Cyberattacks are at an all-time high – and the more people you have in your business, the more likely you are to have exploitable weaknesses. For example, the World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report for 2022 stated that ransomware attacks have increased by 435% since 2020.
It's also worth noting that these numbers are likely understated, as companies are likely to downplay and hide security incidents.
Likewise, there is exponential growth in computer use, data production, apps and services (connected through your handphone, devices, or computers), and connected nodes in the internet-of-things (including garage doors, security systems, and a host of connected devices).
As some things become easier, other things get harder. Said another way, sometimes peril comes with progress.
Many people focus on the gap between their ideal goal and their current state. The result is often painful. In contrast, focusing on the progress made from where you started often results in a sense of accomplishment, hope, and momentum.
With that in mind …. Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a housewife in the 1950s? No?
Nonetheless, sometime around the 1950s, Good Housekeeping put out this "helpful" timeline for managing a small servantless house.
When do they shower?
And how did they accomplish that without modern gadgets and appliances (like coffee makers, microwaves, dishwashers, Roombas, Amazon, Door Dash, home automation, etc.)
A few years ago, I shared a presentation called Mindset Matters that I had given to a small mastermind group.
Recently, I have revisited that content in more detail and with finer distinction.
One of my core beliefs is that energy is one of the most important things we can measure. I believe it so strongly I paid Gaping Void to put it on my wall.
It means exactly what it sounds like - but also a lot more.
Energy affects how you feel, what you do, and what you make it mean. That means it is a great way to measure your values too. Consequently, even if you don't recognize it, energy has a lot to do with who you hire and fire. It affects where you spend our time. Ultimately, it even affects the long-term vision of our company. If something brings profit and energy, it is probably worth pursuing.
In contrast, one of the quickest ways to burn out is by fighting your energy. Figuring out who and what to say "no" to is an important way to make sure you stay on path and reach your goals.
Three Word Strategies.
I believe that words have power. Specifically, the words you use to describe your identity and your priorities change your reality.
First some background. Your Roles and Goals are nouns. That means “a person, place, or thing.” Lets examine some sample roles (like: father, entrepreneur, visionary, etc.) and goals (like: amplified intelligence, autonomous platform, and sustainable edge). As expected, they are all nouns.
Next, we’ll examine your default strategies. The strategies you use are verbs. That means they define an action you take. Action words include: connect, communicate, contribute, collaborate, protect, serve, evaluate, curate, share … and love. On the other end of the spectrum, you could complain, retreat, blame, or block.
People have habitual strategies. I often say happy people find ways to be happy – while frustrated people find ways to be frustrated. This is true for many things.
Seen a different way people expect and trust that you will act according to how they perceive you act.
Meanwhile, you are the most important perceiver.
Another distinction worth making to that the nouns and verbs we use range from timely to timeless. Timely words relate to what you are doing now. Timeless words are chunked higher and relate to what you have done, what you are doing, and what you will do.
The trick is to chunk high enough that you are focused on words that link your timeless Roles, Goals, and Strategies. When done right, you know that this is part of what makes you … “You”.
My favorite way to do this is through three-word strategies.
These work for your business, your priorities, your identity, and more.
I'll introduce the idea to you by sharing my own to start.
Understand. Challenge. Transform.
The actual words are less important than what they mean to me.
What's also important is that not only do these words mean something to me, but I've put them in a specific order, and I've made these words "commands" in my life. They're specific, measurable, and actionable. They remind me what to do. They give me direction. And, they are a strategy (or process) that creates a reliable result.
First, I understand, because I want to make sure I know all sides before I take action. For me, it is about seeing the bigger picture. It creates a golden thread from where I am to the bigger future possibility that I want.. Then, I challenge situations, people, norms, and more. I don’t challenge to tear down. I challenge to find strength … to figure out what to trust and rely upon. Finally, I transform things to make them better. Insanity is doing what you always do and expecting a different result. This is about finding where small changes create massive transformations. It is about committing to the result rather than how we have done things till now.
If I challenged before I knew the situation, or I tried to transform something without properly doing my research, I'd be shooting from the hip, and I'd cause more damage than good.
Likewise, imagine the life of someone who protects, serves, and loves. Compare that to the life of someone who loves, serves, and protects. The order matters!
I've set daily alarms on my phone with these words, I use them when I'm in meetings, and they're used to evaluate whether I'm showing up as my best self.
You can also create three words that are different for the different hats you wear, the products in your business, or how your team collaborates.
Finding Your Three Words
Just like recipes, your words should have ingredients, orders, and intensities. As you use your words more, the intensities might change. For example, when my son was just getting out of college, one of his words was contented because he was focused on all the things he missed from college - instead of being appreciative of the things he did have. Later, his words switched to grateful and then loving. Evolutions that paired with his personal journeys.
As well, your words should be actions. They should be things that you do, not just words that describe you. You want to be an active participant in your life - not a passive bystander. You can also see that in my son's words. As he grew, the word became an action that he wanted to approach life with, instead of just a feeling.
