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Between 2022 and 2025, I attended courses and seminars worth more than $6,700. Some were online, others in person. The last one I visited was just a couple of months ago. A two-day conference advertised as the best event for product people in Europe. The talks were fine. The workshop was engaging. The speakers looked successful. And yet, the whole time I kept thinking, “Is this it? I’ve already heard these ideas in books, blogs, podcasts… Was this really worth the money?”
And the truth is, this wasn’t the first time I felt that way. I realized that I have this similar feeling of disappointment every time I return from a conference. Whether this is an event related to work or one that is aimed at personal growth. The same pattern every time…
Interesting ideas. Motivated presenters. Lots of hype from the audience. Everyone is trying to convince themselves that they didn’t just pay for a glorified group therapy session.
Yet, I keep wondering if any of this was really worth my own hours.
When I visit conferences now, it’s just to remind myself again that I’m not missing a lot.
Why do I keep going then?
To show off? To network? To feed my growth-obsessed alter ego that thinks that listening to successful people makes me one of them?
I believe all of these are true.
I don’t think we learn anything new in a seminar. I think we are there to reinforce our already established beliefs. To hear what we want to hear. To feel a certain way.
And this isn’t only about conferences and seminars. Here I want to explore something broader.
Why do we keep accumulating information? Why do we keep looking for more? And even more interestingly, are we actually doing something with all the knowledge we vacuum, or just stuffing facts to avoid taking action?
Based on my observation and personal experience, we rarely do anything with the intelligence we digest. We just consume to 1) avoid being alone with our own thoughts and 2) keep ourselves convinced that we need more knowledge before acting.
A video here, a short text there, something to listen to while we are showering. I’ve heard a thousand times what the best in the world are doing to become ultra productive and gigantically rich, but the only visible result is that I remain spectacularly average. I stay stuck in the messiness of my old habits and misbehaviors.
Why is that?
On the surface, the answer looks obvious:
“You’re just procrastinating, dude! You’re suffering from the modern disease of information overload. You are always reading and always growing on paper, but in real life, observed from the outside, you’re just a guy with headphones stuck in the comfort of his own information bubble.”
My theory is that we treat information like a soothing virtual lounge. We handpick what we want to hear and who we want to hear from, and we restlessly try to return to this place whenever we can through the day.
Hey there, sorry to interrupt…
Since you’ve come this far, it seems that you are passionate about pursuing depth over distraction. I am too! And while what I’m about to say next probably won’t quite excite you, I have to say it…
Look, this is members-only content.
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See, I digest acres of complex ideas from various resources and morph my findings into straight-to-the-point book summaries, thought-provoking articles, and practical courses. The main goal is not only to help you understand the underlying concepts from badass ideas. But, also, to help you stay curious, inspired, and well-educated. Above all, though, I want to help you transition from a passive online consumer to an active, mindful go-getter with a sense of purpose.
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