How to stay hungry and foolish
“Stay Foolish” — Imagine these were the words of one of your parents / mentors / managers. It would almost be laughable to think that they would say that. Who would ever want to be labeled as foolish?
Despite this, Steve Jobs thought these were the most apt words to conclude his famous 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. It was from one of his favourite magazines, where the back cover read “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”
It remains as powerful and relevant as it was back then. Being hungry is what distinguishes someone from being an amateur guitar player to being Jimi Hendrix for example. Being foolish is what lead Thomas Edison to discover the light bulb. Being foolish is what led Oprah to be the business tycoon she is today.
Times have changed, resources have quadrupled and we’re more overwhelmed than ever — which can often lead to de-motivation. Here is how I reckon you can declutter, and remain hungry and foolish:
“Stay Foolish” — Imagine these were the words of one of your parents / mentors / managers. It would almost be laughable to think that they would say that. Who would ever want to be labeled as foolish?
Despite this, Steve Jobs thought these were the most apt words to conclude his famous 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. It was from one of his favourite magazines, where the back cover read “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”
It remains as powerful and relevant as it was back then. Being hungry is what distinguishes someone from being an amateur guitar player to being Jimi Hendrix for example. Being foolish is what lead Thomas Edison to discover the light bulb.
Times have changed, resources have quadrupled and we’re more overwhelmed than ever — which can often lead to de-motivation. Here is how I reckon you can declutter, and remain hungry and foolish :
How to stay hungry
Staying hungry is a keystone habit that acts as the initial domino for opportunities and ‘wins’ in life. It’s not something you’re born with. It is a character trait that can be learnt through purposeful actions, such as the below:
- Who you spend your time with, is who you become — This is a golden rule that has stayed true to the end of time. However, this may not always be possible if you’re introverted or don’t know how to go about getting friends that are successful. So here is what I would suggest doing:
- Social Media / Video Calling — don’t limit yourself to friends as someone that has to physically be sitting next to you. Take the time to understand what you want to develop. Search LinkedIn / Instagram / Twitter and connect via video calls or text message, much like you would in person
- Attend local talks in your area — even if you must do it on your own. You have to get out of your comfort zone and feel even to a certain degree that you’re trying. A simple Google Search or a LinkedIn Search under ‘content’ should enable you to find talks in your area.
2. Make it visual — One of the reason we tend to whimper out in certain aspects of our lives, is that we are forgetful. We forget about the dreams we had as a university student, or a project that we wanted to work on. Here are some useful tools to ensure you create stimulus in your life that reminds you of your dreams:
- Visual Cues — Create a Canva.com profile, and start making visually appealing posters of your vision / dreams / goals. Place this on your wall, make it your cell phone wallpaper, place it next to your mirror — make it visible and force yourself to never forget what you truly dream / desire
- Technology — Make use of tools such as Microsoft Planner, OneNote, Evernote — these are nifty tools in breaking down your dreams in smaller goals to work towards.
How to stay foolish:
1) Mistakes is just a pseudonym for experience — the more mistakes you make, the faster you gain experience and the better you’ll be at whatever you failed in. Here are some ways I would suggest doing this:
- Learn something outside of your job / daily activities and fail at that — start playing piano or start learning how to build a robot. Fail in something with no monetary or reputational risk. While this may seem cowardly, it provides you with a sense of what it means to make a mistake / fail. You’re then much more comfortable to do the act of failing in things that matter to you.
- Keep a journal (using Evernote / OneNote) — of all the things that you have tried or applied for. Make a pie chart of all the mistakes you have made to visually understand if you are trying to do something different with your life. If you have not made one mistake per day, you’re probably doing something wrong.
2) Develop your own learning curriculum — I’m still amazed by the exorbitant fees needed to pay for courses at colleges or online learning materials. I do believe it is exceptionally valuable, but it can be extremely costly. Moreover, most of the learning materials / resources are available on the internet — you just have to go out there and find it!
- Develop a list — of what you want to learn and be about. Visit LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, Coursera and YouTube and develop your own learning syllabus. Go to the most prestigious university in the world, and see what course you want to learn. Get a hold of their learning outcomes and syllabus. Mimic that learning content with all the resources available on the Internet. Most of what you want to know is already out there and it’s free
3) Remain Foolish for as long as you can — this means, always realize you don’t know everything. You can always learn more than you currently know. Don’t be scared to learn from someone that is much younger or older than you. Never be afraid to start over.
