Hi there!
Greetings from Jakarta!
As you guys know, I am currently enrolled in Write of Passage. It is a transformative course for me. I make new friends, learn new ideas, and have step out of my comfort zone to write online. The greatest lesson I learned is that writing is super freakin hard! It requires dedication, consistency, and a good note-taking system to capture all of your ideas. They say over time, it will become easier to write consistently as you have developed your writing habit. But for now, the struggle is real.
If you have not checked my articles, I previously write about my personal experience on how to manage a relationship for two different people, and how a community can be a double edged sword.
Without further a do, here are this week findings!
Technology
[#Article] Shopify & Embedded Finance, Part 1: Analyzing Shop Pay's Flywheel by Ian Kar
Shopify is an e-commerce software for business that helps set up an online store. They just announce a new feature called Shop Pay, which enables customer to save credit card details online. Shop Pay enables Shopify to be an embedded finance company. As Ian Kar wrote:
Embedded finance is when a non-financial services company creates financial services products for their users, embedding them into its existing products.
By embedding Shop Pay into their current ecosystem, it will reduce friction of check out items and create stickiness to their existing customers.
Embedded finance is not new in Indonesia. See Traveloka for example, they have partnered with an E-Wallet company to store credit card details for faster checkout. Less friction means more checkouts.
This leads to an interesting question, does Indonesia e-commerce company adapts faster to the trends of international company? Maybe this will be another essay to write about.
Philosophy
[#Article]Â Are You an Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You! by David Graeber
I always believe Anarchist is people who do violence, chaos, and destruction during demonstrations. That is what the news always tell us. âDonât be anarchist during the demonstrations.â However, after reading this article, my perspective has changed. I am an Anarchist at heart.
As David Graeber wrote:
The first is that human beings are, under ordinary circumstances, about as reasonable and decent as they are allowed to be, and can organize themselves and their communities without needing to be told how. The second is that power corrupts.
Anarchist is all about community. They believe humans can be democratic and self regulate themselves. People do not need for a controller to control their life, they believe in democratic principles for an ordinary life. They believe when people cooperate, they can achieve great things in life.
Self Development
[#Article]Â How to Become Successful Without Doing Anything at All by Ayodeji Awosikka
This article resonates with me a lot. The idea to care less about the world really changed my perspective. People often tries too hard. Setting high goals, doing whatever it takes to be successful, without realizing that anyone wants the life you have. Just Enjoy your journey and be grateful! As Ayodeji Awosikka wrote:
It takes a ton of ego to limit yourself and care so much about your self-image that it keeps you from living the best version of your life.
Lower your ego, be grateful, and you will be successful without you realizing it.
[#Twitter Thread] When you donât try to make things happen, they just happen by Andrew Barry
Another gem by Andrew Barry! We often tries too hard to obtain something. But, we do not realize we just simply have to wait. Good things will happen to those who waits. I like this metaphor about relationship by Kaleel Jamison:
The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact.
Donât try too hard and neglecting other people in your life. Just relax and enjoy the journey. When the time comes for you to flourish, it will just happen.
Thank you! See you on the next issue!
Juan