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The Irony of Life: Why Chasing a Better Future Steals Today’s Joy
A few years ago, I was at IISc Bangalore to give a talk. And I was raving about the beautiful, idyllic campus to my host, a retired civil servant who was teaching an undergraduate class. When my host told me that he had previously worked as the...
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To start a forest fire, it just takes a spark
I received this email from a young lady suffering from depression and severe weight gain, which is preventing her from socializing and living a...
Why Consensus Doesn’t Lead to Greatness
Long ago, during an evening stroll with a retired VC in New York (from Bessemer), I asked him, "What differentiated your best investments from the...
How Discipline Breaks Down
How does discipline break down? Answer: One exception at a time. But then, how can we be 100% consistent or never make exceptions? That it true --...
Life Is Finite – Don’t Wait to Live It
Last year, I lost three friends who passed away unexpectedly, including an ex-boss I was close to, whose passing made national news. When you lose...
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All our good habits are subject to entropy
As a consultant, I have helped companies cut costs. But 3-5 years later, many of these costs come right back up. In fact, most company initiatives work well for a while, and then, regress. The same thing happens to us individually -- we build new...
Reinvent or Stagnate
One of the consultants at McKinsey I worked with, is today leading McKinsey's digital initiatives. You might say -- naturally, an engineer can't help being an engineer! But this person was NOT an engineer. He was a hardcore Pharma and Lifesciences...
Change Your Defaults, Change Your Life
When you wake up, unthinkingly, you grab your phone and check messages or some social apps. You are doing it for just one reason -- it is your default behavior. Next, whether you work out, grab a coffee or just snooze, it is again driven by your...
Attention Is the Scarce Resource – Not Information
When I was a kid, finishing books was so effortless! But today, it feels much harder even though I spend a lot more time reading. The problem is this: When you read a book today, there are countless other books, newsletters, podcasts, and...