Who are we?\n\nMeaningful Gigs is an online marketplace that connects skilled African designers with remote jobs at companies like Starbucks, Facebook, and IDEO

Meaningful Gigs

As someone who writes a lot and has written on almost all blogging platforms in the last 10 years, switching to Ghost to start this publication was a weighted decision. I wanted to take a moment to outline the reasons for this switch, and why I think it makes sense for most serious writers across genres. Although this is not an outright "tech" topic, I think this is an important technological problem, that deserves more attention than it currently gets. There is a need for changing the way blogging platforms work, and Ghost is leading the way towards that change. The Clamour of Social Media Social media in 2020 has emerged as a distant cousin of mainstream media, which thrives on conflict, commercialization, and negative news (mostly). Real in-depth reading, educational content and non-clickbait content are neither relished nor made visible on most outlets. As a nerd and bookworm, this is disconcerting to me. That a lot of writing is expected to conform to this dull, flaky, hype-oriented style is even worse. Those who appreciate good writing, thought-provoking insights, mind-bending ideas, and a fair balance of criticism and appreciation of important (often deliberately overlooked) matters, are getting fatigued by this social media culture. This demand/supply gap in social and mainstream media is what I wanted to fill through an independent publication like A Random Variable. Why Not Any Other Blogging Platform? Platforms like good old WordPress, new age Medium, and newer age Substack have grown phenomenally. But they all pose several challenges when it comes to solving the problem outlined above: The Customization Ability Medium and Substack are plain Jane when it comes to looks and presentation. You can only write. The look is pre-fixed. It does not give you room to allow your character to shine through. gives very limited customization (unless you are on the premium plan). gives the entire playing field. But anyone who has ever set up a site knows that it takes a long time, and requires you to know WordPress to set up. The themes are not always simple to figure out, and customization comes at a cost of intense effort. Wordpress.com Wordpress.org Wordpress.org I did not expect customization on Ghost to be this simple. It has some limitations (unless you are a web developer and can breeze through the code), which I hope can be addressed going forward, but the available theme plans give a good range of customization and are plug-and-play. It does not require anything from the user to set up, apart from uploading. Integrations with Zapier and other apps allow you to add on any features you like. The biggest bonus for me is that Ghost is built for clutter-free reading. It is not meant to be a marketing engine or an overcrowded news magazine site or an eclectic mix of "stuff." It is built to be clean, minimalist, modern. It’s Paid Memberships For any serious writer, the writing must start paying at some point, for it to be fulfilling and meaningful. Not just paid gigs, but even publications must pay for themselves for it to grow into a self-sustaining go-to site for good content. Most blogging platforms tried to add some monetization features, but they all failed on one aspect: integrations with Stripe for countries like India. No other blogging platform gives the functionality for writers in India to set up paid memberships via Stripe. This is a bigger plus than any other. It solves a fundamental problem for writers in India. The technical aspect of this might be tricky (since Stripe integration allows you to pick only one currency even now), but at least it is a step in the right direction. You Have to Grow a Subscriber Base To be honest, I was a tad skeptical about this. I was not  sure people would go back to basics and subscribe to the blog, even though I wanted it to turn out that way. This was a learning experience for me. I discovered that habitual readers do care about good writing, and do not want to miss new articles in the cacophony of social media. Especially, if these are readers who have liked your work before, they want to read what you write and do not mind getting emails for it. This goes back to the demand/supply gap I mentioned in the beginning. Wordpress & Medium do have the option for "email alerts" but very few people take that route. That is because the alerts go as alerts, not nicely rendered emails, which sound like a personalized message. Occasionally, the emails do land up in spam (not sure of the reason for it), but apart from that glitch, the process is seamless, pain-free and non-disruptive. No annoying pop ups on the site, to get people to subscribe. No additional labour of setting up an email marketing platform. No additional effort of formatting emails. It is automated and nicely done within Ghost. Keeping Up the Pace One of the aspects of Ghost that differentiate it from all other platforms is that there is no free tier. So, only serious writers will sign up on the platform. It will not have thousands of half-baked blogs abandoned mid-way. The pricing also makes sure that the site is regularly updated—to do justice to the subscriber base and the monthly fees :) The ability to use not just custom domains, but be completely independent is priceless in a time when any voice which is disliked by someone can be easily throttled. Ghost is just that—ghost. It does the work in the background, with minimal interference in your work. The Possibility of Chucking Social Media Work and life are not always conducive to being active on social media. But until now, writing and social media have been inseparable. Writing on a publication without promoting it on social media or having a social media manager do that for you, it’s almost equivalent to writing your own journal. Nobody would read it. But with memberships on the site, it is possible to write and have people read it without the heavy dependency on social media. Plus, if you get booted out of some social media platform, you still get to keep your work and your members. Not all is lost. Ghost is one of the better solutions for continuing with your work, getting paid for it, and growing a member base all on your own, without dependency, censorship, (and membership fee charges) from the platform. Also published . here

Why I Switched to Ghost as My Blogging Platform of Choice

241 Stories To Learn About Writing

