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There’s a group meeting. And you want to share your point.

However, no one really listens. It’s just an endless discussion.

In such times, it’s fun and intriguing how the habit of Hollywood actor, Keanu Reeves, comes to help.

Whenever someone else is speaking, he doesn’t speak a word. None.
He just listens intently.

And when he does speak finally, his words end up getting more respect and exuberance.

Because he really cares to listen to others, all he gets is the same thing multiplied.

When we listen and then say something that’s strong and thoughtful, our words end up having more power and respect.

Don’t laugh too hard.
Stop doing that.
Don’t behave like that.
Talk like that. Be this way.

We’re always telling our kids what they should and shouldn’t do. Their life becomes a rulebook instead of a blank slate with infinite possibilities.

What if we taught our kids how to think?
What if we allowed them to create another path, instead of wishing them to walk on a replica of where we went?

The best thing to teach our kids is teaching them how to think.
And then trust them to figure things out.

“Your content is really inspirational.
I also want to create content.
However, I feel I have nothing to share..”

This is the fear of a lot of people struggling to create content online.

We are constantly thinking what we know isn’t good enough.
What we do isn’t cool enough.
What we have accomplished isn’t attractive enough.

And so we do not share.
Thus allowing someone else’s content to come out.
Someone else who believed their work was good enough.

Sharing what you know isn’t about what you know.
It is about how you feel about yourself.

Someone else’s definition of success for you.

People who do not support your dreams, instead question them.

The chase for money, that doesn’t let you even enjoy it.

Your own self, whenever you say “I’m like this only!”

The belief that it is too late.
YOU have this moment, until you die.

1. Money is the root cause of all evil.

From an early age, thinking about money was not encouraged.

It was the unsaid rule that money is important, but thinking about it is evil.

After all, money was the reason behind the fights, the wars, and the disagreements.

Now I know it is not money that is the reason.
It is the importance we attach to it in our lives.

Money is simply a medium of transaction.

When it becomes an emotion is when it consumes us.
And that is true for all things in life!

2. Be wary of those who are rich.

It was always assumed that getting rich was possible only through exploitation of others, being cold blooded, and twisting the law in your favour.

Those who are rich are the ones who compromised on their morals.

Now I know that for every immoral rich person, there are countless more examples of people who treat money, people and values with respect.

It’s just that, by design, they are not the ones we hear of or speak of.

News covers the abnormal. Not the normal.

3. Saving money is important.

Of course, saving is important.
But we were never told the complete story.

That investment is more important.

Post demonetization, all the money “saved” by our parents came out.
They were lauded for their saving capabilities.

Most “savings” approaches that we were taught, destroys the value of money.
To make money beat inflation, we were never taught how to invest.

Very few find their passion early in life.
Most find it much later, if at all.

The world convinces us that we should “pick” a passion as early as possible and then settle.

I think all of your 20s should go towards discovering your passion.

Don’t settle.
Explore.

Passion isn’t about money.
It is about how you feel.

We are led to believe that if you follow your passion, you will make a lot of money, which will give you a lot of happiness.

The most passionate people I know are simply content.
They are at peace with who they are.

“Quit your job to follow your passion” is poor advice.
Financial stability is important.

When we sacrifice that to follow our passion, we put the pressure of making money on our passion, from day 1.
Our passion then becomes our necessity!
And ultimately dies.

Passions don’t come in templates.

Stop looking for standard answers to what your passion could be.
Your context, your experiences, your habits, your idiosyncrasies – all of them lend to a passion that is uniquely you.

Don’t make someone else’s passion yours.

Our failures direct us towards our passions a lot more than our successes.
Whenever we fail, we seek solace and inspiration.

It is during such moments that our potential passions emerge.
What we gravitate towards.
Where we can truly be ourselves.
And not have to pretend.

There was a time when there were no ranks.

No grades.
No scores.
No positions.

You worked at something until you wanted to, or you got really good at it.
And then, the industrial revolution changed it all.

Tests were introduced.
The outcome of the tests was not to measure knowledge or understanding.

Rather to grade.
To score.
And then to rank.

Someone with a 93% was deemed higher than someone with 92%.
And we all got addicted.
Addicted to this race.

Fast forward to today – all of us live in constant comparison.

“Am I the best student?”
“Am I the best employee?”
“Am I the best leader?”

All of us live in constant fear, as a consequence.
Assessing who else is better?

If only we stopped to realise: “I can never control if I am the best at anything.”
“I can only control if I am the best version of myself, at it.”

The race is not with the world.
The race is within.

Scared about how ChatGPT will replace your job?
Or how technology is eventually going to make you irrelevant?
Or how fast the world is moving and you feel overwhelmed?

There are 2 choices you have:
1. Continue to feel scared.
2. Embrace the change.

If you chose #2 above, here are 3 small steps to take towards doing so:
1/ Pick up online courses related to the technology you are interested in.
The Internet allows everyone to be a student and learn from the best teachers available.
Do that.

2/ Join an online community around it.
Facebook groups, Reddit forums, WhatsApp groups, Discord servers – get yourself immersed in the technology you want to master and hang around people who live it and love it.

3/ Pick up projects/internships utilising the technology.
Do it for free, if needed.

Just learn.
Get challenged.
Seek feedback.

There is no better way to learn.

When you make technology your friend, you prevent it from becoming your competitor.

Companies that ask for a minimum experience of 3 years while hiring freshers have a special place reserved for them in hell.

Everyone out there seems to have an opinion on you.

What you should do.
What you shouldn’t.
How you should live your life.

And how you have messed it up already.

The world doesn’t require another template.

It requires another rebel.

Be you, anyway!