instead, Aim for consistency first. Get into the habit of starting out gradually, Showing up daily, And putting in however much effort initially. ↳Going to the gym is tough the first week. ↳That will improve the second. ↳You get the hand of it the third. ↳And then raise your intensity the fourth. And so on. Consistency over Intensity. ( In my humble analysis. ) What do you think? . . . ~T.K.K Subscribe to The Weekly Chronicle for weekly insights in under a minute.

You’re still the best country in the world — Don’t mess it up. Written on July 4th, 2024. You are the greatest country on this planet. Let no one tell you otherwise. ↣ You are the richest. ↣ The most resilient. ↣ The envy of the world. ↣ The most hardworking. There’s a reason you’re on top —  You stood on your values. Values of: ↳ Freedom ↳ Equality ↳ Justice America, You gave: ↣ Hope to the hopeless. ↣ Hard work to the needy. ↣ Prosperity to the seekers. You gave everyone a chance. That’s why we call it: The American Dream. Something the Founding Fathers would be immensely proud of. The Benjamins. The Jeffersons. The Hamiltons. The Adams. They would’ve been proud of you today. But you’re messing up somewhere. You got too much power. And became drunk with it. And we know what happens next: ↳ Wars ↳ Crises ↳ Revolts ↳ Classism ↳ Discrimination ↳ Neocolonialism I could go on. Need not to mention more. And that’s not nice. But what’s more terrible: You’re fighting yourself. Not Russia. Not China. Not Korea. It’s you against you. You forgot what brought you to the top, So you’re slowly dismantling yourself inside out. And your foes are watching, Like a cheetah, ready to pounce. Dear America, Stop the infighting, Before the world does that for you. Sort out your own mess. Else you’ll go from a world champ one decade, To a world chump the next. You’ve still got time.  Idk how long, but act now. And act fast. ↳ China’s watching. ↳ Russia’s watching. ↳ Middle East’s watching. Act fast. Straighten yourself up. ↣ You’re neither red nor blue. ↣ Neither black nor white. ↣ Neither rich nor poor. You’re American. And that’s all that matters. I say this as a Kenyan Immigrant myself. From a Third World to the First World. I’ve seen the best of both worlds, I can say: America, you are miles ahead of everyone. ↣ Everyone imitates you. ↣ Everyone wants to be you. ↣ Everyone desires to enter your country. You have so much opportunity it’s not even funny.  I want you to realize that. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Many are pessimistic about you; But I’m optimistic. Because: Your best days are yet to come. Figure yourself out first. God bless America. . . . ~T.K.K Subscribe to the Weekly Chronicle for weekly bangers in under a minute.

Getting more of what you put in. Think about it... You wake up everyday. You feeling behind. Other times, tired. You're stuck at work. You're unproductive - You label it as "busy." Because if you were productive, you would've felt accomplished. Yet you didn't. You have no goals. You have no systems. You have no clarity. Your to-do list is Mount Everest - You never reach it. Distractions are everywhere: 37 unread emails TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat Arguments with your colleagues Fantasies of your 12:03 PM lunch And so on. This is not your life. You're better than that. I know it. I believe in you. You can achieve much more with much less effort if you have the right methodology for doing things. This is your life. Take control of it while you still can. Stop working for work's sake. And start working for the meaning of it. Bottom line... Start prioritizing meaningful work. How? As seen below. 1. Identify what you're working on If you don't know what you're doing, you're wasting your time, energy, and resources. 2. Assess your time Assess how much time you have. Your time is limited. It's finite. It's money. It's dollars. Dólares si Español. Time is dollars. Once you realize how much time you have, you can't waste it working inefficiently. 3. Work in sprints Apply the Pomodoro Technique. Divide your work into 10-minute sprints. (It's a "sprint" because you should focus on one task in a short time.) Work intensely in those 10 minutes. Accomplish the most in those 10 minutes. 10 minutes is good enough: Long enough for meaningful work. Short enough for your attention and urgency. "We practice improvement through work, work through improvement, one sprint at a time!" ~Agile Actors, Medium. 4. Aim for speed Solve problems fast and efficiently. Don't overthink. Don't be perfect. (You'll never be anyway.) So drop the act - The act of perfectionism. Speed. Not haste. Speed optimizes for efficiency and output. Haste does things haphazardly. "More haste, less speed." 5. Eliminate distractions Time is short. Just 10 minutes. You can't spend it on distractions. 