I meet so many people talk about building something worthwhile and doing something that matters in their life. They idolise tech-founders, scientists, powerful politicians and writers. They talk about Musk, Trump and som many more people they see posturing their fake personalities, plastered all over our screens and minds. They talk about Taleb and his philosophies, and playing the system. Working dead end or un-important managerial jobs, with artificially puffed egos. But so very clearly afraid of failure and anything new, they might as well call risk "the R word".

You want to play the system? First, Here's something to think about the system we're living in.

Most of us work jobs that involve:

  1. Pitching new ideas to risk-averse people
  2. Discussing the downsides of doing something new
  3. Comparing the journeys of companies and individuals to potentially recreate
  4. Being ridiculed for failing and not taking the sure-shot route
  5. Internalising the fear of failure
  6. Finding people to blame before we try and start fixing it
  7. Listening to people say over and over its common because it works
  8. Killing our own opinions because no matter what, if you're not the CEO your idea isn't good
  9. "Its not worth the risk". Why? Because you're part of a conformist society (India) where no one thinks for themselves

What we need to realise:

  1. Its not about who is hearing the pitch, its about who's pitching- bold people tend to inspire bold reactions.
  2. You don't have to agree with others' perception of the world, until you're sure you've seen it from your eyes first.
  3. Those who copy successful pioneers of an industry, forget its not the journey that needs to be copied. Its the mindset.
  4. Failure after experimentation is part of the original scientific method. Experimentation adds value, replication adds competition.
  5. Fear of failure is fear of learning. If you disagree... welcome to the herd.
  6. Assigning blame increases time and decreases morale, both very valuable resources for solving problems.
  7. A ship's captain never takes advice from the cargo loader. No matter how common it is, it doesn't work until it works for you.
  8. Having bad ideas is better than having none. Rejection isn't nearly as scary as having nothing to call an achievement on your death-bed.
  9. If you hear 3 different views from 3 different people, you're around the right people. If you hear 100 people say the exact same thing, there's something wrong. Not with you, with them. Sometimes its not the majority talking, its the algorithm.

Fear isn't good for grades, its said. What do you think it does to creativity? We have been taught to exist in a system, for survival. But the real kicker, is the system was originally built for us to thrive. We make the system and not the other way around.