table of funtents

1. 👋🏼 it’s me, hi

2. 💊 hard to swallow pills

👋🏼 it’s me, hi

HAPPY WEDNESDAY, MISFITS ✌🏼

Doing a lil’ shimmy because I’m slowly starting to get back into the swing of things (ICYMI, I’ve been out the last month recovering from pneumonia!! 0/10 recommend).

I’ve SO appreciated all the kind check-ins and messages, misfits. Not me internally screaming as I wrote this because it’s so dang exciting to be back with y’all 🥹 

Transparently, it’s been TOUGH to write episodes and improve simultaneously. The minority misfit is something I LOVE to bash out without any disruptions, which is hard when recovery requires a screen break every 45 mins 🫠

The silver lining of being THAT ill is:

• Your time is more sacrosanct than ever

• You’re really forced to go back to the basics

• Your patience runs “thin” (arguably, where it should actually be)

And, most importantly, I can write a WHOLE episode about pills and it’s not even that weird. Thanks, timing! (heh)

💊 hard to swallow pills

Apparently, a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.

But there are pills I’ve learned to swallow with INSANE difficulty. To admit them feels vulnerable - like we’re less competent, clever or clued-up than others.

I know - you’re not supposed to share pills that haven’t been prescribed to you directly. But they’re the same pills I need to be reminded of time and time again as I build keshty, and it’d be rude not to share.

The 3 hard to swallow pills we’ll cover today are:

1. Your work is important, but it’s not life or death

2. Your poor planning is not someone else’s urgency (and vice versa)

3. Money and opportunity are everywhere, even if you’re not seeing it

Make sure you read the labels beforehand and take ‘em as you see fit ✌🏼

1. your work is important, but it’s not life or death

Look y’all, I get it:

• The work you’re doing is going to seriously change the world

• Everyone can benefit from your incredible solution

• What you’re building is GROUNDBREAKING

• YOUUU ARE GROUNDBREAKING

💊 but I gotta hit you with your first pill: your work is important, but it’s not life or death.

As an only child, I’m no stranger to the Spotlight Effect: the idea that other people notice us WAY more than they actually do.

The Spotlight Effect at work looks like thinking everyone not only notices - but DEEPLY thinks about - when you didn’t send that email on time, forgot to include a slide or accidentally called your manager Mom.

Matters are even worse if you’ve worked for micromanagers, who validate this already insane belief by actually highlighting every little thing you’ve done wrong.

Ergo when you start your own venture, your standard of perfection is unattainable - and you inadvertently project your anxious awareness of it into every pitch, meeting or communication with others.

Believe it or not though, people can read your tone through text, email, Slack et al. And no one likes working with peeps who dump anxious energy onto them.

2. your poor planning is not someone else’s urgency (and vice versa)

Ever get an “urgent email” and ask yourself - urgent for who?

You know how icky it feels to receive, so know it goes both ways.

Yes - some things are higher priority than others. Some tasks will end up taking precedence. Some deadlines move around.

But is everything truly urgent, or are YOU just stressing, rushing or feeling the pressure?

💊 enter pill numero dos: your poor planning is NOT someone else’s urgency (and vice versa).

You may not realise it - but if you convey urgency in every comm you send, you’re actually telling the receiver: I suck at planning.

And if you want to guarantee pissing people off, demand things from them when you know* the timing isn’t right for them to receive it.

*I mean when you actually know - e.g. someone’s on holiday, out sick, etc. No one can hold it against you if your intentions were pure and you truly didn’t know; likewise, we should always assume good intent back unless the other party actually knows!

3. money and opportunity are everywhere, even if you’re not seeing it

Fun fact: Persians are MEGA superstitious, so we’re conditioned to tell anyone who asks that business is bad - even if we’re thriving, loving life and showering in bills 🧿

But some things I’ve heard left, right and centre since starting keshty:

• No one wants to spend right now

• This market is particularly awful

• I have to follow the money

I don’t doubt times are tough, but let me burst your bubble even further: they’ve always been hard, and they will always be hard. 

But that has never, EVER stopped money from distributing and flowing.

💊 so here’s my final hard to swallow pill: there is money and opportunity everywhere. All the energy you’re spending blaming the market keeps you from taking control of yourself and actively playing the game.

Think I’m tripping? Honestly ask yourself:

• Does anyone ever really want to spend?

• Has the market ever been great since we were born?

• If you follow those giving you money, how far are you moving from those you actually want to serve?

That’s a wrap on today’s episode, misfits 🫶🏼

Thanks for your patience while I recover. I’m so, so excited to get back into the swing of things with you.

As always, I’m only a message away for thoughts, questions and topic ideas. I read and sincerely appreciate every single poll / email response! Please keep them coming.

Before you go, could you let a girl know what you thought of this issue with the pulse check below? Good intent feedback is always welcome ⬇️

xo, Neds