ryan dawidjan

Both my twitter and blog bio's state that I am an "aspiring entrepreneur." Why?

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Ah, college starts in 6.5 weeks from now.

I'll be entering Babson in the fall as a frosh and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Four years of high school were great at St. John's but everyone says college is the best four years of your life, right?

I've got a lot of goals and things going for me even before I take my orientation before Memorial Day. 

- Immediate social circle with varsity lacrosse teammates.

- Class schedule is looking solid. Good variety, all early morning ones too

- Babson one day summer "mini-orientation" went well, met a lot of cool, interesting people

- Will be working at Wellesley C.C, right across the street during the fall

- Connected with a community engagement officer at Babson and will have a high paying job just for doing service around the school and community

- Become CEO of the one freshmen classes self created business in FME (Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship.)

- Met the president of the college. Will be a great resource and asset in years to come.

- Starting to plan out a ridiculous number of goals and activities I want to get involved with.

- volunteer/intern for MetroLacrosse - a youth lacrosse program for inner city youth in Boston

- take Mandarin Chinese (continue my 3 yrs of study) at Wellesley College

- really get connected within Boston entrepreneurial and innovation scene. (I know of and follow many individuals within the community but I want to get out to the events and shake their hand.)

- intern or preferably work for a tech/internet related Boston start-up

To address the last point, I (unfortunately) hope that I don't take on all this stuff at once. I was basically non-stop, go-go-go in high school volunteering, trying new things and taking on responsibilities that really put a burden of my enjoyment and social life. I hope to shape out a nice balance between the demanding academics, varsity athletics, social scene and intense ambitions that I have. 

Bottom Line Though: I fully expect to take full advantage of what Babson offers while at the same time having a great time meeting new people and having new experiences.

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“A hungry donkey approaches a barn one day looking for hay and discovers two haystacks of identical size at the two opposite sides of the barn. The donkey stands in the middle of the barn between the two haystacks, not knowing which to select. Hours go by, but he still can’t make up his mind. Unable to decide, the donkey eventually dies of starvation.”

One of Dan Ariely’s latest books, Predictably Irrational, has numerous thought provoking studies and conclusions on human behavior. The one area of discussion that I found most interesting was the idea that as individuals, we like to “keep doors open” (options/choices) in many aspects of our daily lives.

We often times fail to come to decisive conclusions about what college we want to enroll in, which latest smart phone we should in invest it or what career path to take? This indecisiveness arises when we have both multiple or two options available to us.

We get stuck in what I call “analysis paralysis”; a state of mind in which where your brain races furiously trying to make a decision often times in regards to a small or trivial detail. (As your friend/parents are itching to leave the store, you stand there thinking, “Should I go with the black on black golf shoes or should I go with the equally priced black on grey?”)

As I read more and more about psychology and how the human brain operates I have become much more aware of my own decision making, both irrational and rational. Since reading Justin Lehr’s “How We Decide” and this Dan Ariely book, I have tried to become more decisive in the decisions or mistakes I make. For example:

When approaching a golf hole that has multiple strategies to playing it, I decide within a few seconds of when I step on the tee box which shot and therefore strategy I will utilize.

When driving to an unfamiliar location using GPS, if I miss a turn or signal, I simply follow the GPS’ re-routing so that I’m not trying furiously to get back to where I missed the directions. I might loose a few minutes of time, but it saves me from anxiously backtracking and worrying.

I’ve also tried to consider “the consequences of not deciding.” When we take extended durations of time to make decisions in our lives we are often times sacrificing valuable time, money or experiences. We tend to over think such small details that really have a negligible impact in the long run on our happiness or well being.

My point here is not that we shouldn't take due diligence when it comes to important decisions. My point, but mostly Dan Ariely’s, is that we over think the little crap in our lives. Take the time needed, but don’t linger around with indecision. Pick a door, go through it and make the most of whatever awaits on the other side.  

You can follow me at my Twitter page, contact me via LinkedIn or email me. 

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I know, trust me, the doctor recently expressed this sentiment when trying to locate my 45bpm hear rate. 

But I also know that the followers of this blog might not be able to trace the pulse of my published content. I know it's erratic and I'm sorry (maybe?). I've got a lot going on but who doesn't these days?

