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Category: knowledge

Few thoughts on school curriculum

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

How about teaching young minds about character, purpose, and spirituality while they are in school?

We teach students a wide variety of subjects in a span of 18-20 years. They add layers of knowledge on various subjects as the years go by. By the time they graduate, they would have the academic knowledge, mastered test taking and report writing skills, and hopefully gathered some work experiences. Wouldn’t it be also important in today’s world to integrate character, purpose, and spirituality in the curriculum?

When students graduate from colleges and universities, they enter the professional world. Most would have student loans to pay and manage their day to day expenses. A lot of decisions are made daily. If you’re working for a private company, you will be helping the company reach more customers, make more sales and ultimately increase the bottom line. If he or she has good character, they will make decisions accordingly. They won’t only think about what can increase the company’s bottom line but also how it will impact others in the society. Without character, they will make decisions solely focused on generating more money for the company and disregard other stakeholders.

Few students graduate from colleges and universities with a definite purpose and calling. Most wander from job to job for a few years before realizing what they want to do. Some might not even find their purpose and settle for a job that just pays the bills. It’s a hit and trial basis based on your work experiences, conversations with people, circumstances in life among others. Some people become adventurous and find their purpose while others become content with what they have. Both outcomes are fine as long as the person is happy with where he or she is at in the stage of their life. If the students are given a course on how to find your purpose or about spirituality then they will have a better direction before or once they graduate.

Wouldn’t the world be a better place when we not only equip students with the subject knowledge but also instill them values of character, purpose and spirituality?

Book bucket list for 2019

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Here are 19 books that are in my book bucket list for 2019. My plan is to read these books over the course of the year.

Becoming by Michelle Obama  This is a memoir of the First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role. I’ve always found Michelle Obama to be inspiring and down to earth so looking forward to reading it.

Hell Yeah or No by Derek Sivers – Derek describes this book as “a collection of thoughts around re-defining yourself, changing focus, and saying yes to less.” I’ve read many blogs on his website and watched his Ted Talks, so looking to pick it up when its published.

Your Music and People by Derek Sivers – Derek describes this book as “a philosophy for musicians (and normal people) of getting your work to the world by being creative, considerate, resourceful, and connected.” From the several interviews that I’ve listened of Derek, this book will be a treat and a game changer.

कर्नाली ब्लुज [Karnali Blues] by Buddhi Sagar A debut novel by Buddhi Sagar, I have heard rave reviews of it but have not had a chance to read it. My sister just finished reading it and she recommended the book as well.

Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr – I read a few pages on Amazon and am already impressed with the legendary stories. A friend finished reading it and highly recommended the book too.

A Second Chance: For You, For Me, And For The Rest Of Us by Catherine Hoke – I first heard about this book in the Tim Ferriss podcast where he interviewed Catherine and found her story to be captivating and inspiring. 

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari – I am a Gates Notes Insider and Bill Gates had talked about this book on his personal blog. Reading the book’s review and a few pages on Amazon, I am looking forward to be enlightened. 

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling – I learned about this book in Bill Gates’ personal blog and really want to read this book. For a long time, I have felt that labels like “developing” and “developed” to describe different countries was outdated and almost insulting. So it’s refreshing to hear about this book which tackles this old definition and provides a better framework among many other things.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight – When I went to college, I wanted to work for one company after graduation and it was Nike. This was one of the reasons why I studied abroad in Amsterdam, The Netherlands which was very close to Hilversum where Nike’s European headquarters was located. At that point, I had planned to either get an internship or a field visit to it’s Hilversum office. Neither happened but Nike has always fascinated me. When I heard about this book, I was overjoyed and wanted to read it ever since.

Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey by A.J. Jacobs – I learned about this book from Tim Ferriss’s blog and it seems like a fun read. The book is about the author who decided to thank every single person involved in producing his morning cup of coffee.

