Look Around, Share, Repeat

Hey friends, do you know how much can a life change just by looking around? One example from the top of my head must be Michael Burry who looked through Default Rates in the housing loans and betted against them because he looked through financial documents of thousands of Subprime Mortgage Bonds. To understand what I mean, just watch the movie "The Big Short" (It's on Netflix). Another such example I can give is again a movie reference but it's "Moneyball", again the more you look around the more you will find things to do.

From Artists to writers to data analysts, everybody has to look around for resources to make something. You might think it is weird and maybe wrong to be looking around and then creating something. Here is something you can think about.

You are a mixture of your parents, and maybe your ancestors. You are still unique in a lot of ways. That uniqueness you have is not new but a combination of already existing DNAs of your parents. (Reference of this idea is from the book: Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon.)  

These examples didn't convince you to look around here are some of the stories from articles that I have come across.

1. The best bourbon Story - Story of how Japan has the best Bourbon even though bourbon is an American drink.
2. The story of how A newspaper mention of a Starbucks opening in Moscow led an investor to a big success.

Want to drink the best American Bourbon - Visit Japan:

Smithsonian Magazine published an article in 2014 "How Japan Copied American Culture and Made it Better" - In the article, they mention how Japan is mastering every forgotten idea and making them impeccable.

Tom Downey, the writer of the article - mentions how he went to Osaka and headed to Rogin's Tavern, a bourbon bar contended by his friend that it is the best Bourbon he ever tasted. He reached the place, saw nearly every bottle is bourbon, though there is a smattering of rye and sour mash. He sees bottles from the 1800s next to obscure export bottlings of Jim Beam next to standard-issue Jack Daniel’s. Later an elderly man by the name of Seiichiro Tatsumi, dressed in a bartender's attire comes close and asks shall we taste bourbon from 1904(🤯).  After tasting it, Tom had the first thought was to ask Tatsumi how did he find these.

This is what Tatsumi replied -

“I tasted my first bourbon in the basement bar of the Rihga Royal Hotel, a famous old place in Osaka,” Tatsumi says. “Then I spent years reading everything I could about bourbon at the American cultural center. I sent letters to Kentucky and Tennessee trying to set up visits to the distilleries. I even asked for help at the American consulate. And then I finally got to visit in 1984. I fell in love with America then. I’ve been back a hundred times since. I now own a house in Lexington, and I’ve even been named a colonel in Kentucky.”

I (Tom) ask him how he found all these old bottles of bourbon. “I drive across America, only on the back roads and especially at night, when you can see the lit-up liquor-store signs in the distance,” he says. “I stop at every place I pass, and I don’t just look on the shelves: I ask the clerk to comb the cellar and check the storeroom for anything old. I can’t tell you how many cases of ancient bottles I’ve found that way. I’ll try any bourbon once, and if I like it I buy more.”

This way Seiichiro bought home a collection of bourbons and mastered the art of bourbons with its antique bottles and the taste itself.

Bourbon is not the only one Japanese have imitated and perfected. Japanese are known for their focused mastery. They will make observations from the world and improve it for the better.

Do read more examples from this article to know more about how the Japanese are masters at improving things for the better just by observing.

Short Story About Sam Zell

Sam Zell, a billionaire investor who reads newspapers just to search for things that don't make sense. Sam once saw that a Starbucks had opened in Mongolia. he was curious and he flew to Mongolia to see for himself, to his surprise he saw Starbucks open next to mines, which hinted at China's construction boom, and by the time he returned from Mongolia, Sam had a distinct and clear picture of the future of the Chinese economy. Why? - Just because the news didn't make sense and Sam was looking around.

The point of this article is to help you understand how important it is to be aware of the environment and looking around can be a great way to start. Bored of writing the same things, look around and listen to people, their interests might intrigue you and you can write about them.

I will be honest for a second here, I have been stuck in a place for a long time and honestly, the pandemic has done the same for almost everyone. So, the only place I seek inspirations, ideas, and stories to build upon is from the Internet. So, I naturally observed and read about how journalists find stories, how they research and back up with proven facts. I know it is a lot to process.

In conclusion, all I want to share with you is, it is not that hard to get started on sharing your work. Start creating by taking inspiration and don't be afraid to tag the main sources. You must look around, then learn from it, and then repeat the cycle all over just like the water, you must be pretty fluid to adapt.

If you are looking to start out in any hobby or interest start looking around. Most people think they need to be original, they think nobody will read their idea, and stop them from making it. This article addresses those people who need that push to start looking around. If nothing works out, you will have the experience of learning something on the side.

Start creating and sharing.