I can't promise any regular publishing like Seth Godin (1x/day) or Mitch Joel (6x/week) admirably do. I'll do my best to create quality observations, thoughts or questions as they come to my brain.

And this is a perfect segway into my latest thought:

FEED YOUR BRAIN WHEN IT IS HUNGRY

Hopefully your mind is hungry for knowledge, understanding and experiences often. But just as our stomachs are not constantly aching for sustenance, your mind isn't either. 

So, when you get that creative spark or spontaneous motivation GO read relevant blogs/books/articles, listen to podcasts, and watch TED, BigThink, or PopTech videos. Feed your mind when it picks up the menu, not when it's perfectly content with resting. Don't regularly schedule mundane reading sessions or lecture watching just for the sake of doing so. You'll be disinterested and likely retain little of the content. 

Here's a question for you in the comments: When do you feed your mind and What do you feed it?

Feel free to email me ryandawidjan@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter, @ryandawidjan

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Why? I really dislike bandwagon jumpers;

Those who jump in on a conversation midway when a news report/story/scandal/debate is being explained and then they suddenly just start being one sided agreeing with the speaker, usually never adding valuable context to the dialogue, just opinionated negative statements. 

They hear a newspaper headline, a scrolling 15 word text alert on the tv, or a mention on the radio and then they think they're experts on the situation to a point where they can immediately start to dish blame/criticism.

In Ben Casnocha's recent blog post about watching a recent online interview he stated, "Whether you agree or disagree isn't the point and don't interpret this as an endorsement of Chomsky's views. I don't have opinions on these issues until I become more informed." 

I love this statement - "I don't have opinions on these issues until I become more informed." It's not ignorance on his part [he didn't go out of his way to not know], he simply didn't know enough the ongoing situation and to his credit, he wants to make an informed opinion at a later time when he has better context, facts and understanding of what's going on. 

I think we should all take this conscious effort to not make uninformed or silly remarks about something we know little about or just one side of. While at the same time I don't believe we need to be top experts in a discipline/field/subject area to make an informed opinion; we should bite our tongues more often 'till we actually have a clue. 

It's hard to resist jumping on the bandwagon. Media outlets obviously have bias and want higher viewer ratings - they're going to frame a story so that it is controversial and newsworthy. Another thing that makes it hard to resist being a band wagon jumper is we often get that question, "So Ryan, what do you think about those budget cuts that will shorten the school day?". It's extremely easy to say, "Ya Steve, that's horrible. I can't believe what the selectmen were thinking. How can they take away educating our children?" 

Instead you could say, "You know Steve, its a very important matter that we need to address. I personally don't know enough details about the decision but let me get back to you with my thoughts when I know a little more about both sides of the story."

Don't be a bandwagon jumper - just an individual who chooses to make informed opinion at the right time.

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I'll admit I'm a bandwagon jumper sometimes when it comes to playoff sports; Bruins and Red Sox. Very little attention is paid to them during the regular season :)

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Do it immediately.

Just ask.

Ask your coach, mentor, boss, boyfriend/girlfriend, mom, or best friend what you need to improve on. We're not perfect; almost everyone acknowledges it. To continually improve, learn and grow we need to know what to work on. If your not consciously focusing your efforts on becoming a better "X" everyday, your falling behind.

It really shouldn't be hard to go up and say, "Coach, what are three things I need to work on right now to become a better player and contributor to the team?". Why? Because you know he/she is going to have some form of constructive criticism; it's guaranteed that you'll be weak in at least one area. So just know keep in mind whether you, the captain or all american is asking for feedback, all three will get something to work on.

It's frustrating to see talented individuals doing good work in their field or job but never be able to cast aside their fear of acknowledging imperfection to ask, "What can I be doing better?" so that they can become great. Have a strong desire to know why you weren't awarded that industry award or why were you weren't selected as an All-star.

Not only will this technique help you focus on your improving weaknesses or strengthening your strengths, it will also keep you grounded. Having 2-3 things that you need to work on lingering in the back of your head will instill some humility, something that the vast majority of people in today's world need.

If Tiger can re-tool his swing and Kobe can make changes to his jump shot in the 13th year of his career  - so can you.  