This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See by Seth Godin – I subscribe to Seth’s blog and get his daily posts. Seth is a thought leader in marketing, advertising and many other domains and I’m anxiously waiting to pick it up.

Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger – A book recommended by Naval Ravikant. I actually wanted to read a book by Naval himself but came across this recommendation. This book has been recommended by many other people I follow as well so it’s about time I read it.

Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant – A book written by Naval Ravikant’s brother. Seems like an interesting read.

Bruce Lee Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee’s Wisdom for Daily Living by Bruce Lee – Bruce Lee is a globally known figure and I’m curious to learn more about his life and philosophy through this book. 

Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah – Being a fan of Trevor Noah, I can’t wait to read this book. This book will be a delight and it will surely provide a perspective from another side of the world. 

Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker – In early 2018, Bill Gates claimed that this book is his new favorite book of all time. He’s raved a lot about this book and is a must read for me this year.

The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything=Have Everything by Neil Pasricha – An INC writer provided a list of 12 books that had the most impact to him in 2017 and highly recommended this book. Upon browsing through Amazon’s reviews, the book had over 250 customer reviews and 77% had given it a 5 star. Related to the topic, I had previously read Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert and Delivering Happiness by Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh. I hope to learn new things and gain an additional perspective on the classic subject of happiness by picking up The Happiness Equation. 

The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow – I learned about this book through a friend. Also this book was referenced in Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio-one of the books I read in 2018. When I scrolled through the pages of this book, I was fascinated by the content.

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki – I had read this book a while back but I’m going to read it again. The lessons, knowledge and principles shared in the book are timeless and it’s always good to sharpen your financial acumen. 

Image source: Getty Images

Attracting learners

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

I got an email from Growth Leadership Academy for a Training proposal on “Training of the Trainer (TOT).” The email contained a lot of text, some bolded text and the price of the workshop. Another email from LCCI Nepal on Train the Trainer contained less lengthy text, some bolded text, links its website and a YouTube video explaining the workshop. Further details of the Train the Trainer workshop was on the attachment along with the price of the 3 day training. I also received an email from FranklinCovey, Nepal & Bhutan which shared the yearly calendar from January-August 2019.  The email was a mix of regular text, some bolded and italicized and used a variety of colors to highlight the monthly activities. One observation is that the price of the individual workshops in 2019 was not on the email.

First impression is the last impression. The objective of an email from a training institution is to provide information to the interested learners and attract them to the workshop. It’s important to provide just enough information for the interested people/companies to make a decision on whether or not to attend the training or workshop. Regarding the above three emails, FranklinCovey’s email stood out because of the combination of nice layout and non disclosure of price. That email invokes our interest, makes us curious and want to inquire further details (time, venue, price etc).

 

Open mind

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

The willingness to consider ideas and opinions that are new or different to your own is being open minded.

I believe a great leader is someone who is open minded. Leaders make decisions. Decisions are made with information, facts, outcomes in mind and many things considered. Without being open minded, an individual (the leader) misses out on hearing other great ideas, thoughts and possible outcomes. Being open minded does not mean always changing your opinions and thoughts to cater to others. It’s about sincerely considering the weight and validity of others’ opinions and ideas while tweaking your initial plans accordingly. When you listen carefully, you welcome others to share their heartfelt feelings and thoughts. Without open mindedness, you close off avenues for healthy and fruitful discussions.

A leader consults his/her team, takes in new information/ideas in context and makes decisions.

Magic Johnson Talks Business

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Magic Johnson talks business and shares insights on his first deals, his relationship with the then Lakers owner-Jerry Buss, what he wants his legacy to be among many things. Lots of wisdom, knowledge and experiences shared by Magic Johnson.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi1EkU9XB4E]

Prithvi Narayan Shah’s conquest of Kathmandu

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

I came across an informative and insightful podcast on How Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered Kathmandu valley on The Record.