Harvard dropout starts a company and raises 20 million dollars. I bet you heard this story so many times and you might feel intimidated by them. But what makes students from Ivy League universities so spectacular? The Social Network I turned 20 years old when The Social Network (movie) released. The film focuses on how Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started in college. Jessie Eisenberg played 's character quite well. So much so, that his story was an inspiration to kids that felt "different". I happened to be one of those kids. Facebook Zuckerberg I remember how impressed I was by Mark and his colleagues. Who wouldn’t be impressed by a bunch of guys that started a billion-dollar company in their dorm rooms? Especially when at the time, I had about $100 in savings with a negative increment outlook. I needed to fill up the tank of a car that was worth around $500. All in all, I felt like I had made poor life decisions because I wasn't anywhere near starting my own business. I then decided to take a closer look at my friends and fellow computer science students. About 60% of them had either dropped out or failed in their very first year. “Did they go on to start their own billion-dollar startups?” I wondered. I found one guy - he had started a marketing agency for bakeries. Don’t get me wrong, he was very successful compared to me and other students. He had even managed to grow his business to 5 employees before I graduated and lost track. I haven’t seen him in the news recently, so I guess he’s not a billionaire yet, despite being successful in his own right. Startups vs Old-Money I went down a rabbit hole trying to find other startup billionaires to inspire me. I hoped that I could learn from them and apply their principles to my own life. I dug deep into the European startup ecosystem without much luck. The only examples I found, at the time, were the Samwer brothers. They had started a company called Rocket Internet. It analyzed early-stage startups in the US and built copies of them in the DACH market. DACH comprises countries in Europe with a German-speaking majority (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The Samwer brothers had built an excellent startup factory that was able to launch functional products within 90 days. They were very impressive but there was one problem. Marc and Alexander Samwer hold MBAs from Harvard. As such, they didn’t fit my startup-billionaire profile. In fact, instances of European startup billionaires were almost non-existent. Even startup millionaires were rare. Most times, the richest people were part of families that had generational wealth. Most of the time, they were inventors that had made a fortune from their patented ideas. Some others enjoyed frequent government contracts. For instance, have you heard about a company called Dr. Oetker? August Oetker founded the company in 1891. They make Pizzas, baking ingredients, and other perishables. Yet, they made their fortune because August invented and patented baking powder. Unfortunately, there isn’t much wealth that originates from high-tech startups in Europe. It seems like every successful software company is getting acquired by large investors. European states have a lot of good agencies investing in startups but they haven’t been able to match the levels of success seen in the US, or even Israel. This makes me believe that there must be something about the students in Ivy League colleges in the US. Something that makes them very special. Silicon Valley Today, 13 years later, I am a software engineer with 10+ years of experience. I have worked for a diverse range of companies in 5 countries. Some of which were startups, SMEs, and enterprises. A year ago, I became a hiring manager for a cryptocurrency startup based in Palo Alto, CA. Our company is fully remote, with team members all over the world. The best thing this job gave me is an opportunity to work with people from all backgrounds and learn about them. I have conducted interviews with software engineers from Fortune 500 and FAANG companies. We were hiring various candidates, from interns to experienced contributors. The hiring spree happened in the first half of 2022. This coincided with a crypto bull market and the "great resignation". Our company was trying to fill positions in almost every department, from accountants to software engineers. We didn't have an employer brand in the Bay area at the time, so we decided to hire interns. We had internship candidates from Ivy League and lower-tier colleges alike. The Ivy League candidates usually rejected our offers. They preferred to take internships at Amazon, Google, or any other FAANG company. From a learning perspective, they would’ve learned more at our company. We are a small team that is building an entire decentralized finance application. The internship would’ve given them an opportunity to try their hands at different things. More so, from a resume standpoint, an internship at Microsoft would handicap their careers. In a structure like that, there isn't any room chance for interns to make changes to the live system or jump between roles. But what about interns from lower-tier universities? Were they worse than those from Harvard or MIT? No, not at all. American vs European Universities There is one main misconception about universities. The main purpose of universities isn't to teach but to help scientific research. Period. Offering education is how they make money. And it applies to both private and public institutions. Most university rankings aren't based on the salaries of their graduates. Instead, they focus on the number of scientific papers and patents produced by them. Since all universities want to focus on science, they need to enroll Ph.D. students to do so. Those students want to join the most prominent universities since they open doors to the world of science. Unfortunately, it is hard to profit from science alone. Also, Ph.D. students do not contribute a lot with tuition fees. So, universities look to businesses and states for "gigs". Research and student tuition are the major ways they source funds. Even Harvard relies on the federal government for 70% of its research funding. Now, let's shift our focus to the public education system in Europe. On the mainland of Europe (excluding the UK), public education is, more or less, free. In these states, taxpayers bear the cost of education in exchange for services. For instance, to provide free education and healthcare, the government needs to educate doctors and nurses. Also, skilled workers contribute more to the GDP. The GDP is then invested to increase the country's HDI index. Meaning that even people with elementary education enjoy the benefits of a qualified workforce. The government pays universities for every enrolled student, even if they drop out. Otherwise, the university would receive incentives to let everybody get a diploma. This allows them to maintain high standards. Why Are Top Tier Universities Better? Students in top universities don't necessarily get a better education than those in lower-tier schools. It's not because of a lack of opportunity but rather limited time. Even though all universities have similar time frames for education. Around 3 years for a bachelor's degree and 2-2.5 years for a master's. Let’s take a closer look at this. In most degree programs, subjects are typically covered within a single semester, with weekly lessons lasting 3-4 hours. It isn’t enough time to gain broad insights on the subject. Only Ph.D. students are able to take true advantage of the extra quality in tier-A universities. They have the most time to focus on studying and have access to the best professors. Going to the best universities is not a waste for regular people. These schools have the best teachers, set high standards, and expect a lot. They have to work hard and earn good grades. They learn to collaborate, and develop discipline and work ethic (but not always). These are desirable traits in adult life. Also, the best universities attract students from wealthy families. It means students build a meaningful network that can skyrocket their careers. If you graduated from a university known for its fun parties, it may be challenging for you to compete with someone who graduated from Harvard. It's likely that you didn't have to deal with politics or complicated social interactions. Meaning you will learn those things in the first few years of your career. Does it mean you’re a lost cause? Not at all. If you are talented you can still outwork Harvard alumnus but it won't be easy. You will need to work harder than they do and exceed the expectations. Always! Whatever you do in life you need to develop discipline and take responsibility. The best opportunities are never the easiest ones so if you are getting involved in something you really need to own it. You can outdo even those that seem “predisposed to success” but it takes personal sacrifices. Join me Thank you for reading. I am a software engineer with 10 years of experience, living my best life as a digital nomad. This newsletter is a response to a younger me who felt lost and needed to find a career path on his own. if you want to get more tips and ideas on growing your career as a software engineer and becoming a digital nomad. Subscribe This article was . initially published on my weekly newsletter If you have appetite for more I just published new article on How Influencers And Books Make Us Dumb

