Who can forget Steve Jobs saying these words during his 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech? It is a treat to listen to him speak...it is like a demo on public speaking with the crowd just riveted to his crisp words and powerful narration. Add me to the fan list!!! :) :)
Now, he refers in his first story to CONNECTING THE DOTS. Not sure how many of us believe in it. I stand by this belief though. For starters, Steve Jobs says that we can always look back at life and knowing what has happened, tie the loose ends, review our past actions and make a coherent story...CONNECTING THE DOTS. Only by looking back...Only in hindsight!!!
However, it is the ONLY simple yet practical way to look happily at the past, the path traversed and thereby make sense of it. I call this 'one-sided' because those who manage to connect the dots and talk about it, usually have been successful in what they strode out to do. To turn this thought on its head, you wouldn't find anything tangible (if you weren't successful) to try to connect the dots and make a theory out of it.
For example, when a successful actress says 'I always wanted to be an actress or model and hence was focused and never did anything else but act in plays and model...blah blah'; we would applaud and put her up as a role model. Picture this - If a wannabe star or a flop actress (to say it in Indian filmi style!!!) said the same, would someone give it a serious hearing?
Another typical example, Mr. XYZ wasn't an Engineer/MBA ..wasn't he a pioneering entrepreneur? You know what such theories exactly do....CONNECT THE DOTS. Who would remember him and that he wasn't an Engineer/MBA if he hadn't made it big. That's the point.
Reality is, that it is always IN HINDSIGHT and usually with the sweet fragrance of SUCCESS that one makes sense of actions and his/her life. I wonder if it is just a pat on one' s own back by appearing prophetic but all the while being just a historian.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hmm.. I disagree on this one. I think what you are saying is that in general people will take notice of other's "connecting the dots" stories only if the subjects are then successful. I would agree with that.
ReplyDeleteHowever - when it comes to our own personal stories. I firmly disagree.
I feel that it takes a certain type of person to intospect. Some people nuture their careers, others nurture their families, yet others nurture the societies they belong too...But for some of us .. the one thing we do understand and nurture is our personal story. Connecting the dots is then not a luxury but a necessity.
I;m one of those people I think. And more often than not, I connect the dots when I'm in a blindspot as oppposed to when the going is glorious.
Nice post though. Made me ponder a while.