Gratitude notes

1️⃣ feeling calmer. I think it's the additional morning meditation.

2️⃣ The morning school routine. I just let the girls lead. Miraculously, they're still on time but always cutting it too close. Will let consequence be their teacher. 🙏

3️⃣ People watching at lunch yesterday. Fascinating to observe

1️⃣ Early morning meditation. Really helps to start the day right.

2️⃣ My wife's chocolate banana sourdough bread, and a Hokkaido cheese tart. Good food comes to me without asking.

3️⃣ Weekly walks with the wife. Easy to fall into deep talks. We walk to food stalls we like (without the kids) and that's nice.

1️⃣ it is quite therapeutic to read, explore, and wonder without any restriction or pressure.

2️⃣ Starting another new book. Seems like a really good read.

3️⃣ Learning to observe difficult situations and thoughts… just being aware, without making rash decision. Not perfect, but slowly getting better.

1️⃣ After 34 years, I finally got to reconnect with a teacher who treated me with kindness during a very difficult time when I was young.

2️⃣ Watched Hoppers with the family over the weekend. Kids and wife were still laughing this morning, recounting the animals discussing the pond rules.

3️⃣ Nice to just chat with a friend in person, and sit with a founder who has real motivation and a genuine sense of mission to bring good to the world. That feeling is nice.

1️⃣ Reading “The Surrender Experiment” by Michael Singer. Fascinating. so much wisdom and life lessons to draw from it.

2️⃣ My brother enjoys being with the kids. It gives us a breather. 😮‍💨

3️⃣ Last night the kids were throwing cushions and soft toys at each other… and went into hysterical laughter.

1️⃣ The youngest is a little unwell. Spent time with her yesterday. adorable.

2️⃣ A good tennis session with a friend. Happy to know he is doing well.

3️⃣ Feels rather peaceful in the family lately. I've been shifting how I see the kids. treating them as comrades, as equals.

1️⃣ The girls were supposed to go to the playground. I suggested washing the car instead. They agreed and thought it was fun. Quick work, and a good workout.

2️⃣ A neighbor dropped off a box of home cooked curry. Really delicious.

3️⃣ I'm learning not to crave for recognition for my writing/work. But when people tell you they appreciate it… it always feels very nice.

1️⃣ Was mid-conversation with the older girls when Kara waved and caught my attention and then said, "I love you, daddy." Unprompted. Random. The best feeling.

2️⃣ Lunch with the wife, then buying household stuff together. Simple, quiet pleasures.

3️⃣ Helped a young YC founder today. He seemed genuinely grateful. Made me happy. I’ve been helping a few founders lately. Always gives me energy.

1️⃣ Surprised my youngest by showing up with her scooter. She squealed. We scooted home together (I ran). Cute.

2️⃣ "Courage to Be Happy" is challenging how I see things. I agree on the theory. Not totally sure about the feasibility on certain things. But it's interesting for my brain to chew on.

3️⃣ Friends who still remember you… and then invite you to things and show up to help. That's a nice feeling.

1️⃣ It's nice to talk to the wife about everything: the good, the bad, things to fix, solutions forward. Lucky to have found a soulmate I can share anything and everything with.

2️⃣ Went out with the older girls to buy food by bicycle. It’s a first. They had chilled honey lemon drinks and were grateful for them. It was a fun one.

3️⃣ Oldest daughter said some funny stuff when she's in the mood. Kinda quirky and humorous. I like that style.

1️⃣ Grandpa and the kids baked cookies yesterday. They turned out so well we shared them with three neighbors. and they loved it too.

2️⃣ Japanese curry and palak paneer for dinner. love it.

3️⃣ Random conversations with friends on WhatsApp. Some brought chuckles.😆

1️⃣ The girls kept playing the brain games, so I built more. and they wanted to share with their friends.

2️⃣ Talked to a founder yesterday. Went quite deep on root causes and next course of action. Quite amazed how she found me.

3️⃣ Two of the older kids decided not to follow us to lunch midway. We told them where we'd be and kept walking. They didn't show up and we didn't go looking. wife and I had a nice lunch, packed food back. We found them on the way home. safe, and they learned a lesson. But grumpy they couldn't eat out. lol.

1️⃣ Built brain games for the kids. They enjoyed it a lot. Interesting.

2️⃣ Wrote stuff. Received kind words. So grateful.

3️⃣ Grateful to my wife for supporting me to do a long meditation retreat. My first.

1️⃣ A swim session with all the neighborhood kids. Everyone just playing together, having fun.

2️⃣ A family dinner where everyone enjoyed the food. Satisfying to see everyone satisfied.

3️⃣ The wife again. I can share my most inner thoughts with her. even the ones still forming. She never judges.

1️⃣ Found a very soothing instrumental piece. My wife and I enjoyed it together.

2️⃣ The kids are still into Pocahontas. "Colors of the Wind" on constant replay. It's a meaningful song. Not complaining.

3️⃣ The wife's sourdough banana chocolate bread. So yummy. I think she should try to sell it since she enjoys baking too

What's yours?