Why Harvard Alumni Are Better Than You

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Technical writers earn as much as $101,399 annually, according to . Glassdoor Do you want to start earning money as a Web3 writer? I have gathered the thoughts of 10 Web3 technical writers to help you navigate this path. Whether you're looking for a job as a technical writer or looking for communities to help you grow as a technical writer, this is the blog post for you. What is Web 3.0? According to , Web3 is “read, write, and execute”. Tim Berners-Lee Web3 is the phase of the internet based on blockchain technology. It is a generation of the internet using cryptocurrencies, , and decentralization to give people control over their assets and their privacy. non-fungible tokens To fully understand what Web3 is, let’s look at the previous internet versions: Web1 According to developer , Web1 was primarily concerned with providing the general public with online content and information. Since consumers could only read information and not interact with it, Web1 was incredibly static. Bakti Aditya Web1 applications were Internet Explorer, Yahoo, and Netscape. Content creation was in its infancy, and there was little opportunity for interaction. Although Web1 couldn’t do much, consumers were happy because of features such as email and real-time news retrieval. Web2 also says that this is the version of the internet most of us know and use today. Web2 presented a whole new innovation from the previous version of the internet. Under Web2, users could not only consume but . Aditya create content on the internet themselves Along the way, four behemoths came to dominate the internet: Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google. Web2 also saw an explosion in the use of smartphones, and most of the internet use was through mobile apps and hardware built by these companies. Web3 Finally, talks about Web3 and says that this is the version of the internet we’re moving towards. Under Web3, the internet is shared online and governed by communities rather than being owned by centralized entities. Web3 relies heavily on , which is the technology that supports cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Aditya blockchain technology For more information about Web3, check out these articles: and Introduction to Web3 A Layman's Guide to the Decentralized Web. Who is a Technical Writer? According to the , a technical writer is someone who writes company documents. Technical Writing HQ These documents include user manuals, operating procedure guides, white papers, and product descriptions. Technical writers are in charge of simplifying complex content into simple instructions for the end user. As a technical writer, it is not expected of you to have technical skills, but communication skills will be your strong suit. How to Become a Web3 Technical Writer As a Web3 Technical Writer, your job is to create meaningful and informative content about the Web3 space for everyone. A lot of people want to be Web3 writers but are confused about where to start. In this article, I want to address your fear. I have interviewed 10 Web3 technical writers on how they started, the challenges they faced, and their most interesting career highlights. 1. John Fawole Alchemy's Blockchain Technical Writer. How did you get into Web3? I started in content writing. When I was crafting content for a client on an NFT marketplace, I included the tech stack to make it more solid. As a person, I always wanted to write about the geeky and technical aspects, so I went in-depth from Content writing into Web3 Technical Writing. Core Skills: Technical Writing, Community Management, Content Marketing, and SEO. What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? It can be overwhelming at first, but you should be in a community to get direction. Always keep improving on your writing and learn how to do SEO. Learn how to code too to see what the technical aspect is all about. All in all, the hack is to learn little by little and to enjoy the process. 2. Gloria Chiemelu Technical Writer at TETU.io How did you get into Web3? I got into cryptocurrency out of curiosity. I started reading a lot about it, particularly from , , and the . After much research, I began pitching. Fortunately, someone needed a short crypto blog piece. I showed interest, and the person selected me for the role on Twitter. Binance Academy Investopedia Motley Fool Core Skills: Blogging and social media management. What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? Do a ton of research! Web3 is a technical field, and you don't want to put half-baked content out there. 3. Victor Fawole Contributing Writer at Mirror . How did you get into Web3? I started by reading the Bitcoin and . After understanding the concepts, I started pitching my services via LinkedIn. One answered and I was hired to write on Web3. Ethereum documentation Core Skills: Content Writing and Community Management. What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? They should first learn through blog posts and community forums on Twitter before thinking of earning. It is very possible to earn very high amounts if you connect with like-minded people, keep showing up publicly and stay consistent. 4. Ngozi-Olehi Munachimso Blockchain Technical Writer at Medium How did you get into Web3? I started by buying and holding coins in October 2021. But after the losses in the crypto market, I wanted to learn which coins to buy. I took a course explaining this concept, and that was when I got hooked. Core Skills: Content writing. What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? Ask a lot of questions and stay among people who are well versed in this niche. Stay connected and stay consistent. 5. Tobi Amure Senior Marketing Advisor at Resistance DAO. How did you get into Web3? I had little to no experience with the subject matter when I started, but I used blogs like , , , and YouTube to source information. I used freelance sites like to source for gigs and that was how I got my first client. Coinmarketcap Bitcoin Magazine Cointelegraph Upwork Core Skills: Blogging, Technical Writing, Copywriting, and SEO. What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? It wasn't rosy when I started. I’ve had ups and downs and lost some clients along the way, but I have learnt how to be better and how to position myself better in the industry. For newbies, just start. Get an Upwork account for pitching to clients, do your research, and follow industry leaders. Ask for advice and help where necessary. You will also need a LinkedIn account to follow C-level experts in the industry. Twitter can be so noisy at times, but LinkedIn helps to filter out the noise. Personal branding is important and knowing how to put yourself out there is important as well. 6. Gosia Szaniawska-Schiavo Content Team Lead at Tidio How did you get into Web3? It just piqued my interest due to the thousand blogs about the subject. As a content marketing professional, I dove in. Core Skills: Content Marketing. What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? To be a successful Web3 writer, you must first be a good writer and then understand the specifics of writing Web3 content. There are lots of complicated concepts related to Web3, so your first task is to select a niche you want to develop in and gain expertise in. Learn extensively about Web3 in general and dig as deep as you can into your niche. Next, start gathering your portfolio. You can select a medium and start submitting your work there. Mirror, Medium, and Twitter are some of the most popular platforms for submitting and selling your articles. You will most likely become a valuable contributor to Web3 content if you have enough passion and curiosity. 