Thoughts about the markets, automated trading algorithms, artificial intelligence, and lots of other stuff

  • Google’s Year In Search

    While 2021 already feels like a long year – taking a look at the search trends from 2020 reminds us how much we can pack into a year.

    Google tracks the terms people search for using its platform.  Over time, the data about what people search for (and how many people are searching for it, and how long that topic stays relatively interesting to them) is interesting in and of itself.

    An infographic like this is interesting and valuable as a normalized contextual map of the "shock" and "awe" ripples felt by humans as a result of events (real or imagined) that happened around them.  

    It's worth noting that each graph is on a 100% scale, so "Death" having no drop off means it had a relatively consistent search history throughout the year. 

    The visualization is in chronological order to help highlight major events as they happened in 2020 (which is different than presenting the most searched terms in rank order). 

     

    V78l5due4b561via Roshaan Khan

    The only constants were death, Tesla, and TikTok … sounds about right. 

    It might be interesting to see a similar graph of the relative air-time given to topics on various news sources (e.gl, Fox News, MSNBC, Breitbart, NYTimes, WSJ, Washington Post, etc.).  The comparison of the word cloud, the intensity, the frequency, and the duration of the coverage would be interesting as well.  So would a comparison of your social media news feed to your choice of news source.

    On a different note, as I think back on last year, what's really crazy about this list is how many major events didn't make it (for example,  the wildfires, the Hong Kong protests, murder hornets, nuclear threats, cyber-attacks, Zoom, market crashes, etc.).

    The data is also somewhat biased.  While this is a global list, it's clearly dominated by India and the USA. That has a lot to do with the tech stack populations are allowed to use.  Remember that countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea prevent their citizens from using the same "Internet" that we use and "encourage" them to use approved tools to surf, chat, or search. As such, their searches didn't impact Google's findings fully.

    you want to see more about this, Google put together a video and a more comprehensive list

    Best wishes for a great 2021.

    Onwards!

  • Changing Your Definition of “Resolution”

    Planning for 2021 is going well here.  How about for you?

    When doing this in a group (or with a team) a common challenge is "alignment".   This is tricky because you have to consider time frames, what you are optimizing for, and also for which "who" you optimizing (you, your customer, some other stakeholder, etc.).

    In other words, it's easy to seem like you agree (or are talking about the same thing) only to find out that you don't have the same target or that different factions want to walk different paths. 

    This year was the start of a new decade – even though it probably wasn't the start anyone asked for or had in mind. Nonetheless, 2020 is over and we can all agree that we want to make 2021 better than 2020.  To start that process, I want to focus on personal resolutions (separate from business resolutions).

     

    Journey 20221

    Hopefully, you can use some of these concepts.

    • Focus on What You Want.
    • Focus on Why You Want It.
    • Focus on Ways You Might Get it.
    • Focus on Evidence of Progress.

    Below, I'll take you through an example of each of the four steps.

    Moving Towards a Solution, Rather Than Struggling with a Problem.

    In 2020, I made good strides towards being healthy, fit, and vital.  I started a health coaching program that helped me lose weight, gain muscle, and eat more intentionally.  In addition, I exercise smarter and more consistently, and many of my "labs" show marked improvement.  But, before I started making that progress, there was a trigger … someone who regularly gives me a massage told me I looked fat.  It hurt my feelings but it didn't meaningfully change my habits. 

    Frankly, knowing that "you're fat" isn't helpful … even translating that to something a tad more positive, yet generic, like "I choose to be healthy" isn't really helpful either.

    Blah, blah … They are just words. 

    What I needed was something specific, measurable, and actionable.  How about: "I will lose 15 pounds and stop eating after dinner."  OK, but that isn't inspiring, and there isn't much for me to do. I knew I could do better than that.

    Figure-Out a Big Enough WHY, Rather Than Worrying about the HOW's.

    This post isn't about health and fitness, it is about the mindset and techniques you can use to set empowering goals and plans in any situation.

    So, while I could list a lot of ways to lose weight; and I might even remember to do some of them … when you create a driving force, the momentum takes care of itself.  The first step in doing that is knowing WHY you want something.

    I really do want to be healthy, fit, and vital (it sure beats the alternatives), and I want to have the energy and confidence to live and enjoy my life fully.  The world is my playground, and I want to take advantage of more opportunities to play with family and friends.  In order to do those things, I must find better ways for me to live a healthy lifestyle.

    Of course, the "WHYs" are just as important for business goals too.

    Focus on Potential Solutions, Rather than Problems or Challenges.

