For a happy and prosperous new year 2024, just try and forget about 2 things:
he Mirai virus was a malicious piece of software that was first discovered in 2016. It was designed to target Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as routers, smart cameras, and smart thermostats, and was able to compromise these devices by exploiting vulnerabilities in their software. Once it had infected a device, Mirai would use it to participate in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
The recently concluded FIFA World Cup had almost everyone completely mesmerized. In the semi-finals, the eventual champions- Argentina beat Croatia 3-0. What was distinct about this match was that all three goals were scored via unique attacking mechanisms. The first one was via a penalty kick. The second one was via a high quality dribbling play all the way from midfield. The third one was an exceptional display of ball handling skills near the opponent's goal.
I recently completed the Bengaluru Full marathon (42.195 km). It was an honor to run in all 10 editions of the prestigious run.
While finishing is an important aspect, the lure for running really goes much beyond that, something the legendary ultra-runner Dean Karnazes so succinctly put in one of his books.
Here it goes-
"Running always leaves you better than when you started. No matter how temporarily bruised your body is at the end of the run, it's the spirit that's uplifted. Running great distances is a release, it's an outlet to what's brewing inside the mind - good or bad. Simplicity of running is quite liberating. Things don't bring happiness, challenging experiences certainly do."
The route of the Bengaluru marathon included 2 loops - 21.1 km around the city. Having multiple loops during the course of a marathon is quite a normal thing as it makes organizing the running events efficient and manageable.
One thing that I realized while on the course of the run this time was a unique challenge the run with multiple loops presents to the runner. With all the hard running and enthusiasm, I managed to complete the first loop (21.1 km) only to find out that I was at the beginning of where it all started (the start point of the race). The very fact that instead of seeing a finish line, you get to a sort of start point during the run can really be disheartening and can potentially wear one down with a feeling that nothing much has been achieved despite all the slogging done for hours. This is for sure a false notion, which our bodies are mindful of but our minds often need the slightest of excuse to start getting distracted and dictate the terms based on the newer paradigms.
So how did I get through it? Here are a couple of strategies that helped me:
1. Stay-in-the-Present:
Re-tune your mind to stay in the present, and focus on the next step, and the next and so on till the run finishes. I learned this cue from Geet Sethi’s book “Success vs Joy” where he shares, "Concentration is simply the intellect supervising the mind to remain in the present."
2. Mental Contrasting:
This technique, which I learned from Barbara Oakley's Coursera course on learning, involves contrasting your current state with your desired outcome. But here's the twist: Don't just visualize the finish line. Also, remind yourself of the sweat and fatigue you're experiencing now. It helps to balance optimism with a dose of reality, making your goals feel more attainable and relatable.
In both marathons and life, it's the 'mental loops'—those repetitive thought patterns and emotional cycles that can either hinder us or propel us forward—that often pose the most significant challenges. Yet, it's precisely within these cycles of thought and feeling that we discover opportunities for growth and self-improvement.
How do you cope with having to start all over again in different areas of your life?
Dr. Rajdeep Manwani (Rahul Dravid's classmate), narrated this story about the legend in his speech-
In his book, "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World", David Epstein brings forward a comparison between Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. Tiger Woods is used as a prime example of early specialization in Golf. His father recognized his talent very early in life, nurtured it over the coming years- leading to Tiger becoming one of the greats.
Roger Federer on the other hand wasn't focused just on Tennis since his early years. He tried many different sports when he was a kid: Squash, basketball, handball, tennis, table tennis, badminton, soccer, the list goes on. He found that the type of sport itself didn’t really matter much to him, as long as it included a ball. It was only in his teen years he began to focus on tennis.
Federer's way is truly more reminiscent of today's times when shelf life of a skill is diminishing by the day. I recall in one of the podcast Ravi Venkatesan called out to "Experiment with many things and discover for yourself. (in these times, we are at) a very high risk of becoming obsolete. To avoid hard landing, you need to reinvent yourself."
To reinvent, one of the fundamental things that is needed is to embrace learning agility. We are constantly thrown in situations where we need to learn quickly and emerge quickly with a solution. How can you approach learning in this situation ?
I quite loved the way Shaan Puri mentions (https://bit.ly/3mGvKuh) about the roles we play while learning in any field. He says, we play one of the 4 roles:
1 - Sketpic (on sidelines, judging everyone)
2 - Cheerleader (on sidelines, cheering other people doing things)
3 - Participant (in the game, using stuff other people created)
4 - Player (in the game, creating things yourself)
As much as possible, try to be at level 4.
Catch the summary in my sketchnote.
Learning in any endeavor is maximized if we have proper skin in the game i.e. we are learning and creating at the same time. As we embrace our own reinvention journeys, it makes ample sense to prioritize to "Do" some real stuff while we gear ourselves up to "Read" tons of stuff. Reading without doing is only half as effective.
What do you think ?
I am quite fascinated by the concept of 'Digital Body Language' that Erica Dhawan introduces in her book by the same name.
The premise of this book is that humans rely on body language to connect and build trust, but with most of our communication now happening from behind a screen, traditional body language signals are no longer visible. The new signals and cues like how an email is written, liking a post, using emoji, responding promptly etc. have replaced traditional body language
In summary, digital body language is so incredibly relevant now, something that cannot be ignored. Of many ingredients that constitutes digital body language, the writing skills have particularly become quite important in the digital work era.
Like building any muscle, one must constantly hone writing skills to positively augment one's digital body language. How does one nurture writing skills ?
There is a plethora of advice/books available on this subject but i quite liked the ideas shared by Shreyas Doshi in his twitter thread https://bit.ly/33kxJN4
For clear writing, answer these questions
- What am I really trying To say ?
- Why should people care ?
- What is the most important point ?
- What Is the easiest way to understand the most important point ?
- How do I want the reader to feel ?
- What should the reader do next ?
For better retention and comprehension, sharing my sketch summary here.
What are the writing tips that have worked well for you ?
