Category Archives: Learning

A plain wrong advice: Do What You Love

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Do what you love. <= This is probably one of the most common advice entreprenuers give to one another. Like many others, I loved it too, and try to followed many times.

But now my point is changed over the time and after going through many experiences. I was wrong and so was this advice.

“ To get over to one’s favourite place/situation, we have to do many things which we would not prefer to do other way.”

For example, if I have to travel from Basirpur to Lahore to do my favourite thing. But I can’t find a direct bus which normally takes 4 hours to reach there. So I would first go to any other place, from where I can find the bus for Lahore and it can take up to 10 hours. I shall hate to be in bus for 10 hours for a 4 hour travel. But I know it is worth doing, so I shall bear no matter what.

Entrepreneurs are easy to target for anything, mostly because they are always listening and noticing. And ‘Do What You Love’ comes as a fool’s paradise for beginners like me.

I have come to a result that, one should not be as much focused on doing what one always love or preffer. Instead, the destination should control your action.

If you want to build YOUR FAVORITE THING, you shall might have to do one or two or many THINGS YOU HATE.

And if you are someone who wants to make remarkable difference, you’ll surely have to face/do many things which you’ll hate doing otherwise. Makes sense?

PS. Earlier at the start of this year, I promised to myself that I shall not be fooled again by Gurus, so this post is part of the plan.

Related Post:

- What popular startup advice is plain wrong? (Quora.com)

Want to Fix Problems? Learn or Find Learner

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Making something from scratch ain’t easy, but it is never boring. I love working on Hometown.

But here is a problem/opportunity I am encountering every single day.

For the past 4 years I have been learning about internet tools, doing business and what not. Yes I was taking help from all the gurus, resources and my experience. So what is the problem?

Problem is very simple. All the problems I am facing are totally new for me, I have never encountered anything like that. I have never talked with VCs or worked on business plan.

And when I look back at what I learned. It doesn’t help very much, so every time to fix a problem I have to learn the solution. Thankfully I am proudly one of the best known learner I have ever met.

This girl is learning and solving a problem at the same time.

Got the point?

Time has been changing all the time, this time changes are faster. Everything has changed, and it’ll keep changing. So who can help you to address changes.

As we have talked earlier, a person with ‘15 years of experience‘ is not gonna help. Instead we need a learner, who can learn faster. Who is eager to learn from success, average results and from failure the most.

Take a deep breath. <– Please do it.

Give some thoughts to whom you are hiring, or going to work with. Is she a good learner.

Same idea applies in relationships. Thankfully no one is perfect, in the life, everyone of us faces new problems and challenges. For example, I shall have a a wife, and some kids. Some in-laws too. <– Every problem shall be new. I am ready. ;)

Best is the one who keeps learning. Rather than living life based on past experience.

I recently learned from Robin Dickinson, who said this:

The past is not the future.

OMG! It is not. It is not at all.

It is all good to live in present and more importantly looking into future.

I love being learner, and working with great learners.

Be a learner! Surround yourself with learners!

Why ’15 Years of Experience’ is a Big Scam

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‘I applied at 18 different jobs in banks, but they all ask for 2+ years of experience. How the hell I can assure them that I have all what it takes to be for what I am applying for.’ <– Told a friend of mine, who was seeking for a job without any prior experience in bank industry.

What I want to say is this:

Many many times young people do not do something because they assume that, this work can only done by people with ‘15 years of experience‘ and newbie like us are not able to do it at all.

They unfollow their heart because of the initial hurdles which come in their way. Worse is that, we keep doing this. Even in our 70s.

I can not do this. <– Please make sure to say this after trying at least for 3 times with 3 different approaches.

15 Years of Experience is a tag, to keep creative people away and they do this to protect their jobs.

I think I have made my point, and it doesn’t need more words.

The idea of the post came into my mind, when I learned that my 24 old friend Bilal wants to design cars in next few years. He has no experience in designing cars, but he surely knows his passion “design.” Thankfully he is also helping us with the logo of Hometown, and I am amazed at what he has done so far.