7. Danny Trichter Co-founder, Accessibility Checker . How did you get into Web3? I got into Web3 out of curiosity. Looking through online platforms, blogs, and communities to learn all about the subject. Core Skills: Project Management, Social Media, and Online Advertising. What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? Becoming a Web3 Technical Writer is not as difficult as one might think. The first step is to have a strong understanding of the . This includes the protocols, libraries, and tooling that make up the ecosystem. Once you have a good grasp of the technology, you can start writing about it clearly and concisely. Web3 stack There are several ways to get involved in the Web3 community and start writing about the technology. One way is to join a project or team and help contribute to their documentation. Another way is to start a blog or write articles about your experiences. This is a great way to share your knowledge with others and help them understand what Web3 is all about. Additionally, you should try to get as much experience as possible through internships and volunteering. There are many opportunities for technical writers in the Web3 space. With a little effort, you can become a valuable member of the community and help spread the word about this groundbreaking technology. 8. Edward Sturm Cofounder, Commit Club . How did you get into Web3? I started with Web3 in June 2017. My mentors realized decentralized technology and blockchain were about to change everything, and they wanted to get involved. It was a busy time, and I attended events organized by legends. One of these mentors also became obsessed with the idea of making a video game on the blockchain. We created the first crypto play-2-earn game after being inspired by . This was January 2018, 9 months before Crypto Winter, and we had a lot of attention and buzz. CryptoKitties The game featured battling, leveling up, and various rarities. We were ranked the top blockchain game for 2018 and 2019. During this project, I had to do a lot of technical writing, explaining the inner workings of the app and our progress to a hungry audience. I learned a ton during this period that I carry with me today. Core Skills: SEO, Social Media, and Marketing What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? Technical writing is the concept of making technical ideas readable, actionable, and concise while also being detailed and instructional. This is reflected in the whitepaper for our current project, Commit Club, in which we are developing a decentralized commitment device. Web3 technical writing, like all things in life, requires consistency. I became good at it in 2018 when I had to use it frequently for our game audience. My advice for getting started is to summarize your technical learning in documents for yourself. This way, you can practice writing of a technical nature while also learning more about Web3. When you write, make sure to organize everything with great detail and nest ideas and categories so they can be easily called back upon. Importantly, you should do this every day for a week or two to turn this into a habitual skill. 9. Sadiq Isiaka Cofounder, MintyPlex How did you get into Web3? In 2015, I saw a movie called , which featured an adventure involving shady drug dealers starring rapper A$AP Rocky. I was so interested in the fact that Bitcoin was the mode of payment that facilitated the transactions. Then I took my time studying Bitcoin and all the concepts of cryptocurrency. Dope Fast forward to 2020: I bought Ethereum, Dogecoin, and some other cryptocurrencies. I just wanted to get involved in any blockchain-related project be it writing, design, or graphics. Most of the projects also involved writing, meeting new people, and connecting with friends. Core Skills: Project Management, Technical Writing What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? The Web3 world is far different from Web2, so get involved and volunteer in your community. As a writer, you'll be explaining tough concepts to people. Learn how to research and how to communicate what you learn in a friendly manner. It all boils down to contribution, collaboration, and community. 10. Ivelina Dineva Head of Content at NFT Plazas How did you get into Web3? I first heard about NFTs from someone I met at a co-working space for digital nomads in Bansko, Bulgaria in 2020. I was immediately fascinated by it, although I had zero knowledge of crypto back then. The first NFT I ever saw was an NFT artwork by SlimeSunday on . Nifty Gateway I started learning more about NFT art specifically, as I had already been collecting physical art for many years. Anyway, I soon wrote for fun about NFTs, and then I used that article to apply for NFT and blockchain writing projects on Upwork. an article on Medium It was great timing because almost no one was writing about it at the time. That's where I connected with Chris, the CEO of NFT Plazas, and I went from being a part-time writer to Head of Content quite quickly. Core Skills: NFT Marketing What advice would you give to someone starting as a Web3 technical writer? I want to point out to aspiring writers, or anyone in any field, that you have to ASK for what you want! I stated that I want a full-time position and demonstrated that I am capable of much more. So just ask and show that you are amazing. Takeaways 1. Learn the basics. To be proficient as a Web3 technical writer, you need to learn the basic concepts around it. Examples are: What is Bitcoin, What is Web3. What is Ethereum, and so on. To learn these concepts, explore free and paid learning sites like , , , and more. Coinbase Cointelegraph Coursera 2. Be curious. A lot of the professionals were not experts when they started, but their hunger for knowledge kept them on their toes. In the same way, you need to follow Web3 experts, ask questions, and constantly learn about the space. . 3. Write sample articles As you learn about the concepts of Web3, you should start writing. When you write, you start gaining experience and feedback on your work. You don't need to become another Shakespeare. Just start writing about the things you have learned on platforms like Medium, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more. This would later serve as your portfolio. 4. Build quality friendships and connections. As the experts said, the connections you build on social media can greatly influence your Web3 journey. Most of them got their first roles by referral or by others giving them a chance to prove themselves. Make horizontal and vertical connections with those who are currently learning alongside you as well as those above you. 5. Be consistent. Even after you’ve landed your first role, don't relax. The Web3 world is so fast-paced and ever-changing. Keep building your writing skills, engage with other Web3 writers, and most of all, keep learning.

How to Become a Web3 Technical Writer: How These 10 Pros Did It.

