Ever since I can remember, I always had the desire for something that my peers didn’t.
I consumed lots of content about technology and economy in my last year of high school.
That was the first point when I began to desire pursuing a major in Industrial Engineering (IE) . . .
A major which had one of the highest acceptance rates after “medical” and “dentistry”.
If I ain’t mistaken, I was the only one who had that dream among my high school peers.
Some of my friends were surprised when they first heard I was accepted into one of the best universities.
As I was a student who often skipped additional classes from my teachers (a.k.a “bolos kelas tambahan”).
Now in my last 2 years of college — I kinda feel the same.
I’m not the one who stands out in classes — but, some of my friends told me I have expertise in data analytics they often seek help.
I have been pursuing various fields that I don’t see my peers do the same.
Although I achieved my goals as IE student, turns out I don’t see myself fit 100% to what is inside of it.
I like certain aspects I’ve learned by far — but there are also things I have no desire to explore further.
I realised that this is a pattern of life — there must be always something you like and you don’t.
You will never know what challenges exist in level 10 if you haven’t solved the enemy in level 9.
Leveling yourself up is how you survive in life
When a beginner fights with a master — neither of them enjoys the battle.
The beginner becomes anxious and the master gets bored.
People are too far from taking on challenges that match their skills — causing them anxiety . . .
while on the other hand, some of them take on challenges that are too easy leading to boredom.
You can’t expect to be able to run if you never learn to walk.
The sweet spot is the challenges right just above your level that you have the confidence to solve through time and effort.
When your skills match the challenges — the world goes quiet and you move forward with grace.
Every time I do research for a business case competition, I block around 45-60 minutes to focus.
It feels good.
It shields me from negativity and distractions.
It is almost impossible to feel burned out when I am in the “flow state”.
This leads to the idea of expanding your known zone (a.k.a comfort zone) so it becomes larger and larger.
You’ll be surprised how far you become in 6 months when you consistently compound the experience of solving problems right in front of you.
Have no money?
Increase your skills, get a job
Have too skin body?
Hit the gym, bulk with the right food
Have problems with your significant other?
Cultivate empathy, take a self-reflection
People are too focused on wanting to have a million-dollar startup company while they haven’t finished yet with themselves.
It just doesn’t make sense that you want to help others while you can’t help yourself.
It is the same idea of how people will respect you if you don’t have respect for yourself.
Once you've solved level 1 in your life . . .
you're already able to help others and make impacts toward their positive behavioral changes.
It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a student who has a bunch of academic achievements.
It does matter if you can perform a pivot table on Excel and help someone who can only use “SUM” function.
People will get better results by learning from someone a few steps ahead of them — they can resonate with their identity and won’t be insecure.
Whether you like it or not, people judge you based on your relative status.
Everyone is chasing status.
Believing that you're not seeking status is still playing a status game — that doesn’t mean it’s bad.
It is natural.
Once you accept and acknowledge this, you can start benefiting from it.
You have status in your social circle.
You have status in your job and career.
You have status in your religious community.
People assign you a status when they first see you.
You can't change this — but you can do things to make it more likely that they see you as having high status.
People decide if they want to employ you, pay you, or support you based on that status.
People decide if they want to involve you and give opportunities depending on that status.
Put simply . . .
If you aim to make a significant contribution to humanity, status matters.
Your position within society can greatly influence your ability to contribute meaningfully to collective progress and well-being.
“Status isn't fixed or necessarily bad — it varies in levels, but everyone begins somewhere other than the highest.”
People assign higher status to good-looking individuals rather than those who are not.
People assign higher status to high-quality design and good composition PowerPoint.
People assign higher status to products with appealing packaging than to those without.
Looks come before depth.
People often ignore shallow pursuits without realizing they are just starting points.
You don’t start digging from the core — you start from the surface. Materialism gets in the way of what's truly important.
It is human nature for people to trust more attractive people.
Don't take this personally — but you know if you are unattractive or not.
That’s why increasing your level of life in the domains of health, wealth, and relationships is inevitable.
It is how you enhance your mind, finances, body, and spirit.
e-book and courses (mind)
business and job (finances)
workout and healthy food (body)
5-time-a-day prayer and “curhat” (spirit)
You can ignore how bad your life is. But by doing so, you choose to be low-status — and that’s a surefire to decrease your impact and enjoyment of life.
That’s the first letter of this month, my friends.
See you in the next 2 weeks.
Peace,
Jalal