This is probably the first time, he is doing and getting on his way to design cars. Incredible.

In the picture below is Max Wolff, the head designer for (Ford’s car) Lincoln, said, “Our goal is to make Lincoln look like nothing else that’s out there.”

The Ford guys knew that this 38 years guy will bring something which 58 can not.

I wish the very very best luck to my friend Bilal, who wants to do this before his 30 and to everyone of you who is not afraid of the tag ’15 years of experience’

Very related post:
Gen-Y Can Help You Re-invent Your Business

Your Mother is Teacher, Not Mine (True Story)

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2003, I was invited to the home of my class fellow. I went to help him with exams, and during at his home.

To tell you the truth, people in my part of the world. Keep women covered and let them meet only with close relatives.

I somehow saw his mother. I excitingly asked him, “If your mother is teacher too.” (I was excited because my mother is a teacher and I’m very proud of her.)

He replied, “No, not at all. We do not let women do such (shameful) jobs.

28 years ago, when my mother was applying for her teaching job. Her younger brother complained to their mother, “So now Razia is going to be a teacher. People would say, look his sister is a teacher.”

Job of mother changed everything for our entire family. Also know, if she would not be teacher, I would be working at a factory or workshop without any formal education etc.

But instead, she changed my life. It changed everything.

Someone said it very truly:

If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family (nation).

I promise to educate a nation (even if it would be small, it’s ok).

All this might come to you as surprise. But this is the real story of a real women.

Would you keep doing the good work, despite what other people say?

It is also true:

People don’t say very much, but we intentionally hear a lot about our fears.

Would you still be teacher no matter how many people discourage you? Would you still be changing lives? If you are afraid of doing something, please write your fears. Then see what happens.

My mom and my brother, at an event I organized. She doesn't understand English as much, but she came to encouraged me. Isn't she amazing person?

She is truly the first one in our family to cross the river. Now gladly, I’m crossing many too.

Rest is said in this video, It Only Takes A Girl, watch it.

Also read:

How Do We Like

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Every business is trying to sell something which their customers ‘Like.’

Most of the times customers have already defined, what they like. Even then it is not simple to deliver the ‘Like.’

Take in this way, you Like an tailor’s work. You like to get his shirt.

But here is the point, despite the fact that the tailor is already very likable. It doesn’t mean that he can just make another shirt and people will still ‘Like’ that enough to pay his price. He has to do his best every time to deliver what they’ll like.

Let’s get it more clear by taking the nearest example. This blog. Here I’ve written some very good posts lately and in back as well. Some people, Liked those posts very much. They like my blog in general.

But in order to write another great post, I’ve to work hard. To find an idea and then presenting the idea in best possible way. Also I’m trying hard to write how ideas impact our real life. And how sometimes, without knowing the equation, we are part of the process and we enjoy the process very much.

The second way to deliver Like is, to make surprising solution or picture, or product. Your audience doesn’t know even a single thing about that, they don’t know if they shall Like something this.

But when product comes in their hand, or say design comes. They just say, aha.. this is what I really liked and I didn’t know.

An example, I would share is when TechCrunch got redesigned. Many readers, including me hated it. I thought, it is junk and not at all reader friendly. Dave Feldman made this new design.

Well, after reading from TC for two days. I said to myself, this is probably one of the best website design. It helps me read more and get straight to the content. I just couldn’t get it in first sight, now I love it.

Dave here knew, what people will Like, but haven’t Liked before, simply because they didn’t see anything like that. I strongly recommend anyone to hire him for webdesign and logo.

Second and obvious example could be of Steve Jobs, at Apple they created the products, no one imagined.

Walt Mossberg said this right about him:

“He did it because he was willing to take big risks on new ideas, and not be satisfied with small innovations fed by market research. He also insisted on high quality and had the guts to leave out features others found essential and to kill technologies, like the floppy drive and the removable battery, he decided were no longer needed.”