Once you learn how to create and use these simple three-word strategies, you can use them everywhere.
Are you trying to lead a healthier lifestyle? This data visualization can help you filter out the marketing hype to help you find the vitamins, minerals, and herbs that deliver tangible benefits ... versus those that serve only as a "Guaranteed Genuine Placebo".
Here is an interactive model of the most current research data. It is interesting because of the health research itself ... and because models (like this) have far-reaching applications. Click the image to play with the interactive version on InformationIsBeautiful.
I was surprised to see how many of the supplements I take weren't high on the list. I was also surprised to find a few effective supplements on the list that I don't take.
Some of you have seen how many supplements I take a day. I take so many pills that I split them up into morning, lunch, dinner, and bedtime. Despite that, I always like finding what else might help.
As a reminder, supplements are meant to support your health goals, and the secret to longevity is not going to be found without you also putting in the work yourself.
Regardless, I appreciated this look at the performance data behind various supplements.
Let me know if you find something you think is worth sharing.
Football season is officially underway! In honor of that, here's a look at each position's composite "player" (as of 2019).
As you might expect, different sports have different ratios of ethnicities. For example, you might expect more Pacific Islanders in Rugby or Asians in Badminton.
The same is true for various positions on a football team. Offensive linemen are more likely to be white – while running backs are more likely to be black.
Here is a visualization that shows what happens when you average the top players' faces in various positions.
While you may be thinking "this player must be unstoppable" ... statistically, he's average.
The "composite" NFL player would be the 848th best player in the league. He's not a starter, and he plays on an average team. You probably don't know his name if you don't root for his team.
We found the same thing with our trading bots. The ones that made it through most filters weren't star performers. They were the average bots that did enough not to fail (but failed to make the list as top performers in any of the categories). Meaning, the survivors were generalists – not specialists.
In an ideal world, with no roster limits, you'd want the perfect lineup for each granular situation. You'd want to evaluate players on how they perform under pressure, on different downs, against other players, and with different schemes.
That's what technology lets you do with algorithms. You can have a library of systems that communicate with each other ... and you don't even have to pay their salary (but you will need data scientists, researchers, machines, data, alternative data, electricity, disaster recovery, and a testing platform).
You won't find exceptional specialists if your focus is on generalized safety. Generalists are great, but you also have to be able to respond to specific conditions.
Getting old is tough ... and it gets tougher the older you get. As a result, finding your 'reasons for being' and joy in life become increasingly important.
The past couple of years have been a period of massive upheaval for many. Reasons for this include stress, change, pandemics, quarantine, new jobs, new goals ... or, at the other end of the spectrum, lack of change, lack of a job, or lack of purpose.
Most people know that life is much better than the alternative (and that life becomes even better when you learn to enjoy living and let go of what isn't serving you). Consequently, it makes sense to understand and search for the things that bring you pleasure or fulfillment.
A Japanese concept called "Ikigai" may help better define your motivating force and the things that give you a sense of purpose or a reason for living.
Ikigai centers around finding purpose as you grow older. Paradoxically, it makes sense to start the process as early as possible.
Here is an infographic that lays out some "Reasons for Being."
Finding your "reason to be" and living with purpose are keys to making the most of your time.
The beauty of 2022 being a fresh start is that you can also change your approach and your vision.
The graphic highlights something interesting (yet almost counter-intuitive) ... When two areas intersect, it creates something positive (e.g., a passion or a mission). However, where three areas intersect, it creates a pain point (for example, it could be what you're good at, you love doing it, the world needs it ... but it doesn't make you any money – so now you're struggling).
Worth examining and thinking about for a bit.
On a related note, this TEDx talks about the nine common diet and lifestyle habits that help people live past 100.
Serena Williams officially retired on Friday after a loss in the third round of the US Open to 29-year-old Ajla Tomljanovic. Serena won her first Grand Slam Title 23 years ago in the same stadium.
Serena started playing professional tennis in 1995 as a 14-year-old. Twenty-seven years later, she walks away from the game with 858 tour victories, an 85% win rate, 73 singles titles, an Olympic gold medal, and 319 weeks at No. 1. With her sister, Venus, they won 14 major doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals.
Recently, I shared this graph that helps put the Williams sisters' dominance into perspective.
Serena is undoubtedly one of the most dominant athletes - man or woman - in any sport.
To be great requires an extraordinary level of grit, determination, and pain tolerance over an extended period of time. It isn't just what you choose to do from moment to moment – it's about a persistent commitment to who you choose to be!
During Serena's final match, an ESPN commentator said something interesting about what makes her (and many famous athletes) great. For context, Serena was down 5-1 in the final set of the final match, with her opponent having won two sets already. It's 'game point'. To get here, Ajla will win a point, then Serena - it goes back and forth like that more than seven times. Yet, Serena keeps finding a way to keep herself in the match despite everything going against her.
While this is going on, the commentator exclaims, "How can she care so much? How can she keep dancing on the lip of the volcano?"
