Things I learnt in my 20s

 20s could be an amazing time in your life if you want to be. Here are some tips that can help you make most of your 20s to set the tone of future. Its very much possible to implement these tips in your 30s so there is no rush but knowing these tips and implementing them in 20s could help you tremendously. So read on!

1. 20s is the best age of life. Major changes happen during that time.
2. 20s are the time to concentrate on a career.
3. 20s are the years to have most fun since responsibilities will increase as one gets older.
4. Chances of falling into true love increases in your 20s.
5. People who stay friends with you in your 20s will most likely stay with you till the end.
6. Having a lot of money in one’s twenties is overrated.
7. Many things are overrated in your 20s.
8. One can enjoy their life really well in their 20s because of having time, some money, and energy.
9. Climbing to the top of the corporate ladder in one’s 20s is overrated.
10. Many people think in their 20s that they will stick to their career for their entire lives.
11. Majority of them end up changing careers at later points in life.
12. One starts enjoying finer things in life during their late 20s.
13. People in their early 20s want to go back to their late teens and people in late 20s want to go back to their early 20s.
14. People in their 20s worry a lot about their finances and future. And it could increase in the future if once is not saving and wisely investing the money.

So in the end, 20s are the best years. Don’t waste them by excessively working and don’t destroy your career by wasting time excessively. Learn to achieve a balance and make the most of your 20s. 

Notes from a product conference

Recently I attended a product conference and here are my findings from several sessions that I attended. The sessions that I attended included:

1. Networking & how to build visibility

2. Relation building

3. Communication components

Below mentioned are the sections and the bits of advice that we got. This blog is in no way a complete picture of my experience but remnants of what I learnt throughout the session. And it gives some tips that experienced Product managers would love to share with new Product managers. So read on! 

1. Books to read:

1. Art of negotiation

2. Influence the psychology of Persusasion by Robert R Cioldini

2. To stay motivated use this motto

1. OMT: One more thing, One more time

3. For promotion

1. Act the role

2. Train your juniors

3. Invest in yourself

4. Step up & say yes if possible

5. Be an infinite learner

6. Even if you are 60% ready, go and ask for promotion.

7. Be a leader everyday if not then yearly once.

4. Importance of networking:

1. 85% of job reqs are filled by networking.

5. For every communication have:

1. Objectives

2. Key Results

6. For vision start defining the narratives by asking these questions:

1. What are the problems?

2. What are the opportunities?

7. While execution: 

1. Ensure customer satisfaction curve while implementation of the product.

8. How to build Visibility:

1. Look at the industry

2. Have a connection in Sales

3. Balance between execution & strategy

4. Work on relationship building

5. Build your Linkedin Public Profile by starting to like & comment.

Power of enthusiasm

Enthusiasm moves the world - By Aurthur Balfour

Don't you think that this is true? Have you ever encountered a school kid, who is very enthusiastic about an upcoming sports day? An employee who is keen to give that presentation to the client. A team leader, who is looking forward to releasing the product to the public. Do you know what is common in all the situations? Enthusiasm!! Yes it is Enthusiasm. 

There are millions of incidents when we have encountered successful people. They all are beaming with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm inspires them to work harder and longer. It inspires them to produce better results. It inspires them to deliver high quality results. It is very important to be enthusiastic about life events be it work related or personal. Personally I have seen the differences in the results of my projects, which I am enthusiastic about. If I am excited about a project usually the results are positive. Positive results in turn inspires me to go an extra mile to achieve more. More inspiration I get, the more challenges I am willing to take. I will cite a few incidences of my friends, who delivered exceptional results when they were enthusiastic about the project.

A friend of mine working on a very important work project. She was excited about the project right from the start. Excitement filled her with enthusiasm. She managed to keep a positive thinking her friend throughout the project and delivered good results. This gave here a chance to outshine and show her exceptional qualities. Because of this project's results she was made the leader of upcoming important projects. This filled her with more enthusiasm. They managed to deliver good results in every milestone of the project, which gave her more inspiration. Off course there were hiccups during the process but enthusiasm and positivity remained her best friends. After looking at her success I couldn't help but ask her how she kept her eyes on the goal throughout all these projects. She answered 'Enthusiasm and Positive thinking were key contributors to her success'. On that day I learned that it is important to do any work with enthusiasm so that we can get inspiration to move forward.

Another friend of mine was overweight and she needed to shed 20 pounds to achieve her target weight. She considered it as a fun project and created a plan to lose extra pounds. Most important of all she started the project with enthusiasm and positive thinking. Within 3 months of dedication and hard work, she achieved the results. She used to walk for 3 miles daily and used to take stairs wherever necessary. She cut down on sugar and oily foods. With 3 months of persistence, she achieved her normal weight. Upon discussing her success she told me that she started this weight loss project with great enthusiasm. She didn't complain and made sure she made positive thinking her habit. Losing 2 pounds initially helped her with the inspiration she needed. She told herself 'If I can lose 2 pounds, I can easily lose 20 pounds within a couple of months'. Finally you all know the result that she lost the weight and has continued to maintain it.

Last but not the least. Another friend of mine was suffering from depression because he failed in 4 courses. In next semester, he had 6 additional courses making it a total of 10 courses for a semester. This is a huge number for one semester. He initially felt sad that he did clear all the courses at once. Instead of staying depressed, he paired up with his friends who flunked in the same subjects. He studied with them and formed a study group. These actions created enthusiasm amongst him and his friends. He too started the courses on a highly positive note. Eventually he was able to finish the coursework well ahead of exams. During examination it was a matter of revising the important stuff and appearing for the exam. The result: He cleared all 10 subjects in one go. From next semester onwards he just had to take care of his usual 5 to 6 courses. Upon discussing with him the strategy of his great success. He revealed that he remained excited throughout the semester about all 10 courses. And successfully clearing midterms of all courses gave him the inspiration he needed to clear the final exams.

So it is greatly important to feel enthusiastic about anything in life. This helps us to achieve the results we need and inspires us to take greater challenges in life. So if you find yourself in a tough situation, don't let it take you down. Tackle it with enthusiasm and eventually you will get the inspiration and result you need. Stay positive and enthusiasm will follow.