5 Things I Explored this Week

1) What I am reading

Why the Problem with Learning Is Unlearning - Mark Bonchek

“Unlearning is not about forgetting. It’s about the ability to choose an alternative mental model or paradigm. When we learn, we add new skills or knowledge to what we already know. When we unlearn, we step outside the mental model to choose a different one”

The Backwards Brain Bicycle - Smarter Every Day 133

This video is the perfect example of unlearning where Destin Sandler tries to learn a bicycle with a backward handle. It looks easy at first, but once you see him and others struggle while riding it, you realize how you need to unlearn the normal way of riding a bicycle. Being aware of our mental models and how to unlearn them is important in many different ways.

2) What I am learning?

Corporate Innovation: Avoiding The Cargo Cult

Cargo Cult: An approach that start-up founders use that copies an existing successful start-up without adequately analyzing and understanding it.?

3) Quote I am pondering?

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.” - Oprah Winfrey

4) What I am thinking?

I consider being grateful to be one of the most important things in life. I am the kind of person who always sets goals and whenever I achieve them, I think about what’s next. I am always in a constant loop of setting goals, achieving them, and thinking about the next goal. Ever since I was in high school, I dreamed of coming to Canada and once I came here, I immediately shifted my focus to the next goal and stopped being grateful for being in Canada and being surrounded by such beautiful weather, sights, and people.

Since last year, I am practicing the art of gratitude by being grateful for where I am, what I have, and how I became the person I am right now. All the experiences I had in the last 2 years, shaped me into who I am today. Looking back at my journey and practicing the art of gratitude has made a shift in the way I think. Whenever someone tells me that I don’t share or talk about my problems, I tell them “I don’t have any problems” - being stressed and under pressure, losing sleep over not hitting my goals, etc are not problems for me - they are learning opportunities. If you go to Syria, the Republic of Congo, or other underprivileged countries, you will see the “REAL” problems. Think about the children who lost their parents in a bombing, think about people not having enough water and food to survive, and countless other situations. Thinking about the people in these countries makes me grateful for everything I have.

Shifting your brain to being grateful every day is tough and it's much easier to cry and complain about small things in life. Next time you want to complain about something, take a moment to become aware of what you are complaining about and shift your focus to being grateful instead.

5) What I am watching

The Secret Genius Behind Apple's Success