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We have been taught to mind our Ps and Qs, since we were kids. 

Say please. Say thank you. 

And we have mostly done a great job of adhering to it. Well, mostly 

However, notice how our thank you are almost always trigger-based 

Someone does something for us. Thank you. 

Someone brings something for us. Thank you. 

Someone helps us. Thank you. 

Someone listens to us. Thank you. 

Someone shows us the path. Thank you. 

At some point in our learning, we forgot that thank you is way more important, when there is no trigger. 

You have been there whenever I needed you. Thank you. 

You have been so helpful during this period. Thank you. 

I was thinking of the good times we have shared. Thank you. 

I have seen you and learnt so much from you. Thank you. 

I think you are such a great human. Thank you. 

Whenever you acknowledge someone or something, even your own life, without any trigger, it triggers the most under-rated virtue of all – gratitude. 

Saying thank you is manners. 

Feeling thankful is behavior. 

I saw “I am Bolt” – a documentary on Usain Bolt, this weekend. 

It’s about his journey to become the fastest man ever on earth, and to go on to win Golds in 3 consecutive Olympic Games – a feat that will remain largely unmatched for a long long time. 

Watching the documentary made me sad. 

I recognized that sports, most of them, by definition have “that” moment. 

That moment when you know you have won. 

That moment you own. It’s yours. When you breakdown, you fall to the ground or rise to the crowd. When you know it’s over. 

That moment when you win. 

Most of us will never experience that moment. Our lives are way too slow, way too gradual, perhaps even way too predictable. 

And what made me sad was no matter how hard I tried, imagining my life to comprise such moments is super hard. 

There will rarely be moments when I will have the world’s attention towards me and in that pressure I will deliver, win and will feel this rush of emotions take over. 

And in that moment of sadness, I asked myself. 

Should I be thankful instead? That I will never have such a moment. 

That life gradually happens, every single day. It’s the process, your attitude, your reactions – the journey, that happens to us. Not those moments.

And it’s a blessing it’s this way? 

Be silent – in the heat of anger

Be silent – when you don’t have all the facts

Be silent – if your words will offend a weaker person

Be silent – if your words will offend anyone
Be silent – when you ought to listen
Be silent – if its none of your business
Be silent – when you wish to speak ill of someone not present at the moment

Be silent – if your words will damage and not heal 

Be silent – if you will have to shout to say it 

Be silent – if your words are not a reflection of who you are

Be silent – if you have already said it before 

Be silent – and let your success make the noise
Be silent – because the judgement of when to, will define you 

Recall how many times we have asked something from someone

And then reacted adversely to the response, when it came through 

Anger, sadness, rudeness, hurt, let down, defensive

Ever thought how unfair this is?

We asked a question 

And couldn’t deal well with the answer 

Do I look fat in this? 

Over time the opposite side either becomes politically correct (it’s the dress that makes you look fat) or starts lying (no, you look gorgeous) 

Don’t ask questions if you aren’t prepared to hear the answer

Ironically, these are the questions that matter the most! 

The easiest thing in the world is to expect something from someone else

I expect you to love me 

I expect you to show up

I expect you to understand 

I expect you to care

I expect you to appreciate 

I expect the world to…

The hardest thing is to expect something from your own self. 

Something that you expected from others. 

I expect myself to love

I expect myself to show up

I expect myself to understand 

To care

To appreciate

I expect myself not to expect from others 

Most people seek from others. Some give to others. Very few give to their own selves. 

They say entrepreneurs make better investors. Because they know the grind. They have been through the emotions. They recognize the fears and the irrational optimism. 

Entrepreneur turned investor

A combination that works 

Just that, it doesn’t. 

An investor’s default response is meant to be no. An investor’s job is to enter and exit businesses. Their mind is trained to meaure risk. Figure what will make it fail. And the probability of that. 

Entrepreneurs are stupid. They don’t need the 10,000 reasons why something would fail. They need that one reason why it would work. 

Two very different mindsets

Coke studio 9 (Pakistan version) released recently. Besides the awesomeness that it is, the thing that caught my attention the most was it’s entirely produced and directed by Strings. 

Strings – the music duo that created music, fantastic music, for 22 odd years. Charmed and mesmerized everyone. 

And are now producing music. Not creating it. Producing it. 

It struck me – that’s why entrepreneurs turned investors fail. They stop producing and directing. They only invest. 

Creator turned producer

Consider that as a combination. 

Consider that, as a mindset 

Under promise and over deliver does not work anymore 

Customers expect more 

Employees expect more 

You should expect more from your own self 

Momentum is precious. The only valuable act you and your organization can indulge in.  

Making sure you over deliver. 

And because you can over deliver, go ahead and commit more 

Over promise and over deliver

On 31st January, I went live on Facebook to share the nearbuy brand brief, as part of our search for a creative agency. 

It was honestly a natural thing for us to do. We were frustrated with the current pitching process in the industry. And realized there were so many awesome agencies that we had no idea about. How do we reach out to them? 

So we did what we do everyday. Speak to the world and ask for help. 

Just that, there is no brand in this country that has ever done this. 

Gone public with its brief. And that too on Facebook live video. 

What was normal and natural for us, wasn’t so much for the world. It ended up challenging set notions in the industry. 

Did we expect that? No

Did we hope for that? No

Has it helped us? Absolutely yes

Could we have planned for it? Don’t think so?

We think we know ourselves. And we might. 

What we don’t know is at what point will our natural self become special for the world. 

And special people don’t work towards that moment. They play their own game. 

Everyday

Every single moment 

Our brain has the power to think, to imagine

And what’s separates humans from other species is our ability to imagine the future. The possibilities. The multiple outcomes. 

And most of us misuse that power. 

We misuse the power when the ability to imagine is used to imagine the worst. 

And all possible ways something could go wrong. 

And all possible reasons why something will not work. 

And all possible outcomes that will make us fail. 

The habit of imagining the worst has killed more people than death ever will. 

And yet we do it to ourselves everyday

Not to be prepared. Not to be aware. Not to fight it back. 

Rather to retread. To not pursue. To have a reason not to go through. 

To tell ourselves it’s too risky. Not worth it. 

Ask yourself this question: if I didn’t have the power to imagine the future, how would the choices that I make today be any different?

Life is what passes by as you over think? everyday how to live it