Crazy Ideas

If anyone told you that you can make clothes out of milk… would you believe it? Would you take it seriously? Or would you say they were crazy and shrug it off? What If I gave you proof that this is possible… would you still shrug it off?

Yeah it’s a crazy idea, quite a startling one too. But all great inventions begin as crazy impossible ideas. The light bulb, the telephone, the telescope… all were crazy ideas in their time. Heck there was even a time when people thought that earth being round was a crazy idea.

The human mind has 70,000 thoughts per day! Even if 1% of those thoughts are new ideas, then an average human produces around 700 ideas a day!!! Multiply that with the number of humans on earth, and I can’t even try to count that number! Let’s just say ideas are in abundance J

Now, how many of these are crazy ideas – I’m sure a majority of it are LOL. And we shrug off most of them thinking they are impossible or that they are embarrassing. Somewhere hidden in that plethora of crazy ideas are the seeds to some amazing discoveries/inventions and in turn some amazing successes!

Next time you get a crazy idea, don’t just shrug it off; see if you can become the next BIG thing…

BTW, here’s the proof I mentioned – clothes from milk

Tests: Not the True Predictors

I came across an article that has Narayan Murthy talk on how the quality of students in IITs has deteriorated over the years. Do you know that the entrance tests to these institutions are extremely difficult? They are so difficult that some students would rather go to a different technology institute and gain an education than slogging nights to mug up what the coaching classes teach. Then why is it that people who pass this difficult test are being called of low quality? Why is it that when they graduate from these esteemed institutions, they cannot survive and succeed in the work world?



 

Tests are not the true predictors of success! You can mug up something and get very high marks… but do you get an education? Do you actually learn the subject and along with that necessary skills to handle yourself later on in life?

‘Success’ on a test is only artificial success and is no guarantee for actual success! So, when studying, always keep in mind – study and work hard for gaining knowledge and skills. That’s all that matters in the long run! And the bonus of doing this? Well if you have the knowledge that is being tested, then you have success in the test as well as in the future!

 

Balance

Yay! You found your path to success… Now you are also putting in effort, Tons of it! You have a list of the different areas you want to be successful in life… Great, now no one can stop you from becoming a success… not even you!

But you gotta remember one thing; you need to balance it all out. Some amount of imbalance is ok – like during those tough exams or when you need to crack this big deal! But always, make sure you are in balance. Put in all the effort you can, but also get your 8 hours of sleep. Practice for the math test all night, but go catch a movie after your exams. Work on a project forgetting the difference between weekday and weekend, but plan and go for a relaxing vacation soon afterwards.

On normal days, relax and unwind after a long day at work. Read a book, listen to music, do something really enjoyable that will also de-stress you.

To be able to work at your chosen path and put in all the effort possible, you need a strong and alert mind. A stressed mind is of no help to you. So, relaxing and balance is a very important part of success!

Forgetting Stuff?

How many long pending tasks do you have that are not too important but are also nagging you at all the wrong times?

All of us have these… Like recently, I took on the responsibility of changing my dad’s mobile plan. It’s not too important, not work related and definitely didn’t top my priority list because dad wasn’t in a hurry either. When I was at my computer or near my phone, I wouldn’t remember to do it. And times like while eating, just before sleeping, while watching TV etc. this thought would nag me…

The solution? I wrote it down on my white board! “Blackberry Plan”

The best way to make sure something like this is done is to write it where you can see it. Whenever you remember something small that’s interrupting your normal thought process, write it down. You can use a white/black board like I did. You can also just use a simple post it. Write down the phrase and stick it to your computer screen / desk / wall next to the bed / wherever convenient!

Taking care of the small seemingly unimportant details ensures a smooth journey on your path to success. Never let “I’m too busy” become your excuse for forgetting!

Obstacles

Life is a mixture of good times and bad times. Many times we get to do the things we like to do and many times we are forced to do the very things we were dreading!

Similarly the road to success is filled with fun things; all the beautiful flowers of paradise but you also get thorns and road blocks. Many times, even though you are doing what you love, you will encounter difficulties. This is the way of life…

When you embark on your journey, brace yourself for the difficulties in advance. Prepare yourself well enough to face all the challenges that are thrown your way. If you start your journey expecting it to be easy, you will be in for a big shock and quite a lot of delay. Once you come across a road block and then try to get over it, it gets all the more difficult.  It’s like a 200 meter dash. If the runner is just running a normal race and suddenly a hurdle is thrown in, she stops, and jumps over it. Then, she has to start running and picking up speed. However if the runner was running a hurdle race, she would be prepared for the hurdle. She would then just jump over the hurdle without having to stop or change speed too much.

When you prepare yourself mentally for hurdles and fill yourself with the confidence of overcoming them, you are like the second runner. When the obstacle comes, you will be able to jump over it with greater ease!