Blog
Words. Wisdom. Winners.
A wise man once said…
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
Can I ask you something?
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!
If there was only one lesson I could teach my son
I am the best result I know – of a genetic socioeconomic lottery.
Born into a family that loved me immensely, inculcated the right value system, could afford quality educated, provided food and shelter.
Nothing even remotely as bad as most people in the world have. All this, for no hard work on my part.
Lottery, as I called it.
Something I should have been grateful about.
Just that I wasn’t. For the longest time in my life.
Just because I worked hard, and thought right, I felt the world owed me results.
I felt I deserved more.
Not because others felt so. Because I thought I was entitled to it.
It was only much later and through a set of life-altering experiences, that I realized entitlement to be the worst enemy of success.
And I have worked hard since then to abolish this sense from within.
And as I am learning about what’s working, what is not, and more importantly why do we behave the way we do when it comes to entitlement, I find myself applying these learnings to how I act as a parent
If there was only one lesson that Vidur could take from me, it would be
Grateful for everything. Entitled to nothing.
Expectations
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.
Coke studio taught me why entrepreneur turned investors fail
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
The new promise of delivery
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
Your normal is different from the world’s
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.
The one habit that we should avoid
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
Two lessons I have learnt from airlines
At times you find life lessons in the oddest of places.
Security messages when you are onboard the aircraft are mostly considered useless. You have heard them several times. Of course you know how to use a seat belt. It’s 2017! And no, when something bad happens we won’t remember to follow the lights on the floor :)
But there are 2 fascinating life lessons hidden in those messages. And each time I fly, it’s a gentle reminder.
Before helping others, make sure your own oxygen mask is on
Before you feel you are in a position to help someone, make sure you have first helped yourself
Get yourself stable first before you attempt to bring stability to others
Please identify the exit closest to you. Remember, your nearest exit could be behind you
As you move forward in life, your past could help you. Don’t cling on to it, but do recognize that it exists and served a purpose.
Don’t always assume your goals or opportunities are ahead of you. You may have might as well given them a pass in the past.
Another reminder of how inspiration can come from the strangest of sources, if you don’t leave inspiration to chance.
This is the worst form of Bureaucracy
We all hate it, don’t we
This is how the rules are
I am just following the system
I can’t help you. The right person is sitting there in that corner
We are like this only
Sorry ma’am. I understand but I can’t help
No you don’t understand
And yes you can help
But it’s not your fault. You have been trained to follow a system. A rule book. An instruction manual. One that offers an annual promotion and a stable career.
Here is the deal about Bureaucracy
It’s most prevalent not in institutions, rather individuals
I am like this only
This is who I am and don’t expect me to change
I have done this the same way all along
Don’t try to change me. Accept me the way I am.
If we hate the first form of it – how come we are all so comfortable dealing with it in our selves?
10 years back, I was the most stuck up guy I have even known.
An image of myself that I imposed on myself everyday
A misplaced sense of self righteousness
An unnecessary definition of right and wrong. Of dos and don’ts.
And the (now unbelievable) urge to resist changing my own self
Only once I let go, did I begin to discover who I was.
And who I could be.
And I began to like the idea of a better me. At least the path towards it.
Kill the bureaucracy within. The most dangerous people are those that sit and do not wish to change.
Subscribe to warikoo wanderings