Bamboo In The Wind

Saying what is on your mind has implications. It might mean you are suggesting something you must own and do yourself. That is responsible as long as you are willing to own the consequences that follow. It might mean you suggest someone else own something and do as you think. The implication is that it might yield a different benefit than you suggested. And then, you be held responsible for making the suggestion. Will you own your part of the responsibility? They followed the path because they believed you had a way out for them. Turns out that wasn't. If you own their part in failure and your part in making suggestions, you will form a formidable partnership. It requires trusting each other through the discovery of eluding success. That requires you to be bold and honest with who you are. Stepping forward and proposing is more challenging than you think. It exposes who you are!

Urgency is definitely required. It gives the focus and sense of immediacy to put things on the priority list! Scrambling, on the other hand, implies a mad rush. Getting to the endpoint at any cost. And the price is error and disappointment. Urgency, sure! But don't scramble!

Build it without fluff. Deploy the minimal.  Apply yourself.  Imagine how others receive you and what you have got. Build community of trust. Make sure to turn into into fan club.  Make something that fans will want to tell their friends.  Make sure to listen to folklore that comes back.  Build what you learned from it into what you make. Undoubtedly you will create an experience that will stick around.

When we are stuck in making progress, we need to create action to get going again.  It is a way to create new thoughts. What are actions? These are things that we must do ourselves. Like, making things. For example - gardening, painting, singing, playing, learning, meeting, etc. It also involves solving problems that yield outcomes. In essence, actions require a direct involvement from us to take up something we think about, use resources, learn from the surrounding and apply our skill to complete what we thought of.  Action has the power to change the bearing of our mind. And no. Actions does not mean thinking - alone. Actions involve thinking and then acting to produce output. Along the way, we generate the emotions of success, wins, joy, disappointments, sorrow etc.  It is intriguing that we can think but unable to act.  Everything can look futile in the absence of ability to act. In between lies the sentiments of courage and initiative. First step becomes possibl...

Experience is impossible without an open mind. Experience represents witnessing facts as they take place. When we reject what we witness as it does, we are usually doing so because it does not match our prior understanding of the world. We essentially are internally in disagreement with how we think things operate and how and when interactions flourish. In essence, there is no priority given to comprehending how continuity unfolds. Many positive outcomes are gratifying because we know we indulge in doing new things and looking at what transpired when we did it.  The positivity accumulates because we want more of that feeling that comes from actions we take. The adversity accumulates because us wanting less of that feeling that comes from specific steps we took. This precedence of understanding we have developed is the starting point of our actions in any situation.  We then say we have gained experience!

Takes guts to disentangle from a cobweb of unproductive thoughts. To come to think of it, cobwebs are such a flawless yet daunting creation; an architecture that is mind-boggling. It is pretty intricately organized to keep the prey in captivity. All this creativity is detrimental to progress and focused on enabling survival of builders of the cobwebs .  You never know what situation will trigger the cobwebs to start forming. It manifests in corners, in darker places, in moist environments. Usually there is a predator waiting at the center of it, waiting to drag you down. It is perfectly expected that there are times when we will step into cobwebs unknowingly and unwillingly.  But once we are in it, we know it stalls us, puts us off track. We are unable to locate the exit points. There are none!  Cobwebs are creation of our minds and exit points start with being in the bright, open areas. The way out is by transversing away from the center and towards the edge. Navigating ...

Trust is demonstrated by the placement of action. There are two sides to taking action. On one side, you can ask something off of yourself. Or on the other, you can ask something from others.  Interestingly, many of the actions begin and end with you! Of course, there is "the other" involved in it. But the pathway gets set by your part of the actions! You take up action by volunteering to get things done. This demonstrates your care for where others might benefit from your support. When it is unintentional about return benefit, your proactive support is bound to ease the pressure on others to get things done by themselves. It has the potential to generate the emotion of "being in it together." Or, you place responsibility on others to do something for you. Ask them for help in doing things for you. This demonstrates your willingness to accept your vulnerability in doing things by yourself. It has the potential to generate the emotion of "I need you to help me g...

