Category

LinkedIn Posts

Perversion of incentives

A year ago, a startup announced a revenue of Rs 10 crore. And profit? Actually, it lost more than 150 crores! If you are wondering, “In which universe does this all make sense?”, welcome to the magical world of VC funding, my friend! Today, this funding game is...

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Building mental models

All learning boils down primarily to one thing -- building mental models. During my electrical engineering undergraduate program, we were (involuntarily) subjected to a lot of dense math. At the beginning of the semester, had I seen all those complicated equations, I...

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Don’t hide from rejection

There are no books on Amazon with a perfect 5-star rating. There are no products that everyone likes. There is no piece of art or music that is universally loved -- in fact, Beethoven's symphonies were widely panned in the day. You can't please everyone -- no matter...

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Don’t forget the real luxuries

The biggest luxury is not Mercedes Maybach. Nor is it holidaying in the $30k-a-night suite in Burj Khalifa. These are just expensive toys and frills. Real luxury is being fit enough to run a few miles without breaking much of a sweat. It is being at peace with...

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Shark Tank vs. Real Investing

Often, I see people getting worked up about Shark Tank. Remember -- it is a reality show. And a reality show is primarily a show, not reality. What you see on Shark Tank is not the way investment deals are really done. In the world of investing, you spend hours...

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Meaning of life

If you have been looking for life's meaning, you probably haven’t found it. And it is not because you are not looking hard enough but because by itself, life has no meaning. If you take a purely materialistic/scientific view, life is just a series of biochemical...

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Your brand is your story

You are already a brand. Your brand is the way you write and talk. It is how you tell your stories. It is your thought clarity and the values your words reflect. Your brand is the things that excite you and move you -- things you love or loathe. It is the things that...

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How to break out of a stable equilibrium

If you practice anything for, say 10,000 hrs, you will become world-class. Right? Wrong. You probably already know people who have been playing badminton for years, maybe decades. And are they ready for the Olympics? Of course, not. In fact, you will see the same...

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Life is complicated

The performance reviews are done. And you get an email announcing a big fat bonus. Yay! Then you hear the news – your colleague got 30% more! Now you hate the very idea of a bonus. Nay, you hate the whole world. Ah, life is so complicated! 🙂 - Rajan

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Meditation is being fully present

While you ruminate about your past mistakes and worry about the troubles likely to befall you, the tea in front of you is getting cold. Drink that tea. And when you drink it, just drink tea -- don't do anything else. Savor it fully. Ultimately, that is what meditation...

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