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I'm confused to how to reconcile these two ideas; and I'd love your help trying to think this out. Tom Peters, the famed author, speaker and consultant stresses striving "Excellence. Always. If Not Excellence, What? If Not Excellence Now, When?" (The Little Big Things - latest book)

Seth Godin on the other hand, another famed author, thought leader and marketer, stresses "shipping"; getting the product out the door to defeat the "resistance" and fears we all have ranging from failing to being judged. In a blog post regarding his most recent book (Linchpin) he states,

"Ship often. Ship lousy stuff, but ship. Ship constantly. 

 Skip meetings. Often. Skip them with impunity. Ship."

One point that he makes repeatedly, often times using himself as an example, is that the most successful individuals are those that ship the most because going by the numbers, they have a greater likelihood of putting a "great" product/company/service out. 

As a passionate follower and supporter of each, I'd love to just listen to both and take their word for it, BUT, these two trains of thought seem to be in conflict with each other. How can an individual/company/organization "achieve excellence" if they are shipping a 1/2 baked product that they may o making changes to or enhancing? 

Shipping bad/average/good products that aren't excellent yet is really in contrast with "If Not Excellence Now, When?". And while I don't believe delaying and thrashing at product with the goal in mind of achieving excellence is what Tom Peter's is stressing, it seems like those things would have to be part of the process in trying to best produce product X. 

How do you resolve this? Can you ship "excellent" products constantly?

Let me give you something to think about. I enjoy blogging a lot because I get to voice my thoughts, ideas and observations to an audience (albeit small). I also get to connect with a lot of interesting individuals through this blog and twitter (@ryandawidjan). 

But, I often times don't achieve excellence in regards to every blog post. I focus on shipping my thoughts and ideas for two reasons: writers only get better by writing more and if I delayed writing these spontaneous ideas, they would never manifest themselves. So this means I don't spend hours re-drafting each blog post like I feel Tom Peters would.

I'm torn because at the same time "It's Always Showtime". A faculty member, friend or potential boss could swing by the blog and see a mediocre post and unfortunately that becomes their first impression of who I am and what I'm about.

What do you think? Would love to hear your thoughts... 

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If there's anything that I took away from my AP Economics class this year it would have to be the Law of Dminishing Marginal Return. Simply put, its "the marginal utility of a good or service is the utility gained (or lost) from an increase (or decrease) in the consumption of that good or service. In general, preferences display diminishing marginal utility. That is, the first unit of consumption of a good or service yields more utility than the second and subsequent units." 

There are countless diverse examples of this law that we encounter everyday. I was recently reminded of this while driving to school the other day. Once I passed that really slow grandpa on the highway (which yielded a good # of utils), I thought to myself is it really worth it to pass X more number of drivers? Now the L.D.M.R passes through my mind everyday. What does that really get me? What does it really get me to get another or more of X? Is it worth it to risk doing or being Z to get more X? 

Keeping this simple law in the back of our minds while we go through life can help us relax, become less materialistic (maybe even happier), and be less greedy (30sec blog post by Rajesh Setty).

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I'm really interested in behavioral economics and one psychology blog that I'm currently hooked on is called the Frontal Cortex by Wired Editor and Rhodes Scholar, Justin Lehrer.   Check it out

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One quick thought I recently had was sparked by a comment by Jason Freid over the highly successful web-based software company, 37signals. Jason said something along the lines of, "By calling someone and interrupting them, you are automatically implying that your point/idea/agenda/question/etc is more important than that individual's time or concentration." One of the themes that Jason and his partner David Hansson is eliminating interruptions in the workplace, a point stressed in their recently published book, REWORK (highly recommended). 

To accomplish this and to allow workers to better experience the "flow", they're very hesitant to call someone unless it is extremely important. (One of their other points - "ASAP is Poison"). As I got to thinking about this I realized just how interruptive and in my view annoying it is to call someone that could easily be answered with a few words via email/text several hrs later. By making that call to get a yes or no question you've wasted several minutes of both parties time and it could easily end up being one of those awkward calls where 1. you ask the question, 2. they answer and then you know 3. they're just thinking to themselves sarcastically, "Anything else I can help you with today now that you've got a hold of me?"

