The (Shameless) Outlier Voice Notes

Don’t Lose your Voice “Don’t lose your voice. Don’t lose your individuality.” That was the first piece of advice I received from my mentor. The world around you will try to influence, shape, push you into a certain direction. That is what an ecosystem does: it forces you to conform, and before you and I know it, we become clones. We become a product of the culture that we grew up in, or we choose...

Somebody met me at an event, sought me out, touched my shoulder, and said, thank you. I couldn’t remember the person. I didn’t know who that was, and I very politely told him, “Hey, I don’t know who you are.” At that point, he said, “Pravin, there was something you said in your talk that impacted me and changed the way I am. Therefore, I was waiting for an opportunity to meet you and thank you.” I...

Why boredom is a competitive advantage! Go back to your childhood for the answer. Well, I’m going back to mine. When there was not much to do, not too many distractions, I read the same book again and again. Played with friends, made up our own games, we all got quite creative. Boredom is a competitive advantage at work. When was the last time you clocked into work and then sat for half an hour do...

A painting hung upside down. Everybody notices it. But why something that you perhaps have crossed quite some time in your daily commute, but all of a sudden, if a house is boarded up, you begin to wonder what’s going on. You wonder what used to be here. Something that you have encountered once or twice or thrice on a daily basis. Yet if it just remains, the same sameness gets buried. That is some...

When the music stops What happens when the tide runs out? That is when you find out who is actually dressed for the swim and who is swimming around naked. A quote attributed to several politicians, including Winston Churchill. But the question remains, what happens when the music stops? Are you dancing in rhythm? Are you playing to the tune? What is going on? What do you do when the music stops? T...

CALL ME. Just two words are enough. What do you do when this message is received? It depends on who it came from. It also depends on the time of day when I receive this particular message. Same two words, the people, the context, the time; Everything changes how I perceive and how I react. If it is someone close and they send a “Call me” message, I will drop everything, pick up the phone, and call...

Sometimes things happen, and you have no clue. You’re scrambling to finish that examination. You know you’re going to run over time, but all of a sudden, an invigilator comes and says: “Hey, doesn’t matter. You’ve got five extra minutes. By the time I collect all the answer papers, finish up whatever you’re doing.” Good Samaritans exist. It is the same in life. You’re running late to catch a bus....

An empty chair You run into a restaurant, it’s an impromptu thing. There’s a mile-long queue, and your heart automatically falls. What do you do? I was so looking forward to this lunch, this signature dish at this particular restaurant everyone seems to be talking about. And because everyone is talking about it, there’s a mile-long queue I’ll have to wait in. Now, what do I do? Is there a possibil...

You cannot buy feel There’s all this talk about AI eating my breakfast, lunch, and dinner? It’s going to eat me up. I’m going to be out on the streets. I don’t know what I’m going to do. How am I going to work? What am I going to do for survival? How am I going to take care of my family? Well, this kind of panic comes and keeps coming and will keep coming in various other formats. The TV was suppo...

Every time I get lost within myself, a bit overwhelmed, or generally listless, I go off for long walks. What works for you? A recent movie that I saw had a beautiful dialogue that jumped out: “Just focus on you”. You can spend your whole life worrying about other people, but your time is right now. This means that if I, as a person, am not at peace with myself for various reasons, I (may) end up p...

An enemy is a blessing Some cliches are meant to be broken. One such thing is, “Tell me who your friends are. I’ll tell you who you are.” Fine. You are attributing the behaviour of my cohort to an impression of me. Go ahead. At this point, I would like to digress and focus more on a dialogue I heard in a movie called Rush: that having an enemy is a blessing when it comes to friends. Well, there’s...

Plant the Story. We are all farmers. Why create at all if you are not going to put it out there? You may want to try a new recipe for yourself. Then you invite some friends over to go ahead and try it out. You write a lovely piece, but you send it across to a select few. BUT… That sending across does not happen in most cases. We have our self-limiting beliefs, our self-doubt, a whole lot of voices...

The Wall, The Guilt, The Crawl The lull after the initial enthusiasm, that’s exactly where some people find themselves. There is a Josh, there is a war cry, and everybody wants to jump in and be a part of it. And the first 2, 3, 4 weeks, wow, I’m working towards it. There’s a whole lot moving, but suddenly there’s a slowness in the speed, and we begin to think, “ Oh, what am I doing? Why am I doin...

The “I ALSO DO THAT” Virus Funny, isn’t it? We cannot resist the temptation to add a whole lot more. Vanilla ice cream is just not enough. We need to have the chocolate sauce. We need to have a cherry on top and maybe some crumbles. “I also do that.” Let me narrate an example of something that happened that triggered this particular post. I reached out with a job advertisement of a simple WhatsApp...

When a Lion meets a tiger! Or the other way around! Water and oil aren’t supposed to mix,but they create a beautywhich shines with a bit of light. Can Tigers mate with Lions? Or Lions with Tigers? Is that even feasible? Yet, it has happened. Natural or contrived. Giving birth to Tigons (Tiger male, lion female)Or Ligers (Lion male, Tiger female). Like anything born from collision Some admire, some...

COMMITTEE= CREATIVITY KILLERS Piss off the people pleasers! When you want to get something doneYou assemble a team of doers When you want to kill somethingas early as possible You form a committee There will be always be some folksbelligerent to any changesteadfast in their vision to be seen Seen as doing thingsrather than actual doing Some of us fall preyto this people-pleasing paralysisAnd get s...

The right mix of salt and spiceYet the taste seems off, not quite there You’ve written a pieceBut feel something is missing, something more to be added That speech you have to give,You are delaying just to make it that bit more perfect Should we wait to have all possible information, combinations, detailsBefore we make a decision on anything? Or are we ok to use the information we haveMake necessa...

“This is how I’ve always done things. Things must be exactly just that.” I cannot do or try new things because I am a person of process. I am a stickler for routine. I call it discipline. I call it process. Change happens. Either it happens to us, and we have no control. Or we happen to it, with all variables, almost, in control. What would you rather have as a choice? * Reform: a way to change th...

It all starts with great intentions Enthusiasm that will make everyone around energisedFull force in the steps, moving aheadWith the wind behind my back There I go, all set to conquer the world With my creativity, and workI am in flow, the flow is in meThe tap is open and the water is gushing out I show up every single dayAll I need to do is sit downAnd the thoughts and ideas stream forthWith me s...

Will she accept me? Oh, it depends on how good my love letter is. So here I am, working on my 10th draftPerfect, it will be, more than enough for her to say Yes. I have shaped it, honed it, sharpened it, romanticised itYou must know that I have been working on it for ages. She surely will love this, and love meAnd we shall live happily ever after. Letter ready, I visit her. She seems happy to see...

GET BORED ON PURPOSE’Boring’ new ideas and actions! The need to do somethingTo be seen as doing somethingImmersing into action, any typeJust to keep myself occupied Constant hustlingIsn’t that a modern disease? Killing our muse… What if we go on a strike With ourselves Decide to sitAnd let some time fly by Allow the mind to wanderWhile I sit and gazeWatch the breeze move people and birds No pressu...

AN AUDIENCE THAT DOESN’T EXIST (YET) What if we turn things on its head? Haven’t we heard that a movie floppedBecause it was way ahead of its timeAchieving a cult status years after its releasePerhaps it was made for a future audience. We create for a specific target groupIn our minds, at leastWe want to be liked and loved by that segmentWhile the fears of ridicule and trolling sometimes stop us....

You can pick the voice version, or the written word! When you dip your feet in the river twiceNeither remains the sameNot the water, nor your feetThere are changes, observed and invisible You made something sometime agoAnd left it on the mantel, gathering dustThe cleanup wave happens and you realise “Wow, what a piece” Would you return it for displayOr let it loose into the world, once again? Work...