Authentic greatness is about realizing your individual uniqueness, purpose and living a fulfilling life daily.
Each of us is gifted with a talent and our purpose in life is to find that and live our life through it.
Some of us find our purpose early while others find it later. However, one of life’s goal should be to discover our purpose at our own pace.
imagine a world where each of us realizing our beautiful purpose and living life through it. The world would be even more amazing and lively.
An authentic brand story will help your company get through the data noise.
How much data noise is really out there?
Domo’s Data Never Sleeps 10.0 presents some numbers.
Some notes from Domo:
Over the last ten years, digital engagement through social media, streaming content, online purchasing, peer-to-peer payments and other activities has increased hundreds and even thousands of percentage points.
As of April 2022, the internet reaches 63% of the world’s population, representing roughly 5 billion.
According to Statista, the total amount of data predicted to be created, captured, copied and consumed globally in 2022 is 97 zettabytes, a number projected to grow to 181 zettabytes by 2025.
There will be more data generated in the coming days, months, and years. How will your startup or corporation get through the data noise? Will your company keep spending more money on ads, social media marketing , PR and others? Or will you invest in a long term strategy such as identifying your authentic brand story and leveraging it?
Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks waved off his teammates to take the game winning shot in Toronto against the Toronto Raptors on February 14, 2012.
Why is this a big deal?
It’s a big deal because we witnessed an Asian man in the NBA have the confidence to say that I’ve got this and led his team to victory. We need to see more visible Asian role models in sports, media, colleges/universities and workplaces have the confidence to lead just like Jeremy did that night on February 14. These individuals have put in the work, earned it and now it’s time to take credit for it. It’s been long overdue.
I could think of few questions to start empowering the current and next generation of Asians to have the audacity to wave ’em off (said in positive sense) when the time comes.
Are we encouraging children to speak with confidence at home and at school?
What’s the mindset that the parents and culture are creating for their children?
Who are the kids’ current role models and why?
Are the children and youth able/given the opportunity to see more individuals that look like them in sports/media/colleges/universities and workplaces?
Are parents and mentors having meaningful conversations and discussions around documentaries such as 38 at the Garden?
I’d love to hear other thoughts and suggestions on how to empower the current and next generation of Asians.
Inspired to write this blog after reading Dave Lu’s The Audacity to Wave ‘Em Off and watching the documentary 38 at the Garden.
Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep Unlocking the power of Sleep and Dreams packs a lot of insightful research and content in the sleep domain.
The World Health Organization and the National Sleep Foundation both stipulate an average of eight hours of sleep per night for adults.
Listed in the book’s Appendix are Twelve Tips for Healthy Sleep which I found very useful.
For an overview, they are sticking to a sleep schedule, getting good exercise, avoiding caffeine and nicotine, avoiding alcoholic drinks before bed and large meals and beverages late at night, if possible avoiding medicines that delay or disrupt sleep, avoiding naps after 3pm, relaxing before bed, taking a hot bath before bed, maintaining a dark, cool and gadget free bedroom, having the right amount of sunlight exposure, and not staying in bed awake for too long.
Appendix Twelve Tips for Healthy Sleep is from Why We Sleep Unlocking the power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker.
Entrepreneurship can be a beautiful journey.
Many individuals enter the workforce and work for several years before striking out on their own. Some individuals go straight into entrepreneurship before working for anyone else. There are several questions/scenarios that an aspiring entrepreneur(s) considers when deciding to stay in the current job (if working) to going completely in on their business opportunity/venture.
Few of the questions that can come up during this transition phase are:
Is this the right time to quit the job and focus completely on the business opportunity/venture?
Do I really need to quit my job to work on this business opportunity? Can I do both at the same time if I prioritized my time better?
What is the minimum monthly revenue I should be earning from my business before leaving my job to do the venture full-time?
How will I manage my daily/monthly/yearly expenses before the business really takes off?
When will I realistically get my first customer?
At what point will I actually make more money from doing entrepreneurship than when I was working for someone else?