Getting plenty of feedback that isn’t actionable is as bad as getting no feedback. Stepping out of a feedback conversation that leaves you feeling good in the end without an understanding of how you can improve may be great for your self-esteem, but it will do nothing to advance you in the direction of your goals. You cannot improve without actionable feedback. You cannot improve if you don’t know what you are doing wrong. You cannot improve if you don’t know what changes are necessary to move you forward. Are you around people who complain that they don’t get the feedback they need to do better? Are you one of those people? “I don’t know how I can be more impactful in my role. My manager always tells me that I am doing great, but she never tells me how I can do more.” “The feedback that I get is so vague. It’s not even useful.” “Last time I asked, my colleague told me that everything’s fine, but I can sense something is not.” Think about it for a moment. Are you not getting the feedback you need because others aren’t giving it to you or is it because you aren’t taking the initiative to get the feedback that you need? When I ask this question, many people opt for an easy answer - the problem is not me. It’s the person giving the feedback. They are either vague, dishonest or unwilling to share what they truly think. Most people kind of assume that the complete responsibility of giving the right feedback lies with the feedback-giver while ignoring the role that they play in the equation as the person on the receiving end of this feedback. You aren’t getting growth-oriented feedback not because others are unwilling to share it, it’s because you are not willing to do what it takes to get it right. The problem is you, not them. In his book , Jim Dethmer calls this “taking radical responsibility.” He writes - 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership When we place blame, we locate the cause and control of our lives outside ourselves. When we take responsibility, we locate the cause and control of our lives inside ourselves Getting the feedback that you need requires taking full responsibility with the belief that you have the power to drive your own growth at work as opposed to blaming someone else for not moving forward. 6 Strategies to get the feedback you need Here’s how you can get growth-oriented feedback to understand how you collaborate, communicate and generate value at work: Be mentally prepared Wanting feedback is very different from embracing it. When getting feedback, it’s easy to look for only those opinions that coincide with your own beliefs or how you view yourself while getting defensive about anything that contradicts it. That’s just human nature. Getting rid of our natural instincts requires the mental practice to accept feedback without judgment and opinion. It doesn’t mean that you have to agree with every piece of advice or criticism that comes your way. It simply means being more open to what the other person has to say. If you aren’t mentally prepared to let go of the discomfort and fear that such conversations tend to evoke, the resistance will naturally show up in your voice or body language. Others can sense when you are genuinely interested in their feedback and when you are out only to reaffirm your own beliefs and opinions. Being comfortable with constructive feedback goes a long way in making the other person feel at ease in delivering it. And when they feel at ease, they will be much more honest in saying what they have to say. Douglas Stone calls this as “creating pull.” Creating pull is about mastering the skills required to drive our own learning; it’s about how to recognize and manage our resistance, how to engage in feedback conversations with confidence and curiosity, and even when the feedback seems wrong, how to find insight that might help us grow. It’s also about how to stand up for who we are and how we see the world, and ask for what we need. It’s about how to learn from feedback—yes, even when it is off base, unfair, poorly delivered, and frankly, you’re not in the mood - Douglas Stone Identify what you need There are many areas in which you can seek feedback - a recent project, a presentation, feedback on an idea, a new strategy, how you communicate and collaborate with others, whether you hold your team accountable or any other skills you may be practicing. Depending on your line of work, where you stand in your professional journey and what next you want to do, feedback on some areas may be more valuable than others. For example: If you are a team lead looking to grow into a management role, learning how others view your management skills and taking steps to work on them will set you up for success at the next level. If you are a leader of an organization, getting feedback on how well you communicate vision and strategy to your team could be highly valuable. If you are an event speaker, getting feedback on your public speaking and presentation skills will help you land better speaking gigs. Take some time to inquire and understand what feedback will be most valuable to you at the moment. When you know what you want, it’s much easier to align your energies in the right direction. Time it right When you ask for feedback is as important as what you ask for. Some feedback makes sense in real time while other feedback can be put off for later. For example: If you need specific feedback on how you delivered a presentation - moments where they felt disengaged, clarity of your key message, voice inflection - it makes sense to get it right after the presentation. This kind of feedback relies on the recency of the event and the quality of feedback will depend on how fresh the information is in the receiver’s mind. If you need feedback on the quality of the project you recently delivered, waiting for a few days won’t hurt the feedback. Rather, your manager might have more information a few days after the project goes live to give you better quality feedback. Another important aspect of time is timing it right from the perspective of the other person. Are they in the mood to give feedback? When will they be free? Combining the two - asking for feedback when you need it and when the other person seems best available to do it - puts you in the best spot to get the feedback you need. Make it specific How many times have you asked someone “Do you have any feedback for me?” only to be told “No, everything’s great!” That’s the most common response to this question. I am guilty of asking this question early in my career as well. Only later did I realize why such questions don’t lead to any meaningful response. See, most people try to avoid discomfort. A closed-ended question like this puts an onus on the feedback provider to think hard and fast and come up with feedback that makes sense and at the same time adds value to you. Not so easy especially when you put them on the spot. So, they choose a safer path which is to say no and get over it. To get valuable feedback, you need to be specific. By asking a specific question, you enable them to focus on one line of thinking, making it easier and safer to provide feedback. For example, questions like these have a much higher likelihood of getting the feedback you need: What’s the one thing I can improve in how I collaborated with you on the last project? What one thing did you not like about the design I presented today? What one change would make you more open to considering this idea? Most creative, successful business leaders have tended to be expert questioners. They’re known to question the conventional wisdom of their industry, the fundamental practices of their company, even the validity of their own assumptions - Warren Berger If you want valuable feedback, practice becoming this expert questioner. Expand your boundary of comfort It’s easier to get feedback from your work buddies, those you hang out with or the ones who might have something positive to share. They sit right within your comfort zone. But your real growth