The wait!

Human psyche is fragile. We let ourselves be smashed around with the constant stream of information thrown at us in this age. Our egos are sometimes bruised while pumped up at other times. What psychological constructs can we use as barriers against these high amplitudes of emotions? Or frankly, do we even need to?

The past one year has been such a time for my psyche. It has been constant pressure and a life full of changes and surprises. In hindsight, I might not have it any other way. But one thing, that has kept me going is this image of a beautiful future together.

It has been a long wait for that to happen and now it is just a week away. It still doesn't feel like it. We knew the long wait almost two years back. It seemed so far out then. But now it is almost over. It feels unreal. Something that I had dreamed of for so long is finally going to be part of my life forever.

But here is the catch. It would soon be normal. Living together would not have the same excitement a few years down the line like it is right now. This is the theory of default happiness. Whatever happens in our lives, our happiness levels peak or fall, but then they tend to go back to the default levels pretty soon. For example, a study says that one person who won a lottery and another who got paraplegic, after a year, happiness level of both people would tend to go back to the level before either won lottery or became paraplegic.

So, while I juggle between the excitement and expected fall back to normal happiness level, I need to be conscious of this wait. I need to feel immense gratitude when tough days come back that this is what we dreamed of for years. To be able to share every moment of our lives together. It is worth the tough times ahead.

But till then, I am so excited to be able to wake up next to my beautiful wife every day for rest of my life.

I can't wait!!!

Empathy and Sympathy!

I observed that I sometimes lay down my thoughts whether thoughts or questions or comments, without fully appreciating the possible mindset of the other person.

For example, I should be provide more energy and boost to someone who is not having a good day. Be sympathetic in such a case. Massage their ego - not to gain a favor but to make them feel better. At other times, you might feel the other person is just bragging - try to understand the actual reasons behind them. Maybe they are actual experts in the area and there might be something for me to learn from it. Observe their actions and understand why that makes me feel like they are bragging rather than just being confident. I can then aim to not make those mistakes.

How might I get better at this?
I need to be much more conscious in observing others' behaviors. Rather than focus on what I am supposed to do, pause and better understand the other person. Be empathetic. Get into their shoes if possible and understand their needs. Ask them how they are feeling! Remember their issues and ask them about it at some other time. Make that personal connections at a deeper level than just the regular tip of the iceberg discussions.

Reinforce Learnings!

Podcast has been a fascinating medium for me to learn from in the last two years. It provides an opportunity to learn while doing mundane routine work like walking or driving to work. It ensures I can stay in the gym for the bare minimum time. It is amazing times we live in where we can learn from the very best of best so easily. Podcasts like Tim Ferris show are a boon to today's digital generation as they struggle through life for not physical needs like food and shelter but more importantly for peace of mind.

However, while I hope I am absorbing the learnings, that is probably not the case most of the time. I feel I consume a lot but not applying the learnings as much as I should. In fact, not even close.

That is where I feel blogging can be very helpful. Discussing my thoughts with my wife or a friend is important and definitely allows me a platform to discuss my learnings and strengthen the related neural connections in my own brain. However, many a times, they stay in my head and just leak out over time without any useful application. That is where writing can put the screws on those leaks so the learnings stay with me and be applied as necessary.

Secondly, writing would enable me to develop the very important skill of 'observation'. That is one skill I definitely need to strengthen. Starting today, I will write one post a day whether as short as one sentence. It could be about anything I observed during the day - about myself or a friend or family member or the weather or the suitcase.

That reminds of the observation exercise I performed a couple of days back. Lying on the bed - I saw the lamp and a suitcase and I had the make a connection. I started thinking of how a lamp can be inside a suitcase for example. I continued to push and thought of 'what if' we could leverage the energy of the rolling wheels of a suitcase? Like for example, having a battery attached to it that gets recharged and a small USB port next to it that enables us to charge our electronic devices such as mobiles and laptops. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Now, the learning here for me is not the idea itself, but the fact that a good idea does not come in the first thought itself. You have to push yourself and let the neural nerves make the relevant connections. It does not happen instantaneously in most cases. That is where the skill of prototyping or experimentation is so critical. You have to learn from your mistakes and you do that by letting yourself make mistakes. Generate random ideas - put them out there. They will eventually get better.

Perspective!

INSEAD just got #1 ranking two years in a row by Financial Times. There were celebrations and after we all had a glass of champagne and cupcake in the 15 minutes of break that most of us had, we all got back to business.

Rankings are a matter of perspective and highly subjective. It is who plays the game better. Most schools understand this, but at the end of the day, frankly - I would like to believe that such rankings, at the very least, improve INSEAD's brand awareness amongst not just future applicants but also future employers. Secondly, INSEAD mission and actions do represent a world I would like to live in where nationalities do not seem to matter. We can interact and discuss global issues across people from all over the world in this unique melting pot.

INSEAD and its tagline as the business school for the world is especially important in the times we live in today where a wave of protectionism is spreading in the developed world. I believe we all need to get together on a common ground to discuss and debate like we do here at INSEAD. I would be the first one to say INSEAD is not perfect. It does mostly have people who have had the better of circumstances, and better opportunities in their lives. But it is a start nevertheless in the right direction!