There’s no exact science or art in when the best time is to launch a business. People launch businesses at all different times/seasons/economic cycles etc. Companies have started in recessions, economic growth cycles, pre-Covid era, during Covid era, post-Covid era. Here are some numbers around Small-Business Statistics. Note that 4.3 million new business applications were filed in 2020.
There’s been an idea or belief that has been with me for a while. It’s that for some reason, life has to be “perfect.” It could have started in childhood, school or just the culture I grew up in.
Not being able to achieve “perfection”, it created anxiety or stress for no reason. I could not define what a “perfect” life is or why I needed to live that way anyway.
Now I’m focusing towards living a more authentic life than a perfect one.
Seth Godin’s blog today was Unbeatable vs Perfect. In it, he states that Google has killed more than 200 projects over the last few decades. They fail all the time. MORE THAN 200 PROJECTS!!!
Over the years, I knew Google discontinued a few products/services here and there but did not expect more than 200. Often we see a company, professional, or industry expert present an almost “flawless” or “perfect” product/service out in the world. We expect our work to be like theirs or close to it as possible. We forget that we are on our own journey to greatness. There is no need to compare, contrast, or feel deflated. What you can do from the work you see out there is to draw inspiration, motivation and keep going at your pace. There is “never” a perfect version of something and there is “always” room for improvement.
If Google waited for the “perfect” project/product/service to ship, we won’t be talking about them in 2022. They launched in 1998 and are still relevant to us more than ever before!
Also if I waited for the “perfect” blog to post, this post would be in my Drafts and you won’t be reading it at this moment. Thanks for reading my “not-so-perfect” blog.
That’s what my high school basketball coach told me after having joined the team just a few weeks ago. Basketball was still a new sport to me. I had not played much basketball growing up but fell in love with the sport instantly.
My coach knew my grades and wanted to set an example to the other teammates that academic excellence was equally important as your on court basketball excellence. She saw the potential in me and made me the co-captain of the team. She made our star varsity player the other co-caption of the team. In practice, I was paired with the best basketball player we had on the team and he taught me better techniques in dribbling, shooting free throws, and taking jump shots. During our lunch break, I would tutor our best basketball player in math. My coach had orchestrated a genius plan to harness our individual strengths and use that to help members of the team. Since I was new to the game of basketball, she encouraged me to pick up handball to improve my hand to eye coordination. She was always looking out for me and I thank her so much!
After my high school varsity team experience, I played intramural basketball in college, pick up games, and even annual basketball tournaments. The basketball court is where I belong. In a way, playing basketball is a language for me that enables me to connect with individuals from all walks of life, from various corners of the world, and feel a sense of belonging. My high school basketball coach helped me find a place where I felt a sense of belonging.
Imagine receiving an invitation to give a Ted Talk. What will your Ted Talk be about?
Each of us have unique experiences in the world and these experiences shape our perspectives, thoughts, and behaviors. Each of us has an authentic story and it deserves to be heard. There are many platforms out there to share your story and Ted is one of them.
In your Ted Talk, what will you focus on? what stories will you share? what experiences have shaped who you are today? If you had only 15 minutes stage time, how will you use that time effectively? What is your gift to the world?
Since it was the founder/co-founders’ idea that led to the company’s start, is she/he/them the Most Valuable Member (MVM)?
Sales team brings in clients and revenue. Are they more valuable then?
How about the technology team that made the software which the sales team sold?
And the human resource team who found and hired the talent with the right attitude, education, and skillsets?
Let’s acknowledge the Training team who help employees to keep their skills and knowledge up to date as per company’s needs.
Getting the software in front of potential customers at the right place and time, isn’t the Marketing team deserving of applause and attention?
Client services team is communicating with the client and making sure they have an amazing experience. Don’t they receive credit on what they do to make the customers happy?
Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly, loved it so much that he went against its own flock to reach for the sky.
Yet we find fewer Jonathans soaring in the skies above because society wants conformity, has its beliefs and expectations. Many buddingJonathans face the harsh reality soon as they start going to school, around their neighborhood, and even at their homes. In lieu of protecting the ones whom we care about, we put our own insecurities and biases onto them and increase their self doubt and hold their independence. Rather than giving them freedom and choice to fly, we ground them onto the reality of the situation and make them have realistic expectations.