You can make money and luck by doing any of the two. It is all right. But don’t just sell fruit because other are doing the same. Instead sell fruit, to sell them in your own. Make your own place in this noisy world is not difficult, thinking different is difficult.

Image from here

What I Want to Do

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I was in grade 5. One day our teacher took the whole class to the playground. Where they have arranged different games for us, like football, cricket and some other running games. (I don’t remember all of them.)

When asked which game I wanted to play. I went for football. But after playing football for some 10 min, I watched around other students playing different games. I said to myself, “I don’t want to play football, instead I want to play cricket.”

And when I was handed the cricket ball, and bowled one or two overs. I said to myself, “I don’t want to be a bowler, instead I want to play as a batsman.”

And then I played cricket as a batsman next few years at school.

In 2006, I got admission in BS, and chose Physics as my major. After reading and failed tries of memorizing Physics for a year. I learned that I’m not a Physics guy.

Then I went to Economics and Political Science, but the only courses which I wanted were taught at senior level. Which meant I should have taken the basic course first.

In my first Political Science’s class, the teacher was very rude. She said something like this: “No one is going to tell me how to teach and how much to teach. And when I’m teaching, no one can interrupt to ask question etc.”

Later a fellow told me that, once a student proposed her for marriage before whole class. So now she takes extra care. The other Economics teacher was also not someone you can trust to learn from.

So, I hated those basic courses. I left them. And now I don’t remember which courses I studied in that year. But things went on.

In my second year at college, I was looking through course atlas where I found the description of Business Communication course interesting. So after giving some thoughts, I decided to take that course. I loved it.

Business Communication was probably my favorite course during my college years. Why? Everything this course had, have something to do in real life. I went to internet to take help. And I never turned back to college again. I dropped it.

I stayed at college for next one and half year, where I spent most of time reading business magazines and making notes of them. I especially was interested how people build business from scratch and how they turn tragedies into motivational tools.

Next I started learning how internet can be used. And this is where I am today, using it for my business.

What I have learned from my these experiences is this:

” You don’t get to know what you really want (or want to do), unless you start doing something. If you’ll do one thing, the experience will help you find out what is for you and why are you. “

So if you’re at some point wondering what you want to do (or can do). Start doing one thing which is before you. Go for your first call. May be you’ll fall at wrong place. But the experience of this wrong place shall eventually get you to the right place.

Also remember: DOING helps you think clearly. DO something.

Image from here

Please Write Email In 5 Sentences or DON’T

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We no longer like emails as much as we used to do. Why. This is because it takes lot of time and still the uncertainty stays with it.

In fact now people are buying t-shirts like the one below. I think I and you need one too. It can be purchased from here.

Any way.. let’s move on.

Writing email and business letter was first thing which I learned back in 2007. I’m still learning how to write an email under 5 sentences.

One thing which I learned about email and many people miss is: The purpose of email is to get the work done. Email is not about all-this-and-that.

It is all and only about to get the work done.

Here is how I do it.

  • please don’t write email. please. unless it is truly needed.
  • please write them back at earliest, as they wrote because it was truly needed.
  • if all you need to give them one sentence information, send ‘em a text message or make a call.
  • write action points in bold.
  • if someone has written you an email to inform about something important, please write ‘em back that you have read the email.
  • make full use of subject to provide heart of the message.
  • avoid formal sentences.
  • use words, instead of sentence.
  • use many fullstops. When you add fullstop you mean it in what so ever.
  • make use of bullets.
  • make use of social media. If you can approach to the receiver fatser using Facebook or Twitter, go for it.

Like me, if you are one who likes short email messages. Consider adding your tip(s) in comments below.

Cheers.

