Idea that can change the world - Loon Project

Self-Made Billionaire Paths From Zero to Billionaire

How many of the world’s top 73 self-made billionaires were in a worse situation than you when they started? Let me go straight to the point, is it possible for most of us to go from zero to billionaire? Yes. This is how.

From Zero to Billionaires, Almost?

Making A Diffrence - Teacher vs. CEO

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?”

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”

To stress his point he said to another guest; “You’re a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?”

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, “You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began…)

“Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can’t make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make. ? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn’t everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

“Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant… You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?”


His jaw dropped and he was silent.

The First 20 Hours - How to Learn Anything: Josh Kaufman

Forget the "10,000 hour rule"

what if it’s possible to learn any new skill in 20 hours or less?

In The First 20 Hours video, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition: how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct complex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By completing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you'll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well.



1. What do you want to learn?
Just to reinforce the purpose of this post, that you can acquire and master skill quickly, I'll add what Tim Ferriss has said too below.


2. What do you want to start to learn today?

How to master any skill by deconstructing it - Tim Ferriss

Ever wish you could learn a new skill quickly?

Let's say Tim wants to learn a martial art. He would first deconstruct the art down into the minimum learnable units, the building blocks that make up the overall discipline he wishes to learn. Next he will utilize the 80/20 rule to select which blocks make up the 20% of subject matter that will take him 80% of the way to competency. He must then sequence in which order to learn those blocks and finally setup stakes to create consequences, make sure he follows the program, and tests his growing facility. Perhaps in this case it would be entering a martial arts tournament.

 Tim Ferriss points out that it is important to track your data so you can figure out points of failure and measure your progress. This broad overview of skill acquisition can apply to nearly any subject.
 
 4 Ways To Master A New Skill
 Deconstruction - work backward and identify the specific ingredients that are required to succeed.

Selection - hone this down to the difference makers – the critical 20%.

Sequencing - a series of two week tests to determine how to order the various 20% skills in the right order. This gives you several different data sets that you can compare.

Stakes - This is what keeps you motivated. In a career context,the stakes are built in. If you don’t stay ahead, your career can flatline. However, if you need motivation, the author suggests using sites like StickK – where you make your commitments public and incur financial consequences if you fail to meet them.

 Sources: LifeHacker | A2S

A Start-up Founder Cheat-sheet.

Smart failure for a fast changing world - Why you will fail to have a great career

These are two inspiring TED talks i've found recently. You might find them inspiring too.

Larry Smith - Why you will fail to have a great career

 

 Eddie Obeng: Smart failure for a fast-changing world

 

What If Money Was No Object...?

I Came across this video today. Take a look.
 

So I always ask the question:

Understand your purpose to live with greater efficiency and impact.

Storyline is a way of organizing and understanding your life using the elements of story. When you know your story, you’ll better understand your purpose and will live with greater efficiency and impact.

 Not only this, but Storyline is an effective tool for building teams. In a short period of time, each team member can share their Storyline so others know their back story, their aspirations and dreams. A Storyline allows a person to put their life on a map so their friends, family and coworkers know where they’re headed.
If you desire clarity in life and want a better connection with those around you, Storyline is for you.

Epic rise and Dramatic fall of Kony2012 to Horny2012

The news site RT says: Jason Russell, 33, who is responsible for the Internet’s biggest viral campaign was arrested last week by San Diego Police for allegedly fondling himself while under the influence of an unknown substance and vandalizing vehicles. According to reports, he is being held at a psychiatric ward in San Diego and is set to be released on Monday. 

Here, i really don't want to talk about the misfortune of an individual. If you think about it, it could be any of us. I've already blogged about what i felt whole KONY2012 movement and it's flaws. So what do i want to talk about now? The Power Of Social Media.