To groom the next Jonathan, realize first that each of us are unique and talented in our own ways. At times, its best to just let individuals to follow their intuition, learn from their experiences, and let them achieve their authentic greatness.
Albert Einstein once said “Don’t think about why you question, simply don’t stop questioning. Don’t worry about what you can’t answer, and don’t try to explain what you can’t know. Curiosity is its own reason. Aren’t you in awe when you contemplate the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure behind reality? And this is the miracle of the human mind-to use its constructions, concepts, and formulas as tools to explain what man sees, feels and touches. Try to comprehend a little more each day. Have holy curiosity.”
Quote as mentioned in Mastery by Robert Greene
Every human activity, endeavor, or career path involves the mastering of skills. – Robert Greene in “Mastery”
In his book Mastery, Robert Greene elaborates on the Apprenticeship phase involving three essential steps in the apprenticeship, each one overlapping the other. The three steps are: Deep Observation (The Passive Mode), Skills Acquisition (The Practice Mode), and Experimentation (The Active Mode). He states that within Skills Acquisition (The Practice Mode), in acquiring any kind of skill, there exists a natural learning process that coincides with the functioning of our brains known as tacit knowledge – a feeling for what you are doing that is hard to put into words but easy to demonstrate in action. He elaborates on how the apprenticeship system came about in the Middle Ages. “As business expanded in the Middle Ages, Masters of various craft needed more help and also wanted to build up skills in their workers. Thus the apprenticeship system developed in which young people from approximately the ages of twelve to seventeen would enter work in a shop, signing a contract that would commit them for the term of seven years. At the end of seven years, apprentices would have to pass a master test, or produce a master work, to prove their level of skill. Once the apprentices’ pass, they were elevated to the rank of journeymen and could travel wherever there was work, practicing the craft. “
Apprentice comes from the Latin word prehendere, meaning to grasp with the hand. “Apprentices learned the trade by watching Masters and imitating them very closely and learning through a lot of endless repetition and hands-on work with very little verbal instruction. Since resources such as textiles, wood, and metals were expensive and could not be wasted on practice runs, apprentices would spend most of their time working directly on those materials used for the final product. If the time was summed up for which the apprentices ended up working directly on materials in those years, it would amount to more than 10,000 hours, enough to establish exceptional skill level at a craft.”
Text derived from Mastery by Robert Greene.
Image source: Goodreads
“The most important thing business leaders must do today is to be the “chief question-asker” for their organization” says Dev Patnaik of Jump Associates.
Patnaik says that “the first thing most leaders need to realize is, they’re really bad at asking questions. The business executives rose up through the corporate ranks because “they were good at giving answers. But it means they’ve had little experience at formulating questions.” Without the company leadership setting the tone and culture to the rest of the organization that asking questions are important and critical to the business growth, it’s no surprise that the employees are not asking any or enough questions. If the employees who understand the company’s products/services are not asking any or enough questions to the customers/end users for feedback, or asking questions to explore new products/services in the market, the company will become stagnant and the competition will take over.
Adam Bryant, The New York Times Corner Office Column writer says that “the best leaders understand that asking open, exploratory questions can help them figure out what’s coming and where new opportunities lie, so that they can lead their company in new directions.” Leaders have to show vulnerability and humility to ask questions which is more important than upholding the persona of the leader who must “be all-knowing, decisive, and in possession of infallible gut instincts, all of which leaves little room for questioning.”
Are you the company’s “Chief Question-Asker”?
Quotes are from “A More Beautiful Question” by Warren Berger
I saw Michael Jordan in person for the first time in my life. He was about to go on stage with Vanessa Bryant and induct my favorite player of all time, Kobe Bryant into the Basketball Hall of Fame. This particular event was part of the Enshrinement Weekend, where the new class to the Hall of Fame is honored and joins the ranks of Basketball’s Finest. It was a memorable basketball event that Anshu and I had ever attended at Mohegan Sun on May 15, 2021.