Every so often, we wonder how we accomplished so much in life.  If we dig deeper into our memories, we will find innumerable instances of help we got from the most unexpected quarters. It is rarely a solo journey.  We are likely to find many noteworthy contributing factors that brought us here. Often we do not even notice the support we get. No, we don't. At least, not at the time we got it.  But that support was vital in our march, and it was proactive. Such proactiveness is rare and gracious. Someone saw us walking the tightrope under challenging circumstances and stepped forward on their own. It is only apt then that we respect what others brought us!

Signs of difficulties prompt us to think if things should have been done differently.  Were there different approaches and actions that could have led to a different result? No doubt, when the recipe is different, the delicacy will taste different. When hit by a roadblock, the best approach is to start again and employ new actions. It is bound to pave the way for new endings.  The ones we are looking for!

That is the feeling that is left behind. It comes from a sense of ignorance felt by those we are involved with. Anytime we try to accomplish something, we choose how to act. The act has a series of activities. Each activity has the potential to impact those surrounding the action.  Activities have a twofold impact. It can positively influence surroundings and enhance the effect of the action on others.  Or, it can weigh down the surroundings negatively and depress the effect of the action on others. When it is later, it hurts the sentiment of the surroundings. Someone at the other end of the action feels insufficient, in debt, or robbed of any benefit it could have provided. That generates the emotion that the interaction was inconsiderate!

No amount of theory, whether reading or listening to motivational speeches, triggers the real action. The real action begins by taking the essential step. And yet there is a myriad of difficulties in taking the first step.  It requires us to possess an enormous will and drive. Above all, it requires overcoming the resistance that tells you to "let it be." The internal drive is quite elusive until we notice it. How and when this drive manifests itself determines whether we will ever take the step in the right direction. For some, it is generated by themselves; for others, through a cognitive companion like motivational videos; and for the rest, through experiencing what goes on in the surrounding. External drives represent supporting casts that carry you when you don't feel like acting. If we start noticing how the self-generated drive acts, we will know the push it provides toward the first step. Once we start seeing, we will understand what makes it more robust and a for...

Imagine what you would be like if workplaces taught you to take risks?  What is the risk of failing and finding your niche? Miniscule. A lot would be different in your worldview.  In fact, it would also change how you behaved and what we did eventually! Instead, workplaces make you risk-averse! Their behavior stems from a set work pattern, defined work objectives, and mechanized testing methods. The evaluation of success requires reproducing past results and making them comparably better.  Better for who? For those who they wish to serve? For those whose help they enlist? Or, f or those who work for them? If workplaces focused on making things better for you, they would offer freedom to experiment and risk-taking. The implication goes unnoticed. But over time, It dramatically affects your approach to professional and personal aspects of life. You have no skin in the game.  Risk aversion teaches you to stick to a known path. You see, if you stay the course, you will m...

Have you ever faced the fallout of a bad software code check-in? You will see nasty feedback coming your way for not doing good code reviews and testing! There are immediate rumblings of delays, rollbacks, expectations management, and escalations. Because you added incorrect code, that does work! The discipline of running a pre-check-in routine was precisely developed to remind us what needs to happen before the code is checked-in. It provides a way to define completeness criteria for the conclusion of work. Put in place, it provides a safety net for avoiding costly mistakes after completing the work. In a way, the pre-check-in routine acts as the gatekeeper. Something that does not let you go past without the required due diligence. A pre-check-in routine is usually an added step before committing to doing something important.  When we are sure about having done the checks and balances for the work and the interactions we are involved in, we have a lesser chance of making mistakes...