6. Focus on the solution Focus on the solution, not the problem. The time you take dwelling on a problem is the same amount of time you take solving it. So you might as well solve it anyway. Recall that time is finite. Solutions, not problems. 7. Push the needle You have only so much time: 10 minutes. You can't afford to spend it on meaningless tasks. Focus on the things that push the needle the most. Incorporate Pareto's Principle: 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort. And 80% of the effort goes to the last 20% of the results. Focus on the things that matter. There are a few. You think you need 10 steps to accomplish something? Nope. You need only three. Find those three. Focus on the things that matter. 8. Reward yourself After 10 minutes of work, Have 10 minutes of play. You put some serious effort in the last 10 minutes. Reward yourself. Enjoy yourself. But also enjoy it in moderation. Don't over-enjoy too much that it doesn't reciprocate your hard work. Similarly, don't work too hard that you can't enjoy yourself after. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Don't be like Jack. Be like Jude. And score goals. 9. Assess your work once done Before you realize it, Subconsciously, You'll have accomplished your desired outcome. You'll stun yourself. "That's it?" You thought it would be hard. It's easier than pie. Simpler than the alphabet. Easier than you thought. Congratulations. You've done meaningful work. All the best, . . . ~T.K.K Join other smart folks who get weekly insights in under a minute here.

Note to College Grads Somebody asked me: What advice would you give to a recent college grad starting a full-time job to be successful? And, of course, I have numerous thoughts on this. To preface: I'm not a career expert. Nor am I a counselor. Just some random Black Gen Z on the internet 11 months into his career who plays with data for a living. So, objectively, I wouldn't categorize myself as "successful" yet. But I'm still happy to share my learnings with those coming after me, including these. I don't know everything yet—still figuring it out—but I hope this helps somebody. PS: Updated as necessary. 1. Establish your value proposition Your value proposition is the value you provide. It dictates how useful you are in a setting. It answers the question: "What value do I provide?" And I see four tiers to this: Yourself Your team Your division The Enterprise a) To yourself To feed others, you must feed yourself first. And the way I see this happening is by continuous learning. Learning new skills is imperative for being more valuable anywhere you go. Learn a new, applicable, and marketable skill that will keep you in demand no matter the market downturns. Cultivate in yourself a habit of learning - your value will never expire. I talk more about learning and how to be good at anything here. How to provide value to yourself: Stay learning and applying new skills. b) To your team Each team has a different dynamic - learn how you fit and contribute to the picture. Observe your team members and complement them wherever the chance arises. If a team project needs Skill A and you're good at Skill A, capitalize on it and deliver some results. Your value proposition will thus become noticeable to the team. How to provide value to your team: Know where your skills are needed in the team and apply them. c) To your division Things get trickier here because the scope is much larger than your team's; kinda like leaving your country to explore a continent. A division has multiple teams, hence the disparity. Many people are comfortable in the their team's precincts but not to a division because of the potentially countless eyeballs. However, if you play your cards wisely, you can reap substantial benefits from sharing your talents. People outside your team could use your expertise too; wherever possible, complement them too. Bonus points if you're in a client-facing role - You're subconsciously selling yourself to them through your service to them. It's through this route that opportunities arise through comments such as, "Hey, you did a good job for my team! I've an opening at my place I'd like you to consider if that interests you." :) How to provide value to your division: Replicate your value in any divisional setting when the chance arises. d) To the Enterprise This is an extreme one, and the good kind. And the larger the scope, the more ways to scale your impact. It could be: Good PR Volunteering Outstanding academic achievement. List is endless. Anything goes, provided it's within the bounds of all that's acceptable. Be a good ambassador for your company - It's through you that many people learn about your employer. Like a water drop that causes ripples in the ocean, it's encouraging to see how you can showcase your value to the company. How to provide value