One other noteworthy though on means of communicating in this digital world:

 - When someone txts you, you should txt back unless it is a complex and lengthy discussion.

- When someone email you, you should email back.

- When someone x, you x back.....

- The individual who initiates the dialogue purposefully chose the medium with which to communicate, and in my opinion, you shouldn't just disregard it and change it up unless it's agreed upon.

I welcome any comments/questions/suggestions and I guarantee you that if you comment, I won't txt, call or email you, I'll simply comment back. 

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I recently heard a podcast or online video when one individual said something along the lines, "Those who are successful are opportunistic people but those who are ultra-successful [define in own terms] are ultra-opportunistic taking advantage of every situation or opportunity that comes their way." Seems like this is one of the numerous and infinite "ways to success"...

While I agree with the statement above I also there is another significant aspect of opportunistic in regards to success that needs to be told. I believe in order to be "ultra-opportunistic" you need to be "actively-opportunistic." As an individual who is attempting to make the most of every chance that you get, you also need to create those "chances". Let me explain...

There are those in life that just sit back and wait for life to come to them. And, perhaps a great job/speaking/traveling/etc opportunity falls into their lap either because of their past achievement or just by plain luck. Sure, if they take advantage of the opportunity they can be considered "opportunistic". 

But what do the really successful people in life do? Just as the group above might have worked hard, this group of individuals actively and consciously seek out opportunities [does not mean asking for opportunities]. These are the ones who are always prepared, ready to ask the right questions and knowledgeable of what may lie ahead. They've done their research and are aware of the people/organizations/situations they are dealing with so when that opportunity does arise, can they nail it.

Experiencing serendipity in life is important but relying on preparedness is just as if not more vital to becoming an "actively-opportunistic" and "ultra-successful".

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Some interesting reads/vids I've come across in the last week.

Who Are the Masters in Your Field and How Do You Learn from Them? - Ben Casnocha

The Difference: Living Well vs. Doing Well - Tim Ferriss

How to Become a Star Screenwriter: A Case Study in Modern Craftsmanship - Cal Newport

Boredom and Its Effects - Jonah Lehrer

Are You an Elite? - Seth Godin

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Moving your goods from house to house sucks. And so does moving stuff into storage lockers.

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Wow, two weeks and not one blog post...that's lame. After doing a lot of work and school stuff these past two weeks I had trouble making the effort and time to write a quality blog post. I was sorta of thinking that it needed to be a expertly crafted and lengthy post and that's WRONG. I will now be posting a lot more frequently (still "good" content) with ideas, thoughts and observations that I haven't been able to publish. 

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One thought: I recently received Jack Canfield's The Success Principles book which really epitomizes "self help". After reading a discomforting and slightly arrogant introduction I started flipping through the book and came across a section titled, "Just Say No!". Canfield goes onto state that

We suffer under project and productivity overload at work-taking on more than we can comfortably deliver in an unconscious desire to impress others, get ahead, and keep up with others' expectations. Meanwhile, our top priorities go unaddressed." 

After briefly explaining the need to say no to people, he lists several of his "don't do" policies. Examples - 

- I don't lend money. I am not a bank.

- I never lend my car to anyone for any reason.

- I don't give endorsements for books of fiction.

- I no longer coauthor books with first-time authors. Their learning curve is too time-consuming and expensive.

- I don't take any calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those are writing days.

I don't know about you, but I'm personally like to define myself by what I can do for you, not what I can't, won't or like to do. These "don't do" policies just present an aura of superiority and a false sense of confidence in oneself.

At this stage in my life, I enjoy taking the time and energy to do what I want but also what other's ask of me [within reason]. I want to be that generous person who is willing to "give the shirt off his back" and I also believe "A simply way in life to be successful: be helpful" - @jonathanmead. 

Here's something to think about. Canfield's "don't do" policies could be great things..but too bad they will never be.

- He could invest some angel money to a budding entrepreneur who could go onto launch a successful startup and the next Google/FB/Twitter...