The Social Media made Jason Russle famouse along Joseph Kony with the Kony 2012 Campaign.
Millions of People watched the video, Shared it, tweeted it, commented on it & about it, some even donated. After few days, people start to think rationally about what they are actually getting into and huge backlash happened on the same social platforms.

I believe the viral video that was release by invisible children has robbed dignity of Ugandian people to huge extent. The PM of the country had interview with Telegraph about how the video gives a false impression. 

Now the surprising thing is, same social media that they used to say whatever they wanted to say to the world, now it's saying whatever it wants against them. May God give them the power to handle it.

The team has executed one of the best social campaign ever, but they were not ready for the responses against them. These guys were a good film makes with good skill of script writing that could convince you and sell you stone as bread. But they didn't have a strategy to deal with the criticism, even the video that the CEO of IC shot was too late.  Here is an immutable law of social medial that i've seen time and again.

 As WIRED says it: Once you put yourself out there you lose the right to turn communications on and off, or dictate its terms -- and the bigger your community asset, the bigger your responsibility to it becomes.
Your followers will quickly become disloyal if they feel hoodwinked, or lied to. On the flip side, every time there's a negative perception an opportunity to right that wrong will only make the relationship you have with your followers stronger. It's the basics of human relations, on a super-sized scale.

“Oh my God, What? F*c# that Sh!t, you’re the devil.”

Keep These Five Laws In Mind

1. The Law of Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
2. The Law of Compensation: Your income is determined by how many people you serve, and how well you serve them.
3. The Law of Influence: Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other peoples’ interests first.
4. The Law of Authenticity: The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
5. The Law of Reciprocity: The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.


From: Go Giver

The Curious Case of Kony 2012 And Its Flaws.

So many thoughts are running in my head, i don't even know where to start? Ok, Since I'm an entrepreneur and  social media consultant, let me first talk about the social Media strategy part of Kony 2012 and then i will talk about my view on the behind scene-politics in the grand scheme of things. Its surprising how Kony video went viral 


First, Social Media:  Its a campaign that managed to steal the limelight from Apple’s iPad launch. It has achieved important mile stone in digital activism. It just showed us the glimpse of the future social media enabled activism and whats possible in hyper connected world. As a person heavily involved in social media marketing, i've  appreciated the quality of the work and the style of story telling in a way that engaged the viewer instantly. 


In general Kony 2012 movement across different social platforms  is truly inspirational for many in a context of social activism.  For years the governments has been at the top and the people at the bottom but now the tables have turned for almost a decade. After all we live in an age of wikileaks. WE have a say, and what we say matters--especially if our collective voice is loud enough.  Think about what else we could do with this social power!  Besides, this campaign is helping thousands and thousands of young people feel important and like they have made a difference--you can't steal that away from them. 


 And the clip has clear end goal: From marketing perspective i must say it's well executed piece of project. Hope to see more and more real world problem solving viral videos in near future.
In my perspective, i feel the video nailed the following points pretty well. We the social media strategists could learn from.


No1. Buy people's emoting by Appealing to their emotion.
No.2 Have a simple A-call-to-action for people to act up on.
No.3 Target Influencers to amplify the message and the cause.
No.4 Make people know the commitment has a dead line.


While runing  Hyderabad Twestival's social media campaign with friends to help a charity( Aashayein) that supports underprivileged children education, i know how difficult it is create awarness and make people part of it and act. But now because of Kony 2012 for once it actually feels good for people to participate in something this big. There is nothing wrong with trying to do a little good in this rotten world, and if we can unite people in doing it.






Secondly, lets talk the politics from behind scene
The short film narrates a story in the name of antagonist Kony, who represents or creates obstacles that the protagonist US-govt must kind of overcome in order to secure their oil from Uganda in a fictional way. Where is equally bad dictator government of Uganda, and the real voice of Ugandan people in the film? There is always danger in single side of story


Its True, Probably these three guys are doing much more than what you and me could articulate while sitting on the bean bags. But there are real isuses i feel i should bring to light for the viewers while i applaud the the effort of the social media strategy team behind Kony 2012. As an online & offline activists, Doing something may not always be the best option? We should act intelligently. Meaning we must know more than what was presented in a few minute clip.
Invisible Children  started a social media campaign to garner support and awareness of the LRA and Joseph Kony. The campaign focuses on the website that features a roughly 30 minute video and social sharing tools, and a plan for encouraging activism and bringing public awareness for the end goal of capturing Kony in 2012.


I'm against Joseph Kony, and also i'm  against the very point that this video is trying to make (Direct Military Intervention to catch Kony). It has long term political ramification on the people of in that country. I feel Its a slap on the face of Uganda's people. Thanks to Europeans, they are the genesis of the problem when they divided southerners and the northerner. History tells us a lot about that, you could look it up. After all these hangama and social media drama what's gonna happen to KONY? You might say he'll be arrested and presented to ICC. (International Criminal Court is a joke for me, that tries only African leaders who are against the west interest) Here is my problem. Capturing Kony will achieve little...the war has been over for 6 years. Lets spend our resources rebuilding Uganda's infrastructure, and by giving the Ugandan people tools to support themselves.


So you assume that the soldiers of Uganda are going to find and capture Kony without a fight? If the US-supported Ugandan military forces go after him 30k people may die because he will use every person under his army(children) as a human shield till his last breath.  We all know someone had to keep re-arming Joseph Kony since 1980s, they also have to stop selling weapons over to rebels. This is a practical start that will hurt not just Kony, but the entire LRA and other militants.


In addition here lies the long term interest of US, geologists recently discovered oil in and around Lake Albert -- seems another reason for closer cooperation and for stabilizing the area. But even so, for obvious reasons it is unusual to publicize the movements of special forces in advance of their deployment. The US may denie interest in Uganda's oil, but who will believe to them.
What scares me is looking at the US's track record in Iraq, I think they'd be better off being left alone to a comparatively small scale tribal war. Without the need for the US to kill more than 500,000 people in the name of  'safeguarding the people' We know how well the good intentions of US intervention works out. Mass Murder, Occupation, and Corrupt tyrants protected by US power that torture and destroy the wealth and rights of the people(eg. Haiti, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan).
No offense to anyone, Nobody kills like the US war machine---And its economic sanctions create famine. Kony is a Minnow of menace compared to the Leviathan of Mass Murder and War Crime the US practices across a few continents.
What we need to do is protest and put an end to the people supplying guns to "rebels" around the world. Kony is to Uganda what the rebels in Libya were to Ghadafi. The American Military Industrial Complex is responsible. The UN and other countries such as France that sell & distribute  arms are responsible.

Someone commented saying: They go into these countries, give arms to rebels like Kony, then go and sell arms to the country's government to get the rebels, and make zillions from it. It then installs a "Federal Bank" (privately owned in reality, nothing Federal about them) and then taxes its innocent citizens with an "income tax" to pay off the debt that their government accumulated from the interest of the debt for the weapons it wouldn't have needed if it weren't for the armed rebels in the first place, which it can't repay.After not being able to repay the loans for the arms, the same companies that sold them the weapons takes the country's natural resources like oil, for free.Then to further plunge the country into debt, they PRINT money, then lend it to countries like Uganda AGAIN at interest to pay for Infrastructure, with the work being carried out by the same people's companies!!!Uganda hasn't seen LRA since 2006  but KONY 2012 ignores that success, preferring to cast Ugandans as weak, defenseless, and besieged, and in need of immediate white/American/Western/privileged intervention. Seriously, what the hell?

My Fear, now this movement will give free passage the US army to the country (which they were doing it in low profile for a while) and they will twist the arm of the country for their oil that was discovered recently. Wait and see People, This is the real scam behind.