    Obstacles Exist. The bad news: I don't eat fish and I don't like vegetables (unless French Fries are vegetables).  My joints aren't close to healthy from years of violent contact sports. I rarely get 7 hours of sleep, and my daily life is naturally stressful.  The good news: is none of those things matter … and even if they did, it just would mean that I have a lot of room for progress.

    It is natural to focus on obstacles. But most obstacles are surmountable – with a big enough WHY, even I'll start to eat vegetables. Instead of dwelling on the limitations,  use them as a reminder to focus on potential solutions instead. They are beacons, pointing the way.

    How do you do it?  To focus on solutions, you can make two action-based lists: one is of things To-Do … and another is of things Not-To-Do.

    Here are some of the sample To-Do Items:

    • I will drink more water than coffee.
    • I will stretch (or do basic calisthenics) on days that I don't go to the gym.
    • I will make a healthy shake as a meal replacement rather than as a meal supplement.
    • I will focus on relaxation and meditation as much (or more) as I focus on strength & physical exercises.

    Here is the actionable list of Not-To-Do Items.

    • I will not rely on stretchy pants (or buy new ones with a larger waistband) for comfort.
    • I will not eat snacks out of their container and will portion-out what I want first.
    • I will not compare my current level of fitness to what I used to be able to do. Instead, I will focus on my actions and improvement.

    Create Healthier Habits.

    It is easy to follow your routine.  So, make your routine better.  Here are some examples of things you could do to make being healthier happen with less effort.

    • Pre-sort your vitamins into daily doses, and keep them by the coffee machine.
    • Buy healthy snacks, like fruit, raw nuts, or organic energy bars (instead of chips).
    • Make "exercise time" the time you enjoy listening to music or listen to a book/podcast. Dedicating time to something doesn't mean you can't be multitasking.
    • Park at the end of the parking lot (so you get to walk) rather than trying to find the closest space.
    • Meet with friends at the gym, park, or at a hiking spot (rather than a bar or restaurant).

    You get the idea.  Get in the habit of looking for ways to create better habits.  What habits could you alter slightly, to make a big difference? 

    What things can you automate or outsource?

    One helpful tip I learned this year from Tiny Habits, is to start with something small and easy to do, and then build on it. After you've gotten good at creating the habit – you can change the frequency, duration, etc. 

    Focus on Your Progress.

    In this case, it really is about the journey.  Instead of keeping track of how far you have to go … notice how far you've come. Utilize an internal locus of control. It is about creating energy, momentum, and a sense of possibility.  You may have a big, hairy, audacious goal in mind.  That's fine, as long as you realize that reaching each milestone along the way is still an accomplishment.

    • Find shoes that don't hurt your feet.
    • Pick a gym or a personal trainer.
    • Run more than two laps without stopping.

    It doesn't matter what they are… they all count, as long as you know that you are moving in the right direction.

    Summary

    The point of this post was not really to focus on fitness. These techniques and goal-setting tools work in any situation. The principles are:

    1. First, figure out what you want, and why it is important to you. 
    2. Second, find something you can do, right now, which moves you in the right direction.
    3. Third, notice which things create (rather than take) energy. Spend your time on those, and automate or create routines to take care of the rest.
    4. Fourth,  plan forwards, but measure backward. Set milestones so that you can recognize and celebrate your progress.

    In business, this translates to Capitalogix having a mission and vision – it's what we want, and why it's important to us. I then create a yearly "Big 3" goals that move us toward that long-term vision. My team creates SMARTs (goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely) and KPIs (key performance indicators) so they know where to spend their time, and what milestones tell them they're on the right track.

    Hope this helped.  

  • Getting To Here: Primal King Podcast

    Here is a podcast worth listening to at the beginning of a new year.

    A friend of mine, Derek Wilson, interviewed me about mindsets, decision-making, and calling the future you want into existence.

    I think it's a good episode,  and it feels very fitting as we start the new year. Check it out.  Or download a transcript made with Otter.AI

     

    Screen Shot 2021-01-02 at 11.26.13 PMv2

     

    You can also find his podcast on Apple Podcasts.

    Best wishes for a great 2021!

  • Setting Yourself Up For A Successful 2021

    We're about to usher in a new year – along with the promise and pressure of filling its blank slate.

    2020 is nearly over.  What a strange year it was!

    With 2021, we get a fresh start.  

    We look forward to what we will achieve – even though history says we rarely achieve everything we hope for.  Meanwhile, paradoxically, it is also true that we rarely achieve things we don’t hope for.  So, Hope!  It may not be a reliable strategy … but it beats the alternative.

    Personally, I’m excited about 2021.

