Nirmal Thapa

Are you visible?

Posted on December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

There are leaders, innovators, creators, change makers and artists all around the organization. Do you have an environment where those people get noticed or do they feel like the work is not a place to showcase their skills/talent?

The initiative to create a platform can come from the organization’s side or the individual or group can start one. When the workplace welcomes people to start something based on interests, passion or impact, it’s a good sign. When a project starts internally, you will notice the leaders, managers and change agents.

What you build

Posted on December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

What you build, you can be proud of it.

What you build, you put your sweat in it.

What you build, you can live with the results.

What you build, you can have no excuses.

What you build, you are the best person for it.

What are you building today?

Morning routines for success

Posted on December 2, 2019December 2, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

If you flip the pages of Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss, you will find many stories of successful people describing their habits, routines and what they do on a daily basis. The book is labeled as Tools of Titans The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons and World-class performers.

One main takeaway for me from reading many of the habits of the uber successful people was that there’s no one particular routine that works for everyone. You create the routine and habits that works best for you. It’s not just the morning routine that guarantees your success, there’s plenty of other things that are equally or even more important. I took the book as an excellent reference to know what successful people do, what made them successful in the first place, and how they stay successful.

War Eagle. Auburn Football.

Posted on December 1, 2019January 23, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

A college degree

Posted on November 27, 2019November 27, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

What’s a college degree worth today?

Is the college experience more valuable than ever because learning will be continuous and the degree itself is not the only real achievement?

What’s the value proposition of going to college these days?

If you don’t go to college, how marketable will you be in the job market?

Is college for everyone?

Growth mode

Posted on November 25, 2019November 25, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

A startup (should) operate in a different way when it goes from survival mode to growth mode. When the idea is launched, it gets tested in the market. If the startup is solving customers’ problems, is entering a good industry, is competitive, timing is right, and many other things including luck, the startup takes off. There’s a certain type of leadership and management needed when it is focused on surviving in the market.

Once the startup gets some ground, it should operate in the growth mode. A growth mode is different and a certain type of leadership and management is needed in this phase. What got the startup to the growth phase does not guarantee it will take it to the next level. In the growth mode, hiring the right people, retaining the loyal employees, maintaining the culture, taking on newer challenges, and many other things are important.

Which mode is your startup on?

Bill Gates’ reading habits

Posted on November 24, 2019November 24, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

On choosing books to read

Posted on November 23, 2019November 23, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

There are couple of ways to choose your next read.

Go to a bookstore and pick the latest book or the book of your liking. Read online book reviews and buy it online/at a bookstore. It’s much easier to find great books to read nowadays. Although at times I’d like to pick a book without reading any reviews, there are times when hearing from other experiences on a particular book gets me interested in it. Here are some of the books I’ve read or want to read.

If you really like reading book reviews or summaries before picking your next read, check out Derek Sivers books page on his website where he has tiny summary and detailed notes for each book he has read so far. If you like to remember what you read, check out Farnam Street’s How to Remember What You Read.

A coach

Posted on November 23, 2019January 23, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

A really good manager is a good coach. The coach can guide, provide perspective and tools for their team members to succeed. I believe 80% of the team’s success (productivity, efficiency, effectiveness etc) depends on the manager. The rest on the team members’.

If the manager is a good coach, then not only the team members will grow in their professional careers but also the company will grow. The subtle difference between a manager and a coach is their approach to managing people.

A rich life

Posted on November 21, 2019November 21, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

For him, a rich life is a suitcase full of cash

That suitcase which always stays full and never runs out

For her, a rich life is a suitcase full of time

That time which always stays available and never runs out

For him, money makes the world go around

So the more the merrier

For her, time is the most precious thing she has

So the more the merrier

What if he has more time but less money?

What if she has more money but less time?

What is a rich life after all?

Are you living a rich life?

Each day…

Posted on November 20, 2019November 20, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

Each day is a day to achieve greatness. There’s no days off. The process itself is the ultimate prize. You can’t take shortcuts to greatness.

Are you in it for the long run?

Life Lessons from the Youngest Person to Travel to Every Country

Posted on November 18, 2019November 18, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

Desire to grow

Posted on November 17, 2019November 17, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

Employees are the company’s true asset. They are what makes the company grow. As the company grows so will the employees. If the employees are not growing (personally and professionally) as the company grows, then eventually the employees will look elsewhere.

The desire to grow is within all of us.

When you’re famous…

Posted on November 16, 2019November 16, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

You’re magnetic. The press wants to talk to you, the celebrities want to be around you, and fans seem to be everywhere. You’re pulling everyone and everything towards you.

I would love to know who was there for you from the start before you achieved the fame. Who was the one or the few people who believed in you when you had that “crazy” idea? Who was holding you down when things were not going right or not going anywhere? Who gave you some real advice but still stuck with you through thick and thin?

When I see the newly crowned “celebrity”, I’d love to know the people around them who got them there. It’s easy to celebrate that one individual who is getting that spotlight but somewhere out there is a bad ass team that is making things happen behind the scenes.

What gets employees going?

Posted on November 15, 2019November 15, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

An intern joined a startup. The intern completed her paid internship. She graduated college and started working at the same company full-time. She was motivated, dedicated and hungry since day 1. Fast forward 7 years, she still has the same zeal for the work.

What got the intern, then employee, then manager and then a director going? Was it the opportunity, pay, growth of the company, managers, all of the above or something else? What got the employee going for all these years?

Improving online users’ well being

Posted on November 14, 2019November 14, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

Recently there was an article on Axios that “several of the biggest social media platforms are beginning to test changes that cut down on scorekeeping, discourage harassment and aim to improve users’ well-being.” A step in the right direction.

The article also noted that for many years social media companies aggressively focused on driving and creating engagement within their platforms. Some researchers now believe that those tactics have led to an over-use in social media, and may have had a negative overall impact on users’ health and wellbeing.

There is a lot that needs to be done to improve online users’ well being and social media companies seem to be taking few critical steps towards it. Let’s hope we continue to see improvements in the coming days.

How interesting is your book?

Posted on November 13, 2019November 13, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

Each person’s life is a book. It’s a journey. You write the chapters.

When you write the different chapters of your book, how do you feel? How are you going to write the next chapters of that book? Will it be more of the same from before or are things going to be different going forward?

Many of us are fortunate to write an interesting story-something we could be proud of in the long run. We are writing a page of our book each day. If you were to look back on your autobiography in 20 to 30 to 40 years, are you going to be proud of the journey or wish otherwise?

Traverse Nepal v2.0 Vlogumentary Intro

Posted on November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

Some of my favorite Nepali brands

Posted on November 10, 2019November 10, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

Here are a few of my favorite Nepali brands (brands that started in Nepal that cater to the domestic or international market or both) in random order:

Himalayan Java – Love the ambience, food/coffee, and service

Mheecha – Love the simplistic design, look, and style. I have two Mheecha backpacks.

RedMud Coffee – Love the burgers, coffee, and overall vibe

Dulla – Love the look, color, and style of their hand made leather products. I have a
Satchel office laptop bag from Dulla.

What are some of your favorite Nepali brands?

Author: Nirmal Thapa