to your company: Explore any opportunity to do so, do your best always, and have a positive image. Provide value wherever you go. 2. Work towards a goal. Have a 3-5-year goal you want to achieve and curate everything to it. Visualize where you want to be in X years and hold that goal clearly in your mind. Then, ensure that everything you do in your job matches up to it, no matter how big or small the task. Example Assume you're a Business Analyst wanting to become a Product Manager. Start by identifying overlapping skills: Analysis, problem-solving, and excellent communication. Highlight relevant tasks. As a Business Analyst, you're soliciting requirements, analyzing data, and communicating with stakeholders - tasks proportionately important to a Product Manager. You'd then take on projects relevant to your desired role that liaise with any product management teams around you so you can "drink their wisdom." Certification and coursework can also help with gaining the necessary PdM knowledge. Often your employer provides free education for professional development. Network with current Product Managers, learn their work, and help them wherever possible. And the rest apply: LinkedIn, interviews, etc. All to prove the point of: Have a goal Curate everything you do to it. 3. Be Patient You will likely spend the first 6-8 months trying to figure out your job. Four if you’re fast. It's okay to not know everything from the get-go; nobody does. And learning is a huge component of it. Be patient. Stay hungry. Stay curious. Stay learning. 4. Gather a support system You'll need a support system to thrive in your early career - No one can do it alone. Find some allies, sponsors, peers, mentors, and coaches. Ally - Someone you "feel" is on your side. Sponsors - Someone more achieved in the workplace (usually a senior) who knows your work and can advocate for you. Peer - Someone at the same level as you also seeking the same growth as you. Mentor - A guide to your growth who shares with you the lessons from their experiences and advises on the best steps to take in yours. Coach - A more hands-on person who gives you practicable steps to advance your career and improve on your overall performance - like a game coach would do. These people can be in or outside your workplace and also have varied career experiences: Mid-Career, 10+ years ahead of you, etc. Your support system will immensely expedite your growth. 5. Mind the conflict Conflict in the workplace is inevitable; Good thing it's also avoidable. There is healthy conflict and not-so-healthy conflict. It just is. Learn to pick your battles wisely and also escalate what needs escalation. In case of conflict, prioritize: Logic Empathy Fact-finding Solving the problem Tactful communication Finding common ground Maintaining the relationship 6. Invest in skills Gaining skills is the best way of inculcating value in yourself. So, in your early career, skills become your best friends. Chase skills first, promotions later. Hone in on 1-2 skills really well - The current economy handsomely rewards specialists who know their stuff. And two insanely powerful skills I've seen so far: Leadership Communication 7. Strive for excellence Excellence, in my books, means doing your absolute best. So do your best always. Put your best foot forward. There's always someone out there watching you who’s either: Inspired by you Competing with you, or Waiting to grant you an opportunity Regardless, someone is always watching you from somewhere and for some reason. Do your best always. 8. Build relationships Network and create relationships. You won't be self-made in your career—you will need help advancing through its different stages. Even think about it: You will need to build relationships if you are to gather a support system as in no. 4. You will always meet people wherever you go. Network with those you'd love to build a relationship with Besides, life is 80% relationships outside of your career —at least one of them will be your next opportunity. 9. Supercharge your performance As learned from Alex Hormozi and Codie Sanchez: "Find the hardest worker in the room - Double their output." Find a super-achiever, learn how they think and how they work, and formulate your own ethic from that. If you want to earn like the 1%, you have to work like the 1% and emulate the 1%. 10. Overcommunicate Only if need be. One of my former managers told me, "I'd rather you overcommunicate with me, and I have the full story, and we're on the same page, than under-communicate and miss a lot of details." And I thought that hit home. Constantly communicate enough on the job to ensure everyone is on the same page. That way, you are transparent. TL;DR All the best. . . . ~T.K.K Updated as necessary. Subscribe to The Weekly Chronicle for weekly insights delivered in under a minute.

