Category: Opinion

Competition is great. It is a deeply rooted evolutionary trait that we all possess. What started as a tool for survival is now much more: a tool to thrive and excel, a tool to climb the socioeconomic ladder, and more.

Some people are so competitive that they are willing to compete with anyone at all. They don’t discriminate, whether it’s someone smarter than them in general, their mentors, or even co-founders. They want to be seen as the better co-founders.

I disagree with that kind of energy. There needs to be a desire for collaborative synergy with people you think are smarter than you, and especially if they are your mentors or co-founders.

Super competitive people can sometimes not comprehend the concept of shared goals, and in my opinion, can potentially under-optimize on their long-term potential.

Competition is great, but collaboration is even better.

Authentic transparency means living as your true self—free of masks, free of costumes. It’s the rare gift of being able to speak, share, and connect without second-guessing what parts of you should stay hidden. You show up fully, not just for yourself, but with the hope that your presence will add light, spark ideas, inspire change. Through openness, you offer others what you’ve learned, the insights that have unlocked new doors for you. And, in turn, you invite them to share theirs.

But in doing so, you will meet people who can’t quite stand that kind of transparency. In the masquerade of life, they might have preferred if you had worn a costume like everyone else. This discomfort may not always stem from envy; it could just be that your authenticity disrupts their own carefully guarded walls.

The choice, then, is whether to soften your light to blend in or to keep showing up as yourself, knowing not everyone will welcome it. Do you start holding back, or do you step back from relationships that require you to wear a mask?

Ultimately, the answer depends on who you are and who they are. For some, compromising parts of yourself in exchange for peace might be a fair trade. But for those who value freedom and truth over conformity, a life where you can be yourself—where relationships thrive on genuine energy rather than social costumes—will feel more aligned.

So, choose accordingly. Wear the mask if fitting in feels right to you. But if you crave authenticity, seek people who value it too. There’s a quiet power in building connections where you don’t have to hide.

I love missing opportunities. Countless times, I’ve been approached to collaborate on new startups or projects. My general response? A polite no. This response often confuses people – some even take it personally. But, in my experience, genuinely good opportunities are rare, and people who prioritize honesty and integrity over revenue are even rarer. So, in most cases, a quick no feels like the right call.

When something, or someone, is truly exceptional, you tend to see it almost immediately. The best opportunities don’t create inner debates. Authentic excellence isn’t confusing, and truly good people are typically transparent.

Charlie Munger once illustrated this well. In a room of 100 people, you might find yourself naturally drawn to only three – these are the rare individuals who resonate with you deeply. Three others might put you off, and the remaining 94 are somewhere in between – decent, well-meaning, but unlikely to become close partners or friends. This isn’t about judging anyone but recognizing that true connections and clear opportunities stand out unmistakably. When the right person or project crosses your path, it doesn’t ask for persuasion; it just makes sense.

Envy—it’s a force that quietly drives us all, an impulse that oddly hurts the envier far more than the envied.

Turks guard against it with their evil-eye amulets

Meanwhile, Pakistanis lean on the old “joota” ritual, hoping to fend off any lurking ill will.

But if you’re genuinely concerned about becoming a target of envy, Aristotle had the right idea: let the merit of your accomplishments be your shield. True success, earned with integrity, carries a natural armor against the gaze of envy.

He said, “The best way to avoid envy is to deserve the success you get.”

When you see someone do well, and emotions trigger for you to do well yourself, there’s often a thin line between what’s driving it.

Were you inspired or envious?

Seemingly difficult to know what it is, but not as hard to identify. If the changes you’ve made to get closer to the end game make you more disciplined towards your goal, you were inspired.

If your actions become more erratic e.g. taking bigger risks, breaking rules to get to the point, etc then envy drives you.

And of the 7 deadly sins, envy is the one that is no fun at all.

There are things that you need. Without those, you’d likely be in a miserable shape. You need a roof over you. Being homeless would likely make you extremely unhappy. You need a way to keep yourself warm when it’s cold, and cool when it’s hot. You need to eat a minimum amount of calories everyday. It’s almost always a good idea to spend money on whatever you need. I am willing to bet that the majority of the happiness you feel stems from fulfilling your needs.

There are things that you want. May be it’s a new phone. May be you want two cars instead of one. But there are certainly somethings that you want, but not really need. These could act as short-term happiness boosters. But usually these wants will not make a significant contribution towards your long-term happiness.

There are things that you like. May be you would really like a new carpet in your living room. Or a more pleasing work-station. Your likes probably also make contributions towards your short-term happiness. But probably not so much towards the long-term one.

There are things that you love. These are the things that you’d love to do if you had a large amount of resources whether time or money. May be you love travelling so much that for the ease of travel you’re willing to throw $100,000 on a better travel document. May be you really wanted to see the northern lights. May be, you want to travel twice every year for as long as you’re alive.

I’ve come to a realization that the kind of happiness that money can buy is often found in two things that are farthest from each other on our quadrant; need & love. Your happiness is either stemmed in the basics, or probably in the extravaganza. Everything in between is probably not worth your money.