Imagine being in Serena's position. She's 40, she's announced her retirement, the match has been going on for almost 3 hours, and her chances of coming back are almost nil ... she has nothing left to prove ... but she keeps finding more in the tank. She keeps putting herself in a position to turn it around. After the match, her opponent makes clear that she never once thought that Serena was out of it - that she couldn't turn it around and clinch victory.
It was beautiful - and it was a testament to the passion and discipline it takes to be that elite for that long.
There's a difference between good and great - but there's also a difference between great and the greatest.
Over the past several decades, there has been a massive shift in how we produce and consume energy. This has been driven by the tech boom - as well as by climate awareness.
The practical realities of widespread tech adoption directly impact energy consumption. For example, there are now over 7 billion people with smartphones. As the population (and the number of gadgets and tech we use) grows, logically, so does our energy consumption.
Luckily, we're also getting better at powering them.
On a different front, oil is still a meaningful and vital part of the energy ecosystem … but, now, it's being supplemented by multiple renewables.
Over the last decade, investment in green technologies has helped the cost of renewable energies drop precipitously.
That spurred a different set of products and use cases. For example, we've seen the number of electric cars grow exponentially. In 2011, there were approximately 70,000 EV units in the world. Now there are around 16.5 million.
This isn't a commentary on the environmental benefit of renewables; it is an observation about the direction energy is heading.
And, just like with AI, despite being a space that's existed for a long time, it is still in the "early adoption" phase.
If our goal is to be energy independent, we have a long way to go ... Nonetheless, recognize that this creates massive business and investment opportunities.
I joke that I have a "tense" problem. I spend a lot of my time thinking about what will be possible in the future. And once I know something is possible, in my head, it has already happened.
It isn’t a reality distortion engine … it is a reality creation engine.
For me, this is centered around the way technology is transforming the world and how it affects my business.
Sometimes it's nice to take a step back and look at all the "quality of life" improvements. The gadgets that make you say "Wow!" … even though they may not benefit you directly.
So, here are a few that caught my eye over the last few weeks.
Augmented Reality Running
In 2020, Ghost Pacer put together a pair of AR glasses that would give you a virtual running partner. The app would analyze the running route and the wearer's desired goals and set them up against a virtual runner who would push them to their limits.
Last year, SNAP and Nike teamed up to create a new AR running experience as well.
Watching the video of this slime is somewhat uncanny. Its movements feel almost lifelike. That being said, the potential for this custard-like slime worm is massive. It can navigate narrow passageways, grasp objects, and more. There are already plans to use this to remove foreign objects from people.
Multiple generations of kids have dreamed of hoverboards after watching Back To The Future. While it's not in homes yet, it is now a reality as seen in this video with Tony Hawk riding one. Unfortunately, since breaking into the scene in 2015 with a successful Kickstarter, I have not seen much from Hendo Hoverboard.
Thankfully, they're not the only company in the space anymore. If you're willing to drop almost 15K, you can own a working hoverboard from Arcaboard.
I remember when we used to go outside to play or exercise.
Everyone knows that children are our future. They're the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and workers. Countries that are having a natural decrease in population due to families not having children will likely find themselves becoming less important on the geopolitical stage.
While the future is often hard to predict, here is easy “prediction” (that is much less of a prediction than it is simple math). In order to predict how many 18-year-olds there will be in a particular country in fifteen years, simply count the 3-year-olds there now. Yes, there will be some death or migration … but it is an easy way to get a sense of some important mega-trends.
India, China, and Africa all are seeing massive population growth. America is still net positive. It's also worth noting that India and China are topping the list because they already have such large populations. Their birth rates are actually slightly below average.
On a longer term scale, it's also worth noting that population growth has been declining since the 1960s. Partly due to education, wealth, and the move from rural to urban living.
Slowing population growth means a larger portion of the population is older. As median age increases, there are lots of potential economic consequences.
It's an interesting compounding of consequences.
We'll see if the countries with the largest population growth have the economy and infrastructure to support that growth.
The Most Common Cyber Attacks Against Businesses
I recently shared a post on data breaches - and steps you can take to prevent them. It focused on the most famous cyberattacks in history.
Visualcapitalist and Global X ETFs just put out a visualization that shows the most common attacks your business may face.
Global X via visualcapitalist
Cyberattacks are at an all-time high – and the more people you have in your business, the more likely you are to have exploitable weaknesses. For example, the World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report for 2022 stated that ransomware attacks have increased by 435% since 2020.
It's also worth noting that these numbers are likely understated, as companies are likely to downplay and hide security incidents.
Likewise, there is exponential growth in computer use, data production, apps and services (connected through your handphone, devices, or computers), and connected nodes in the internet-of-things (including garage doors, security systems, and a host of connected devices).
As some things become easier, other things get harder. Said another way, sometimes peril comes with progress.
Stay safe.
Posted at 05:53 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Gadgets, Ideas, Market Commentary, Science, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
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