Just finished the book: "Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built"

Here are 12 fascinating facts I discovered in this book:
(I will unveil them one by one in the coming days) In China, the retail sector is much less developed than in the US.

This is due to the price of land which generates lots of income for the government.

This made e-commerce development faster in China.

Experiencing failure is hard.

But it's what makes you learn and grow.

Here's what I say to my productivity buddy to keep her motivated in the face of difficulties..

A thread 1/ The pearl behind the shadows

If it works the first time, it's fine.

But it won't teach you much.

When you fail, you get more insights.

Which makes you more likely to succeed in the long run.

Many times, productivity/accountability buddy pairs only last a few weeks.

To avoid that fate, you need to strengthen your bond with your buddy.

Here are 7 ways to do it...

A thread 1/ Insider codes

Best friends have always done that.

They use codes that only the 2 of them can understand.

Getting an external perspective is a game changer.

I often marvel at how the feedbacks of my productivity buddies help me refine my thinking.

Here are 7 types of feedback I really enjoy during our check-ins ...

A thread 1/ Feedback on your business idea

Sometimes, you get really excited about a business idea.

It's an ecstatic moment. You can't stop thinking about it!

But is it really that great?

You can become incredibly productive by mitigating your negativity bias.

This is not about denying reality.

But rather about giving it a more helpful light.

Here's how I do it..

A thread 1/ What are you grateful for?

Each day, I write on my journal at least 3 things I'm grateful for.

This is classic but it works.

I've been doing it for a couple of years now.

Brainstorming on a problem with a productivity buddy can be tricky at times.

You want your buddy to find her own solutions.

But she might say: "I don't know what to do".

How should you react?

A thread 1/ The common reaction here is to come to her rescue by giving your own solutions.

This is especially tempting when your buddy is in distress.

But it's a trap.

What your buddy really need is more time to think about it.

Scared of sharing in public too much ideas from your future book or paid knowledge product?

Here are 3 reasons why you should not worry too much about it.

This is taken from @NirEyal's brilliant interview by @RobFitz

@nireyal @robfitz 1/ People are busy, they don't read everything you publish.

They forget about what you have written.

And only a small proportion will be reading your book.

Nir says he's seen only one review on his 3000 book reviews where someone said: "oh this stuff is on his blog".

How to make sure you follow-through on that dreaded task you've been postponing from week to week?

Here are 7 questions I would ask you to raise the odds you finally nail it.

A thread 1/ When are you going to do it?

At what time? What frequency?

It does not have to be 100% accurate, but make sure you have a plan.

Also make sure you schedule it early in the day, and set up the right reminders.

Last week, I spoke about the trap of the "mean" accountability buddy

The short sighted belief that you must be "mean" with your buddy to help him/her achieve more

But then how are you supposed to react when you can't see much progress on his/her part?

Let's find out!

A thread 1/ First, let's be careful with "progress", as it is not always that easy to measure.

Particularly for insight problems, where it is often difficult to determine whether any progress at all has been made until the problem is essentially solved.

Many people are looking for a "mean" accountability buddy.

Someone who will give them a hard time if they don't complete their goals.

While this feels intuitively efficient, I don't buy it.

Here's why...

A thread 1/ Some people can get extreme when it comes to following-up on their goals.

Like scheduling a shaming tweet early in the morning, just to make sure they wake up on time to cancel it.

Or betting money using apps like StikK.

Nothing exceptionnal happens inside your comfort zone.

Here's how to level up your learning when pairing-up with a productivity buddy.

#GrowthBuddy 1/ If you're doing productivity check-ins for the first time, pairing-up with a friend or someone in your social circle makes sense.

It's usually easier to reach out to someone you know and get personal with him/her.

But beware of the comfort zone.

Here are 12 tips to make people comfortable speaking with you thanks to empathy

This is inspired by "Deploy Empathy" book by Michele Hansen (@mjwhansen)

Great for customer interviews

Also great for #GrowthBuddy check-ins since these tips rely on active listening @mjwhansen 1/ Use a gentle voice

It's crucial to establish a "bubble of suspended judgement", as Michele says.

Smiling and speaking with a gentle voice will help you on that.

Right now, I'm struggling a bit to find my next #GrowthBuddy

Reaching out to ask someone to be your #GrowthBuddy is one of the most vulnerable thing you can do since you can get rejected

But the reward is huge!

Here is my experience on it..
THREAD 👇👇👇 First off, let me be clear about 3 things:
1) What is a growth buddy?
2) Why I'm looking for a new #GrowthBuddy while I already had one (I actually have multiple ones)
3) Why I don't simply rely on my immediate social circle to find my next #GrowthBuddy

Here are 7 questions you can ask your #GrowthBuddy during your weekly check-ins :

THREAD 👇👇👇 1/ How are you?

This is the ice breaker.

Often, we ask "How are you?" mechanically expecting a yes.

But here you want to be mindful.

If your #GrowthBuddy feel anxious or depressed, you will need to spend some time on acknowledging his/her pain to support him/her.

7 traits of the ideal #GrowthBuddy :

1-Growth mindset
2-Affinities
3-Integrity
4-Availability
5-Motivation
6-Achiever
7-No conflict of interest

Let me elaborate on this THREAD 👇👇👇👇👇 1/ Most important trait to find in your #GrowthBuddy?

The #GrowthMindset!

When you have a growth mindset, you don't think your failures define you (fixed mindset), they are just a temporary thing.

Which makes it possible to talk about your struggles in a very whole hearted way

Yesterday was my last morning jogging.

I've done 92 in a row.

Lately, I've been feeling a persistent pain in my left foot and I don't want to get injured.

So I take a pause.

As a conclusion, here are 7 tips to build momentum on your morning jogging habit.

👇👇👇 1/ Do it as early as possible

The best way to make something happen is to do it as early as possible in your day.

That's why I did my morning joggings early in the morning.

After much reflection, I have decided to postpone my buddy up blog indefinitely.

Main reason: not enough engagement on the coming soon page.

Which means I need to step back and rethink about the project.

More details in this THREAD 👇👇👇 The "coming soon" page generated only one subscriber apart from my closest friends.

This is depressing.

Upside: the experiment gave me a nice data point

Remove your masks!

Here are 10 ways to show your authentic self in your communications.

Thread 👇👇👇 1/ Don't be always so perfect

The little defects in your master piece are proof that you are human.

This is why craftsmanship is so appealing!

Do you want to know how to best use your introversion powers?

Here are my 50 favorite quotes from the book #Quiet by @susancain :

🧵 👇👇👇 @susancain Without introverts, the world would be devoid of:

The theory of gravity
The theory of relativity
Chopin's nocturnes
Proust's In Search of Lost Time
Peter Pan
Orwell's 1984
The cat in the hat
Schindler's list
Google
Harry Potter
...

-- @susancain #Quiet

My new blog, "Buddy Up for Growth" will launch in August 29th!

Coming soon page >> buddyup.cc

Here's what to expect: 👇👇👇👇👇 First, you'll find a more in depth version of my introvert story.

Here's the thread where I started to tell you about it:

https://twitter.com/AlexBuddyUp1/status/1422545284777713671?s=20

Next 10 books I intend to read...

Subjects include : #GrowthMindset, #Introversion, #ActiveListening, #Networking, #Coaching, #Change, #SelfEsteem

Let's start ... 👇👇👇 1/ Quiet by Susan Cain (@susancain)

The acclaimed book about introversion

It's been sitting on my bookshelf for 5 years at least.

And I'm finally reading it!