This is one of my favorite real-life stories from my life
Several year back, I used to take a course at an MBA school
And the final exam of that course was:
"List at least 3 things you have learnt from this course"
Over 4 years, some 120 students took this exam.
Only 6 passed.
How does one "fail" such an exam?
The reason was because everyone except those 6 students listed EXACTLY 3 things they learnt in the course.
When my question was "List AT LEAST 3 things that you have learnt from this course"
I tricked the students into believing a definition of success that I created for them - List 3 and you are successful.
And they stopped at that.
Stopped at the minimum expected from us.
That is what the world does to us EVERYDAY.
Our parents, our partners, our bosses, our friends, the world - is constantly asking us to get "just this done" in order to be successful.
We do it and "feel" successful.
We never stopped to ask ourselves - what does success mean to ME?
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Seeking help is the most fundamental way of learning.
When we think of seeking help, we mostly think people.
But if we broaden the definition, it becomes obvious that we can seek help from anything.
Books, videos, tools.
The key is "what are you seeking help for"
I am privileged to be in a spot where a lot of people reach out seeking help.
Over the last few years, here are some very avoidable mistakes I have regularly observed people make.
I assumed speed of response equals intelligence.
I was always eager to quickly finish my work, because I wanted to known as "he gets things done super fast".
We are not paid to get things done fast.
We are paid to get things done right.
I figured I was so low in the hierarchy that if there was an error in my work, someone above me would catch it.
I thought that was their job - to identify errors in their team.
If you wait for your managers to catch your errors, they are now doing your work.
Not theirs.
My day is split into 4 distinct sections 1. Morning (until 930am) - dedicated to me 2. First half (until 1230pm) - dedicated to my work 3. Second half (until 530pm) - dedicated to external engagements 4. Evening (until 930pm) - dedicated to family
This has been so for 4+ yrs
Morning
4.30-4.50am
I wake up at 430am
The first thing I do is to get a glass of water, sit on the floor cross legged and sip it like wine.
No phone.
No person.
Just me and and my water.
This is when I mostly think about the day to come, maybe remember a dream. No agenda!