is one step outside it. It requires facing people who might be upset with you, those who may have something negative to say, and those who are always open and honest about your work. If growth is what you are after, stay honest with yourself and seek feedback from people who have valuable things to contribute even if they make you uncomfortable. A great way to identify such people is to ask yourself these questions: Who openly disagrees with my opinion? Who might have valuable information about my performance on this project, idea, strategy? Who seems genuinely interested in sharing feedback with others? Who makes me uncomfortable? Who are the people I tend to get into most conflicts with? Who all are greatly impacted by my work? Complete the feedback loop Which feedback to apply and what to ignore? The decision is yours. You are the best judge of what makes sense for your own learning and growth. Worse than ignoring criticism is to acknowledge the value in it and then do absolutely nothing about it. Deep down you want to implement the change but can’t come to terms with putting it into action. Never quit something with great long-term potential just because you can’t deal with the stress of the moment - Seth Godin Accepting feedback can be hard, but implementing a change can be even harder especially if it goes against what you hold dear, if it means giving up something you value. Take time to process the feedback, do your research, ask questions and gather data. There’s no need to rush through a decision. But, once you know what needs to change, act on it. It may require you to create new plans, make adjustments, shift your commitments, update your goals but not doing them shouldn’t be an option. Finally, don’t forget to thank the person whose feedback led to your growth. It will not only strengthen your relationship with them, but it will also make them feel comfortable to share more feedback next time. Step by step, every relationship that you strengthen will lead to more feedback and every feedback will lead to more growth and better learning opportunities for you. Summary If you aren’t getting the feedback that you need to grow, look inward to your process for seeking feedback as opposed to blaming others for it. By changing your mindset to be more growth-oriented and taking responsibility for your own development, you will increase your chances of getting the feedback you need. Practice mental toughness to accept feedback without being defensive. Spend time identifying and shortlisting areas where you need feedback. When you know what you want, it’s easier to align your actions with it. If you are serious about getting the right feedback, time it right. Make it easy for the other person to share feedback by highlighting a specific area in which you need feedback. Your growth sits outside your boundary of comfort. Target people who make you uncomfortable. Learn to separate noise from signal and put what’s useful into action. You won’t improve by getting feedback. You will improve by acting on it. Previously published . here

Are You Getting The Right Feedback ?

Read this if you feel stuck and crave immediate changes. Long before Jesus was born… When I was a teenager, the only things I had on my mind were parties and boys. When it was time to pick a college (otherwise, my mom would have eaten me alive), I started considering variants that could barely qualify as such. However, they still could provide me with some formal proof of “ .” higher education I was indifferent to what I was going to study. The defining factors were the ease of entry, no maths, and no mental overhead. I was 16. However, my mom had different plans for me. One day, after yet another boozy night out with my mates, when I got back home drunk and with smudged lipstick on my face (don’t ask!), she confronted me and gave the ultimatum: she said. “From now, you’re locked up at home and will get yourself ready for university. You’re going to be a lawyer! As a lawyer, you will always be able to earn for decent living,” Oh yeah, I would! As well as for medical aid and antidepressants, which are must-haves on the way to becoming a successful lawyer. I decided not to object. Persistency has always been my mom’s second name. That time she was definitely wiser than me. Plus, the law faculty did not require any math, which meant I would not constantly feel like a loser during classes. All my job was just to master the art of convincing bla-bla talking. Sounded like a no-brainer. That was how I started my journey to a profession I didn’t consciously choose and even hated afterward. Due to my complete lock-up at home and out-of-the-blue sense of responsibility, I’ve successfully passed the exams and enrolled in the TOP law university in my country. Since then, I have been able to see boys again. WOOHOO! Mastering the profession I did not give a single crap about At the university, I was absolutely uninterested in the field of my studies. My teachers and classmates, being genuinely passionate about law, were absolutely not my people. We literally had zero interest in common. However, the beauty of studenthood is that it still provides enough free time to do what you want. It keeps you inspired and motivated, even if you study something you don’t enjoy or care about. Being a student, it’s hard to fully realize where you are destined by default, i.e., to the corporate rat’s life and inevitable burnout of individuality. Like many other post-Soviet people, I lived with the idea that To achieve something, you have to suffer and do the stuff you despise. Like an old post-Soviet saying says: “No time for smiles!” life is painful. This is why I didn’t drop out of the university, and I even started pursuing a Ph.D. All too often, that’s human nature: we go to places where we already know our lives will be doomed. We obsessively submit our CVs and compete in the workforce market, seeking out mundane and unfulfilling jobs that would lead us to personal decay and apathy. Hey, choose me! Hire me for your dumb-ass job! Just look at how lovely I am! That was what I did as well. Crumbling under the office dust After having a bunch of interviews with one of the leading law firms, I was selected for the position of M&A legal counsel and got offered a good salary. My mom was happy. I was numb, having no sense of any fulfillment or satisfaction. Again I just managed to achieve the goal I didn’t give a real fuck about. I was almost a world champion in that. Fifteen working hours per day on average (sometimes even more). Stress. Tiredness. Migraines. Stomach issues. Boring and dull colleagues… My ass gradually started resembling my chair. Deteriorating body, deteriorating spirit… I felt like I was transitioning from cheerful Bambi to a bloated office Vogon from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I was slowly dying inside the walls of a gray office, inhaling the conditioner air and the dust from the shelves and tables. I literally envied any handymen working outside — they had the privilege to breathe normally! I was envious of waiters since they were always on the go. I was jealous of gym trainers, event organizers, showpeople, and anyone whose jobs implied physical activity and didn’t demand being stuck at the life-denying ghetto — OFFICE. I’ve become so numb…© By the seventh anniversary of my legal career, I had reached a point where I was utterly completely stuck and headed to my personality crisis. I did not wish to grow as an expert in my field. I didn’t want to communicate with anyone from my network. I didn’t want to live in my country with its crappy climate. At the same time, to relocate, I had no idea which of my skills I could sell abroad. My profession and accumulated experience were purely local — I was a Russian Ph.D. lawyer. That could only give me an edge in seeking jobs like cleaner or dishwasher… I slipped into an anxious mindset, sacrificing my work responsibilities and lashing out on every corner about how much I wanted to be made redundant. I lacked the balls to quit myself. 