Technorati code: 6H5X4P7KRE7Z

7 Things I Learned By Listing My Fears

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A week back I wrote my fears and emailed them to 4 of my friends. Actually we had this activity where everyone in team wrote his fears (personal + business) and shared with the whole group. I wrote few things like: I’m afraid of:

  • of what I say. I feel bad, really bad when I don’t fulfil my words
  • of being left alone
  • being lived in very backward part of the world (but I love it)
  • of my past, which has nothing not do with future
  • getting insulted in public, for any mistakes which I made some three years back
  • having no money
  • my bad English.
  • etc etc.
  • publishing this post (it just came into my mind.)

Here is what I learned from this valuable and (what seemed very difficult at first, but) easy exercise.
1. Some of the fears we have are real, but at the same time the solution is so just on the opposite side of the fear. But we get frightened and do not look at fears for solutions.
2. If you have fear of something, it means you can 100% counter that fear. You posses all the tools, power and whatsoever, fear doesn’t exist without solution.
For example, I’m afraid of not having money, but at the same times. I have abilities to address this. And why I am not afraid of losing the US President election, because I am not interested. That fear is around Obama and other people who’re affiliated with Presidency.
Or you can add other example: Fear of Publishing this post once it is completed. I’m only having this fear now, today, never before. Because this is first time I’m going to write my fears and tell you about them.

3. The point is, you’re afraid when you’re THINKING to make something. Fear is good. It means you are thinking to make. But only thinking doesn’t make anything, so you need to act. And when you act, you eliminate the fear of getting started. And now you are game.
4. What seems you as your weakness, others see that as your strength. (Taught by Peter)
5. Share your fears with true friends, and they can surely help you in some means to get rid of those fears.
6. Everything what we listed as fear, is not fear anymore. It is just that old ego screaming, taking it last chances to protect status quo.  (Taught be Ivana)
7. Folks at some big corporate world, list their fears and hopes about the new product or task and share with each member. This help them make the best of their abilities and at the same time, it clears minds.
8. Bonus After doing this exercise I look into my fears with a positive approach, rather than making myself sad about being poor or what ever hell. I have not yet listed my Hopes anywhere. But I shall look into making this possible too.
Discussion Points:

What you think of writing your fears, and sharing them with some friends? Have you ever done so? Do you think people should do it at companies or in start-up world? Do you believe it can help you make better use of your brain rather then pumping it with fears. I look forward to your words.

Important and more: If you have never written you fears. Even after reading this post. You’ll just get 17% of what it means to write down fears. To get the rest of 83% you need to do it yourself. Go do it.
Thank you to very good friends Peter, Stiivi and Ivana. Without them I would never know why fears exist. And what the hell it has to do with us. I hope you’ll have this fear of writing your fears. Good Luck!

Also learn:
- Being the first one to cross river
- Getting up in easy way
- Be present even if you are not prepared

Without Knowing the Equation

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Hello friends, hope each and everyone is striving to be great. Same is here on my side, 2011 hasn’t been a year of success but still I and you are not done with it.

Some of you might know, these days I’m in my hometown Basirpur, living with my family. But also I’m working on to address some new problems / opportunities. Will tell you more when I’ll be changing my place and responsibilities.

Also I’ve learned something really surprising lately. Here it is.

We enjoy many incidents without ever knowing the true equation behind them.

For example for the last three years I’ve been connecting with new friends, from different social and geographical backgrounds. And the results of these connections have always been incredible, true friendship, business opportunities and learning experience.

But the real equation was revealed to me by a good friend Scott Gould, he stated this.

Diversity unites us.

And today I learned this incredible lesson from a story. As Laozi might have said,

… sometimes the journey of a single step starts with a thousand miles in the opposite direction.

Amazing lesson indeed!

Have you ever had experience something, without knowing what’s going on? Please share your learning in comments below. Thank you.

(story) There is Always a Chance, and There is Always a Choice

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Watch this yourself.

” The is always a chance, and there is always a choice. Instead of doing nothing with myself.  I want my son to see me singing on stages because life is too precious to waste. “

Thanks to the best known videos curator Sami Ullah for pointing this video.

More true stories: