STIMY #43

My First Big Move?!

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👋🏻 STIMIES,

It scares me sometimes how time flies.

Growing up, I remember being told: Your school days will feel like forever, your university days will fly by and as you age, time will slip past you like quicksand.

It truly feels like that these days.

How did we end up in August?

And how has STIMY the company already existed for 1+ years?!

I still remember when I got my company registration certificate.

It hardly felt real.

I'd drafted so many contracts, and amended the details of so many signatories, but nothing felt as personal or as terrifying/incredible as having a company that was mine and mine alone.

I am now the founder, CEO, executive director, main shareholder, head honcho and whatever other fancy or ludicrous title that I wanted to attach to myself.

But here we are.

And with the thought, came another: What have I done with my life?

Freedom

The beauty of being my own boss is that I have to freedom to decide on all things.

Where I work, how I work, who I work with and when.

To be fair, all these things have happened.

But therein lies the greatest irony of all - I haven't dabbled in the typical digital nomad life!

I've travelled a lot, sure.

But I haven't moved to another place / country for a longer period of time - which is what I've always dreamt of doing.

So I gave myself a little kick.

And booked myself a trip to Japan. 🙊

I'll only be there for ~3 weeks and staying with some friends.

BUT this trip won't be complete if I don't meet (+ interview) interesting people doing interesting things in Japan.

So here are my questions to you:

✨ What should I do in Japan (I'll be near Tokyo)?

✨ Who should I meet?

✨ Who should I interview for STIMY? (has to be English speaking - I'll be bringing my recording equipment with me!)

✨ What interesting events/communities can I get plugged into? (I love startups / people building or creating interesting things)

Let me know by hitting REPLY!

Or hit REPLY just to say hello, I welcome both. 😊

P/S: I'll be interviewing 90-year-old Dominic Puthucheary & the co-founder of KL Foodie next week. Do you have any questions for them?

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Interesting Discoveries

I spend hours on LinkedIn & love finding posts that inspire thought and teach me how to be a better writer on the platform. Here are some that have caught my eye:

Quick Thoughts

What do these posts have in common?

↳ It's all personal.

I spent $150k, I paid $150k for, I speak with people as a senior recruiter... it's all about the "I".

The story that only you have, and no one else can replicate.

It's so much more powerful to say: I spent $150k on a celebrity and it BOMBED! Here's what I learned.

As opposed to: I read that she spent $150k and it was a disaster!

Readers might end up learning the same thing, but the impact is different.

One lived through it, and another did what anyone else could do - regurgitate / summarise.

So that's takeaway 1: Your personal story is the most powerful story to share.

That said... you don't have to have personal knowledge / experience to talk about something.

There are many huge creators or 'thought leaders' who got to where they are today by regurgating what someone else has said. E.g. "10 lessons learned from reading Atomic Habits."

You're not an authoritative figure in productivity, but you can borrow an expert's authority to build your own.

Do take often enough for years, and you'll become an expert in your own right.

You just have to start somewhere. 😉

P/S: Isn't the influencer post so juicy? There's another interesting LinkedIn post that breaks down the average rates influencers are charging in Malaysia (covering nano influencers with 1k followers omega influencers with RM 1+ million followers). Keep your eyes peeled for that post in next week's STIMY Newsletter!

In the meanwhile, if you were forwarded this email and want to subscribe to STIMY Newsletter or check out past editions, CLICK HERE.

See you next Friday!