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Whenever we step into a conversation with someone, it’s essential to be prepared with the answer to the question – How can I help?
It would be unfortunate if we have the attention, yet we don’t know what to ask for!

The truth is, people are always ready to help.
But very few are able to figure out how!
If we need their help, the least we can do is offer them clarity on how is that they can help us.

People will help us only when we have helped them understand how they can.

If we do not know what do we truly want in life right now, the next best thing that we might look for is –
Everything!

Don’t know what we truly want from the job right now? We would want everything!
Work-life balance, learning, great boss, high pay, recognition, offsite, smart colleagues, respect, bean bags, TT, free lunch – everything!

Don’t know what we truly want from life right now? We would want everything!
Stability and excitement. Predictability and unpredictability. Hustle and peace. Sleep and Netflix. 

“What is it that I want the most from life right now?”
It is an easy question to ask, not a simple question to answer.
But once answered, the awareness can dictate the direction of our lives in meaningful ways!

Being good at something and being happy doing it are two different things.

When we are good at something, we are almost always seeking external validation to prove it.
But, when we are truly happy doing something, the need for validation disappears.

Happiness is the biggest validation. And being aware of what we seek is a superpower!

Often we are told that the most powerful people are the ones who never make mistakes.

We’re also told that making mistakes is a sign of weakness. That, if we make mistakes, we are not powerful.
So what do we do?
We hide them.

But when we look at the most powerful people in the world, their strength isn’t in not making mistakes.
Their strength lies in admitting that they made one.
It lies in making sure it never gets repeated.
And when another mistake comes their way, their strength lies in admitting it again!

We can’t escape making mistakes.
It’s the courage to own up to these mistakes that makes us the most powerful.

Where we are going is far more important than where we are right now.
Because our trajectory is our measure of progress.
And our progress keeps us moving forward.

If we do not see ourselves advancing, we tend to opt-out.
Hence, the way to having a meaningful future is to focus on not what we have done, not what we are doing but where we will reach, should we continue on the path we are on.

Our current position is an indicator of the past.
But our current trajectory is an indicator of our future.

A regular day at work-
Filled with errors, missed deadlines and delayed decisions.
How to prioritise one over another?

If our work has errors, it might as well be delayed.
Accuracy is more important than someone else investing their time in correcting our errors.
However, speed is vital in decision-making.
While it cannot come at the expense of accuracy, it always helps to ship instead of waiting for perfection.

Accuracy >> Speed >> Perfection

On my first day at the gym, I started with lifting weights.
It was really painful.
I closed my eyes, trying to gather all the possible energy within me when my trainer instructed, “No matter how much the weight is, don’t ever close your eyes.”

Soon after, I felt I was about to faint. I looked down on the floor, shouting to release the pain.
My trainer shouted back, “When in pain, don’t ever look down. Always look ahead”.

It was only after years of working out that I realized he was not talking about working out, he was talking about life. 

It may get painful. It may get difficult.
We can either choose to close our eyes, look down and avoid. Or we can choose to keep looking ahead.
Facing it is the ultimate win, irrespective of the outcome.

Choice 1 – Nothing matters. Whatever good or bad I do, the world still remains the same.
So, I choose not to care.

Choice 2 – Everything matters. My every step, big or small, makes a difference. And every difference I make, I feel a sense of pride.
Even if it means occasional discomfort, I choose to be responsible. 

Choice 3 – Nothing matters, unless I can get others to make similar choices for better.
I choose to build communities where everyone comes together to make a difference.

Choice 4 – No matter how much we try, the larger world behaves the same.
People don’t change unless the entire landscape is changed.
Everything and everyone matters, so I choose to design the new way!

Choice 1 is that of an Observer.
Choice 2 is of a Doer.
Choice 3 is of a Leader.
Choice 4 is of an Inventor.

Read again :)

We might come across someone who is mediocre at engineering but is an effective public speaker.
Someone who is mediocre at public speaking, but is an engaging content writer.
Someone who is mediocre at content writing but is an exceptional content editor.

People aren’t mediocre.
They only appear to be so in certain circumstances.
It’s often about the right person being at a not-so-right place.

Mediocrity is not an absolute. 
Someone who may appear mediocre in one world, might be a winner in another.

It’s unfair to compare our progress with someone who is just starting out, and feel good about ourselves.
Just like it is unfair to compare ourselves with someone who has been at it longer than us, and feel bad about ourselves.

Different durations. Different people. Different destinations.
Then why the same place of comparison?

Why not compare ourselves with who we were yesterday?
It’s fair, we know the one being compared to really well, and the best part, we can make any change we want to! 

It’s not about who we are today.
It’s about who we will be tomorrow, from who we were yesterday.