Hello Superpowers
I've never had a blog, not because of the lack of trying or the lack of things to say or thoughts to share (I note down my thoughts everyday), but because I didn't like the blogging platforms I tried.
As a software developer, I want to own the blog, with maximum flexibility on how to customise it. So what's a better way than coding it out myself?
So here's to the start of my little space on the web and a screenshot of my home page with a countdown timer to something amazing that's going to happen in the future and more country flags to add to that list:
Why Superpowers?
I would have named the first post "Hello World", but I want to write about the Superpowers I am building. I believe these superpowers lead to a happy and meaningful life.
1. Not giving a S**t
I just turned 30 years old. Optimistically speaking, my life is already 30%-40% over. Thinking about the past, I have let too many things affect me. Such as others' opinions of me and how I thought about myself.
Not giving a S**t reminds me that life is going to end one day, so I need to be brutally honest about what I want and go for it.
Not giving a S**t is also about forgetting my ego and start from the bottom, such as proactively reaching out and learning from people who intimidates me.
For now, what makes me happy is writing software, travelling, exercising and making friends. So I will stop giving a S**t to anything that stands in my way.
Be unapologetically honest and focused on what you want.
2. Speed
Speed is a superpower that helps to achieve more by moving fast. I hate being stagnant.
There are 2 aspects to speed, learning and executing.
Learning
I think this is the best time in history to learn 10x faster because ChatGPT is literally a 10x better search tool than Google.
I built this site with Middleman, a static site generator built on top of Ruby on Rails in just 2 days without prior experience with ChatGPT. I am sure I would have easily taken 5-10x more time with just Stackoverflow.
Executing
Focus your limited time on things with the maximum impact. Do this by picking the right tools, choosing the right opportunities and removing the fear of action.
Picking the right tools: Having been mainly a Nodejs developer, I have decided to double down on Ruby on Rails. It is an old framework but it is simply magic because I am able to build software with Rails disgustingly fast. Do not be good at 10 different languages and frameworks, be good at 1.
Choosing the right opportunities: Know how to identify opportunities worth your time and focus on just the top few ones. We all have 24 hours a day, don't spend the time chasing the 10 different shiny objects (looking at you Crypto, AI, VR/AR).
Removing fear of action: How do we get better at something? Be constantly in a state of doing it. A mental hack I learned: The first time is always harder than the second and it gets easier the more you do it. So start small, start by doing something that intimidates you today.
3. Consistency
Before starting my Cornell MBA I was 84kg, but I was 68kg at graduation. I gradually picked up a routine of 1-1.5 hours of weight lifting + cardio 5-6 times a week and tracking my diet.
Consistency, not talent, is the key to achieving results. But few people has this superpower because it is boring. Everyone wants results fast, but those who keep grinding even on their worst days are the ones who will definitely improve.
So, do the boring things.
Once a habit is formed after a period of consistency, it gets really easy.
4. Go Niche (Focus)
Don't be a generalist, be a specialist. Be good at 1 thing. We can have multiple skills, but we will be known for what we are good at. Be so good that you are world class in that 1 skill.
I have tremendous respect for people like David Heinemeier Hansson creator of Ruby on Rails and cofounder, CTO of 37signals. He stuck to his own niche (software and rails) for 20+ years and he is highly successful just by following his own unqiue approach.
For Naruto fans, remember who gave Madara the hardest fight? It was Guy, the Taijutsu specialist.
So, go niche.
------------------------------------------Update
Blogging helped me to arrange my thoughts and remind me what's important. After a month of writing this first post, I want to make some edits. First of all, speed and consistency are kind of similar, they both represent: Hardwork, doing the boring things day-in and day-out.
I want to add another 2 superpowers that keep coming back to my mind after I wrote this post.
Stay Calm and Rational
The ability to remain calm at all times, to look at the situation objectively and not how I want it to be is a superpower. Remove all emotions and look at the cards I am being dealt with objectively and make the most rational decision with irrational intensity.
Patience
Look at things in a long term horizon, think in decades. Build up what is needed for me to be happy, and this does not mean only money or fame, this means a lifestyle that makes me truly happy. Life should be measured by level of happiness, it should be determined by what I will do if money and time isn't an issue. I am still young enough to be patient, to keep working on building the life I want.