R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness

Research and development always involves workarounds.

Very little of what you think will happen will actually happen. You have to be OK with creating work around to resolve these inconsistencies.

What you realize is that what you believed about the world is not really true. There’s always nuances and heterogeneity across contexts.

You need to embrace this heterogeneity to get anything done.

but you can move it if you keep dedicating yourself, and investing in yourself and other people around you.

You make feel like you don’t get anywhere, but you slowly move up every day if you keep trying.

I wish I knew what I was doing, but it don’t.

I wish I understand what I was doing, and then I can make sense of the world around me based on this definition of who I am.

However, I never really quite understand what I am about, and what I’m actually doing.

Any definition of what I’m about doesn’t seem to fit. Every time I try to explain who I am, I can’t put it in words. Or, I miss out on some important aspects of what I am doing.

It would be nice if I understood what I was about because then I can clearly communicate it to the outside world, but would they actually listen if I told them?

Instead, what if people figured out when I was about and who I am by my actions?

Would they not be able to figure out what it is that I do based on their own experiences that is more relevant for them?

There’s no other option. I just have to keep going until it actually gets done.

For me, I often think about myself in terms of #efficiency, and as if I am a machine. This machine runs perfectly at 95% capacity at all times.

However, that’s not real life.

Real life means that you have downtime that you have to account for. Even within #manufacturing operations, the expectation to have 95% up time of a machine is completely unrealistic.

Allow yourself to have downtime for maintenance of that machine.

Rather than focusing on product differentiation or competitive advantage, I believe that having gumption is the key to long-term success. Gumption can be defined as a combination of persistence and determination, or the strong desire to maintain these qualities over time.

In addition to gumption, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral abilities are also important for taking advantage of opportunities as they arise. By being able to recognize and seize opportunities while they persist, businesses can continue to grow and succeed.

Overall, while having a unique angle can certainly help in business, but it's more important to remember that gumption and emotional, cognitive, and behavioral abilities are also essential for achieving long-term success.

do people inherently, like to learn, and pursue things around learning for the fun of it? I would argue that this is a rare situation, and most people are not interested, because of how difficult it actually is to learn in a rigorous fashion.

Being an entrepreneur comes with a unique set of challenges. As a risk-taker, you may find yourself making decisions that differ from what is considered socially acceptable. This can make you stand out from the crowd, but it also means that you may face some negative reactions from those who don't understand your choices. You know what I’m talking about—the unusual looks and baffled stares.

To succeed as an entrepreneur, it's important to accept that being “different” is part of the process. It can be challenging to deal with the stigma that may come with non-conformity, but it's important to manage your emotions and the way you interact with others. This means finding a balance between staying true to your vision and being open to feedback and advice from others.

In addition to managing your emotions and relationships, it's important to stay focused on the big picture. Remember that it's okay to take risks and make mistakes along the way. It's all part of the learning process and can help you grow as a person.

One of the challenges that I face is that I often feel like a loser, and I have very little to give. However, I think it’s important to remind everybody that you’re just different than everybody else. Those differences are your unique gifts.

emotions are our super powers. Not everybody feels emotions the same way that you do, but you can often use emotions as indicators of some thing is occurring in your life. Use them as a superpower.