This is an excerpt from an article that I wrote for The Fifth Estate, the official student news body of IIT Madras, and which will also appear in IIT Madras's Annual Magazine, to be released during Convocation 2012. The full-version of this article will be published by the end of July 2012; stay tuned for that. It has been almost a year at Stanford in this vibrant Silicon Valley, and I have so many stories and experiences to share. This is just the beginning.
People often ask me what this entrepreneurial spirit
is all about, something that, we have all heard, is unique to Stanford
and the Silicon Valley. "Being entrepreneurial doesn't just mean
starting companies”, says Chris McCann, co-founder of StartupDigest,
“It’s really a life philosophy and culture. The normal people I know are
doing the same thing they were a year ago, complain about their bosses,
don’t have anything to do when they are bored, and just lead general
less interesting lives. But the incredible entrepreneurs I know have
interesting hobbies, are excited by the future, learn about completely
random topics, and have exciting things going on all the time in their
lives."
That's
the spirit of this place - exciting things going on all the time. In
the 9 months that I have been here, I have learned tennis and squash,
picked up playing the keyboard, taken lessons in social ballroom
dancing and hip hop, improved as a swimmer, helped organize talks by public figures,
cooked a variety of Indian dishes, made a lot of new friends, and
interacted with a bunch of leaders, entrepreneurs and celebrities, in
addition to doing the usual research, courses and assignments. Every day
I wake up, I try to indulge myself in something new, try to make my day
memorable, so that at the end of it, I can go to bed satisfied, with a
smile on my face.
And
this is something that I would love to see everyone doing - indulging
in something new, every day. I realized it only recently, but believe
me, life’s too short to get stuck with a boring routine. If you think you’ve
got stuck in your lives, get yourself out of the rut. Pick up a new
pastime. Or make a new friend. Or visit a new place. Or play a new
sport. Or learn a new topic. Or try out a new gadget. So that when people
ask you “What’s up?”, you have a different answer to give them, every
single time.
51 comments:
The last line is especially nice :-) . So that's why you ask what's up with me everytime you ping :D ... and have fun with all that you are doing, particularly the ballroom dancing :D
Inspiring! :) I agree with Arun, nice ending!
Awesome man. so perfectly written.. Keep writing more of these and keep posting..!!
Arun KJ: I ask that to everyone (and almost everyone asks that to me too :P). And thanks! :-)
Rishabh, Shalin: Thanks, doston! You've been with me during several of my pursuits at Stanford - keep up the motivation! :-)
What does doing something different every day have to do with entrepreneurship? How are they related at all?
Chintan: You missed the point altogether :P The main message that I wanted to convey was to not get trapped into leading a stagnant life - and the way I suggested one can avoid falling into such a trap was by consciously trying to indulge in new activities every day. And this practice of constantly engaging oneself in new activities has been found to be common to a lot of entrepreneurs (ref: McCann's quote), and hence I referred to it as the "entrepreneurial spirit".
This doesn't mean that you can be a good entrepreneur if you keep doing new things everyday. And this article is NOT at all about how to become a good entrepreneur or anything like that. It's just the spirit of living a non-stagnant life that I am talking about. :-)
Haha, this is so much similar to what I was thinking after end of first week of the internship about which I was super excited.
Truly, a non-monotonous life is more viable as a student rather than when you work.
Its debatable whether you call such a life 'entrepreneurial' or 'enterprising'. Entrepreneurship involves a certain iota (humongous, in fact) of risk. Your life sounds full of fun. Of course, research, coursework and assignments curtail some of that freedom ;-)
Trying to remember what all I learnt at Stanford: Tennis, social dance, volleyball, swimming, rock-climbing, boot-camp, aerial fabrics. A piano class that I didn't do very well. EE48 hacking stuff class where I built a line-follower bot.
After I took aerial fabrics, I am doing only aerial fabrics though :-)
Of course AOE and catan...
Echoes my thoughts very well, looking forward to more blog posts from you :)
U've really put it so well. After reading your article, went to gym , something which I have been procrastinating for weeks. :)
Deepak: Interesting! I wonder how many of the other interning people are thinking the same way. ;-)
Jasaswee: Like I said to Chintan, this article has nothing to do with entrepreneurship as such - you could replace "entrepreneurial" with any other equivalent word and the message would still remain the same. Bhavnaon ko samjho yaar! :-)
Gowtham: And now Scotland Yard and Risk :D
Sahil bhai: Thanks! :-)
Rahul: I am so proud that I could make you go to the gym :P
good post misre! i hope the entrepreneurial/enterprising spirit is not just limited to standford :)
Very nice read :) I like the fact that you have made it crisp but at the same time conveyed a lot.
I have seen many people misusing the term "entrepreneurial", but this post makes one think broader. Cheers !!
Anoosh: It's an universal spirit - can exist anywhere. ;-)
Charu: Thanks! :-)
Short , Sweet and Inspiringly true .. I already feel like doing something new .. :D .. Nice One Misraji .
Well written! :) It is a good point, doing exciting things everyday and Stanford offers plenty of opportunities for it.I really like to do that , but it becomes harder when we try to manage 3 courses in the quarter.
Lakshman: Thanks! You're in the Bay Area now, don't miss this opportunity! Live your dreams! :-)
Divya: True, and that's one of the reasons I have stopped taking more than one academic course per quarter ;-)
Interesting interpretation of entrepreneurship! This post stays true to the original meaning of entrepreneur, which arises from the root "entreprendre", meaning to "take up something". In that context, a true entrepreneur is definitely one who keeps taking up new stuff. :-) Waiting to read the whole thing :-)
Absolutely awesome read :) Superb end to an already excellent article.
