Stress is good if you know how to address it.

Sometimes we might be overloaded with all the stress on our shoulders. Either there is no other person around who might help us or because we think we can deal with it.

As you can see optimal stress is the stress it helps you. That means you are using on your benefit.

I always perform better under stressful times than relaxed ones. Stress is giving me a chance to rethink everything in a short time of period. Then, I try to find a solution. If it is not under my control, I let it Go! I changed my perspective to stress instead of bad or killing me, I use it for my own good.

Pretty much it is your intention. If you believe that’s is good for you, you will get what you expected it.

This is the best thing happened to me lately. I try to leave my phone at home while I am walking. Still, I have the urge to check something from time to time. Instead of a phone, I’ll take a short note while I was walking.

Those ideas on the walk are pretty much very unique. If I don’t take note, they will be gone forever. So, it helps me a lot to clear my mind also focusing only on the walk too.

I definitely recommend it.

If you are curious about my notebook, I use this one

You should always have a pen and paper with you. You never know when “the inspiration ferry” comes.

In 2008,( my sophomore year at college), I started to host a monthly coffee meeting. It was mostly for creators, entrepreneurs, and college students. I saw people are in NewYork are doing it. I reached out to them and said, “ Can I host this event in my city?” They said, yeah sure.

Literally 12 years ago. I was 20 years old kid:)

It was already happening in Istanbul so I got an “official” Likemind badge and started to meet people once a month every 3rd Saturday.

The original event (The New York Times article about Likemind) was every 3rd Friday early 7:30 am-10 am (Same time nearly 55+ Countries) at Starbucks. That time 2008 in Turkey none of the Starbucks were open that early also most of them at the luxury shopping center that was not the same urban, creativity feeling like the one in New York, Sydney, or London.

The reason they were doing early morning and also Friday because most people who came to the event, they were freelancers, marketers, or designers. Unfortunately in Ankara, we didn’t have any of those people. So, I had to do it on Saturday. Also, started to convince my friends:

a) Come to my event

b) Start either their own business.

I did hosting almost over a year then stopped. What I learned during that time:

• First, Ankara was not ready because of that city full of college students and bureaucrats.
• Second, I need to build my own network however staying in the Ankara will not help me. So, in late 2009, I made my decision to move out of Ankara when I graduate college. I can easily move to Istanbul but I said: “Nope, I need to be part of something bigger than myself”.

And, I checked where is the center of innovation and entrepreneurship? Yup, That was San Francisco. The rest is history.

I keep asking this question the last couple of days myself. I don’t have a proper answer. But, all I can say I have multiple fears. Everyone has it. That’s all good. But, I couldn’t figure out What I fear the most yet. However, I asked people on my Instagram account, sounds like they know what’s going on them. Here are their top answers:

• Failure

• Future

• Loneliness

• Being misunderstood

• Losing family members

• Working a job I don’t like

• Being an ordinary person

• Being taken for a “fool”

• Darkness

What do you fear the most?

Prospect is one of the top words I keep using every day. That is a term mostly used in the Sales Organization for a person regarded most likely to be a potential client or customer etc. I always proud of being Salesperson in addition to my role in our company (Growth+Product+Data etc).

I asked myself what is the first meaning of Prospect?, According to Meriam Webster’s definition of Prospect: the possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring.

We do prospecting in our organization based on our current clients’ job, size, stage of the company and their industry to find similar paths in the “prospect” list. You need to know very well what are you looking for.

I thought how much we do “prospecting” for our personal lives? What’s our prospect list look like? I think we can start to ask the right questions ourselves to analyze our current situation objectively. Then, the rest will follow.

I am always curious to know what is going on inside of other houses. Whenever I do walk around our neighborhood, I found myself looking at people’s garage if it is open or looking at their windows to see how they live in it. ( No trespassing, just looking from distance)

Because I believe every person is a universe. Their house is literally their “Space”. That’s why I think TV shows of celebrity’s houses are so popular. I see that trend is going huge also on YouTube too. But, it has a fundamental difference: They cover regular people. Because I believe people are tired of fake and made-up stuff. They want authentic production.

Next time when you are talking with someone via Zoom, ask: Can you show me your place :)? You will surprise how much knowledge you will gain about that person.

I like mixed drinks, salads or colors. But the secret of mixing is: You need to taste each of the uniqueness of things. Also, they need to create something new with all their efforts without losing their identity.

Building your vision or mental models, you need to feed your brain with different perspectives, writers, environments, food, etc.

Try new things. After your first impression, maybe mix it with your old ones. You will surprise how amazing things might bear with those combinations.

Share Aykut’s Newsletter

You probably get an email or DM from someone and asking “ Can you give me your formulas? How can I be like you”?

I always say. There is no formula. Let’s say I have a formula, there is no way it can work for another person. Because that is unique for me. All ingredients are part of me. So, stop looking for other’s formula to apply yourself. I have better solutions for you:

Models

Yes, models are works for everyone. You need to have a good role model. That role model will play you as a light on your journey. More like a teacher or guide. Not a magic formula.

The good thing about models. You can have multiple role models at the same time. Or, based on your life experience or level, you can say goodbye your current role model and have new ones.

Don’t spend your time to find The Alchemist’s secret formula. Find a good role model. If it is not working for you change with the new one.

Like & Comment

A study by Martin Seligman considered the father of modern positive psychology and the creator of the idea of learned optimism, showed that insurance agents who are optimists outsell their pessimist counterparts by 8 percent in their first year and 31 percent in their second year. ( Search Inside Yourself)

Being optimistic is something related also being stoic. If something is under your control, you should always be optimistic. Because you will be able to figure out what you need to fix or change it.

If it is not under your control, there is no need to being pessimistic. You should be aware of the situation and move on. Don’t kill yourself something you have no power at all.

People like around an optimistic crowd. That energy is definitely key to build or start something from scratch. Send good energy in order to receive good ones.

There is no excuse. If you want to learn, you will do it.

How are you going to start?

• Do every day. I know it’s so boring. If it is not boring, everyone can do it.

• Learn what you interested in. Don’t start it to learn because your friends are doing it. Learn for yourself.

• Iterate it. See what is really working for you. If it’s not, move to another subject.

  Learn every day new things. Where do you can start? Start Top Free Apps on the below.

As you can see you are not the only one who wants to learn new skills every day. That’s why these apps are in the top charts. We are living in time everything is accessible pretty much via the internet. So, Anyone from Anywhere can learn Anything!