Just over the hill are the beautiful and majestic mountains. That’s Mount Everest. You know the climb is steep. You’re ready mentally and physically to take upon the challenge. Nothing can completely prepare you for this moment, you just know that you have to keep going. The only way to go is forward. No excuses….
Category: wisdom
Principles For Success by Ray Dalio
I’m reading Principles: Life and Work at the moment. Almost done with the book. If you want to get an overview of what the book is about, this video is a great resource:
Skills blog series
What has helped me tremendously in my personal and professional life is developing and having the right skills to adapt to different environments. I was born in Kathmandu (Nepal) and have lived in Cairo (Egypt), New York City (US) and Amsterdam (The Netherlands). What has worked for me is having skills that are transferable, adaptive…
Will you take us to Mars?
Who’s the person in your company that takes the lead? Takes the charge to navigate the change? Has the courage to launch an initiative that he or she feels is right no matter what the outcome would be? Elon Musk was once asked by Ray Dalio on how he came to start his company, SpaceX….
What’s your anchor?
Getting up at 4am and believing that no one will outwork me. That’s Dwayne Johnson “The Rock”‘s anchor everyday. What’s yours?
Seven Bucks
He had seven bucks in his pocket when he was cut from Calgary Stampeders, Canadian Football League. Thus, Dwayne Johnson “The Rock” named his production company, his advertising agency among others: 7 bucks. He keeps the hard times in front of his mind which helps him to go into these big moments with a different…
The Art and Science of Training
I started reading The Art and Science of Training by Elaine Biech. Elaine relates the book as a recipe such as making a cake. “It’s about understanding the science behind best practices (what proportions of butter to flour to milk to sugar make the best cake) and where a little spicing up will make it…
Will you take 10 minutes to change your life?
Will Smith did. He took 10 mins and did an impromptu audition at Quincy Jones’s party for the guests. Will could have waited a week or maybe even 3 weeks to prepare. However, Quincy was adamant that Will audition at the moment and not wait any longer. Well he didn’t and after that audition, Will…
The Shaq Endorsement
Wheaties wanted Shaq to be on the cover after he won his first championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. He declined. Wheaties wanted Shaq to be on the cover after he won his second championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. He declined. Then Shaq told his people to call Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops and…
Good terms
There will come a time when your goal/vision/ambition might be different than where the company is heading towards. That’s a given. It doesn’t always workout the way you initially thought it would. When that moment to go your separate ways comes knocking, what do you do? Do you thank people for the opportunity that was…
Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer
Whoever said that could not have said it any better. What is travel? A better question might be what do you experience when you travel. When I travel, I feel alive. It makes me realize that the world is so much bigger than where I currently am. Although technology has brought so many places (almost…
Secret of keeping the talent
People like to be appreciated. Simple as that. That’s the secret to keeping your most talented people in the team. Some managers appreciate the little things their team members do. Other managers appreciate when the team members complete a major project or reach a milestone. Whatever your preference, just remember to appreciate when results are…
Giving back
You have to feel the responsibility. No one can make it alone. There is always someone, a group or a community helping you to succeed. It’s only right to do your part and give back. Giving back not only consists of financial help. Contributing your time to a project that you are passionate about, mentoring…
Purpose, Incorporated
Purpose, Incorporated is the new book from Room to Read Founder and author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, John Wood. The book will be launching in February 2018. Profit should not be the only purpose for a company’s existence. It has to equally have a purpose – a responsibility to serve its people…
The Best Way to Find More Time to Read (Farnam Street)
A colleague at work, Bijay Gurung shared a good resource on the best way to find more time to read. The blog was from Farnam Street. Found the blog very simple and insightful. I’m borrowing lines from the blog that stuck out to me: As simple as it sounds, finding time to read boils down to choices about…
I voted.
I voted in the National Parliament and Provincial Assemblies Election today. Voting is our right. We choose candidates and put them in charge of decision making for our greater good. This is the power that we have as citizens. It’s important to exercise that power when you have it. You can’t complain when you don’t exercise…
Measuring performance
How do you measure your own performance? What’s your standard? Is it high enough, challenging enough, impactful enough? The bar you have set for yourself is more important than what others have set for you. The goal is to keep pushing yourself to be better than yesterday, to be growing and evolve with the times….
Right thing to do
They might have not asked but you felt right to share your wisdom and experience with them. They might have not heeded your advice but you felt right to say it anyway. They might not have cared but you cared enough for them to share what you know. Sometimes you care too much for someone…
Principles by Ray Dalio
I first learned about Ray Dalio’s book Principles on The Tim Ferriss Show. The title on Tim’s podcast was itself profound, Ray Dalio, The Steve Jobs of Investing. Reading Principles’ reviews on goodreads just made me want to read the book even more. Some readers on goodreads have said that Principles is one of the best books they have…
Are you following idea meritocracy?
Ray Dalio explains idea meritocracy in this Ted video. Idea meritocracy seems like the best way to go. The best ideas should drive the company’s decisions. When you have the right talent in the right place, you need to trust their judgements and have the humility to accept that as a leader you won’t have…