The podcast was beautifully narrated by Father Ludwig Francis Stiller who was a dedicated historian and scholar of Nepali history. I needed to know the history and am so glad to have found this podcast. I had been to Chandragiri Hills twice and remember the Prithvi Narayan Shah’s statue there. I had brief knowledge of Prithvi Narayan Shah’s conquest of Kathmandu before and the podcast really helped to understand the events, people and dates among other things.

Thanks The Record.

Smart Cities: Kathmandu

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

How do we make Kathmandu a smart city? How do we manage the growing traffic congestions, air quality, complex address systems among many things in the capital and then eventually in all cities of Nepal?

Here’s a quick look into how the city of Palo Alto is using technology to address its urban needs.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnyRZotnPSU]

 

the process

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

“For me, the beauty is all in the process. It’s all in the journey. It’s all in building something. That’s the most fun for me” – Kobe Bryant.

Kobe’s been known to talk about the importance of “the process” in countless interviews. He loves the grind, the hustle and the discipline it takes to become great at something. He stated in a recent interview that this generation is much more concerned with the final outcome rather than understanding the journey of what it takes to get there. We don’t dive deep enough to understand what makes a particular person successful but resort to catchy headlines and conventional generalizations. It’s really important to understand the person from all angles to identify his/her strengths and weaknesses and how that lead them to success and failure. You have to absolutely love and enjoy the journey towards achieving your goals and dreams.

I would love to understand Kobe’s process of getting ready for the NBA season, for the playoffs and for the Finals. I would love to understand Seth Godin’s process of writing daily blogs. I would love to know Tim Ferriss’ process of selecting topics/people for his podcast. The process, indeed is the most beautiful thing.

 

What’s normal in America?

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Recently I started reading the book The War on Normal People The truth about America’s disappearing jobs and why Universal Basic Income is our future by Andrew Yang, Founder of Venture for America. In the book, Andrew has a chapter titled Who is Normal in America. I found the chapter insightful and alarming-there is so much happening in America that is not yet discussed or covered in the mainstream media. I’m glad I picked up this book and its been a good read so far. I’m half way through the book.

In the book, Andrew states “the normal American did not graduate from college and doesn’t have an associate’s degree. He or she perhaps attended college for one year or graduated from high school. She or he has a net worth of approximately $36K – about $6K excluding home and vehicle equity – and lives paycheck to paycheck. She or he has less than $500 in flexible savings and minimal assets invested in the stock market. These are median statistics, with 50 percent of Americans below these levels.” Wow. That’s eye opening.

Image source: https://www.yang2020.com/buy-the-book/

Death of an Industry: The Cultural Politics of Garment Manufacturing during the Maoist Revolution in Nepal

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

I recently came to learn about Mallika Shakya’s book Death of an Industry: The Cultural Politics of Garment Manufacturing during the Maoist Revolution in Nepal.

Death of an Industry: The Cultural Politics of Garment Manufacturing during the Maoist Revolution in Nepal

I have been wanting to learn more about Nepal’s garment industry for a long time. Mallika’s book could provide insights/analysis and could be instrumental in understanding what happened to the once flourishing industry of the country.

Her bio on South Asian University reads “I am an economic anthropologist with a PhD from LSE, and postdoctorals from Oxford and Pretoria. I work on industrialisation, socio-economic embeddedness and labour. I examined the rise and fall of readymade garment industry in Nepal between 2001 and 2011, which exposed me to the turbulent national politics rooted in the Maoist movement in Nepal during that time.” 

Looking forward to picking up the book and reading it.

Skills blog series

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

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 and suited to best leverage the opportunities available in each of the above cities. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will talk about the different skill sets that are very valuable to have based on my experiences so far. These skills can also help you profoundly no matter where you are currently or headed to in the near future.