All you need to know about Blockchain. I like Cathie Wood's description of everything new related to the Web: "More unfinished business of the Internet." Because it just got more interesting...and decentralized. It's revolutionary, redefining transport, communication, and information transparency as we know it. And because it's birthed Web3 and cryptocurrencies, I'm also following this field. I'm talking about Blockchain. What is Blockchain? Blockchain is a decentralized public ledger that stores, records, and shares digital transactions across a computer network. How Blockchain works Think of it as "a chain of blocks." Each block is a computer on the network, and each computer has a unique ID called a hash. Jargon: Computer = Block = Node. Same thing. Each computer has two hashes: Its own and that of the previous computer. Each participant on the network has a copy of the entire blockchain and its transactions, hence the transparency. Blockchain transactions are secure, so you can't tamper with them. Blockchain is decentralized - it's free from a central authority. If something happens to one block, the whole chain and the hashes of each block are altered. Blockchain's most popular use is transactions. Blockchain Features Transparency: Everyone can see blockchain transactions. Immutability: No one can edit a transaction once it's on the blockchain. Security: Just like crypto, blockchain uses advanced cryptographic techniques to secure data. Decentralization: Blockchain is decentralized, so there's no central authority to govern it. Consensus Mechanisms: This is how nodes "agree" on a transaction in a blockchain. Bitcoin uses Proof of Work (PoW), while Ethereum uses Proof of Stake (PoS). How to create a Blockchain Choose the right tech stack: Using programming languages and environments such as Python, JavaScript, and Go. Design the Data Structure: You choose how to compose each block, its hash numbers, and the information that will traverse the blockchain. Choose a consensus mechanism: For now, either Proof of Work or Proof of Stake. Connect each block. Test and debug. Deploy. Blockchain Use Cases Cryptocurrencies: Read about cryptos here. Smart Contracts: These are self-executing contracts that trigger an action once a specific condition is met. Think of a Smart Contract as a vending machine. When you insert some quarters into the machine and select a snack, the machine automatically operates once you've chosen a snack (e.g., Mint Chocolate for $2.25) and will dispense it to you. Similarly, a smart contract has several predefined codes that will trigger once a specific condition is fulfilled, e.g., paying 3 ETH for an NFT. NFTs: NFTs are digital assets minted and distributed on the blockchain. Watch this cool NFT video. dApps: Decentralized apps built and run on a blockchain. Supply Chain Management: Blockchain can track the movement of goods along the supply chain. Voting Systems: You can vote on the blockchain because your votes are publicly visible and hard to tamper with. This will likely reduce election malpractices worldwide. Healthcare: Health professionals can secure patient data on the blockchain and trace drug distribution from suppliers to pharmacies and to the final patient. Pros and Cons Pros Increased trust and transparency because all nodes share the same ledger and approve its transactions. Enhanced security from the cryptographic techniques used to craft blockchain. Reduced costs by eliminating the transactional middleman. Improved tracing of goods along the supply chain. Cons Accessibility: At its basic form, blockchain requires internet access, limiting places that have none. Scalability: It's hard to scale blockchain because the existing ones (Bitcoin and Ethereum) are slow, have high costs, and can't transact huge volumes at a go (versus Visa.) Regulation: Bitcoin is unregulated, and unregulation breeds illegalities. Governing the blockchain might be the only cure here. Energy Consumption: Ethereum's Proof of Work consensus, for example, consumes enormous amounts of energy enough to raise environmental concerns. Conclusion Blockchain is a big, transformative, and legendary technology that's just warming up. It can revolutionize industries worldwide and empower us to rethink new transportation applications. I think blockchain is one to watch out for in the future; like all pieces of tech, it's evolving. But one thing is for sure: As it stands, the future is decentralized. Until then, . . . ~T.K.K References Blockchain - Wikipedia Subscribe to The Weekly Chronicle for weekly insights delivered in under a minute.