🥳🥳🥳 And finally, Heaven heard my prayers! I was made redundant. And since then, I’ve been free! Full of fear and uncertainty, I surprisingly felt the joyous sense of getting back to my true self. My back straightened. Dark times of turbulence The next part of the story is probably expected to be about how I quickly unleashed my giant within and eventually became crazy rich. However, that did not happen. The next couple of years were turbulent — full of anxiety, uncertainty, and lack of funds. That was not because “life is pain," or struggle is inevitable for everyone who dares to fuck the system. Looking back then, I can honestly confess that most of that time was unjustifiedly wasted on overthinking and procrastination instead of real efforts, trials, and errors. I sought advice from folks I knew would never dare to try anything out of their boxes and were always skeptical about everything new. “ they would groan. What if something goes wrong?! What if you mess everything up? What if…what if…?!” Why did I consult with them? Because I didn’t trust and believe in myself. I subconsciously wanted someone to talk me out of my dreams and bring me down to Earth by saying something like, “ .” The joke is over! Time to go back to SERIOUS THINGS Like Julia Cameron mentioned in “The Artist’s Way,” we are reluctant to take seriously the possibility that the universe just might be cooperating with our new and expanded plans. We still feel too much like frauds to handle some success. When it comes, we want to go. It took me quite a while to make the first step. I was absurdly overthinking and paralyzed by perfectionism. Every little unsuccessful attempt I would take as confirmation of my self-doubts, then go back to my cocoon mode for even more overthinking and hearing from my inner critic something like, “That’s always been clear you can’t do anything right!” So instead of listening to my own desires, . Obviously, that gave me some secondary advantages: a timid and fearful mouse can’t be expected of much. That was a good reason not to try hard. I allowed myself to be guided by fears and poor self-esteem I was unaware that in every human brain lives a little lizard (scientifically called the ). The lizard’s main job is to keep a close eye out for any changes and prevent us from them, so we don’t strain. My lizard was really plump and did its job excellently. reptilian brain Recalibrating my mindset The ice was broken when I started to pass therapy. I told my therapist that I didn’t have an extra couple of years to handle all my possible traumas and backstories that had emerged since my embryo stage. “No parental issues! No childhood shit! Just give me a fast brain hack that would make me focused and unstoppable on the way to my goals”, I told him. So we started working with my using hypnotherapy practices. And that was where my personal breakthrough happened. Finally, I rapidly managed to get my hesitating ass off the couch and make it act against my reptile brain’s will. limited beliefs So, what was precisely that magic that my therapist did to me? During our sessions, he used to put me in a hypnotic trance and walk me through what was happening on the back end of my mind about my self-identification, deepest desires, fears, and beliefs. That was a mixture of frustrating remarks I got from some hair-brained adults that seemed wise to me back then since I was a child, of snarky comments I could accidentally hear when I was stressed-out or tired, some cites from love novels created by neurotic writers that I took as describing the REAL life, etc. Until then, I had no idea HOW MUCH garbage was buried in the depths of my subconscious world and how defining it was for my decision-making process. Ironically, if I had heard any of this shit in a conversation, this would be how my face would look in response: However, I'd been guided by that nonsense in many aspects of my life and could not live my life according to my own standards Here is how to beat your limited beliefs If you are like me, you may think that your skillset and background do not allow you to have a free digital nomad lifestyle and make a living from your laptop. This is  a f. To prevent it from getting in your way, you'll have to replace this negative thought with an opposite, positive statement and then find stories of successful people who started from a point similar to yours. limited belie Look for stories everywhere: your inner circle, friends, friends of friends, random strangers on the Internet, wherever. You will find relevant examples to support this new belief and further convince you. WARNING: you don't want to question these stories or explore their flaws to find out the whole TRUTH, which would make you skeptical. Remember, our brains don't care what we believe. The brain only needs relevant examples and confirmations evidencing that such changes are possible so it can collaborate with you on creating positive life changes. Many people choose to ignore the highly effective placebo effect. Choose the beliefs that work for you and use them as effective instruments in achieving the life of your dreams. Failed to find anything relevant, having shaken the whole Internet? Then let your imagination come in handy. Ask yourself a question: if there were any successful stories of how someone like me would have achieved what I want, what would these stories look like? What could be other possible scenarios of getting there under the same circumstances like mine? Use your creativity to create the settings you choose. My “AHA moment” On my way to the new desirable life, I explored literally everything that seemed like it might help. With a positive mindset that therapy sessions had given me, I eventually managed to see in my useless legal background something that had the potential to transit me to the world of office-free gigs. I gave a closer look at what it took to be a lawyer and boiled down all the crucial skills. Those were strong analytical skills, logical and structured thinking, powerful negotiation skills, and … passionate and persuasive WRITING! Suddenly, I realized that during all these unhappy years of being a lawyer, I've been doing writing that successfully led me to the results I was after. Yes, I hated writing legal documents. However, I was entirely in love with the writing process itself. Finally, I turned my focus to pursuing a career as a copywriter and content marketer, and since then, I have no longer felt the need to be in an office. And I have not been limited, either, by the prospect of international expansion. Today you might know me as someone who lives in Bali, parenting the sweetest Shih Tzu dog and working from their laptop - doing work that has nothing to do with law. Now, I'm feeling fulfilled, happy, inspired, and grateful every second of my life. A secret weapon With me so far? Great. Now let me finally share some of my favorite new life attitudes that have helped me a lot on my journey. They can come in handy for you, too, if you are currently going through times of turbulence and mentally beating yourself up with anxiety and self-doubt. I worded these principles in such a way that would sound the most compelling to my ears. You can rephrase them in whatever manner you want, using the vocabulary that suits you best. So here is my mental arsenal: It's better to shit yourself during a storm than during a weather forecast To win any game, you must begin playing it. Get into it, and then learn as you go. All too often, people reflect too long before taking the first step, talking themselves out, and doing nothing at the end. Here’s my primary advice to you: Don't fool yourself into thinking that you can see the whole picture and all the potential outcomes from your actions. No, you can't. You are not smarter than the universe, and you cannot see the future from every possible angle. It's arrogant to think that way. As my math teacher used to say: "Keep doing. Clarity will come with time."
