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Why Work Expands to Fill All the Time You Give It
During my consulting stint in New York, I had two Jewish colleagues who observed Sabbath and would leave office sharp at 5 pm on Friday. And for the next 24 hours they were unreachable. And this was in a firm where late nights, long hours, and fast...
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The Real Lesson from 12th Fail
Many have asked me to watch the movie '12th Fail' -- people are raving about this wonderful movie. Manoj's story (who battled extreme adversity to...
Stop Trying to Prove Yourself
If you are trying to prove yourself, there is bad news -- this game has no endpoint. There is no finish line at which you will feel, "Finally, I...
Focus on Your Own Journey, Not Someone Else’s
In a high-rise office building in New York, I was once looking across the street at the next skyscraper, craning my neck. And I felt so 'low down'!...
Why Intelligent People Often Aren’t Rich
Why are intelligent people often not rich? Because they want to make money only using their intellect. For example, if a "non-intelligent"...
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Everyone Feels Fear – Face It Anyway
Everybody feels scared: -- On the first day of a job. -- During a job interview. -- Before closing a big sales deal. -- Before the performance review. Fear is nothing to be ashamed of. It is not a personal weakness. Fear is universal -- what varies...
How to Know If Your Idea Is Real
Early in my startup days, I used to sometimes wonder -- am I doing something real or am I just fiddling around, fooling myself? How do I know this is not all in my head? The ONLY real way of knowing whether you are doing something real (and...
The Secret of Confidence: Focus on What You Know
As a rookie consultant at McKinsey, before the final client presentation, I used to feel very jittery. No matter how much work I had done, there would be so many things we were not sure of -- what if the client asked about them? But the senior...
In Investing and Life, Patience Beats Luck
My friend Vinod Thomas and I have together been investing in public equities for the last one year. So are you ready for some investing wisdom? Kidding. 😊 It is very tempting to think of yourself as a good investor in a bull market. But one of my...