Suresh Dinakaran's Blog

 

The historic John F Kennedy quote from his inspiring inaugural address goes like this ” Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”-

 

There is a cue in it for a lot of us defaulted in the thinking which goes something like this ” what does the world owe us? ” – this question not only is a trap that often goes unheard but comes from a place of unearned entitlement and fans the scarcity fuel.

 

Probably a better a question to ask would be ” what do I owe to the world ? “, which leads to opening the doors of possibility, exploration, adventure, connections, contribution and onward momentum. Waiting for the world to show us the way, fetch things onto our lap is an endless and futile wait. On the other hand, getting to doing things that leads to contribution is energizing and intrinsically motivating.

 

This extract from a Marianne Williamson quote sums it up nicely- “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”.

 

Yes, we owe it to the world! And that is the way we address the imbalance.

 

The very term gap year brings with it the potential for instant ostracising. Because, sadly that is how our culture is hardwired- wherein we are trading conformity, compliance, adherence to gaining some kind of stability in return.

 

Somehow we have all done a terrible job of marketing and branding the gap year. Hence it has an awful name.  It is almost a taboo that you are considering one.

 

It is that time of the year when millions of students are at the crossroads as they consider getting into universities and colleges. A lot of them take up anything that comes from their way far removed from what they needed or expected. Because they are afraid of breaking the norm, being labelled a quitter, of going against established, accepted practice. And end up spending significant amount of money and time pursuing something sub-optimal.

 

Why not look at the gap year with a new lens? As an opportunity? To level up, address your curiosity, explore, living(which we are not, as we are merely complying), figuring out where to contribute, how to make things better- in fact all the things that we don’t do when we are just conforming or adhering. In fact, on the contrary, our compliance years are the gap.

 

And this is applicable not just to college students but as much to other adults. Wherein we are committing our time and resources with intention. If you can afford it, this is a powerful moment to invest in the next chapter of who you are and what you will and can become.

 

Understandably it is a tough call especially for adults to move away from their freelance dance or from the security of their ‘job’ and tread the path less trodden to become the leader or the creator that you always wanted to become. But for a student, it is actually a great opportunity to disembark from the carousel of conformity and lockstep obedience and actually commit to a path of your own choosing– leverage the freedom of being an amateur. Save up on that sizable tuition money and make it work for you, far, far better.

The duration can be a semester or two or an entire year- wherein you have created the chance to become the best version of yourself, make your dent in the universe and adopt a posture that will remain a permanent asset you have at your disposal rather than fall prey to the diktat of the zeitgeist, the herd mentality.

 

People like us do things like this. The acute discomfort that you feel is exactly the reason why you should consider a gap year in the first place and spend more time invested in it.

 

I am guilty of using this term ” Republic of Not Enough ” many a times on this blog. Probably an outcome of observing people (yours truly included) unwilling to look up from our ” ledger of lack “. Big Tech and their well( or is it veil) crafted algorithms nudging you perennially into FOMO( Fear of Missing Out) mode, never lets you off the hook.

 

If perfect (in lieu of being content) is the default expectation dancing in our heads all the time, it is an unattainable destination that is rarely reached taking us down the rabbit hole of wanting  more  in comparison to someone else, as what you are whining about is that you never have enough.

 

The only thing that whining or complaining does is to convince other people that you are not in control. Helpful? Far from it. And for all those who are under the mistaken impression that whining burns calories, sorry to disappoint you..it doesn’t!!

 

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are far more blessed than the million plus people who will not survive this week. If you can read this blog then you are far more fortunate than the millions who cannot read it at all. Are you ready to compare now?

 

Nobody is going to invite you and say ‘ here’s some cheese to go with your whine “- Whining, at best, is a symptom, it’s rarely a cure for anything. So, you know what to opt out of!

We are all fellow travelers in the hedonic treadmill. The hedonic treadmill( or hedonic adaptation) is the idea that an individual’s level of happiness, after rising or falling in response to positive or negative life events, ultimately tends to move back toward where it was prior to these experiences. Leading to the never ending pursuit for more. Exactly what big brands tap into- the attraction of ‘ the thrill of the chase “- the shiny new object syndrome.