The first of many - Meeting the modern philosopher. I met Dr. Jordan Peterson on Tuesday, May 7th, 2024 during the book tour for his latest book, We Who Wrestle with God. The book analyzes the Bible stories and explains them from a scientific and conscientious perspective. Pittsburgh was one of his pitstops, so I snagged a VIP pass to meet him. ($492, in case you're wondering.) Who is Jordan Peterson anyway? Jordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist and a 3x best-selling author who has written: Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (1999) 12 Rules for Life: The Antidote to Chaos (2018) Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life (2021) All of whose themes revolve around psychology, mythology, religion, personal development, literature, and philosophy. He also has an extensive academic career as a Psychology professor, having lectured and extensively researched at Harvard University and the University of Toronto. Tammy's husband and father to Mikhaila and Julian Peterson, Jordan is also the founder and architect of the Future Authoring Program and Peterson Academy, the latter of which is coming soon. Learn more about Jordan Peterson here. My notes In Jordan Peterson's language. On Writing Writing is the deepest form of thought. When you think, you translate your thoughts into words through writing. This is why I write. On Righteousness To sin is to miss the target. Biblically, sinning is going contrary to God's command. Thus, you miss the target of spiritual salvation. On Inspiration The USA is a country where people's success encourages others; It's called The Land of Opportunity for a reason. It's also partly why capitalism thrived while communism crumbled post-Cold War. Great players are inspirational people. They don't just win the game - they inspire other players to win it as well. Always aim upward. On Adventure At 75 years old, Abraham left Midian to seek an adventure on God's command. God promised Abraham (nee Abram) an eternal covenant and an eminent reputation. And there is nothing that protects you more than a reputation. On Sacrifice Christ is the Spirit of voluntary self-sacrifice. His life epitomizes the willingness to die for humanity's malevolence. On Integrity If you don't speak up, something will happen. Abraham spoke and saved his nephew Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah. On the other hand, Jonah refused to speak, and a fish gobbled him up for three days. When you lie, you live a lie and enact a life full of lies, not your life. Stop lying. Freedom of speech, defined by the First Amendment, is not about insulting or attacking others but speaking the truth against tyrannies. On Faith You should have immense faith that you accept whatever happens to you as the best thing that could ever happen to you. Don't lose faith, no matter what. Prayer is a faith catalyst that most religions emphasize on its importance. Prayer is also a form of gratitude - At least you're not on fire. On Responsibility Sacrifice yourself to the highest possible, self-imposed responsibility you can take and watch yourself bloom into the incomparable reward it brings. With responsibility comes meaningful suffering, and that is life's essence. And that reward mostly justifies the suffering. The greatest game to play is the highest possible aim you can give yourself. You don't need politicians to change the world if you take personal responsibility and do it yourself. Do not under any circumstances abdicate your moral obligation like Jonah. "What would you tell 23-year-old Jordan?" There was also a Q&A session where attendees asked 517 questions through a QR code. And with limited time, Jordan can answer only so many. But, of course, I still took my shot, so I asked mine. Interestingly enough, you could upvote the intriguing questions, which would bump them higher on the list. But anyway, Jordan answered three questions. And thanks be to God, the last one was mine. "What would you tell 23-year-old Jordan?" His answer: As summarized by Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jordan would tell his 23-year-old self to: Stop drinking. Marry Tammy sooner. Stop making a fool of himself. Conclusion Jordan is someone I emulate to be as a motivational speaker, not a psychologist. (People dub me for motivational speaking; we'll see.) I also like how he speaks on the spot and sometimes with his laptop. There's a fandom theory that goes: Jordan is a having a conversation with himself and we have the pleasure of listening in. And I thought that was true. Needless to say, Jordan is indeed a man of our times. It's like seeing Plato, Aurelius, or Socrates alive in the 21st century - Jordan, to me, is their 21st-century counterpart. This isn't the last time I'm meeting him. First of many, God willing. Until then, . . . ~T.K.K

