Act Your Dream

Just like any seemingly profound thought embellished with fancy graphics and double the dose of lilac hues, the following quote, often attributed to Albert Einstein, has become a pet meme for facebookers around the world. Regardless of whether or not Einstein actually said that, we need to be careful when trying to understand the true nature of the tree-climbing fish. "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." If this is taken out of context, we run the risk of bereaving our educators and our future generations of the passion to impart and receive real education. The analogy is not intended to undermine the  growth mindset . Einstein, or whoever the heck it was, didn't mean to promote the thought that we are all predisposed with a fixed supply of abilities. That would have meant that fish cannot (and should not) learn to climb the tree. On the contrary, the idea of r

This article was originally published on  The Market Mogul . Please read  here . On the back of many recent successes in optimizing its advanced electric powertrain for the Model S, Tesla Motors [NSQD:TSLA] has announced the release of the autopilot feature as part of Tesla Version 7 software last week. This latest software update allows the Model S to use its unique combination of cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and data to steer down the highway, change lanes, and adjust speed in response to traffic. Once you’ve arrived at your destination, Model S scans for a parking space and parallel parks on your command. In its announcement to its clients, Tesla said: “Model S can’t make traffic disappear, but Version 7 software makes it a lot easier, safer, and more pleasant to endure.” According to Tesla Motors, this release also features the most significant visual refresh yet of the digital displays for every single Model S around the world. The instrument panel is focused

This article was originally published on  The Market Mogul . Please read  here . In the third of Clinton Lectures at the Georgetown University in April 2015, the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton noted, “If you have a vision, a strategy and you have the support of people at the grassroots level because you’re inclusive, these kinds of things can be done by ordinary citizens.”   tweet What he was referring to was the idea of  radical inclusion  for ensuring broad-based prosperity in America and the world. In today’s world where more than three billion people live on less than $2.50 a day and more than 1.3 billion on less than $1.25 a day, the idea of radical inclusion has never been more pertinent than it is now. Of all kinds of inclusion–political, cultural and financial–providing fair and widespread access to financial services has the most direct impact on poverty reduction. Why financial inclusion is important Developed economies have long recognised t

It was last Wednesday evening and I had just gotten back from work. The news that our world had changed yet again a few hours back, had not permeated my senses through the deluge of social media posts that had to follow. So I threw myself on the couch, glanced the clock on the wall and flipped my laptop open. The first thing I saw was a news report posted a few days earlier, about scientists working on a grandiosely  ambitious project  to bring back to life the extinct woolly mammoths that walked the earth for hundreds of thousands of years. The next thing I noticed was another report about a 14-year old schoolboy in Dallas Texas who got arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school. Let me admit; for a moment I too felt guilty for my brazen revolt against the newly established norms of civil obedience, but still dared to glance the clock again only to make sure I had not traveled back in time. And just then, my cell phone buzzed with a Twitter notification and I was reawaken

In my first job as an intern at one of Canada’s top telecom companies, I was privileged to work in an environment with open doors. Throughout my career, I quizzically probe my to-be bosses to understand whether their organization / team has a similar culture, but I’ll leave that topic for another time. Working within an open environment, put me in touch with the VP of the team on a number of projects. She would email me directly, ask me to pop by her office and ask me for my input on numerous projects. I trooped into her office one day after submitting my resignation to my manager. As she was mentioning her frank disappointment at my decision, I gathered the courage and asked her to be my mentor. It has been 5 years since she agreed. Why mentors are important 1. They tear down the tunnel: As you are working day in and out on projects within your role, you start focusing on short term goals and suffering from tunnel vision. A mentor’s perspective breaks down these imagi

I recently read a wonderful article by  Bob Patton  on the true meaning of human legacy. Bob's inspiring story about his father-in-law instantly reminded me of my mother's uncle who for many years has been an inspiration for me and many others I've known. His life's work is not fully represented by the professional stature that he rose to as the President of one of the biggest global financial institutions of the world, but by the innumerable souls that his most humble and compassionate acts of kindness touched. Reflecting on his unwavering strength of character has provided me solace in the toughest of times. I always heard him say that the true measure of an individual's character is how he treats a person who cannot do any good to him. Through his selfless devotion to the good of humanity, he brought to life the profoundness of the adage: “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share abou

Our Physics teacher was more of an older friend for us than a teacher. He took all the boredom away from an arduous science subject by making it incredibly appealing to our curious minds. He knew extremely well how to communicate complex scientific concepts to us through riveting demonstrations and fascinating experiments (that didn't always work, mind you). The classroom was our playground when it was time to 'study' Physics. The captivating visual appeal of what I was told was Physics, worked wonders to teach me seemingly intricate ideas about the macrocosm and microcosm that have stuck with me to this day. And this is how I learned that light travels faster than sound. Why I still ended up becoming a banker and not a physicist, is a story for some other time. School Physics taught me in more ways than one, that light travels faster than sound. Light is human beings' beloved child while sound is the unruly step-child that our brains love to hate. Compared to

A young boy I was mentoring years ago as part of a program run by  The Citizens Foundation  in Pakistan blurted in middle of a group pep talk, "You don't understand sir, the whole world is against me; the teacher never gives me the marks that other students get for the same work." Being a mentor, I was a bit taken aback by that downbeat remark but I realized that I had to be sensitive to how strong emotions from other students might come into play. Before I even had a chance to wrap my head around the possible nuances of the comment, another boy cut in "But sir, he does not even try." Rewind one week to the orientation session; we all gathered in a small room already filled with a bunch of passionate boys and girls all wanting to make a real difference in the lives of less privileged students living on the outskirts of Karachi. An equally enthusiastic speaker adorned in crisp white shalwar kameez spoke about the Victim-Creator model of thinking. I was fas