    Despite the abnormal market and uncertain political climate, we're clearly moving toward increased stability compared to 2020.

    Even though I expect some volatility, we have become more accustomed to handling it (and we've become better at transforming its strategic byproducts into strategic benefits).

    On a different topic, think about how much progress we've made and how different the "new normal" has become.  For example, think about Zoom and remote work or how quickly our economy migrated online.  On many levels, what we are doing now seemed like science fiction even just a few years ago.

    We are living in an age of exponential technologies and exponential possibilities.

    I commissioned this image, from GapingVoid, to remind our team to keep shooting higher.

     

    How Can It Be Impossible If We're Already Doing It_GapingVoid

     

    Resilience, resourcefulness, and a worthy goal are the keys to many entrepreneurial success stories.

    In the spirit of New Year's Resolutions – I’ll add that a deliberate approach to goals is important too.

    I'm a big fan of picking a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (sometimes called a "BHAG") and taking actions that move you in that direction. 

    I'm also a big fan of Strategic Coach's Bigger Future exercise.  It is a 20-year planning exercise where you layout your commitments and goals to yourself, your family, your career, and your legacy. 

    While doing this, I realized that my ideal next 20 years involves taking Capitalogix to the next level (and beyond) through collaboration, cooperation, and joint ventures. 

    Once you know what your long-term goal is, it is relatively easy to plan out the steps you need to achieve that goal.  Achieving smaller goals reinforces success, builds momentum, and makes continued progress feel more likely.

    Extra points if you make them SMARTs (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive). 

    Actions speak louder than words, and your words can distract you. 

    If your goal is to win first place at a competition, focus on the metrics of a first-place finish instead of the medal. This makes the goal concrete and sets an internal locus of control on your victory.  This also means that you don't need to tell others your goal too soon. Studies show that when you announce your intention to a goal in public, you decrease the likelihood of you succeeding

    It's okay to misstep, it's okay to get stuck – but recognize where you are, what you've done, and move forward. 

    Often the most frustrating thing that any of us feel on a regular basis is to want something really bad, and not be able to get it right away.

    The world makes that hard – media everywhere is peddling immediate gratification, but it results in higher rates of obesity, drug abuse, and depression. 

    Don't be fooled.  Overnight successes are rarely actually overnight successes.

    It's also important (once you've accomplished your goal) to set new goals. 

    Over the next 20 years, there are a ton of people I want to impact and a lot of goals I want to accomplish. Capitalogix is the way I intend to do that.

    It hasn't always been easy – but building Capitalogix has been an intensely rewarding passion.

    I look forward to you all being a part of it as well. Here's to a successful 2021 and an even more successful 2041.  

    Onwards!

  • The Shapes of Stories

    Seemingly complex things are often simpler when understood.

    This applies to many things.

    For example, great writing is diverse and nuanced … but its underlying structure isn't.

    Kurt Vonnegut wrote a number of "Classics", including Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and The Sirens of Titan.

    For all his great writing, and all the complexities, he simplified stories into a few basic story shapes.

    Here is a graphic that explains the concept.

    201227 Kurt-Vonnegut-The-Shapes-of-Stories

    Here is a 17-minute video of Vonnegut discussing his theory of the Shape of Stories.  You can get the basic concepts in the first 7 minutes … but he is witty and the whole video is worth watching. 

     

     

    You can explore a bit more elaborate version of his "Shapes of Stories" from his rejected Master's thesis from the University of Chicago.

    Vonnegut's idea was fulfilled not too long ago–a computer was used to identify story shapes. Researchers extracted the emotional trajectories of 1,327 stories and discovered that there are six core emotional arcs:

    • Rags to riches (a rise)
    • Tragedy (a fall)
    • Man in a hole (fall, then a rise)
    • Icarus (rise, then a fall)
    • Cinderella (rise, then a fall, then a rise)
    • Oedipus (fall, then a rise, then a fall)

     For more on writing from Kurt Vonnegut:

     

  • Thinking About Thinking

    We're in the middle of annual planning – which I mentioned in my video on Chunking Higher

    Today, I want to focus on another aspect of getting better at planning and alignment … the idea of thinking about your thinking

    I shot a video that discusses several useful techniques to amplify decision making.

     

     

    One of the ideas is something called "Think, Feel, Know." Basically, it explains that you have to deal with superficial thoughts before getting to deeper feelings. Then, you have to deal with those feelings before you get to "knowing". 

    Another technique discussed in the video involves adding time to look for "insights" after working on something.  Those insights are often the seeds for something greater.

    Let me know what you think of the video … and I'd love to hear ways you try to amplify intelligence.