 

So, time to step off the hedonic treadmill. Elimination and subtraction is a powerful proxy to make progress. So is discomfort. But the jury seems to be still out on that since we live in the ‘Republic of Not Enough‘ and ‘more‘ is the operative four letter word.

 

Comparison is an act of violence against the self. It is a thug that robs your joy. So, where are you headed?

 

There is tremendous power resident within the act of saying no. The domino effect is that we tend to value ourselves more, prioritize ourselves and can even lead us to new opportunities that wouldn’t have been achievable by saying yes. It also allows us to set boundaries.

 

Way back in the mid 1970s there was a book released titled ” Don’t Say Yes When You Want to Say No ” which got cult status in transforming mindsets. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with saying no when necessary. This includes when you simply don’t have the energy to do everything you’re asked or when you want to prioritize self-care.

 

As they say, “ the best movies are so not because of what you see, but because what you don’t see “. The director and editor would be in tandem saying no to such stock even though it might be alluring to retain it within the film but because they realise that leaving out will only add to the appeal and the aura of the film.

If you are tongue tied up about saying no, and find it hard to articulate it, here is an incredible example that you would want to take inspiration from. Writer and translator Estelle Gilson picks up this extract of a rejection slip put out by a Chinese economic journal :-

 

“We have read your manuscript with boundless delight. If we were to publish your paper, it would be impossible for us to publish any work of lower standard. And as it is unthinkable that in the next thousand years we shall see it’s equal, we are, to our regret, compelled to return your divine composition and to beg you a thousand times to overlook our short sight and timidity.”

 

Now, go better that!!!

 

Saying “No” is an essential skill, but so is knowing how to say it without antagonizing people. If you can get the balance right, you’ll be all the more successful for it. We might be capable but that does not mean that we become the walking talking epitome of being a ‘yes man’.

 

So, stop being a people pleaser! We can learn how to set boundaries and say NO – Without Feeling Guilty! And you will discover that it is counter to what runs in your head. Especially if your worry is putting off or upsetting people. Imagine being able to turn down requests and decline invitations with confidence and poise. Imagine saying no to people asking you for favors, and inspiring their respect in the process. Only the guilty are afraid.

 

Start taking control of your life. Start with that beautiful word “no”.

 

 

 

When the outcome is a foregone conclusion, when you are secure in the comfort that what you seek is what you would be getting, when the sequence is linear and the numbers all add up as expected, you are dancing with the knowns, the certainties which will assure you that 2+2 will indeed be 4. No unpleasant surprises.

 

There’s beauty in the unknown and beauty in what may be, beauty in the promises of tomorrow, and beauty in all we cannot yet see.

You might be a scientist or a chef or a scriptwriter or an entrepreneur or an actor or a gardener or a painter or a game designer or a monk or a stand-up comic, if you know something is going to work, there is hardly any thrill in it. You are not putting your neck on the line, you are not embracing uncertainty and the unknown, you don’t need the courage or the faith, you don’t need to have skin in the game. It is all very predictable.

 

The foundry is where you forge your chips is the unknown. Anything important ever invented was because someone took that leap of faith into the unknown. Happily sitting in the domicile of discomfort and taking the plunge with only uncertainty as your ally is what moves mountains and give us the opportunity to leave our dents in the universe.

 

“ When nothing is sure, everything is possible “- Margaret Drabble

 

The assertion here, however, is that there really is no creativity without uncertainty. Put another way: dubito ergo creo. This is Latin for, I doubt therefore I create.

 

The outside world provokes, persists and insists that we change the story we tell ourselves. Our attitude doesn’t have to be driven by the outside world, but sometimes they overlap.

 

Specifically, when we experience the unknown – no matter how uncomfortable and unsettling and destabilizing it can feel – the good news is that it opens vistas of possibility for new thought and action. If we have the confidence and willingness to take creative action in that moment, then our experience with the unknown can lead to new ways of thinking and acting. Taking action, of course, does not guarantee creative outcomes, but it is through new thought and action that we can, at least temporarily, re-stabilize our experiences in new and better ways.

 

Organizations are created, powered, and led by people. To lead organizations well, we train people in disciplines such as marketing, finance, and leadership. But uncertainty and the unknown presents a special challenge since few of us have received training in how to deal with it. As a result, although we may call for innovation, transformation, and change, most people back down at even the hint of risk, falling into a series of behavioral traps that limit organizations’ ability to grow and adapt. The challenge is that all growth, change, and transformation inevitably come paired with uncertainty, the unknown. We have to go through the uncertainty to get to the possibility.