Time is Flying - Six Weeks In

Post also published on official INSEAD platform at http://the-insead-mba-experience.insead.edu/

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With six weeks into INSEAD and P1 coming to an end, it is probably a good time to introspect on the learnings so far. The schedule has been intense right from orientation week and any available time is spent in socializing through dinners, parties and trips with the fascinating people on campus. While there is no such thing as routine here considering the breadth of experiences we are exposed to everyday, but without focus, it would be tough to achieve our goals. Hence, I wanted to gather my thoughts now and in the process allow you to gain a preview of the exciting experience called INSEAD.

Diversity is Knowledge

This phrase is possibly too clichéd now for INSEAD but it carries more weight for me now than ever before. Whether it is during the classroom discussion or at a dinner, the amazing breadth of diversity in such conversations allows me to gain unique perspectives that I would surely miss otherwise. I can start to imagine how such an ability to understand and associate oneself with such a diverse crowd allows INSEADers to be future global leaders.

Beating FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

From morning mindfulness sessions to evening rugby games to panel discussions with entrepreneurs to multiple trips across Europe, there are more opportunities and activities here than one can possibly imagine. It is almost inevitable to feel FOMO. Therefore, learning to prioritize is key. Of course, it is easier said than done but that is where we need to push and challenge ourselves.

Understand Yourself

With the breadth of activities taking place, it is also important to become aware of our own personal interests, motivations and goals. INSEAD provides an opportunity to step back and allows us to understand ourselves through the lens of others. Though my journey here is still at a nascent stage, I have started to understand the importance of self-reflection in order to further challenge and improve myself. It challenges the belief system but that is when I feel I am learning and growing as a person.

Charting your Individual Path

Lastly, I realize that finding my own unique journey and not following the herd is of utmost importance to keep in mind. This is clichéd as well but it is critical to prioritize and focus on our individual goals and objectives. You have to figure out for yourself what fascinates you, generates positive energy for you and then create your own journey through such experiences.

Hopefully, I can at the least try to put these learnings into practice during my remaining time here at INSEAD and beyond. As I said, it is easier said than done but that is what INSEAD empowers you with – a platform to challenge and nurture our curiosity with the fascinating opportunities available across the globe. It is up to us to use this best year of our lives to chart and launch our journey.

INSEAD - Here I come!

Time is flying and there is less than a month left for the INSEAD adventure to begin. Truly excited to meet the incredibly diverse and accomplished class of 17J. We have already interacted significantly through social media and helped each other through numerous logistical issues such as traveling and housing. There always seems to be someone ready to help. I already see the rewards of such a diverse global network.

As for me, my tickets are booked. My last day at work being Friday, I am quickly wrapping things up before I leave US to travel to India for ten days and then reach Fonty early on 17th. It gives me a week to settle down, meet my classmates and also get a chance to travel around before the orientation kicks off on August 25th.  Hopefully, I also get time to further study Spanish as third language and also possibly, the pre-reads. Fingers crossed on the last goal.

While the last month has been very intense as I wrapped up work projects and also the effort required to sell or put away all my belongings in storage. By end of the week, I will be left with just a couple of suitcases to carry around the world for a year.

Despite all the intensity, I expect to reflect a year from now on INSEAD as a wonderful immersive opportunity that is worth every cent and sweat of my investment. Truthfully, I am a little nervous; but way more than that, I am terribly excited. Professionally, I focus a lot on ROIs on marketing campaigns, so I have to continually remind myself that this one year journey is not about money or looking for ways to measure the gains from this investment. It is a year to reinvent and push myself outside my comfort zone. I want to interact with all these amazing people I am about to meet and get to know them - their stories and how our diverse journeys have led us all to this small quaint town outside Paris. I am excited to travel around Europe and experience the beauty I have heard and read about since childhood. I want to smell the fresh baguette and coffee as I head over to the campus every morning.

INSEAD - I am ready. Here I come!

What is the purpose of education?

I am blessed to have grown up in an environment where education has always been highly valued. It led me to push myself to learn and grow in school and then in one of the most reputed engineering schools in India.

People always asked me what it is about IITs that made them special. For me and majority of the folks there, it was never about the superior technical education. Most of us frankly never cared much about it. However, I always knew and told people that it is the people we are surrounded with that pushed our mindsets to aspire for success.

It was always the ideas, the discussions about every possible topic in the world that germinated new insights and perspectives in our minds, without any discrimination of any kind. Thoughts of our backgrounds - cultural, geographical, caste, religion - never ever as much as crossed our minds.

That is what education is all about.

To be able to understand different perspectives and create your own self. Not to be bogged down by age-old customs and traditions. Respect them but do not chain yourself to them.

And hold them close to your chest so they becomes your self-religion or spiritual self or whatever hipster term you would like to use. It could be a combination of a belief from Quantum mechanics, another one from Quran, another one from Newton's law, another one from Bhagwad Gita and so on. Religion and science will not be differentiated in that enlightened self. In fact those terms should not exist in the purest sense of spirituality. The ability to approach ideas with a reasoned open mindset would create calm and peace within yourself.

And that is where I hope my journey at INSEAD would play a big role. Learning and appreciating the different perspectives on the same issue within their respective contexts is what makes it amongst the best business schools in the world. I believe education is the only solution to several issues facing the world - whether it is global warming or terrorism or severe income inquality. My past self would probably just hope for such an ideal future - however, my present self wants to make a difference, in whatever way I can. I need to explore and contribute with less focus on money. I hope I can. Amen!