I’ve purchased 158 books this year, typically buying 2-3 per week. But why?

The main reason is that whenever one of my favorite guys, such as Morgan Housel, Tomasz Tunguz, Brad Feld, or David Cummings recommends a book, I buy it.

When I discover a new book, I’ll either read the first chapter or search for a specific term to get a sense of the content. If I like what I see, I’ll continue reading; if not, I’ll move on to the next one.

Books are super cheap. so I try to take advantage of their low cost while it lasts:)

These are my top five picks from this year:

1. In-N-Out Burger Biography by Stacy Perman 

2. Amp It Up by Frank Slootman

3. Big Business by Tyler Cowen-

4. Walmart Biography by Sam Walton

5. Unfair marketing by David Rodnitzky

Read my opinions about each book on my detailed Linkedin Post

Never become complacent and think that you have everything figured out. If you start to feel like you have reached your peak, that is when you will begin to decline.”

Continuous growth and continuous learning are essential for success. There should never be a day where you stop learning and growing as a person.

Keep pushing yourself to improve and never settle for mediocrity.

Few things sap the paranoiac drive to do better than stable cash flow and high-profit margins. Michael Moritz of Sequoia was once asked why his firm had thrived for 40 years. “We’ve always been afraid of going out of business,” was his answer. That is an exceedingly rare response in a world where most people step back, see all they’ve achieved and assume they can breathe a sigh of relief. Read more

Ideas are like letters of the alphabet – they are plentiful and diverse. You can use them to write a journal, a poem, a business plan, or any number of other things.

The key is to identify which of these ideas is most relevant to your business and aligns with the skills and expertise of you and your team. By focusing on the ideas that are most closely related to your business and that you are best equipped to execute, you can maximize your chances of success.

After staying around 10 days in Europe, I can easily say: Europe is fun but boring.

What do I mean?

Europe is known for its rich history and culture, beautiful cities, and great food and drinks. The United States, on the other hand, is known for its entrepreneurial spirit and opportunities for growth and success.

We should combine the two places; it definitely sounds like a great way to enjoy the best of both worlds. Working hard in the United States during the first half of the year and then taking time to relax and enjoy Europe during the summer sounds like a great plan.

And Mexico is a great place to visit during the fall and winter months whenever we are tired in the US.

It’s been almost three years last time I was in London. I do like it here. The biggest reason is the English-speaking city. You can find your way almost everywhere these days in Europe & mainly Asia, but still after living in the US for a long time (nearly 1/3 of my life), the UK is a part of the states or family feeling to me.

I’m hosting a meet-up with 350+ Turks in Tech who live & work in London next Tuesday. ( 450 RSVP’ed- It’ll be fun:) You see, I’m hosting and not attending as a guest.

People need these gatherings. Glad my work & life schedule gave me a chance to do these. Our NY & SF meetups were so productive. We want to give it a try in the UK first. Then other cities in Europe asked for it. 

On December 2, I’ll be hosting Berlin Turks in Tech. Expecting 150-200 guests.

Europe is hosting me this week. I am hosting Future of Entrepreneurs. 

My daughter showed me a lion in her book and gave me a whiteboard marker. And pointed to me a whiteboard.

But I didn’t know how to draw a lion.

I searched easy to draw a lion on Youtube. Picked shortest step-by-step video (about a minute)- Mostly skipped the video and started to draw.

Here is what I drew in 30 seconds.

Thanks, Pia for making me a “proud dad who can draw a Lion:)”

Have you heard of Pressure washer?

Pressure washing is the use of high-pressure water spray to remove loose paint, mold, grime, dust, mud, and dirt from surfaces and objects such as buildings, vehicles, and concrete surfaces. (Wikipedia)

In business, you need to apply pressure to wake up your organization, get rid of the bullshit, and re-direct them to the right path.

Pressure helps you find “who is the passenger or driver in your organization?”

When you are going to make breakfast and ask Chicken and Pig to contribute to it.

Chicken brings you Egg, Pig brings bacon.

That means Chicken is interested but not fully buying the risk. An egg is for chicken not that big of a deal. Tomorrow, it’ll have another egg.

But, for a pig- it brings himself to the breakfast table. That’s skin in the game.

American-Paris, Texas (1984) – Incredible Story, Real American Life (at least I think that way)

American-The Last Duel (2021)- A story interpreted by three different people

French-Vagabond (1985)- So sad, so lonely in the meantime full of adventure.

American-The Way Back (2010)- Chasing freedom, Full life of patience to go back to your own country.

Chinese-In the Mood for Love (2000)- Marriage, new country integration, immigrant communities in the early 60s in Hong Kong.

Italian-Swept Away (1974)- Italian Burgoise & working class clash, and 2 people from different backgrounds were stuck on the island.

French-The Swimming Pool (1969)- Love, Summer and Tragedy.

You are pretty much lonely at your battle. Because it’s designed for you by you, If you pick it.

Did you really pick it or give it to you by others?