Welcome to the Skills blog series-

Being financially savvy

One of the first jobs I had as a teenager was working at a magazine store. I was a cashier and worked every Saturday for most of my weekends. Having some pocket change allowed me to go to the movies, buy a few things and hang out with my friends. I learned the real value of money and had earned it from standing 6 to 8 hours to ring customers at the counter. My lunch options were McDonald’s, Subway or takeout Chinese food-things you could get for less than $5. I valued each dollar I earned and the work boosted my self esteem and confidence. For the most part of my high school, college and a short period after college, I held jobs in retail customer service and was standing 7 to 8 hours for them. Now I work on a laptop and spent most of my working hours sitting down. It’s nothing compared to the long hours spent standing, greeting and servicing customers.

Having a job even if its part-time teaches you a lot about money. You start to value it more when you have earned it and won’t spend it carelessly. It’s important to understand the value of money at an early age and I’m glad that I had part-time jobs when I was in high school. Those earlier work experiences were instrumental in helping me understand the value of hard work, money and made me financially savvy.

Key takeaways:

-Work somewhere (full time, part time, internship, volunteer doesn’t matter, just start)

-Savor the earning (feel the hard work and sweat that you put into making that first earning)

Image source: Think New Asia

Will you take us to Mars?

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

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. Elon answered “For a long time, I’ve thought that it’s inevitable that something bad is going to happen on a planetary scale-a plague, a meteor-that will require humanity to start over somewhere else, like Mars. One day I went to the NASA website to see what progress they were making on their Mars program, and I realized that they weren’t even thinking about going there anytime soon. I had gotten $180 million when my partners and I sold PayPal and it occurred to me that if I spent $90 million and used it to acquire some ICBMs from the former USSR and sent one to Mars, I could inspire the exploration of Mars.”

Now many of us won’t have as audacious of a goal as exploring Mars but we all have ideas, dreams and goals. Will you take that initiative in your organization to lead the big goal? How about starting it on your own because you believe so much in your idea and dream? We all need someone who has the vision and the drive to take us there. Will that be you?

The Art and Science of Training

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

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 taste better (adding cocoa, cinnamon, or salt).”

If you’re in the training field or aspiring to get in the field, what type of cake are you excited to make? Do you treat training as your calling or just another job that needs to get done? Are you thrilled to have the opportunity to make an impact in people’s lives everyday?

Make the most amazing cake in the world that you can be proud of.

 

 

The Shaq Endorsement

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

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 he would be happy to be on the cover of that. He turned down Wheaties because he never ate it so he said he can’t do it.

Shaq says of his brand deals  “People look at them as endorsements. I look at them as partnerships.” He added “I’m very picky. If I’m not in tuned to the product, if I don’t like the product I won’t do it.”

Superstar athletes have global influence, persuasive power and wider reach. Influencer marketing is popular than ever and their impact on consumer behavior is profound. A Forbes article cited “authenticity is the key to capture the heart of today’s consumer.” The same article also cited that “PepsiCo Gatorade and FRS refuse to hire celebrities who have never used their products or don’t like them. FRS in fact, requires each to have a true, authentic story behind their passion for the FRS products.” Endorsing products that the athletes actually use not only creates more trust among their target audience, it also tremendously benefits the brand. Authenticity is the way to go.

Wouldn’t it be nice when athletes actually use the products they endorse? How often does Beyonce drink Pepsi or LeBron eats McDonalds? Whose responsibility is to inform the consumer about the not so healthy benefits of frequently drinking Pepsi or eating at McDonalds? Or should we just leave all the decision making to consumers because ultimately in a capitalist society all they want is better choices?

The Best Way to Find More Time to Read (Farnam Street)

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

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 how you allocate your time. And allocating your time is how successful people increase productivity.

When reading, I generally take notes. I’m underlining, synthesizing, asking questions, and relating concepts from other things I’ve read. (I’ve heard that Bill Gates does the same thing while reading books).

If you’re a knowledge worker, you’re paid to use your brain, so it’s in your best interest to make that brain as big as possible.

Charlie Munger, voracious reader, billionaire, and vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, once commented: “In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time – none, zero.”