If you put the work in. Here’s how I attempt to be excellent at everything I do. PS: Let’s start with one thing because doing many at once is diluting. Plus, if you learn how to excel at one, you can replicate it in another. PPS: I don’t know everything. 1. Know what you want. If you don’t know what you want, then everything else is futile. 2. Be reasonable Be reasonable with yourself that you can achieve what you want, given your circumstances. As a case study, I’m 23, with Math, Data, and Leadership experience. I can be a rocket scientist if I want because I can attain the necessary resources for this. On the other hand, I’m an immigrant, so I can’t be POTUS. 3. Start with the basics. I love the First Principles way of thinking - breaking down a problem into its simplest basics. With First Principles, I ask, “What are we getting ourselves into?” “What is this?” “What are our options?” And so on. It’s mostly from First Principles that I determine next steps. Let’s say I want to bake cookies. With First Principles, I can deduce, “Okay, I know what a cookie is and what an oven is, flour, milk, sugar, etc. How can I mix all these to get a cookie? A recipe. Okay, next step: Google ‘Cookie Recipes’ online.” 4. Execute The whole point of learning something is to execute it, correct? 5. Connect the dots The more you learn, the likelier you will expose yourself to new information that can relate to the old. You started with A and now find yourself at B - Learn how B relates to A. Similarly, if you get to K - make the connections from A to B to D to K. And so on. You want to be a Math guru, yet Math has numerous topics—Trigonometry (T), Calculus (C), Measurements (M), Logic (L), etc. Despite varying concepts, they relate to each other in some way. It’s your job to find these connections and identify their relationships. I think the ability to make connections and inter-relate concepts is a sign of high intellect. 6. Know the final outcome Step back to review what you’re learning and assess if it’s leading you to your goal. If so, proceed to step 7. If not, return to step 1. Don’t climb the stairs of the wrong building. 7. Bridge the “Connecting the dots <------> Final Outcome” gap. You will have some initial knowledge now that you’ve reached step 5. Between where you are currently and your final destination lies a massive gap to remedy. There are two possibilities: Using Learned Information: If the gap is something you know, repeat steps 4 & 5. If your goal is to run a marathon and you know how to run 100m, then repeat the 100m runs X more times because a marathon is essentially a 100m run X-times over. Using New Information: If the gap pertains to something new, restart from step 3 with the benefit that you’ll have new First Principles to deal with. If your goal is to start a business, you will begin with market research. Once you become good with research, you pivot into Product-Market fit - you’re a noob at this. You’ll have to start all over again learning the PM-fit essentials. 8. Review the process Do this once you’ve bridged the gap in step 7 - You’ll most likely have completed the intended task. Maybe you’ve done a lot, maybe you’ve done little. Maybe you put too much effort, maybe you did the bare minimum. Reviewing this will help you see if it suffices your final outcome. “I’ve just knitted my first dress…but did I like how I did it?” “Did the dress turn out as I wanted?” “Could it be any better - how I knitted, the final piece…or both?” Once you’ve accomplished your task, you should ask yourself these sorts of questions to comprehensively review yourself. 9. Refine Even though you’ve done the job, your process won’t be 100% efficient, especially if it’s your first time doing it. Find these defects in your learning and fix them ASAP to make your entire learning experience more efficient and execution more effective. The dress could be better. I can run faster in five minutes. The cookies should have more chocolate. Just because the job’s done doesn’t mean you did it right. Zero-defect your shortcomings. 10. Iterate Refinement and repetition go hand in hand. Iterate your learnings over and over. You don’t need 10,000 hours - You need 1,000 trials. People will say that’s unreasonable…and that’s why the elites are out of this world. Iteration coincides with mastery (step 12) because you feed your attempts into memory. 11. Document Document the process by journaling, vlogging, creating a manual, etc. When you document it, you’re subconsciously teaching yourself twice, further ingraining it deeper in your memory. It’s also here that you will have grand expertise in your skill. You now know what works and what doesn’t. You will save others from stressing out about finding a working methodology. Because you can always get better, the documentation is a work in progress. Play the Infinite Game, where the goal is not to win…but to keep playing the game. 12. Master Repeat steps 1 to 12 until you function on autopilot. Until it becomes your sixth sense. Until you do it effortlessly. If you can do this with one thing, you can do this with anything and excel at it. Peace, . . . ~T.K.K