He was wise and knew the drill. A successful person differs from a loser by the number of shots and reactions to a miss A successful individual does not take a miss personally. Successful people do not allow themselves to dwell on failure and start questioning themselves. Instead, they analyze failures to learn from them while staying emotionally disengaged. Reduce the significance and relevance of failures in your life. As an old saying says, The arrow flies toward its target without seeing obstacles. If you don't like me, I'll cross you off People and events in life must deserve the special right to be the subject of our attention and focus. Otherwise, we risk scattering our focus like porridge across a platter by paying attention carelessly to every random event, odd behavior, or opinion of others. Guess what could be the consequences?.. Wasted energy and zero results. It's too expensive to allow ourselves the luxury of paying attention to every random nonsense. Our focus has limited capacity, and we have to carefully filter our circle and the feedback we receive from it for our minds to be at peace. Is this a meaningful person for you to listen to? Is interacting with him a source of inspiration and encouragement for you? If not, you already know what to do. Ask yourself in old age It's always been hard for me to observe older adults having to work just out of necessity (rather than choice)) and the struggles they face in trying not to get fired because of their age. As the years pass, our enthusiasm and energy wane, while the possibility of being fired grows as it's getting hard to compete against the younger workforce. Ask yourself: how would you prefer to age? In anxiety about the future and the sense of impending disaster due to resource depletion? Or a well-deserved relaxation and appreciation for accomplishing everything correctly at the proper time? Convert your dreams into urgent tasks Keep in mind that you are unlikely to live for 500 years or something. Every genuinely desirable goal must have a set deadline. Otherwise, if you believe in reincarnation, you must carry it over to the next life. But if you don't, go down to earth and immediately start creating your step-by-step plan with precise dates, so it can get done before time runs out! So many people suffer from a "Woe from Wit" problem in today's world. The more intelligent and educated we become, the greater we see the potential of failure. Spending too much time overthinking and choosing to play it safe, we eventually stagnate and sink into depression. Being so smart, why do we still have no impressive results in our lives? Isn't it unfair?! It's fair…Until you stop letting your fears guide you and dare to claim your expanded life instead. It's OK that you're scared. You can stay scared, but you must act. You have a slight headache, but still, go to your regular job or cook for your kids. The headache won't prevent you from doing your non-negotiables. So don't let your smart-ass brain paralyze you. THE WORK OF THE CHARIOT. "When a man takes one step toward God, God takes more steps toward that man than there are sands in the worlds of time." Take your steps and get ready for synchronicity. Fortune favors the bold.

How I Beat My Limited Beliefs, Quit My Job, and Became a Island-based Digital Nomad

Back at the dawn of the modern computing era, one Donald Knuth published a book titled "The Art of Computer Programming" that soon  became a bible of software engineering and defined many generations of computer programmers to come. This book, which was intended as a compendium of computer algorithms, had also put forward a very important idea: . At the time, that was the prevailing point of view. software engineering is a form of art That was then. Fast forward to the "mobile first", "internet of everything" interconnected ultra-computerized era of today. Computers have changed a lot, but what changed even more is the perception of the computer programming as a profession. Once considered a form of applied art, programming of today is nothing more than a relatively well paying job, one that requires sitting in a large dimly lit room and staring at the laptop screen for hours. Long gone are the days of programming competitions, replaced by "hackathons" that usually boil down to insanely long work days thinly veiled as a "party". Forget about finding the most elegant solution to the problem! The motto of the day is "ship it now, fix it later". Cheaper by the dozen. So how did we get there? The advent of mobile brought about a lot of revolutionary changes (that have been well documented and discussed all over the media) but one of the major paradigm shifts that came along with mobile gets very little attention. Mobile era put the concept of front and center and conditioned the crowds to . Before, the errors and bugs were grudgingly accepted. Now, they are . Nobody blinks when the app crashes - we just start it again. It's perfectly fine when the phone (or laptop for that matter) freezes - we just reboot it. With increasingly fast delivery cycles, the code has become disposable, and so has the approach to programming in general. disposable technology expect crashes and failures expected Writing quality code (never mind "elegant", just stable readable code) is no longer practical and is no longer expected - who cares how good or bad your code is when it will be thrown away in a year or two anyways. Keenly aware of the cultural shift, most major tech companies are slashing their testing departments and pushing the buck onto developers and end users. How do people who work in the industry feel about all that? How does the "technical talent" relate to the fact that their work becomes more and more mechanical, less and less creative? A few years ago, PayScale.com published a covering well over a hundred different industries. How did computer folks fare? Take a look: comprehensive job satisfaction survey The first number is the median pay, followed by percent of people who sees their job as highly meaningful. The last column is the share of people who are satisfied with their job. Fascinating, isn’t it? Computer “talent” group came well below bartenders. Below waiters and waitresses. And slightly above dishwashers. Only 29% of the programmers see their job as meaningful. The wast majority sees it as a waste of time. Houston, we have a problem. A number of problems, in fact. Those problems have nothing to do with technology and everything with the human side of the profession. As computer technology became disposable, computer professionals became disposable too. And they are keenly aware of that. Internet opened the borders and brought about global competition where the “talent” is measured in cents and most gigs are awarded based on the price point. Cheaper by the dozen. There is no point in developing a unique vision and style. There is no point in trying to be the best. Employers want cheap disposable commodity, and they want a lot of it. And you know what? They are getting it.

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