- Could lend a car to someone that needs to save money and doesn't have to purchase a rental. That person could also do someone else a favor and give them a ride. 1 action = multiple positive outcomes

- Could give an endorsement to the next "J.K Rowling". Instead, he can never endorse a friend of his who happens to be a fiction writer (aka a genre he doesn't particularly like)

- Could give some of his "valuable" time to an author aspiring to be the next successful "Jack Canfield". But instead, the young driven and talented individual won't be supported.

- Could have chatted with a long time forgotten classmate. Could have connected with a future business partner. Could have had an amazing talk with a grandson or granddaughter. Nope..won't happen on Tues and Thurs.

Conclusion

"I wish more people would extend a hand and ask how they can help someone else. We spend so much time selfishly trying to build brands, and grow followers. Perhaps launch companies, or release products. We forget that people are the most important resource we have in the creation and achievement of dreams. And a simple extension of your hand–without expectation–can accelerate your ability to achieve your goals." - Micah @ learntoduck

This thought encompasses a few guaranteed future blog posts along with a list of "Can Do" policies. Any thoughts or comments? Leave below..or email me at [ryandawidjan@gmail.com]

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Flickr: Guinnevere Lee

As Gary Vaynerchuck has frequently said, "It's 2010..you can get to anyone...just grab it". He means that in this day age of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, BrazenCareerist, etc virtually everyone can be contacted or connected through a variety of mediums. In my search of a valuable internship experience for this coming summer, I have had this attitude. Throughout the process, I have resorted to cold emailing rather than the more traditional cold call. (Although check out Garyvee conduct a spontaneous and successful cold call here) Why?

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No this is not some misinformed marriage counselor. 

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Life is a blur. In today's world we have more than enough things to keep us busy. This requires us to better manage our time so that we can focus on the the things in life that are necessary, enjoyable and/or useful. This has led me to believe that the products/services we use must be worth our time. Although Time ≠ Money). Seth Godin would say that these products need to be "remarkable" (Purple Cow); worth making a remark about.

I'd like to focus this idea specifically on the internet. Internet use and dependence is continuing to grow at an exponential rate. New startups are founded daily. This makes it all the more important to stand out for the right seasons.

The new social network, social/game location app, or video service must be able to separate itself from the pack. This can be done in countless ways, but the service needs to be "remarkable" so that I will either join or convert. Despite being an early-adopter, I don't want to spend hours figuring out how to use your service or importing data. We are provided endless choices and it is vital that companies realize that if they want to be in my core group of web applications, they need to win me over.

Posterous (the blogging platform you are currently reading this blog post on) won me over with their intuitive and slick handful of features. They made it easy for me take my blog posts and blog from WordPress to Posterous. I feel that switching to and using Posterous is worth it. I recently came to the conclusion that using Springpad is a better experience than Evernote.

As much as we techies and early adopters would like to use every service, app, or network available on the internet, it is impossible to do so. Even leading social media expert Chris Brogan feels the same way. In a recent post, he points out that his presence on the web is too splintered: he has "too many points of contacts." Chris is considering deleting his LinkedIn account and taking other actions to consolidate his presence. Famed marketing guru and thinker, Seth Godin, only focuses on email communication as his way of connecting. He feels that this is the best method for communicating and refuses to use Twitter and FB because those services would detract from what he does best.

In order to for me to register, use and re-use a product, it's got to be worth the time, effort, and money I am allocating. Once you are in my core group of frequently used products/services/companies, you've got me a "True Fan." 

My core of services are: Twitter, Facebook, Email [ryandawidjan@gmail.com] and LinkedIn. If you would like to get it touch we me, feel free to use anyone of these. Also, feel compelled to comment below with a question, suggestion or remark.

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Anti-networking is the art of getting what you want by never coming close to asking for it. The key to the anti-networking approach is to impress without imploring. The goal is the one day the contact, who has grown fond of you and is impressed by you and your integrity, will notify you that he or she knows of a job opening, and will be willing to recommend you if you are interested.

This tip comes from well known author and blogger, Cal Newport and his book, "How to Win at College". (highly recommend)

As I read this piece of advice, labeled "66 - Don't Network", I was initially was shocked and disappointed. After all, I had read so much on networking and promoting your personal brand, from people like Dan Erwin and Tim Sanders. But as I reread the whole two page entry it became clear to me that as a student/lacrosse player/teenager, I really have nothing too valuable (besides time) to offer to a more experienced businessman, speaker, etc. Cal Writes,

Let's say that I would in the telecommunications industry, and you are a college student. I probably don't care about you. This is a pragmatic decision because there is no mutual benefit. You want a job. There is no doubt of your goal. As a student there is no really other reason why would be proactively trying to meet me, and quite frankly giving out jobs to recent graduates is not all that exciting.

