rewards and accolades

The news papers are all over the news about the IPO of Facebook. FlipCart is getting a valuation of 850 million, amazon is soon going to shut down the legendary Barnes and Nobles and new innovations across the board are getting their due.

Standing in front of a bonfire last weekend, a new man appeared. He was a pals pal. When asked what connected them together, they answered - passion! a mutual passion.

Entrepreneurship. That was the answer that was what they were passionate about. Creating something new. something from a thought, to an idea, to a tangible outcome to a real product. service. something whatever form it took it did not matter

Its a good time to be in the space of doing your own thing, neednot be large. need not be life altering, there are more programs and spaces geared up to support your venture than ever before.

Attending a workshop in Bangalore, one was stunned by the level of support the Start Up Communities got. People created spaces for thought,  and mutual collaboration, there were people giving a how do start kits, vc's advising and funding options available aplenty.

Yet much like the Bollywood extras, that aim for the moon. Some land up with star dust and some with glimpses of spotlight, for every good idea there are a few that succeed and a few that dont. Having shadowed a few companies that have made it big, the core reason, seems in my view to balance 3 core things

- Clarity on what the idea is about - what is the purpose that it is trying to solve. Clarity on this allows the marriage to be with the intention and not the process. Hows give way to addressing why are we doing this

- Determination to make tough decisions - There are friends and then there are partners. Sometimes partners make good friends, and sometimes friends dont make good partners. who is who is a tricky bit. The challenge often is to create a system, that culturally has the feel good factor of openness, fun work space with allowance for a new set up to be created. Over time. Processes are not the enemies. Rigidity is.

- Dreaming Big - If you dream about conquering an empire. that is what you will do. If you dream about being an empire of the village then that is what you will get. That is the size of your aspiration shall dictate the actions that you undertake.  The larger the dream the larger the actions

Love the theoritical spool that I seem to be on for today. While the above may have a grain of truth in it, it all falls flat unless one has a deep level of risk taking capacity. A appetite for uncertainty, a conviction that its possible. Without that anything isnt possible

Same same but different

I feel like energy. Movement. Mojo.

Change, keeping it real and making things happen.  There is so much to write about that it paralyzes the flow of thought itself. From the last insignificant blog article to the movement now, there is a sea of change that needs to be accounted for.

The key question that everyone seems to ask is how does it feel. As one passes as an active participant through a grand Indian Wedding, the one thing that is a slippery eel, is the ability to stop and feel. Fear, nervousness, excitement, all jostle for space with the hectic rhythm of managing a event. One forgets to allow the moment to sink in.

How does it feel to be married? Is there a huge change? This is a question that I am answering for myself as well.

Walking along the chaotic streets of Vietnam, there are t shirt slogans of all sorts and kinds that catch your eye. Angry birds, jostle with i-poh for attention. One of them seems to be the one that is a pop out art form of my state of mind

Same same…………….. but different. 

That’s exactly what this feels like. Being an Indian, can state that its a exhilarating luxury to have a partner that has to work hard to surprise you, because the knowingness is on a high pedestal. But a ring on the finger must change some nuances even within that relationship? It felt a bit different. Looking down at the henna draped hands and feet, the implications of the move began to make themselves felt. Bit by bit.

At the core of it, there was a feeling of liberation to the move. Liberation, is a strange word to use for a act that is by its very nature binding.  Liberating- as it allowed me to allow a large catchment of fear, fear of loosing to leave.  Liberating, as it allowed one to somehow believe that this was more secure. A promise of tomorrow, made today more alive. Deeper. Richer. The Fragile tag could be ripped of.

Of course, I know that’s a silly reaction. Marriages, are fragile.  Crushable in seconds. Boredom, taking for granted germs that come to infect. Somehow, maybe its still the honeymoon phase, as long as you take responsibility for your happiness, for making yourself a alive person sharing the changes and learning’s with those around you, things should be ok.

With this new lease of life. With permission from myself to do more, live more. There is a new zest, a new focus on living life just a bit more. Action it baby.