The turning point is a thought of mind. It is rarely dramatic. You can never place a finger on one thing that brought you to a positive turn. Turning points are the end points of a series of experiments; many led to failures and made you wiser from learning about them. That is why when the following experiment that leads you to what you want feels special. Because you overcame the failure and did not stop doing the next experiment! It shifts your mind to deliver a more coordinated response. The turning point is a realization that you persevered!

When we are not sure, we choose the status quo. It is willing inaction. However, when we deploy the unwilling status quo, it can be problematic. It is inaction that you are not fully bought into. That is the block. And we need to worry about it! It is a powerful stalling force that puts us on a regressive path.   The block is resistance to accepting change and acting to learn and experience further to refine possible.  On the other hand, change is a response to our knowledge, experience, and inferred facts. The more we accommodate these, the more recursively we prepare ourselves to act. The wedge between progress and stagnation is the block. The quantum of openness to change adopted as a ritual differentiates people who progress from those who don't.  Situations result in the block, but the flexibility to change takes us to success!

They come from small steps often brushed aside as unimportant and insignificant. The fire inside an effort is rarely seen roaring for oxygen at first. The initial promise turns into a smoke screen! Flames are invisible, though. The sparks appear to be losing steam.  That is precisely a juncture where the effort needs the insertion of coal and sticks. To make the best use of the fiery heat that does not know which way to go. It keeps the fire in stealth mode. Shows enough signs that it's not out of action yet! And, usually, that is enough to keep the effort going.  Until there is a blowing wind that brings additional fervor. Our effort begins to turn into a burning fire.  We have a real chance to spread the efforts and turn that into a sustainable one that extends and goes viral! But first, keep the heat and little invisible fire going. Gains of the future are in underlying invisible flames!

You like to be in a certain way. You say you have specific preferences, habits, and ways of working.  That is just hype! It does not mean much until you have matching actions.  Doing things exactly the way you stated you like doing them makes you intrinsically act in unison with your public posturing. And that is good. You are believable and consistent! This representation offers a chance to generate the highest amount of trust. No one can deny you what you say and what you do. Thinking, saying, and doing things consistently defines who you are!

You are tempted to think about mainstream when you think about putting yourself out there. There is a general belief that mainstream areas of work will have takers. By being mainstream focussed, you get to draw the masses. When you focus on the mainstream, you join the mob of everyone else playing to the mainstream gallery too! The masses are inconsiderate. They are notorious for having varying expectations. And they are unclear. You are sure to lose focus while chasing indistinguishable groups. You will turn indistinguishable from the others chasing the masses. When you put yourself out there, turn to target a niche. When you focus on a Niche, you turn your attention to a more identifiable group that needs you. Your niche distinguishes you! Abandon the obsession of the mainstream!

If you are in the software business, it is hard to look at the customer's problems through the lens of the code. You experience their feedback through your product features or ways you service them post-sales.  There are days when some customers show pin-drop silence; it puzzles you that other customers continuously use your product. You need to carefully distinguish between the two. The silent customer may be forced to use what is not their choice. Or they may be turning to not using your product because it is difficult. Or simply that the product does not serve their need. Understand it firsthand, not through code usage alone! Once you ascertain that, by all means, give your attention to customers who use the product abundantly.  You need to offer your best features and serve them with special care.  First, pay meticulous attention to why someone is silent when receiving your offer to service them! You may be surprised!

Say it aloud, write it, read it, refine it. Say it aloud, rewrite it, reread it, redefine it. Read it to others, listen to them, and revise it from feedback. Clear thoughts get responses, comments, or criticism from those who want to know them. Thinking clearly results from the dialogue. It is a result of the conversation. Creating an opportunity for exchange improves thinking and creates thoughts that spread.

Spontaneity brings fear, the unknown, and chaos. The reason is simple.  Spontaneity represents spur-of-moment decisions leading to actions that open up the possibility of surprise, failure, or familiar experience. Spontaneity, however, has one clear benefit. It breaks the monotony of routine. It challenges the norm.  Spontaneity generates energy and has the potential to bring out (market) the difference!

