Chiwi Journal June Issue: Creator Economy, Flow State, Psychology of Persuasion and more

1/6/2021

Chiwi Journal June Issue: Creator Economy, Flow State, Psychology of Persuasion and more

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Welcome to the June Issue of Chiwi Journal! Your monthly newsletter with the content I filtered, curated and wrote based on 140+ hours of reading and listening time.

Quick update from my side: The madness of football season is over! Well, temporarily, because the once in a four year Euro 2020 is just around the corner! As many of my longtime readers know, I'm a hardcore football fan! One of the main reasons to move from New Zealand to the UK is to watch live football games! So far, I have achieved this goal at Premier League and can't wait to join English fans this summer to celebrate this massive sport event! For you side note, I love not the British summertime less but the rainy days more. Last but not least, I had my first vaccine injection this week! #TeamPfizer

Now, let's get straight into the content.

Book of the month

I have received the most frequently asked question on time and energy management because people think I live extra hours to do loads of things. My secret has been well-summarised by the bestselling author and peak performance expert Steven Kotler in his new book The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer.

We all heard about Flow State, but not many scholars could explain it as clear as Kotler does. He decodes Flow State at its fundamental level with support evidence from neuroscience and psychology subjects.

As an old saying goes, “a workman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well.” Now, we know the formula for achieving impossible tasks. You just need to sit down and spend a couple of hours learning the tools from this book!

P.S. Here is my all-time favourite books recommendation.

Podcast of the month

Dr Robert Cialdini, The Godfather of Influence, has appeared in many podcast shows recently to promote his new book Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion. Does the title sound familiar? Yep, he wrote the international bestseller Influence with over 5 million copies sold. This newly updated version explains the psychology of persuasion and provides practical skills to apply these principles ethically in business and everyday situations.

I enjoy two interviews featuring him from

Some highlights are:

Always give first. People who receive something from you are more likely to say YES to your requests.
The idea of shared identities is powerful, especially interacting with people for the first time. The increased tribalism in today’s society makes this principle even more compelling.
People like scarcity. A limited number of items or a limited time of selling window will persuade customers to buy
For jobseekers: before beginning an interview, ask what made your interviewers invite you to the interview. Praising you will make your interviewers want to be consistent in seeing you in a good mood. It also provides you with the knowledge about your advantages that make them want to meet you.

Focus of the month

Imagine that, everyone in the near future will have the flexibility to work and live anywhere in the world, make their daily schedule voluntarily and make money by doing what they truly love. That’s what I have been diving into recently on the Creator Economy.

Here are three articles to help you understand the Creator Economy:

As a creator, the challenge facing us today is the unbalance between the effort we put into our work and the result we get in return. Many creators don’t have a stable source of income to support their continuous creation. Audiences also seek to build a deeper connection with creators rather than a shallow trading relationship.

The current status of Creator Economy is winner takes all, or even worse, the platforms and brands control everything. The ultimate goal is to empower the wide middle-class creators to join the wave with the support of dedicated tools and platforms. Creators could eventually build a one-to-one relationship with their fans and rely on their support to survive and thrive without financial pressure.

The emergence of Web 3.0, DAOs and social tokens will accelerate the process of the Creator Economy and allow solo creators to work with like-minded others without physical restriction. Which creator platforms will be the next unicorns? And which niche creators will rise to the top? Let's see!

Course of the month

I recently completed Y Combinator Startup School courses and attended a couple of virtual coworking spaces. I highly recommend my readers who are thinking of building their own business register for this course and meet other entrepreneurs worldwide. It's free.

As mentioned in last month's newsletter, I have created my 100,000 words study notes, focusing on financial freedom, writing skills, life philosophy and creator economy (Chinese language only). Please feel free to check it out and click to purchase:

Here is the discount code for Chiwi Journal newsletter readers? : CHIWI

AMA

Question from a newsletter reader:
"How do you balance creating content in English and Chinese? What's your main focus?"

My answer:
Great question! TL;DR, there is no balance but priority. My current focus is to write more long-form content in English (70%) to challenge my comfort zone and maintain my weekly newsletter in Chinese (30%).

I've been writing in Chinese since I was in primary school, from notebook to online platform, twenties years non-stop. I'm a prolific Chinese writer with confidence.

After moving to New Zealand in 2010, I have to pick up English to make a living. Back then, I was too embarrassed to speak broken English, not to mention writing fluent essays or articles, which led to my extremely low self-esteem in English, especially in the writing part. It took me almost a decade to overcome my inner demon, sabotaging myself by saying, you suck! Thankfully, three significant elements set me free:

Writers like Fernando Pessoa, Elif Safak and Ayn Rand set up a role model for non-native English speaking writers to write English masterpieces.
My English speaking friends and colleagues are so kind and patient with my English and encourage me to speak and write more.
Online writing mentors like David Perrell who created writing courses to guide me through the journey

As Bruce Nauman said, "if you want to do it, you do it. There are no excuses". Agree. Although I could stay in my comfort zone to speak and write in Chinese, I would miss the opportunity to meet new friends and readers and explore the other side of the world. I assume many readers like me are multi-lingual and live in a different place from your motherland (we are the Third Culture Adults!).

I hope my journey would encourage you to express more and create more in other languages. Your unique perspectives and life stories will add more diversity to this world! There is only one enemy standing in the way to prevent from you becoming who you are. You know the answer, right? Just set yourself free by writing it, my friends!