STFU #20 - What Djokovic found in Bosnian Pyramids & Aamir Khan in Solomon Islands - Role of Energy in Startups

If someone asked you “Where are the first pyramids located?”, imagine if someone said, “Bosnia”!

While you might ruthlessly scoff at the responder, what if the joke was on you, and it was actually true?

In a small city in central Bosnia called Visoko, there are pyramid-shaped hills, which are contentiously ‘man-made’ according to some locals.

According to Bosnian-American businessman Semir Osmanagi?, who originally put this thought at the forefront, these?grass-covered hills were the oldest man-made structures on Earth, dating them to 12,000 years ago.??There are a total of five pyramids; evidence of artificial walls built by an ancient civilization; and miles of underground passages previously thought to have been made for mining.?

Despite the hills now being called the “Bosnian Pyramids,” and being located in the “Valley of the Pyramids,” archaeologists and geologists disagree, claiming them to be ‘flatirons’ (you can read the theory here)

Whether true or not, the place has become a strong tourist attraction. Around 300,000 tourists were said to have visited the pyramids by 2007.?

From 2020 onwards, Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, started making pilgrimages there so he could charge up on the cosmic energy being emitted by the local ancient pyramids built by an advanced lost civilization. “There is truly a miraculous energy here,” Djokovic told reporters. “If there is a paradise on Earth, then it’s here.”?He?started visiting the town and meditating inside the tunnel complex near the pyramids.

Positive energy is very important to Djokovic, and something he directs to many areas of his life.?

Djokovic, who is known for his unorthodox interests, attributes this behavior to his extraordinarily traumatic childhood in war-torn Serbia.?

During the war, as the planes flew over his head and rockets and bombs came raining down, Djokovic would be outside, training for up to five hours daily. His coach would select each day’s location for tennis practice by getting him to travel to wherever the most recent bombing raid had occurred, assuming it to now be safe, as NATO planes probably wouldn’t hit the same place again so soon!

When you have positive energy driving you, you are ready to face the toughest of situations, "sportingly!"

The Trees on the Solomon Islands

In the movie?Taare Zameen Pe, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) gave Ishaan Awasthi’s parents an analogy on negative energy - On Solomon Islands (north of Australia), when the natives want a part of the forest for cultivation they don't cut the trees. They simply gather around the tree and shout abuses to their heart's content. They curse it. In a matter of days, the negative energy kills the tree and it dies.?

If you were to look at people around you, can you point out the Solomon Islanders who keep cursing, passing negative energy to you? Or can you also recall the Bosnian Pyramids, which pass on positive energy, and almost give you healing powers?

Energy in Startups

Science and stories might not be on the same side, but energy is important in startups.?As a team, you can either be the trees on the Solomon Islands, who should still stand tall in spite of what the world tells you, or believe that the pyramids you are building emit positive energy and emit healing power.

It is not only the energy we give but also the energy we pass. Sometimes we end up passing our stress to the team (which I am usually guilty of),?reprimanding them for their mistakes and not encouraging them,?becoming Solomon Islanders ourselves, but at the same time, you are also tolerant of teammates who constantly keep passing negative energy in the team. Both are harmful and ‘toxic’ at some levels. While it is critical to eliminate the ones staying in constant pessimism - the Solomon Islanders, who might kill by constantly reminding you of the mess you are in, it is equally critical to encourage the Bosnian Pyramids, who, in their own positive way, help you get charged up to keep going and not give up!

At True Elements , Sreejith and I used to differentiate our leads as those with a ‘fixed mindset’ in the team, who would constantly find reasons that inhibit our growth “till the time we invest, we won’t grow’, ‘without heavy discounts, we cannot scale’. And there were rockstars with a ‘growth mindset’ who, in spite of multiple hits, constantly kept us energized, ‘Never mind, let’s try another way’, ‘it's fine, we have seen worst times before also’ and ‘every time we have come out, one more time then!’. Those are the people?who will pull you through and pull you up whenever you are in the deepest mess, and not push you down further.??(of course, the inspiration was Carol Dweck’s Mindset)

In a way, we segregated our own Solomon Islanders and the Bosnian Pyramids among the leaders.

As you build your jungle-shaped startup, make sure you build more Bosnian Pyramids and avoid allowing Solomon Islanders on your team. You will see the 'magical' energy around you, geologically speaking!

STFU!

Reference:?Bosnian Pyramids, Youtube Note on Pyramids, Solomon Islands 1, 2??Images Djokovic, Taare Zameen Pe