1️⃣ A catchup with a friend over tennis and lunch. Good conversation, good laughs

2️⃣ I thought no one was reading what I wrote. Then messages came in from friends saying they appreciated it. Always a nice feeling.

3️⃣ My daughter gave me a little “pumpkin” she made 🧐. Random. Made me chuckle.

What's yours?

1️⃣ Seeing my in-laws move into their new place. Nice view, good color combi. It reflects hard work bearing fruit.

2️⃣ Reading Substack, commenting, and chatting with strangers brings joy.

3️⃣ Just enjoying the present moment and the present routine. Ample time to work, read, exercise, create new memories, and bond with friends and family. Starting to enjoy this rhythm and the process of learning and discovery. I feel a sense of peace. Very grateful for it.

What's yours?

1️⃣ Morning car ride with the older girls, reflecting on Pocahontas. They discussed the movie and drew their own lessons from it. Super cute, fascinating.

2️⃣ Thoughts of retirement 😆. Thoughts of building something new. Thoughts of a big tech or AI lab. Thoughts of teaching in school. So many possibilities. Used to frustrate me. Now I'm a little more peace… just trusting the process. The only thing I'm trying to consistently do is build and explore with no expectations. And also to enjoy the process, be present

3️⃣ Happy the wife got to spend time with her family and take a small break from the kids. Lucky the kids were quite good last night. I enjoyed myself too. Lucky

What's yours?

1️⃣ my 4yo enjoys stories so much that I can steal a few kisses. She said no to my kisses last night, so I told her the dreameater will come if she didn't have my kiss as charms and protection. Not only did I get one kiss but I got three 😂

2️⃣ Reading "The Courage to Be Disliked." Adlerian psychology concept is interesting. and I enjoy reading the book as a dialogue between a philosopher and a student.

3️⃣ Very thankful for the wife, especially during challenging times with the children.

What's yours?

1️⃣ Hainanese curry rice. Haven't had it in a long time… so good.

2️⃣ Genuinely super excited about my latest angel investment. Even when I talk about it with friends, I feel excited for the founder. Always nice to back a fellow YC founder.

3️⃣ A really nice catchup with friends yesterday. Both of them are builders. I have a lot of respect for them. One recently did a partial exit, super happy for him!

What's yours?

1️⃣ Korean oven-fried chicken. It's been a while. so yummy.

2️⃣ Just spending time with the wife again yesterday, slowing down after a challenging day with the children.

3️⃣ Quick and meaningful catch-ups with my brother and friends over text. felt great.

1️⃣ Raising kids is sooo hard. I'm just very lucky that I have a great partner, my wife, to do this with. Otherwise I honestly don't think I'd survive and derive joy.

2️⃣ Met two founders yesterday and each of them are doing well in their own ways. That gives me energy. Always nice to hear, especially in a tough startup climate in our region right now.

3️⃣ Had a bit more time to meditate yesterday. Useful… it was a pretty rough day with the kids.

What's yours?

1️⃣ Quiet time with the wife yesterday, just driving her to where she wanted to be. Always nice that she appreciates my time.

2️⃣ Had a good convo with a fellow founder. Then the AngelCentral briefing on helping curate angel startup investments… that seems really fun. Quite excited.

3️⃣ Made a connection between two very brilliant people. Hopefully more good things come out of it.

What about you?

1️⃣ Met with an ex-colleague. Received a lot of kind words… makes me really happy and makes me feel that a lot of hard work has been all worthwhile.

2️⃣ Just really enjoying the company of this plant in my house.

3️⃣ Quality one-on-one time with Diana. She enjoys seeing people fish at the jetty. I thought that was pretty cool.

What's yours?

1️⃣ Excited to work towards the TickerTown private beta. Still working on it slowly… it's been fun collaborating with others.

2️⃣ A friend bought me lunch (haha). We had a good catch up. Happy he's doing great, running a profitable biz!

3️⃣ A few people found the AI list useful. I thought it was boring 😂 I'll take this small win. https://williswee.substack.com/p/the-boring-ways-i-use-ai

What's yours?

1️⃣ Relatively little drama with the kids this morning. Just… peaceful. ☺️

2️⃣ Watching the kids adopt mealworms as pets. Interesting🪱

3️⃣ Really nice conversation with the wife last night. she always loves a good massage.

What's yours?

1️⃣ My kids enjoy books and love going to the library. That really makes me happy… feels like I managed to pass it on to them.

2️⃣ An ex-team member sent me this. We didn't even work directly together. Too kind.

"Although I didn't have a chance to work directly with you but I am inspired a lot by your work, your customer-obsessed spirit and product mindset. And of course thanks to TiA that I found I really want to make something people want. Thank you for all of your work, which inspires me to start writing my own story."

3️⃣ Recovering from stomach flu. Wasn't nice, but I got a lot of rest… amazing how much sleep I can get when I just let go.

What's yours?

1️⃣ Enjoyed looking at my youngest one's feet and hands. Not much chance left… they'll get bigger and not so cute soon.

2️⃣ Diana and Laura tying each other's hair in the car with lots of giggles. 😂

3️⃣ For some reason, good relevant content keeps coming to me… either by the algorithm or through good friends. This one is highly recommended: https://youtu.be/eQZO-MPpbJg

What's yours?