I already knew that Michael Jordan was going to induct Kobe Bryant into the Basketball Hall of Fame. I don’t know why I seemed surprised when I ACTUALLY saw Jordan in the same arena as I was in. As long as I have been following the NBA since the early 2000s, Michael Jordan’s name has been synonymous with greatness and considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. It felt right that Kobe picked his favorite player to induct him into the ranks of Basketball’s Elite.
I vividly remember everything that happened that day. I was very excited and did not want to miss any moment of seeing a current or former player, coach, sports announcer or someone from the basketball world that I have seen on TV walk around the halls of Mohegan Sun. I even brought my Kobe book, “Kobe Bryant The Mamba Mentality” in case I wanted to get it signed. I am not sure whom I was planning to get that book signed by, but I felt that if I carry it to the event, I would meet someone who would.
After picking up our admission tags and basketball swags at the Registration table, Anshu and I walked around the various sections of Mohegan Sun. We saw fans wearing the jerseys of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and others who have come from near and far for this year’s coveted class of basketball icons. I was thinking to myself how special this class of inductees were. The Class of 2020 included 18-time NBA All-Star and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, 15-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan, 15-time NBA All-Star and nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection Kevin Garnett, four-time National Coach of the Year Eddie Sutton, two-time NBA Champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich, 10-time WNBA All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings, three-time NCAA National Championship Coach of Baylor Kim Mulkey, five-time Division II National Coach of the Year Barbara Stevens and longtime FIBA executive Patrick Baumann. The Class of 2020 inductees can definitely be argued as one of the best class yet.
This evening was special as well as bittersweet for me. I loved watching Kobe Bryant play and have been a fan since his early Championship years with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, I never went to see him play in a basketball arena in the 20 years he played in the NBA. That has been my basketball regret and I wanted to be present when Kobe was getting inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Inside the Mohegan Sun Arena where the Enshrinement event took place, it was buzzing with so much energy and excitement. I probably could have stood up the entire event and watched the ceremony, but since it was almost a three hour event, it was better that I got seated. We were scouting the venue to find a former Hall of Famer, current player, or coach. Near the main stage, we saw Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Kim Mulkey, Gregg Popovich, Tony Parker, Manu Ginoblili, Tamika Catchings, Doc Rivers, Pau Gasol, Nav Bhatia, friends, and families of the Class of 2020 inductees among others. I was soaking in every second of this basketball extravaganza.
Kevin Garnett was the first athlete to get inducted by Isiah Thomas into the Hall of Fame. We enjoyed the highlight reel of KG on the big screen followed by his speech. One by one the coveted members of the 2020 class were coming to the stage and sharing their stories. Although each inductee’s story was unique, I really enjoyed hearing Tamika’s story as it was poignant and memorable. There was even a heart-warming performance by musical artist Ne-Yo.
When Kobe Bryant’s highlight reel came on the main screen, I got emotional. This was the moment that my favorite basketball player would be inducted into the ranks of basketball luminaries. Vanessa Bryant, assisted by Michael Jordan, went to the stage and delivered a heartfelt and personal speech. Kobe’s relentless work ethic, dedication to the game of basketball, and contributions on and off the court had touched millions of lives around the world. I was touched as well and felt sentimental being in the arena to see him get inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, where he rightfully belonged.
Jim Kwik, author of Limitless says a dominant question is the thing we keep asking ourselves, over and over throughout our day. It’s what drives our decisions in the moment and focuses our obsessions when we’re alone. He says the dominant question feels permanent but it is not.
“The questions you ask yourself will shape your life.” – Jim Kwik
In Entrepreneur magazine (June 2021), Jim shares his experience working with the actor Will Smith. They realized that Will’s dominant question is “How do I make this moment magical?” Jim recalls “One night, he was with Will Smith and his family on a movie set and it was 2am and everyone was freezing. He starts making hot chocolate for everybody, even though there’s a crew there that does that for them. He starts bringing us blankets. He starts cracking jokes. He starts telling stories. And I realized. He’s living his dominant question.”