 

“In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty…in the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom from our past, from the known, which is the prison of past conditioning. And in our willingness to step into the unknown, the field of all possibilities, we surrender ourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of the universe.” ~ Deepak Chopra.

 

So, are you willing to knowingly venture into the foundry called the unknown?

 

The concept refers to the narratives and beliefs we create about ourselves, others, and the world around us. These stories can shape our perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. And furthermore, how these perceptions and beliefs materialize in our lives.

 

It is election year in two of the world’s biggest democracies India and the US and there is no better time to unleash the spiel that dances in our head. There are multiple stories running between our ears and a lot of them are invented, planted, coerced or some might be voluntarily accepted as you gracefully offer room for it.

 

But as we absorb it, use it, misuse it, we have to remain cognisant of the fact that all these narratives do come with caveats, that there are many a loose end and it is better not to miss the wood for the trees. Distill the myth from the reality- your presumed role in the world versus the actual role you play. It is all a shortcut- so, we have to be mindful of the fact that the map is not the territory. Information is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom; just like education is not learning.

The sensible thing to be is to be agile and alert about the spin doctoring and backtrack where warranted to change the story especially if it is polarising, intimidating, untrue, misleading and not serving the human cause.

It is a post truth world. The more we recognise it, the better.

 

 

The much touted (yet severely under practiced) ‘ leap of faith ‘ has nothing to do with what fate has in store for you. You can either furiously hang on to the coat tails of impasse( status quo in other polite words) and pretend that you are making progress( in a time where people have to run hard to stand at the same place) or embrace uncertainty( and the accompanying comfort of opening up possibilities) because that is where discovery, invention, progress and connections converge.

There is never ever a perfect time to begin- on the contrary, all the time you spend on pontificating, over analysing, deferring, not deciding and standing still is a serious trade off with not creating, not evolving and not living life to the fullest. There is a beautiful quote by Rumi which puts this in perfect context-” As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”

 

Enlightenment is the natural enemy of the mind as articulated by Eckhart Tolle in his seminal book ” The Power of Now “. The clarion call here is to live fully in the present, liberated from the burden of the mind and being intensely in the now.

So, time to write that script, start your project, pitch your idea to investors, apply for that job, travel to that destination in your bucket list, call that friend whom you have not in ages, move base to a new place- and see the magic unfold- the obstacle becomes the way (When the Obstacle Becomes the Way Forward — Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations 5.20).

 

The perfect time to start? It’s now. What are you waiting for?

 

 

The most desired resource ( fast becoming even scarcer) is attention. And there is a furious race going on to attract (even steal) attention. ” Everything Must Go “, ” Last Day “, Right Now “, ” Never Again ” , ” Last Chance of A Lifetime “, are clarion calls where your attention is expected to be traded off for the seemingly ‘ manna from heaven ‘ that you do not want to miss out on. Needless to add, it is a race to the bottom.

All this burden of getting attention comes at a cost. Cheaper is not better. Obsolescence. Badly designed products. Undercutting by the competitor means taking the shortcut- read going cheaper( the inevitable race to the bottom). Most stakeholders in the game have already surrendered their self-respect and self-esteem and the quintessential never ending pursuit is that of getting attention. At any or all costs.

 

Once reputed media outlets now shamelessly and diligently toe the ‘ if it bleeds, it leads ‘ narrative, e-commerce and click bait are best allies and partners in crime, and deep discounting and never before offers remain suspect.

All this said, the encouraging news is that there is a very viable alternative. A chance to work up the ladder to the top. The ground up model. A race to the top. Of creating products and services that are so good that people talk about it( as it is remarkable) and influence others to come on board, crafting authentic and relevant messages that are tailored to inspire your audience( not all and sundry, no ‘spray and pray‘) who look forward to receive them( because you are concerned and care for your MVA- the Minimum Viable Audience).

 

People who know this craft will define it as marketing.

 

 

Fandom: Fandom refers to a community of people who are passionate about something, whether it’s a film, a band, a television show, a book, or a sports team, a brand or an operating system. A die-hard fan is someone who is strongly or fanatically determined or devoted, strongly resisting change.