All you need to know about the Decentralized Web. I'm trying to make sense of this new and vast field, as I'm considering investing in it someday. It's the future of innovation, and I'm as futuristic as they come. It's the democratization of the internet as we know it. Welcome to Web3. What is Web3? Web 3 is simply a decentralized internet powered by blockchain. Think of it as the decentralized web. Meaning if blockchain can decentralize currencies (e.g., crypto), then it can decentralize the internet as well. Read more on blockchain here. Web3's main goal is to address some of Web 2.0's shortcomings - privacy concerns, censorship, and the lack of transparency in online communications. But what's Web2? Web2 is the current Internet as it is, characterized by the dominance of social media, e-commerce, and cloud computing. And while Web2 brought its own merits in innovation and connectivity, it also has its demerits in data privacy, censorship, and tech monopolies. Many enthusiasts consider Web3 a radical departure from the current web massively controlled by big tech. Web3's main principles Web3 builds on the principles of decentralization, privacy, accessibility, interoperability, and trustless transactions. *Why is Web3 unhackable? For three reasons: Decentralization, immutability, and cryptography. Decentralization—Blockchain distributes data across many computers, so hackers can't exploit a single point of failure. Immutability - You can't change data that's already on the blockchain. It's immutable. Unchangeable. Thus, it's hard for anyone to alter the data without the network's consensus. Cryptography - Blockchain uses cryptographic techniques to store data - the same ones used to make cryptos. Each block in a blockchain is connected to the previous block using a unique cryptographic hash (or ID) which makes it impossible to change past transactions. Pros and Cons Pros Users own and control their data. Users have greater privacy because they own their data. Imagine owning your social media and deciding who can access it. Transparency: Because it's on a blockchain, anyone can audit publicly available Web3 transactions. No intermediaries are required as transactions happen between peers. Innovation - Just as we innovated with Web2, who knows where we'll be with Web3? Cons Scalability—Web3's complex requirements for consensus mechanisms and node validation make it hard to scale. Hopefully, interoperability can fix this. Security—For every piece of tech that brands itself as "secure," hackers are always attempting to prove the contrary—hacking smart contracts, cryptojacking, etc. There are "51% attacks" where a chain breaks if malicious miners control more than 51% of it, and a broken chain is susceptible to manipulation. More here. Accessibility—Current blockchains have high transaction fees and slower speeds, which limits widespread adoption. Web3 Use Cases The Metaverse—A huge virtual reality space where users interact in a computer-generated pseudo-world. It is decentralized, allowing users to control their own data and assets. Cryptocurrencies—Digital currencies created through cryptographic techniques. In Web3, cryptos are the default medium of exchange. Read more about cryptos here. Blockchain Games—Just like a regular game, only that it's on the blockchain, meaning all your points are permanently stored and seen on the blockchain, and no one can take them from you. Transparent supply chains—Web3 provides an immutable record of transactions on the supply chain (because it's on the blockchain), so everyone can track their products along the delivery cycle. Decentralized Finance (DeFI): Imagine performing all your financial transactions without needing a bank. That's DeFi for you. Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) are digital, unique assets minted and stored on the Ethereum blockchain. They showcase proof of ownership and authenticity of each asset. Watch this 90-second NFT video. Decentralized Identity (DID) - DIDs help users control their digital identities. Web3 apps use DIDs to confirm your identity. Decentralized Applications (dApps)—Apps built on blockchain. Since dApps are open source, no entity controls them, plus they use blockchain to store data and smart contracts to automate actions. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)—These are orgs run by rules in a transparent computer program controlled by DAO members, not a central government. Closing Thoughts Web3 is the future of the Internet, or, as Cathie Wood would say, the "unfinished business of the Internet." Most of it is still abstract right now, so it's hard to comprehend it fully right away. I think Web3 will be an online democracy for sharing ideas, which, as far as the current status quo is concerned, will bring forth free speech. Given our current standards, the promise of greater control, user privacy, and innovation opportunities all seem too good to be true. The convos for a decentralized internet have just begun, and we're still in the beginning phases. Looking at the decades ahead. And like I always say, The best is yet to come. Cheers. . . . ~T.K.K References Web3, metaverse, the next internet | Deloitte Insights What is Web3 and why is it important? | ethereum.org What Are the Scalability Issues of Web3? Blockchains Scalability (doubloin.com) The Rise Of Web3: What Cybersecurity Concerns Should We Look Out For? (forbes.com) Subscribe to The Weekly Chronicle for weekly bangers delivered in under a minute.

Welcome to The Law of Reverse Effort An idea I'm pondering on: Trying too hard is something we get entrenched in every so often in our lives. And ironically, the harder we try, the poorer our results. And inversely, the less pressure imposed on ourselves, the more we bloom. Crazy, right? This is The Law of Reversed Effort. It states that: "The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed." ~Aldous Huxley He goes on to argue: “Proficiency and the results of proficiency come only to those who have learned the paradoxical art of doing and not doing, or combining relaxation with activity, of letting go as a person in order that the immanent and transcendent unknown quantity may take hold.” And I thought that made sense. The harder we try to do something, the easier we make it for ourselves to fail...and the harder we fall. And we humans, the control freaks we are, want to micromanage everything to perfection—too much for our own good. Well, what are you going to do? I don't know. At least, not yet. I don't have all the answers yet. But what I can do, however, is the following: i) Rest As I mentioned last week, I'm incorporating more rest and relaxation into my regimen, and coincidentally (but not surprisingly), my output skyrockets after that, both quality and quantity-wise. ii) Do your best So long as I know, I've given my all to something—a project, idea, or relationship—that suffices for me. You won't regret doing your best ever. iii) Don't stress I'm of the school of thought that stress is self-imposed...and not worth reducing one's lifespan for. Especially, again, if I know I've done my best, I likely won't regret the outcome. Which leads to... iv) What will happen will happen. I always say that: I can guarantee the effort, not the outcome. But if the right effort is guaranteed, so is the outcome. It's The Art of Surrender—letting go of control, doing your best (again), and having faith that all will happen according to your best wishes. You can only do so much, you know - so do what you can and let the universe do the rest. The rest will happen as it should be. v) "If something fails, it wouldn't be my fault." Another mental model I'm practicing now. Essentially, I'll want to work so hard that if what I'm working on fails, then at least it isn't because of me—rather an external factor. Think Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive. The only reasons he'd come in second place in a race would be: His age Broken leg The weather Slippery track Maybe the winner was just faster And so on. Circumstances outside his control. But definitely not because of lack of personal effort. I want to imitate that. I'll work hard enough that if what I do fails, then at least it won't be because of me. vi) Play the long game Another good mental model I'm adopting. If I know what I'm doing now, I'll still do it 60 years from now (shamelessly), and I won't stress about it. I have a time horizon long enough to know that even thirty years from now, my output will be vastly incomparable to my output today. It all comes down to tweaking your weak points, refining, and iterating consistently over a stupidly long time. And that saves me the pressure of trying too hard too soon. Big Think explains The Law of Reversed Effort in a splendid article here. But that's it for this week. Until the next one, Peace. . . . ~T.K.K