Tragedy and Genius: weekend viewing (video)

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I had a birthday last weekend, and around such times I naturally find myself looking for material that forces me to introspect an take stock of my life.

So my wife pointed me to this video of Prof. Deepak Malhotra at HBS.




This "Tragedy and Genius" was a great speech to a graduating class.
You should try to watch the speech if you have the time.

If not, here's what I took from it

  • Tragedy: is when you had the potential and ability to be happy, but didn't because of the choices you made
  • Genius: The question isn't "Are you a genius?" It is "What is your genius?" What is your essence. Find it and you'll be happy. Some ways to find it are  
  • Quit: early, and often: if you don't like it, and you can afford to, just quit.
  • Add Value: Make things better for everyone before thinking about what you get out of it.
  • Empathy: Understand the other persons' point of view
  • Humility: have it.
  • Learn: from everyone and in every situation. Turn every experience into an opportunity to learn. Don't be picky about whom you're learning from or if it is what you were expecting to learn.

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