koolhead17
I know in this fast-paced world where negotiation trumps over ethics. People lie, there can be numerous reasons. One being fear and another being judgment.
I have bought this belief that people do everything because of the current frame of their minds. Although I feel bewildered knowing the fact that people give up on their trust over winning a negotiation.
I read about the 80/20 principle, a book written by Richard Koch. The central belief suggests that 80% of outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for a given event.
The author has picked many examples in his 20 chapters to confirm his 80/20 principle. On self-examining various events in my life, I am willing to buy his narrative. The theory applies everywhere from business, love, friendship, entrepreneurship, team, productivity, et all.
But does it makes sense to buy and read this book, I don’t know. I am an impulsive book buyer and bought this few months back. I read it this week because I heard over a dozen times about the 80/20 principle.
Not sure if it is my age or past few years of experience. I have realized drive is an important piece that defines our pathway to success. The definition of success differs from us all. For some, it could be glory, money for others.
Finding what drives you keeps journey more simple. It should also be noted that the drive changes with time and situations. As an entrepreneur, it is very important to understand what is your drive.
India is over a billion population. We have our unique challenges. Not all copy clone business ideas or solutions for a problem works. That is why few winners are solving local problems. From Fintech to Agritech to E-commerce, the way business is done in our country is unique.
I understand quitting is easy but a few who will stick to the last will survive with rewards. They are the ones who will change and shape a newer India.
Expecting everything from the government is not rational. To see the change in this new India we have to believe in ourselves more.
The amount of data that are coming with these new avenues will reshape our country.
It is easy to blame others.
It is easy to remind what we are missing from our life.
It is easy to crib about everything.
I take over us. They get blamed for my failures.
The life of a leader is a journey full of surprises. Sometimes it is full of joy while others in pain, pressure. The success of a leader depends on the company of his counselors and distinguished members. These are the key stakeholders and sail the journey. Some of them stay by till the very end while others leave.
Leaders life has every element of human emotions: happiness, pain, guilt, rejection. Sometimes others think he/she is a fool with their approach to a challenge.
A leader has to move against all the odds, continue the journey. He/She has to listen to everyone but cruise on his own with a deeper conviction.
One thing which keeps him/her going is their self-belief and other the guiding principle by which he started the journey. As long as these are intact, a leader has nothing to fear.
The lady who sells us dry fruits has a unique smile on her face. She looks so positive. The positive conversation, joke gives a feeling she is on top of the world. Our usual conversation when am I getting married or why I was not in her shop for a long time. She looked at my friend and asked if he is in any pain and he accepted being sleep deprived.
I asked her about this secret of her smile, she opened up. That is when I got to know more about her. She has not been paid for a month. Her husband is in a hospital and recovering from an operation. The festival season she gets no leave so someone else has to take care of him during work hours.
She told me that this is the best option she has for life, other than taking the situation head-on and not to sulk in miseries.
This reminded me of Murakami: pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. What options do we have? We know this life is not easy for us all. But living miserably, in guilt and remorse is on us. Or we can fight it head-on with a broad smile and live to our best.
I was with few friends this evening, we had some great conversation. One train of thought went on to Artificial Intelligence and the betterment of our life.
I am not a pessimist but am also not a blind follower of the premise that AI is a magic bullet for solving all our miseries. I believe many of us will be marginalized, punished if we will opt-out. The algorithms will put us in a different bucket and treat us with an outsider bias. There will be no choice but to board on that herd with other civilians.
Capitalism being a double-edged sword widened the income disparity. I see similarly AI taking away most of our consciousness. I can’t imagine living a life where machines or algorithms are deciding what is good for me or punishing me for my mistakes.
Some people also say that AI will make us free, give us more time to think, pursue our creativity. I don’t buy that argument, we humans will find something else to keep us and our thoughts engaged.
I also feel there is a need for AI ethics, otherwise, many Cambridge Analytica likes scandals will surface and democracy will get in hands of few oligarchs.
Backers of AI swear by the utopia of meritocracy and bidding. When I am also the marketplace and a vendor, why and how will I not tweak the AI in my favor?
I also believe there is a need for universal basic income. Are less skilled humans a waste, of no use or deserve a life? Or we will throw them like street dogs to fight a civil war because most of our minuscule tasks have been taken care of via AI?
Some also think about increasing productivity and production line efficiency. As if hoarding and consumerism have not done enough mess to our planet that we need to produce more?
Then via capitalism, overburdening with a loan and offering mass discounts we will make the life of rest in more stress.
1984, is a dystopian novel by English novelist George Orwell. He talks about the mass surveillance society, are we not getting closer to it? Is AI not playing a bigger role in it?
Do we really liked to be watched continuously by the machine or cameras? How does it not put us in bracket of animals in some ZOO?
We write many stories throughout our life. Some we publish while most get buried with us. These stories are often our encounters with situations, people and adversity.
It is on us as an author to decide what to do with these beautiful stories, carry to the grave like a treasurer, or become an author and publish books.
The last category is of those who live by these in a good or bad way. The encounters of the past haunt them for life or cherish.
What is your story?
Self-help books appear to be the hot sell. From Amazon’s listing to bookstores, they are stacked everywhere.
Have we turned dumber or have become less confident than our elders? Why is the business of self-help getting so much air?
I fell that fear of missing out and belonging to society has a lot to do with it.
The irony of 2019 is that any garbage can be packed and sold as a book.
Socrates must be confused. My discourse for mare mortals was about acquiring self-knowledge, not becoming slave self-help books.