 

And the following, the craze, the obsession, the advocacy , the possessiveness, the blind faith, the brand love continues unabashed even though their team is losing or the film is a flop or their single album has under-delivered or the TV Show ratings are nothing to write home about. Our affiliations give us a sense of status and identity within a community. Remember- People like us do things like this. Birds of the same feather…

 

This also extends to our choice of automobiles, noodles or our leanings to a political party or a leader. Rational has nothing to do with this. The emotional connection is so strong that rules of confirmation bias( due respect to Cialdini) get re-written. Belief is created even when reason and possibility dictated otherwise.

 

The connection with a logo or a team or an individual is so all-encompassing that the fan continues to turn up in large numbers even though the team is losing or the celebrity is well and over the hill to command that blind adulation, or the leader is not worthy of advocacy.

If you have earned and enhanced your self-worth by being the devoted, selfless, loyal fan, you can use your voice to address the wrongs that the leadership is doing because when fans speak up, there is a high probability that the other side will listen. Be generous with your voice. Therein lies your ‘test‘.

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the post-entertainment society. Where(unfortunately), culture has taken an infinite sabbatical( coerced into, I dare add).

 

It is the year of the Presidential elections in the US and we would have the ubiquitous ” State Of The Union ” speech. Nothing much changes in politics- your local grocery would have more variety to offer. That is why the need of the hour for all of us in The Creator Economy is to have a ” State Of The Culture ” speech.

 

The year 2024 has already been a tumultuous, fast paced and dangerous time for the creative economy(if one can still call it that). Entertainment will be soon writing its obituary, forgive my sounding alarmist.

 

If one were to equate politics with culture, the two pegs on which culture thrives are Arts and Entertainment. We have already seen the HIPPO in the room there was undeniably Entertainment, by a long way and Arts got relegated if not subsumed totally. Call it collateral damage if you may.

 

That is not the point here but. What we are witnessing is a post-entertainment culture where the arts is certainly not getting a helping hand. Worse, the big daddy aka Entertainment is in hot waters too. Big studios viz Disney, Paramount, Universal, Warner etc are on delicate ice. Layoffs, having to release a big film on OTT within a few days of theatrical release, hiving off business divisions and canceling movie releases seem to be the order of the day amongst these established giants. Music labels see more value in artists who are old than young, dead than alive( look at Sony Music’s acquisition of Michael Jackson’s catalog of songs for US$ 1.2 Billion).

What is causing this tectonic shift? Swiping, scrolling, wasting time or call it whatever you may want to. The non-stop run of ceaseless(meaningless) activity. And who is the boss here? Yes, you guessed it right- distraction– a few seconds of dopamine hits, is all that it takes and BigSocialMediaTech( TikTok, YouTube, Meta, Instagram, Twitter etc) are playing all the best cards they have to ensure a non-stop supply where looking up from our ‘domicile of nirvana‘(mobile phones) is made to seem like an avoidable, painful chore.

 

This is the best ” rewards program ” on the planet. AmEx etc are you guys listening?  Sell our attention cheap(and carelessly) to the predators listed above and in return get bouts of the neurochemical dopamine to feel good and trigger the stimuli to rinse and repeat. You by now know where we are headed. The cycle of consumption, reward, repetition is so habit forming that we are hooked(with no line, no sinker). Addiction is a better terminology. And billions are unwitting volunteers in the biggest social engineering experiment in human history.

The goal of the giants of social media is only one- amp up the ‘ addiction quotient ‘. Get people to crave more, day in, day out. Make them feel pulverised at missing out-FOMO(Fear of Missing Out) if you may. Create a world of junkies where they are the dealers and the peddlers. And laugh their way to the bank. Everything is designed in a manner to lock users into an addictive cycle. Fixate you with dependent junkie status. Optimize the dopamine doom loop. And the virtual reality headsets that the likes of Apple, Facebook etc are urging you to try out raise more concerns-as they rewire users’ brains.

 

Even the dumbest entertainment( read a goofy looking cat video) would seem like Macbeth. Or a photo of a hamburger would do just as nicely.

 

Welcome to the new culture- sorry mindless entertainment- sorry compulsive activity- sorry dopamine addiction!

 

The clock is ticking or is it TikToking?