We are now a community of 124! Thank you❤️

This newsletter is free and I don’t use paid advertising. I completely rely on organic growth through users who like my content and share it.

So, if you like today’s edition, please take a moment to share this newsletter on social media or forward this email to someone you know.

If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.

If you want to create a newsletter with Beehiiv, you can sign up here.

You Totally Suck. Here’s Why.

Did you see Mr. Beast’s subscriber count on YouTube? It’s 228M. That would be the 6th largest country in the world by population.

What’s your subscriber count? Less than a hundred? A few thousand? Lol.

Okay, let me talk normally now. Was this a fair comparison - the world’s biggest YouTuber’s and your subscriber count? Definitely not.

You would never make such a comparison and be sad about it. It is absurd.

Yet, you still indulge in comparing yourself with others. I am guilty of it at times too.

Whenever things go wrong for you or things go right for someone else, your mind immediately focuses on your common point of work and you manage to perfectly see how small you are in front of the other person. It hurts especially more if they were behind you in your field and have flown past you.

You probably agree with me that the Mr. Beast comparison was unfair but how is any comparison that makes you unhappy fair?

Forcing unhappiness through comparison is a crime. As Theodore Roosevelt put it:

And, this is why you suck. You compare.

Comparisons are always unfair. Here’s why:

• To compare, you need to measure. But, you cannot quantify everything. You can compare salaries. But how can you quantify family support?

• You are unique. Nobody lives the exact same life as you.

• They are a waste of time. I mean you could have that bowl of ice cream that you left in your fridge instead of checking out that girl’s followers count.

• Comparisons are a distraction from value. And, if you have been reading my work, one thing I advocate for is providing value.

It’s time for you to become cool. You will not suck anymore. It’s time to get rid of this fruitless and endless cycle of comparison.

• Focus on yourself. You live your life. Your achievements are your source of happiness. Find motivation through your own success.

• Cultivate a culture of appreciation. When you see someone else succeeding, appreciate them, and congratulate them. They must have had their own struggles, let them know that their success has been acknowledged. This nature is what will propel you forward too.

• Be a better you. Don’t try to be “better than John or Jane Doe”. Ask yourself, are you moving in the right direction? Are you better off than a year ago? Maybe you are. Maybe you are not. Find inspiration through your goals.

Mental freedom is awaiting you beyond the chains of comparison. Embrace it. Be cool.

Cool Products I Found on X

I am trying out something. It’s very difficult for new product makers to reach out to potential users. Now that I have over 100 newsletter subscribers and 1000 followers on X, I have decided to support some new startups for free every week. Let me know if you like this idea.

DISCLAIMER: I haven’t used most of these products. I am not vouching for their quality. You can check them out if you find something interesting. Also, this disclaimer is not applicable to the last two products😜.

• CreateNextStartup by Olivier: The Next.js startup boilerplate packed with flexible components to make you succeed.

• Websense by Larry: All in one analytics dashboard with no custom setup or code.

• LectureKit by Jonathan: Headless Platform for Creating & Managing Online Courses.

• SyncSignature by Neel: Turn your favorite photo into a professional headshot and personalised email signature.

• Boring Launch by Shivam: Boost Your SEO & Sales. Submit Your AI Startup to 75+ Platforms In 7 Days.

• Bluright by Farid: Blur, Highlight & Spotlight any area of your image easily.

• PayMeForMyAI by Aditya: PayMeForMyAI enables creators to build and monetize GPT bots without code.

And, finally, two products by yours truly:

7 lessons from building 9 startups in 2023

Marc Lou

TL;DR. The seven lessons are:

1. Don't marry your idea
2. Ditch free plans
3. Subscriptions headache is real
4. Swap vitamins for painkillers
5. Emotions sell
6. First impressions matter
7. Food + Sleep + Workout = Psychiatrist

Read the complete article

Biggest productivity killers in the engineering industry

Gregor Ojstersek

TL;DR. The productivity killers are:

1. Perfectionism
2. Procrastination
3. Context-switching
Bonus: Multi-tasking

Read the complete article

Did you like today’s newsletter? Feel free to reply to this mail.

This newsletter is free but you can support me here.

I’d be happy to connect on Medium, LinkedIn and X.