Liking on Facebook is OK; Awareness is OK; calling your congressman is OK; marching is OK; Tweeting to celebrity is OK, but OK don't mean any thing for the people of Uganda. Think it through, act as a responsible citizen, and understand the consequences of your actions both positive and negative. 


I don't want to say much about the donation that is pouring at the moment.
Why donate to people making videos in America when you could  donate to Ugandans working (in Uganda!!) with the victims? I surly know that Non-profits are still a business. We just hope they do some good along the way. I personally prefer donating to someone like Sam Childers. ( Those who watched Gerard Butler's The machine Gun Preacher will know what i'm talking about)


One last thing? But once the Kony posters are up, who will clean it all up? Who? You can bet it won’t be Kony. Nor Invisible Children. I foresee, we need another social media camping for that?



Sorry for such a long post. But if you made it this far. Please listen the Song "The Keeper"

The Inches We Need Are Everywhere Around Us.

Life is a game of inches. So is football. In either game the margin of error is small. One half a step too late or too early and you don't quite make it. In this movie Any Given Sunday, Al Pacino is a football coach who delivers a motivating speech to his falling-apart team. Life is like a football game – or maybe football is like life. Either way, the words here are moving and powerful. 

But the inches we need are everywhere around us. In every minute of our lives. We have to go for every inch. Because we know that when we add up those inches, that will make the difference between winning and losing. And I know that if I'm gonna have any life anymore, it's because I'm still willing to go for that inch. And that's what living is. The six inches in front of your face. Now what are you gonna do?"

The Risk I Took Was Calculated But Man Am Bad At Math

My Personality Test

• Extraversion - Energy, enthusiasm, socialable
• Agreeableness - Altruism, helping others, affection, friendliness
• Conscientiousness - Control, will, constraint, dependability
• Neuroticism - Negative emotions, nervousness
• Openness to Experience - Originality, culture, open-minded, intellect

• You scored average for this trait, suggesting you lead a balanced life between extraversion and introversion.

•  You scored really high on this trait, suggesting you are a very friendly, cooperative and trusting person.

• You scored really low on this trait, suggesting you're less focused and more easily distracted.

• You scored really high on this trait, suggesting you love art and try to keep open-minded.

• You have 2 significant personality traits that we've identified.
• If the traits are hurting your life, you may consider seeking out further assistance for them, by consulting a psychologist or other mental health professional.
• Please remember, this is not an official diagnostic test. It is only a general quiz to give you a broad understanding of common personality factors.

Daniel Pink - Motivation 3.0

What is it that motivate us? More money? The answer is NO.Daniel Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't.


If you don't have time here is the short animated version. See the new model–of motivation

Sachin’s 100th Century.

1. You never know what’s going to happen next minute – Sachin has reached 100′s so easily till last year and since last 8 months it’s been such a struggle repeating the same thing. There are phases in your startup journey when all is going great and then the landslide starts but that doesn’t mean the commitment is low or you are doing something wrong. It’s just that you need to continue and stay put and pass the phase. I am sure Sachin will get his 100th century soon if not today some other day, and I think that’s the level of confidence and self belief that needs to be there.
 2. New Day is always a new day – In last so many occasions we have seen Sachin play well and cross 50 but when he comes the next day the landmark seems to elude him. In a startup a new day is a new day. You got to start afresh, forget the good and bad of the last day and focus on what’s on hand.
 3. Focus – We have seen so many startups starting wonderfully well but losing focus mid way especially when the BIG THING is nearing. Much like Sachin going just 6 runs away from what could have been a great great innings, slight loss of focus can lead to a sudden downfall in the fortunes of a startup.

Support underprivileged kids education with Social Media.

Just follow these simple steps to help us win USD 1000 for Aashaayein Foundation:

Step 1: Like the Twestival page by clicking 'Like'.

Step 2: Click on the image below to view our entry for the competition. Please click 'Like' below the Purple Charminar!

Thanks for your time. We hope you will 'like' our Hyderabad Twestival page for more updates.