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It’s not something one must do. It’s something one must not be afraid of doing, if need arises. Often we get so mired in doing things the same way that we stop imagining that there may be a better way of doing it. Everything (and I mean everything) can be improved. Here are some interesting examples that really surprised me when I first heard of them:

• RevoPower: Practically re-inventing the wheel. I heard of them in 2007 through a Popular Science article. Basically, they incorporated a 25cc two-stroke gas-powered engine and gears within the front wheel of a bicycle. It claimed to be installable on any bicycle within 15 minutes, and get over 200 miles per gallon at a top speed of 20 mph. Fact that they went out of business in 2009 has nothing to do with my point here. I remember them as an example of rethinking something very basic and taken-for-granted.
• Knork: Saw it on ‘Big Idea Show‘ hosted by Danny Deutsch (link to episode on youtube). Simple idea about combining a knife and a fork. My first reaction was “..hasnt that been done already?”. Well, now it has been. And with a patent.
• Dyson Air Multiplier: That’s a fancy name for a fan. Deserving too, because this one doesn’t have any blades or grille.

This caught my eye as I was making my way through the maze of cubicles at work- someone had a bright orange sticker with these three words on their cubicle wall. What a profound phrase. In his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford Steve Jobs notes death as ‘life’s change agent’ and goes on to advise “your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life”.

Listen to Steve. There is a lot to see and do in life, so start doing more of the things that you really enjoy doing, and stop caring about things you don’t enjoy. This includes your job.

PS: another great related quote: “Someday” is happening today…

“Chance favors the prepared mind”, I’ve read somewhere as a famous quotation. Planning for all practical possibilities pays off every time. The best example is interview preparation. Once you’ve gone over a long list of possible questions and your answers to them, almost nothing remains as surprise. A nice side-effect is that the effort commits responses to memory in a way that they sound spontaneous, yet have the core value intact. For interview, I suggest even preparing responses to questions that you don’t have a response for; like ” that’s an excellent question, I want to make sure I understand it correctly. Can you phrase it another way?” That gives you time to think of an answer.

Note: If you absolutely have to go unplanned (say for a road trip), plan for being unplanned. E.g. take a GPS, phone charger, etc.

This may not work for everyone, but for those who look forward to exploring new things, it’s an important takeaway. Many of the successful ideas and businesses are garnered from the periphery. Our world is forever expanding because some people are constantly expanding the frontier of possibilities in it.

Nothing stays constant. Expecting change helps you embrace it. If you dont change, you risk getting left behind and being alone. I see a lot of senior doctors struggling with this, especially for technological change- one that would actually immensly help them if they accepted and embraced it.

Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks. So if you are trying to assess the market for a potential startup idea you have, dont hold back on the 100$ magazine subscription that can help you understand the industry better. Or buy yet another domain name for a future idea.

If you have an entrepreneurial mindset, you probably know this. Anytime you talk about your idea to someone, most of the feedback is around how it will not work. It took me a while to get used to this and not loose conversation time in being defensive.

All else equal, what makes a group successful is the culture. That applies to companies, organizations, teams, families… everything. Examples- Southwest, Goretex (overused in business schools).

Life goes in phases. When you interact with someone going through a particular phase, remember what it was like when you were going through the same. Wish all attendings/residents did that when supervising interns. Same goes for senior management throwing tasks at rank and file employees.