koolhead17
I keep getting this advice: if things are not working right, hang on to it. Don’t give away quickly. Do not be a quitter.
When you have lost soul on something: relationship, partnership or professional engagement. How can you Hang on to it?
Our time is limited. Does hanging on or holding on to something for a better future makes any sense?
Last evening my dear friend asked about the purpose of my life.
I told him the purpose is simple: lead a happy and healthy life.
Happiness is living my life in accordance with my nature.
A healthy life contains a set of good habits, friends and clear thoughts.
What do you think is the purpose of your living?
Every partnership comes with a lot of expectation. There is not much difference in finding a co-founder or a life partner. Both have the same set of expectations and trust.
A proper matchmaking and understanding the factors forging partnership is a must. It is still not guaranteed for success, but at least
I have first hand experienced it. I don’t see it as a failure but a learning process.
All we have in our life is the company of the people around us. They help us in shaping our success, thoughts, and course of life. So rushing in or forging a relationship is a recipe for a bust.
One thing which differentiates an organization is its culture. Founders need to lead it.
There is a famous saying: “Monkey see, monkey do.” If founders are dishonest with board or investors. Can they expect honesty from their employees?
A toxic culture fueled on masculinity or in-fighting with teammates will do more bad. Why will employees not fight or divided group formed if founders are fighting on CAP table?
A company can raise a lot of money. It can hire from top institutes. Irrespective of this, uncertainty exists.
A culture of honesty, empathy will be fostering the growth. Employees growth acts like a domino effect on the organization.
Our brain is lazy. It takes shortcuts in decision-making states. That is when past experiences play its role.
We all have had our share of prejudice. Our hairstyle and beard make us a hippie. What we are wearing makes other decide we are modern or traditional.
All auto and taxi drivers are bad.
Apartment security guards are lazy.
Your made is stealing onions and potatoes.
He smokes, drinks so avoid him.
Don’t travel at night alone.
It’s Tuesday, avoid eating meat.
It is so easy to form an opinion. Most of our friends and family members are saying, this must be true.
We have surrendered our consciousness and questioning.
These are some books I read in October 2018.
1. Jesse: The Man Who Outran Hitler
The book is an autobiography of Jesse Owens. It talks about his struggles, success, and stardom. Jesse Owens was the first American black athlete to win multiple gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Germany.
2. Great Ceos Are Lazy: How Exceptional Ceos Do More in Less Time
In his book, Jim Schleckser writes about how laziness coupled with a focus makes a CEO successful.
3. Monetizing Innovation: How Smart Companies Design the Product Around the Price
Madhavan Ramanujam has been in the industry for long. In this book, he shares his wisdom on pricing products. He talks about various categories and strategies to follow in pricing software product. His piece of advice on pricing before a product is what summarizes the book.
4. A Dozen Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Tren Griffin was part of VC industry. These days he works at Microsoft. The book summarizes learning from 25 investors in Venture Capital ecosystem. Convexity and not following the herd in picking startup was the core wisdom shared by most folks.
Note: Tren Griffin is donating all the earnings from this book to an NGO.
5. Software Project Survival Guide
Steve Mcconnell shares his wisdom on project management in this book. If you are a project manager and worried about product timelines and shipping features, this book is for you.
6. On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
Seneca was a stoic philosopher. He was an advisor to Nero, one of the cruelest emperor of Rome. In this book, he talks about the importance of using our valuable time. According to Seneca, our time is short. We should use our time more wisely. Time should get priority than money or other material wealth.
I have read since childhood: The best defense is a good offense.
With age and experience, I have modified this: The best defense avoidance.
Some situations in life are best left and avoided.
Your friend is backbiting, fight or completely avoid him/her.
Your landlord is greedy, avoid getting mad at him. Change your house.
Your founder is lying to you, paying himself more while you are working for peanuts. What can you do, avoid and get another job?
We are seeking approval from externals. This urge of seeking approval is hindering our creativity.
In every aspect of our life, we are craving it.
Blog posts are a source for channeling individuality, not page-views.
What one wears has more to do with his or her comfort, not what others say.
An entrepreneur should focus on delighting their customers. But some seeks for approval from investors, friends, and media.
This approval-seeking tendency derails us from being real us or what we are building.
Passion is a buzzword. It comes in most of my conversations with founders and friends in courtship. Passion is a valued currency in capitalism. We are selling it to each other.
I remember being passionate about many things. With experience, I have come to realize that passion and anger go hand in hand. The more passionate we are, the more is our obsession for success. Passion fuels the attitude for: “no room for failures.”
I don’t like being passionate about anything in my life. I am a believer of process and system. It keeps me sane and blood pressure in check.
I spend sometime on Sunday at Lalbagh botanical garden. It forms part of old Bangalore. In a crowded metro like Bangalore, it is an absolute delight. It has a big walking trail, rose garden, lake, nursery beside many other things.
It is a world on its own. I see people running or walking and various yoga groups or runners clubs training. Parents training their kids, teaching them how to walk, holding their hands. The environment is buzzing, laughter all around. I met a group of retired seniors and they mentioned that this group has been meeting daily for many decades. I see many families carrying food with them, sitting relaxed and having a picnic. There are many others picking flowers or herbs fallen from trees.
I see many people buying fruits and vegetables. Some queued for juice the juice to quench their thirst. Many NGO’s with doctors and machines are conducting free health camps. I saw eye camp and free blood pressure checkups
Lalbagh not limited to senior citizens or families. It is a common hangout for couples, youngsters. I am assuming it is not limited to their social media or selfie postings. Lalbagh is a great venue for a post or pre-wedding shoots.
The lakeside is a delight for bird watchers and photographers. I see There some people feeding ducks and fishes. Lalbagh is abundant with various flora and fauna. I have seen many distinct species of butterflies, plants, and insects. The chirping of birds is a relief to my eardrums, for a change no honks. Sometime in the middle of the day, the loud insect noise makes me feel am in some jungle. Squirrels are the free soul of Lalbagh, I have never seen them so independent anywhere else. The Lotus pond and created waterfall is a spectacular view.
I will continue visiting Lalbagh on my Sunday. Another good feeling I have being here is that the place is free from any divide. I imagine it is Central Park equal for Bangalore.
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