A Beginner's Mind

Experience is the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities. The key point here is direct participation. What is direct participation? I go to my desk, follow a set of instructions on my role, and repeat the same process for 10 years. Does this make me experienced by 10 years? What am i gaining experience in - blindly following a set of instructions or actually understanding where i fit in the big picture? Direct participation should be more like a discussion or a conversation. The goal of the conversation/discussion is not only to achieve the desired result within a predefined time frame but also analyzing the process so it can be done either in a lesser time or in a better way. Direct participation means that all parties have a right to voice their opinions. A common scenario in official environments is - two team members, one senior & other mid-level, arguing over an issue that can be resolved purely by data ...

New Year bombards us with lists. Top 10 - a concept stretched to its utmost limit by Time magazine . And they are not bad at all. In fact they give us an opportunity to reflect on what mattered most. It’s always fun to create our own top 10 list featuring emotional, professional & personal highs & lows.  In my case this was a year of rapid learning. I read a lot, practiced a lot but fiction was missing from my reading list.  I started Atlas Shrugged, but got bored of its philosophy. Maybe it’s because I’ve become used to fast content. Internet gives us information at the expense of our attention. Reading a 1000 page book is so time consuming that even if the content is engaging our fickle mind tends to levitate away from it.   So this year I will reduce the list size increase the time frame to "all time" & include only one specific genre of fiction – Short stories. Here are my Top 5: 5. An occurrence at owl Creek Bridge 4.  All you zomb...