What You Need to Know Today
Good evening, Early Risers!
Tech
Facebook announces big changes at annual F8 conference today. Zuckerberg says Facebook Messenger will be adding apps to the platform. Think emoji keyboard on your phone. The apps will allow users to send videos, GIFs, and music to friends in Messenger. Good news for businesses, Facebook plans to offer an option for shoppers to sign up for updates in Messenger. Which means customer receipts will be sent via Messenger, as well as shipping information and they can interact with the brand directly within Facebook Messenger, just like you would with a friend. Click her for all the changes announced.
Career
Here’s what makes a great teacher. According to New York Times best-selling author, Seth Godin, “Great teachers teach commitment.” What does he mean by this? We now have access to almost all the information we need to learn technical skills (writing, math, coding, etc). What we lack is the willingness to commit to learning these skills. If teachers can teach commitment, the possibilities of learning are endless.
The 10 slide rule for pitching your business idea to investors. If you’ve never heard of Guy Kawasaki, take 5, Google him and come back. Guy Kawasaki’s team has put together a nice infographic outlining The Only 10 Slides You Need In a Pitch. Thanks, Guy.
Personal Development
2,300 year old thinking exercise that will help you navigate big life decisions. Practiced by ancient Greek stoic philosophers, here’s how it works: Think of the worst that could happen and the best that could happen for any big life decision. By doing both, you train your brain to see the possibility that your decision might have a positive outcome, rather than just assuming there could be a negative outcome. Here’s how to use this exercise while traveling.
What successful entrepreneurs do differently in business and in the bedroom. “Consider that if a connection you’re exploring with someone is so vulnerable to mistakes, even at the very beginning of your connection, then maybe the other person wasn’t so compatible with you to begin with,” says Steve Pavlina. An astute observation that a lot of successful entrepreneurs understand and exploit.