Act Your Dream

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 notific...

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...