It's easier said than done. Expectations weigh on our minds. In fact, they weigh us down. Thinking freely is a function of what thought absorption mechanism is available to you. Thoughts emerge and need dissipation. Some of that you share with yourself. But you also need a system to share and absorb it.  The system maintains the equilibrium in constructing a response to the thought clouds and clearing the air to think freely. Such a system constitutes the Self and other people. For the system to work, it requires trust, care, and sensible communication.

The wrong choice reflects the commitment to a cause that is your primary preference. You make choices based on sentiments, available data, circumstantial interpretation, and your understanding of what the future holds with the choice made. There is every chance that the choice made turns out unsatisfactory. Some preferences introduce difficulties and rough experiences. It looks like the end of the road, a thoughtless act and an irresponsible binding decision that you must live by. An emotional response like this represents your bias. It mainly stems from set beliefs of what is the norm. Norms are inferred from the ecosystems you belong to. Norms are statistical affirmations of what is right or wrong. They have extrapolated views of sporadic events turned into a continuum of belief systems that describes it be a reality. Such norms drive your behavior. Make-believe tells you that a wrong choice is detrimental, and you are stuck with it for a long time. Your job is the challenge, make-be...

If it is not your day, nothing will likely fall in place. The decisions you make, the work you do, and the interactions you have do not have the same energy and intensity as any typical day. And that sometimes gets frustrating. What is meant by it is not your day? It means you are struggling to focus. When too many things are crammed into our minds, it is hard to be laser sharp in attention. Weak priorities prevail and execution of everyday matters goes out of rhythm. That surprises you. How can something that you are so used to doing suddenly be an uphill battle? Focus is key to clear thinking and establishing the correct sequences. It helps prioritize affairs and smoothen the proceedings of what we set out to do. Focus comes from bringing attention to what is essential at any moment in time. It means being fully present. Dwindling attention recovers with having discipline. Thus the real trouble with focus is having discipline. That comes from having non-negotiable rituals. If establi...

People and books should be read repeatedly before discounting as uninteresting. It takes time to understand the ideas they represent. Time and again, we witness that circumstantial memory takes over how we experience anything. That is true for anything we do. How we come across people and interpret ideas from books in our first pass? Different days and circumstances leading up to the second pass can change how we find them.  The more passes we make, the better understanding of what we are involved in we get. Each pass provides us clues of more that we did not understand earlier. Same with our work. We may not figure it all out in the first go. We need to keep at it. Make more passes. Look at it from various possibilities and perspectives. We have to give feedback, take inputs, give more chances, change compositions, test them under varying conditions and see if we understand what we are doing better than before. When we are consistent with knowing.people, developing thoughts or doi...

There is a mad rush to follow the "in thing." Go after what is popular, do what everyone is after. You are deemed unusual if you are not in that race with everyone. You are not attractive, out of the norm. Saying "no" to things you don't enjoy is a great strength. It's just that it is hard to say "no." You are bound to disappoint people. They expect you to fall in place. And that is taxing. Especially when you are brought up considering others' views about you as vital. When others recognize you to be practicing customs, hobbies, and trends that they follow, you automatically move into their good books. You get an acceptance. You can fit in. You become part of their tribe. What if you enjoyed it for a while but felt suffocated after a while? Things that you adapt to fit in rarely resonate intrinsically. When they don't, it's a huge struggle to carry on with them. Saying "no" to what you are not ready for is worthwhile. Say no ...