Lesson

As "harsh" as this observation this and as I thought more about this, I chose to incorporate this advice into my everyday life. I decided that every interaction that I have with people (in person, over the phone, on social networks, etc), I would do my best to "impress without imploring." I don't mean sucking up to people, pretending to be someone your not or trying to please everyone (you can't). 

It's about being genuine, and showing, not telling, a person how impressive you truly are. Your impressiveness can lead the other party to take a variety of actions in the long term.

Offer you a job. 

Come to you in a time of need.

Recommend you.

Form a close relationship.

Do nothing.*

(Occurs most often, but what harm have you done?)

I've personally implemented this technique on the golf course. As a caddy and pro shop worker at a local country club, there just aren't too many options for advancement within the organization and thus saw a great opportunity to "anti-network" with many successful members. By viewing every round as an unofficial personal interview, I looked to quietly and humbly impress them so that after every round they would think to themselves, "Wow, this kid has his stuff together and in a few years time I would love for him to work for me." 

One notable thing to mention: I didn't look at every member that I worked for as having a $ sign hovering over the top of their head and I don't think you should do that to anyone. I most enjoy knowing the fact that I have formed closed friendships with many of them and as an example I often play competitive golf with them as an equal partner. Because I was honestly looking to connect with them, countless advancement opportunities have arisen.

Unassumingly impress others through hard work, generosity and passion. Know that every action you take and word you say is judged by someone, and that someone could well be the person to recommend, assist, or teach you in the future.

I appreciate you stopping by my blog. Feel free (compelled) to make a comment, offer a suggestion or question. Please subscribe if you would like more thought provoking ideas and observations. Thanks

Ryan

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Holistic learning is the opposite of rote memorization. Instead of learning through force,your goal is to create webs of information that link together. Your goal when learning anything is to create a construct or an underlying understanding." 

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Recently (last few months) I've personally read about the strong discussion about being good a lot of things vs. being great at something. As Corbett Bar recently put it,

There’s an age-old question that everyone seems to struggle with at some point in life. Is it better to be a Renaissance man or woman and be good at a lot of different things or to be laser-focused and really great at one specific thing?

I have yet to reach a definitive conclusion on what I believe is better, but I strongly believe that whether or not an individual is a Renaissance man/woman or is "laser focused", an individual should be well rounded in that they are culturally literate. 

What is Cultural Literacy?

The contributors of Wikipedia have stated that,

 is the ability to converse fluently in the idioms, allusions and informal content which creates and constitutes a dominant culture. From being familiar with street signs to knowing historical references to understanding the most recent slang, literacy demands interaction with the culture and reflection of it.

I expand that definition to include having a slight clue of current world events, politics, sports or pop culture. 

Why is it important?

I personally believe that it is important because it dramatically increases your ability to contribute and connect with other individuals. If you have some clue about the latest major sports result or world crisis, it makes it that much easier to create productive small talk.

In my work as a caddy, I have found it extremely helpful to glance at the headlines in the paper so that I have more to say than "good shot" or "nice putt" to my member during the course of 4.5 hours. 

Knowing some obscure trivia or pop culture reference can help you connect with a classmate, teammate, stranger or friend that has a niche passion or interest. Not only can you genuinely connect with them, but you can then practice humility by asking a question(s) about their beloved interest. In the end, one party has learned something due to the sharing by another.

Lesson?

Remember those Snapple Facts, glance at the mornings headlines and read more in-depth when time allows, and use WIKIPEDIA. Why? Because it's free, simple and fast. Certainly don't use it for those school research projects, but anytime you have a craving to find out a little more about a particular company, word, person, trend, etc, use the world's free encyclopedia. 

You never know when a fact like, "The Isle of Man's (a place I am visiting in May) parliament, Tynwald, is the oldest continuous parliament in the world." 

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