Chappli aka GV: Interesting! I didn't know about the origin of this word - thanks a lot for posting it for me and everyone else to see. :-)
Vaibhav: Thanks! Hope you have an exciting time at your internship. :-)
To describe in one word , Aweinspiring ....
Changes the thinking process of d individual to some extent. .. at least for me .. :)
btw , gt one question for u to which I wud love to hear an answer every day , "Whats up?" ( Generally we get d answer from ur FB posts though .. ;) ).
That's an exciting beginning to a way of life, yes. However, it will also be important to find the right balance and focus. It's easy to start something but it takes more to excel at it. That is what is most fulfilling. And at the end of the day, you will be looking for that sense of achievement.
Fully agreed, its just the vibe that make you vibrant; which people term as opening up and mistakenly take as entrepreneurial gesture...
Thanks for the article...We need to realize this, every day gives you a chance to forget yesterday and forge for future!
Nagesh: Thanks, and yes, Facebook is a good place to get updates about me. :-)
Manu bhai: Completely agree! When I said that we should try something new every day, I implied that we either try a new art or try some new techniques to improve in an art that has already been undertaken. Becoming a jack (of several trades) has its own joys, but becoming a master (of at least a few of them) is very important too - because it brings with it, as you said, a sense of achievement. :-)
Suman: True, well said! :-)
Nice one Misraji!
I am reminded of Richard Branson's 'Losing my Virginity'.
Waiting for the full post.. :)
:) Nice one. Especially the ending. :)
so true bro..but the part where u putforth ur point that we should indulge in new activities everyday is simply bookish..its nt quite possible..as to say u cant learn keyboard in a day or even a month and switch over to some other hobbies.u need to pursue what u have chosen
Shaileshh: Thanks! Haven't read that book - will try to do it sometime soon! :-)
Pranjal: Thanks! :-)
Debasish: True that you can't learn keyboard soon and switch to another hobby - but you can certainly learn to play a new song on a new day. :-) As I replied to Manu bhai, trying new things also includes things that are directly aimed at getting better at something you've already taken up. :-)
Nice one Rakesh. The best phase to make the most of entrepreneurial spirit is as a student. Its challenging to carry forward the spirit.
Nice! This is something I am learning myself these days. Its important to push yourself out of your comfort zone and do something you're not good at, every once in a while. Feeling that fear is healthy and keeps you sharp.
Niranjan: Thanks! I agree, but I think more than age, it depends a lot on what kind of an environment you live in and what kind of resources/opportunities are available around you. :-)
Aditya: Very true! :-)
The comment on "going to bed with a smile on your face" was awesome :) ... and agree to a certain extent with the concept of "entrepreneurial spirit". But I would broadly break up your examples into 2 categories ... most of the things you mentioned can be classified as hobbies and I agree one should take time out for them and keep picking up new hobbies. If you include your work/student life, it comes down to going out of your comfort zone and learning new aspects of your field of interest. But in both cases, the timing is critical ... you can't hope to find "something new" everyday, irrespective of how you define it :)
So that when people ask you “What’s up?”, you have a different answer to give them, every single time.
-simply awesome dude.
Very well written but a very short article for such a good one!
Gudi: Thanks! :-) And "everyday" was a hyperbole; you could take it to mean "often" :-)
ManAv: Thanks. :-) This is just an excerpt, and hence is short. :-)
Nice piece. Being entrepreneurial daily doesn't need any angel investors or venture capitalists, so it's just a matter of thinking positive and pursuing it :)
My thoughts precisely!
Very well written.
Lovely last line :)
Very nice read, Rakesh.
However, I do believe that a subset of the normal people who do the same thing over and over again differently are entrepreneurs as well. To try different things daily is to be creative. To try the same thing differently every day is to be persistent and patient! The entrepreneurial spirit I believe lies in the sweet spot between the two.
Abird aka Aurosish: Precisely! :-)
Maitreyi, Vasuki: Thanks! :-)
Abhijeet bhaina: Completely agree! :-) Infact, my broader implication of doing new things regularly also included doing the same things in new ways - like playing the same song with different chords, or solving the same optimization problem using a different approach. The same old concepts of depth and breadth. :-)
I will remember this sentence for some time now. "So that when people ask you “What’s up?”, you have a different answer to give them, every single time". Keep writing more and do share.
Nice and crisp read. May this motivate the entrepreneur within!
Manikanta, Harish: Thanks :-)
Good read!
You might find this an interesting read : http://paulgraham.com/hubs.html
The little girl aka Shubhra: Thanks! :-)
Sujeet: Really interesting perspective! Thanks a lot for the link! :-)
Nicely put! These were in some way my feelings when I was in second year. I have been involving myself in various activities since then. Yeah, as you said life's too short to be doing the same thing. Apart from learning various sports and many other things, I also had an entrepreneurial experience. I managed the R&D department of a student startup in my third year. Insti was a perfect place for me to learn and grow :)
"..for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?'
And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."
misra ji its hard to define entrepreneurship better!
Bharath: Nice to know! What this habit of trying out a variety of things also does is that it lets you discover where your true interests lie! I'm sure you would have that enlightenment pretty soon if you haven't had it already :-)
Tarun: One of my favorite quotes. And no wonder that this quote was made by Steve Jobs on this very land of Stanford, in this Silicon Valley. :-)
I like the way you attempted to define entrepreneurship, and quite frankly, I can't think of a better way of putting it. Life sure is a whole lot more fun when you can answer "What's up?" with something totally unexpected! Looking forward to reading the rest of the article..
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