It has become ever harder to retain people. Develop long-term associations. Literally, in any field of study, work, or life, people join forces to learn, experience to apply, and then simply leave. They abandon you after having made seemingly good choices at the onset! It's a rather intriguing but genuine problem!   At work, exit interviews after exit interviews show that employees leave organizations frustrated. Surprisingly, they leave their jobs frustrated after choosing their career and joining the organization's cause. Fat pays, stepping stone promotions, flexible environments, everything seems to favor the employees? But the satisfaction of working is simply disappearing. And that is worrisome. You run surveys, improve connections, develop technology to set up touch-points, cover broad vision, and have grievance resolution mechanisms. None of that seems to help beyond a point. Worse, many tools miss detecting the central issue that triggers dissatisfaction.  The central ...

When doing something, you like to have everything in order. There has to be a plan in place. There has to have a timetable of what is to happen and when. Once the tent of an expected experience is erected, you feel good for having planned a likable itinerary. You pat ourselves for having organized it with meticulous details. The day arrives full of surprises. Things you thought you had planned well do not go as planned. You are in for a huge disappointment. You feel let down. You dislike what you encounter. And that is fair!  But wait, what are you really disliking? The way you planned? The experience itself? Or that you are experiencing something you had not thought of? Dislikes generate when you encounter something that is not a primary concern or focus of attention. That is when the unexpected stumps you. It is not that you dislike what you experience. It is that you did not expect that experience at that juncture. You had not budgeted for it! The environment you want ...

Of course, the game does not start until you kick the ball. You clearly have to take the lead. You can do it all by yourself. But you know you cannot go long enough on your own. You will tire and stop playing. The trick is to move to play out in the open. You still go first; come running at an angle and kick the ball! A bit of tactful juggling is bound to get you a fellow player! The fellow player learns to juggle and swing a kick just as you do! You start sharing more tricks with him as an equal, and he does not mind doing as he is told. After all, he is just trying to have a good time! A couple more bystanders join the game. And a few more follow them. They are focused on replicating what your fellow player is busy doing! The ball is now a lot more mobile. It moves across the ground. The field is getting a bit noisy and energetic. Now more bystanders barge into the field to have a go at the ball! The team begins to go beyond learning the tricks, and a match begins. There are teams fo...

We routinely find ourselves at crossroads. We struggle with it and wonder why we are there in the first place. Everyone has access to information, opportunity, and resources, yet some breeze through. But not us. The choice to go someplace, the application of self, the process of sequential decision-making, and using resources create the run to the finish line with varying degrees of satisfaction. Crossroads are erected with reluctant starting choices. Application of self is half-hearted, and the decision-making process is superficial and risk-averse.  With no skin in the game, you tend to draw resources without considering the ramifications. Resources quickly affect the next set of choices. It culminates in confusion, fear, and uncertainty about the direction to take. Chaos is all internal. Yet, we rarely internalize the reasons for it! No one else can help make your share of choices without knowing how to clearly arrive at those. Internalizing internal chaos is the best start to g...

Working on unnoticeable advantages is rarely in fashion. You need everything to happen prominently. You want one large blast and the whole world to get lit.  There are so many things you are good at. Choosing, Persisting, Follow-ups, Timeliness, Committing, Attending, Caring, Timeliness, Patience and Ownership. What if you thought of these traits as advantages? It might not make much difference in the short run. In the long run, they are all significant differentiators. In a world of instant gratification, behavioral traits that bring focus and consistency to thinking, working, and interacting can get better results. Adjust the frame of mind to see the advantages you already possess!  And seeing that is tremendous progress!

We can easily get carried away with what we see through our lens. Our biases influence how we see things. Or even if we see anything! It does not matter whether or not we see anything. When we are in an ecosystem, we certainly will experience things. Whether we agree with what we see or not, we certainly will impact due to what is experienced. It is mind-boggling to witness something that we cannot see. What if we understand that biases brought us this blinder, made a relatively simple thing, and turned it unexpected. It shatters us when we encounter it. The only way out is to get the blinders off. That requires finding a new lens to see clearly. What we witness is rarely unique. If we care to look at what happened elsewhere in the past, we build balanced perspectives. Historical perspectives are an excellent way to begin to see through what we witness!