Listen. Reflect on your thoughts, listen to your inner talk. Sit in silence. Silence isn’t empty, it will be full of your own questions.
Journal every day. Review and record your day, and you’ll start to notice patterns skewing towards the things you find important in your life.
Read more at Discovering Your Dominant Question
Articles/blogs:
The DNA of the World’s Most Innovative Companies
Curiosity is a Must-have Skill
The Business Case for Curiosity
Forget Brainstorming. Try Questionstorming
Why must businesses step back in order to move forward?
Videos:
How to Ask Better Questions | Tim Ferriss
The Truth about Being the “Stupidest” in the Room | Simon Sinek
Podcasts:
Cal Fussman’s Big Questions podcast
Akimbo A Podcast from Seth Godin
Others:
This list will be continuously updated. Please share any resources that can be added to this list.
As a sports fanatic, I’ve devoured the sports documentaries available in various streaming platforms. Some of those documentaries I’ve gone back and watched it again because the stories are told in a riveting way and have had a huge cultural impact.
Here are the sports documentaries or documentaries based on sport figures that I really enjoyed watching (in no particular order).
Tiger (HBO) – Tiger is a two-part documentary offering a revealing look at the rise, fall, and epic comeback of global icon Tiger Woods.
38 At The Garden (HBO) recognizes a pivotal moment in time for Lin, and celebrates a phenomenon that was bigger than basketball for the world.
Being Serena (HBO) – Being Serena is a documentary series chronicling tennis icon Serena Williams at a pivotal moment in her personal and professional life.
Tony Parker: The Final Shot (Netflix) – This film examines the background and career of Tony Parker, whose determination led him to become arguably the greatest French basketball player.
The Redeem Team (Netflix) – After their shocking performance at the 2004 Olympics, the US men’s basketball team seeks redemption as they pursue Gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The Playbook A Coach’s Rules For Life (Netflix) – Coaches with championship résumés share their personal rules for success in sports and life in this reflective and inspiring documentary series.
Untold: Malice at the Palace (Netflix) – Key figures from an infamous 2004 incident between players and fans at an NBA game in Michigan discuss the fight, its fallout and its lasting legacy.
Take the Ball, Pass the Ball (Netflix) – Through firsthand accounts and analysis, this football documentary details the dominance of FC Barcelona from 2008-2012 under manager Pep Guardiola.
Noami Osaka (Netflix) – This intimate series follows Naomi Osaka as she explores her cultural roots and navigates her multifaceted identity as a tennis champ and rising leader.
A Kid from Coney Island (Netflix) – From gifted athlete to professional NBA hooper, Coney Island’s Stephon Marbury navigates the pressures, pitfalls and peaks of his basketball journey.
The Last Dance (Netflix) – This docuseries chronicles the rise of superstar Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls, with unaired footage from an unforgettable 1997-98 season.
I Am Bolt (Prime) – Competing in the 100m and 200m races, Usain Bolt attempts to make history by winning these events for a record third time.
I enjoyed reading these books in 2021.
Growing up in a household or being in an environment where you get mostly or only positive feedback, you will expect that type of feedback in all areas of your personal and professional life. How helpful is the (mostly or only) positive feedback for the person receiving it in the long run? Is that positive feedback motivating the person or setting up expectations/beliefs that are not really assisting her or him? If only positive feedback is being given by a coach to an athlete/by a parent to a child/by a manager to an employee, then it can be more counterproductive than productive.
Constructive feedback is better for us. We need to know where we are good at and where we need to improve. When we get feedback of our strengths and improvement areas, we can allocate our time, energy, and focus accordingly. If we become tempted to create a perfect world of positive feedback from coaches to athletes, parents to children, and managers to employees, we are being in the fixed mindset. It’s important to adopt a growth mindset which “leads to a desire to learn and therefore a tendency to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, see effort as the path to mastery, learn from criticism, find lessons and inspiration in the success of others. As a result, they reach ever-higher levels of achievement” (Carol S. Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success)
How are you using the feedback you are getting?
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