Week 4: The privileges of...

I was in a discussion with one of my mentors and there came a point where I started reflecting deeply on all the privileges some or many of us have.

To be able to see the screen you are currently looking at, read these words from this article and make meaning out of it is in itself a great privilege if you know what I mean.

Every time I think of what I don't have, I almost immediately start thinking of what I have.

I must admit that I did not reach this point on my own but it took me more than a decade of trying to accept things as they are. Often I still fail at it but I learnt to come back again and again.

"The more privilege you have, the more opportunity you have. The more opportunity you have, the more responsibility you have." ―?Noam Chomsky

In a humble way, this newsletter is a responsibility I accepted by sharing whatever I can, from everything that I am learning with the privileges I have.

Topics of the Week

1. A matter of "seconds"

Most of us tend to know a lot about the stories of # 1 or # 2 in any discipline or competition but what about those who help them to be the # 1 or # 2?

No, I am not talking about coaches this time, but the teams that assist the winners / wanna-be-winners.

In chess, they are called "seconds". Apparently, the assistance of seconds in chess is so influential that some of the top players even refused to name their seconds in public.

Think of all the implications of such a practice at the workplace.

Some people talk about one team member claiming others' work without giving due credit, but what if we clearly define & call some roles "seconds"?

How should we reward the "seconds"? Would you apply for a "seconds" role at your workplace?

If this topic interested you, delve more into it at this WSJ article and another one from The Hindu .

2. "Bruce Lee, a philosopher before a martial artist", do you agree?

While I never ventured into martial arts, let me admit publicly that I admire Bruce Lee a lot.

Of course, I think it is hard to deny his skills in martial arts and the unique expression he shared with the world Jeet Kune Do which has its main tenet as:

Using no way as way; having no limitation as limitation.

But of all the things Bruce Lee accomplished, his immense self-belief and hard work to realize his dreams truly inspires me.

I read this recent piece on Entrepreneur and couldn't help but include it in this week's topic.

If you are a fan of Bruce Lee like I am, I hope you already listen to the podcast his daughter runs. I stumbled upon it in 2016 and hooked to it since then.

From the Internet

How can I miss this email from Jack Dorsey under this section?

Jack said it all, so I won't repeat anything except requesting you to pay attention to the last two adjectives he used to describe Parag, the new CEO of Twitter.

Did you find the two adjectives I was referring to? Let me know in the comments and we can continue discussing the topic there.

Personal Updates

Nothing much to share as a personal update this week but I read somewhere that being grateful is the ultimate virtue one can develop. I like to just share with you all that I am so grateful for everything in my life.

Several years back I never understood what this concept of gratitude, gratitude journaling is all about until I needed it. Now I even feel grateful for the opportunity to feel grateful about life.

By the way, I promised to mention the best comment for the incomplete equation of my last week's newsletter, so here it is. Thank you Venkat for taking out your valuable time to read and respond to my newsletter. I appreciate it immensely.

That brings me to the end of the Week 4 edition.

Do share this newsletter?with your friends, family members, colleagues, managers and team members if you think they will benefit by reading this.

Until next Friday,?keep?tracing your mastery.

#TraceYourMastery

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