Warning: Side effects of reading more may include (1) increased intelligence; (2) an uncomfortable silence when someone asks you what happened on Game of Thrones last night and you say “Game of what?”; (3) better ideas; and (4) increased understanding of yourself and others.

Read the whole blog here.

 

Read to succeed

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Did you know that the average person reads two books a year but the average CEO reads four to six books a month?

Interesting. Seven-in-ten American adults (72%) have read a book within the past year, whether in whole or in part and in any format, according to a survey conducted in March and April according to data by Pew Research Center.

How do CEOs find time to read four to six books a month? What strategies can the CEOs be using to creating time to read the books? How does Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates reportedly read 50 books a year? I was very curious to find answers to the above questions. On my journey to find the answers, I found this useful video on How To Read One Book Every Week | JIm Kwik

What else do you recommend to reading lots of books?

 

Speak like you mean it

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

If you tell a friend that you will meet him or her at a cafe at a certain time, be there.
If you tell a client that you will meet them at a place at a certain time, be there.
If you tell an acquaintance that you will meet him or her at a location at a certain time, be there.

Your words have weight. Speak so people can believe in your words. Speak so people can trust you. We should not make promises that we can’t keep neither make promises that we cannot deliver.
Maybe we should watch this video to remind us the power of words in our daily lives.

Right thing to do

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

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 and give them advice/suggestions/tips. You have to. It’s your responsibility as a leader, communicator and a human being. The journey is long and it’s important to learn from experiences and knowledge of others. We can’t afford to make the same mistakes again and again. It’s our duty to guide the next generation and give them the tools to fish.

Your job is to care enough to make a difference in someone’s life. Your job is to have empathy in others. Your job is to tell the truth and do the right thing.

What are you selling?

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Are you an entrepreneur selling a product, a service or your skills/knowledge? Are you a employee selling your knowledge and skills and contributing to the growth of the company?

We’re all salespeople. We’re just selling different things. It’s best to embrace this role and hone your selling skills. You have to first understand the market demand, take stock of your strengths and position yourself to address the market demand with your strengths. That’s the way to go.

We’re all salespeople. Some make a living with a sales title. Others make a living selling without holding a sales title.

when the iron is hot

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Opportunities are in front of us. Some see it. Some don’t.

Let’s focus on the ones that see the opportunity.

The ones who see the opportunity can do few things. See it and jump into the opportunity. See it and decide not to do it. See it and not make any decision on it. Three choices. That’s it. Many times, I choose the first one.

I live by the statement Strike when the iron is hot.

One such opportunity came about in the form of a toastmaster event. After researching a few Toastmaster clubs in Kathmandu, I stumbled upon Himalaya Toastmasters. They meet on Thursdays at 6pm at SAP Falcha, Babarmahal. I thought it was a great opportunity to go there to practice my public speaking skills plus take a few of my coworkers to experience Toastmasters firsthand. We got to SAP Falcha at 5:45pm and networked with other club members. You can definitely feel a different level of energy in the room. The meeting started at 6pm, continued till 7:45pm with a short networking break in the middle. Within that time frame, we heard from some fine speakers on various topics. There was a Table Topic session where guests could participate. Two guests spoke before me and I wanted to seize the opportunity to speak as well. The third topic was announced “Your younger brother or sister has just failed the exam. You need to console him or her. How would you do it?” I raised my hand and went to the stage.

I gave a short speech on the third topic and it felt great. Later on, I learned that I had won Best Table Topics Award. I was exhilarated. I credit all of this to taking chances and putting yourself out there to continuously improve. By making a decision to attend the Toastmasters event, I was presented with so many opportunities: met other professionals, met old friends, improved my public speaking skills, won a award, got inspired, shared travel stories and created many memories among others. I highly encourage young professionals in Kathmandu to join a local Toastmasters club. The benefits are endless.

Strike when the iron is hot.

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