1️⃣ Laura still enjoys washing the car with me. It's a really good workout, saves money, and we always end up having a good chat.

2️⃣ I find it super cute that the kids are always enthusiastic about outdoor activities… cycling, beach, tennis... anything that makes them perspire or go under the sun. Perhaps it's just the way we bring them up.

3️⃣ Really enjoyed the book "I May Be Wrong" by Björn Natthiko Lindeblad. From a successful corporate high-flyer to a forest monk, then back to the non-monastic world. Super insightful and a lot of thoughts I can relate to, especially in this season of slowing down.

What's yours?

1️⃣ Had a very nice lunch with a friend yesterday. One of the few friends I can openly talk about exercising the mind and practicing mindfulness with. We shared quite a bit on life's perspectives and aspirations… really nice chat. Grateful for the friendship.

2️⃣ When one kid is fussy in the morning, the other steps in to provide comfort, staying calm. Shows how much she's grown wiser. always a nice feeling when the sisters take care of each other.

3️⃣ Several books have arrived and I can't wait to read them… though I've got quite a long list waiting 😂

What about you?

1️⃣ We have really awesome neighbors who share spaces and food, and let the three girls roam around freely. There's a lot of kindness around… it's a really nice feeling.

2️⃣ Saw Diana tying braids for Laura in the car this morning on the way to school. Heartwarming.

3️⃣ Road trip yesterday helping my brother prepare for his first baby. Good fun.

What's yours?

1️⃣ My kids observed me working on TickerTown and started asking questions about building a new company. They know I sold my previous one. Very innocent questions… joyful and funny convo 😂.

2️⃣ There's this resident rooster 🐔 near my place. It chased my kids before (they kinda deserved it. they went to disturb it first). Yesterday I watched other kids observing the same rooster. It was very confident, ready to defend itself… but the kids didn't come closer and just walked away. Playing my kids' version of the scene vs these kids in my head was quite funny.

3️⃣ Did another round of usability tests with TickerTown waitlist users. Overall good… I think we've hit diminishing returns. Ready to move into the final design brief, lock the design system, and really start building for private beta. Also thankful to work with Ian. there are things I worry about that he doesn't, and it's always nice to chat through, see his point of view, and learn along the way.

What's yours?

1️⃣ A total stranger reached out cold to help with TickerTown. First he volunteered as a usability tester. Now he's volunteering his time to help build it… just for the joy of it (I told him there’s just a 5% chance it will work). Super nice feels when it happens, and you can't plan for that.

2️⃣ An ex-colleague reconnected and told me this. Too kind.

"TIA was formative for me and to this day, it remains my benchmark for culture and transparency. When I built my own startup, I adopted the same policies and cultural practices we had in place in early TIA days (full financial transparency to my team, unlimited leave, no notice period required -- just full trust cutting both ways)."

3️⃣ TickerTown hit 100 users on the waitlist. Small number 😂, but it's real people signing up for something that doesn't exist yet. https://preview.tickertown.ai/

What's yours?

1️⃣ Over the weekend, I watched the 3 girls just love each other. Doing group hugs. Diana told Laura (unprompted) that she's the best younger sister she'd ever have and she wouldn't change her for anyone. Laura said it right back.

2️⃣ A few people texted me about my writing this week. Just kind, honest words saying it resonated. I had a few coffees connection thanks to writing. Such a nice feeling.

3️⃣ The nighttime chats with my wife. It always brings us closer. I'm not sure I could have achieved whatever I've achieved without her by my side. i feel lucky.

What’s yours?

1⃣ A prominent investor read my recent piece "I'd do it again, just kinder" and said: "wisdom. Proud of you for writing it. Takes courage." Grateful for the encouragement.

2⃣ My ex-investors still reply within the hour when I pick their brains on things. Years after the exit, they still show up. That says something about the relationships we built. Don't take that for granted.

3⃣ Caught up with a YC batchmate and housemate from 2015. We stayed in the same house during the batch and it was one of the most challenging but also most fun and fulfilling stretches of my journey. Texting him brought back a lot of good memories.

What made you smile today? 😊

1⃣ I'm grateful for the freedom to slow down, to build, to speed up, to write, to daydream, to spend time with family. optionality is a gift.

2⃣ There's a lot of silence right now and I kind of enjoy it. No one is texting me about deadlines or things I have to do. slightly uncomfortable but I welcome it.

3⃣ Had a pleasant chat with my girls about random stuff this morning. These are the things that will create memories. 😆

what about you?

1⃣ Septin, a designer I work with. She's been effective and I feel like I'm helping her grow. The best working relationships go both ways.

2⃣ Usability tests on something I'm building went well. Testers were clear and impressed with the design. I know that doesn't mean PMF. It just means it's usable. But it's a good signal. i'll take the win. Running another round of test next week after fixes.

3⃣ Spoke with a friend who texted me this after the session: “Thank you Willis. Most relaxed and refreshed I’ve felt in weeks! Till the next one 🫡”

What's yours?