Comments on What the Heck do I do with my life? A book by Ravi Venkatesan
I picked up this book from a LinkedIn recommendation. It turned out to be quite good. I am a list and bullet point oriented person, so I liked how Ravi had constructed each chapter as a list.
For example, he talks about how to create a GPS to navigate a chaotic world with these headings
- Choose Who you Hang out With
- Create a Personal Board of Directors
- Choose information sources wisely
- Do Critical thinking
- Strengthen your character
- Practice gratitude and pay it forward
He gives plenty of examples from his career so we get a good feel that what he says are not mere platitudes.
The Chapter on “How much is enough?” was very insightful. Most business and self help books don’t address this topic at all. Ravi lays out a good framework for how to think about money, it’s limited use for happiness beyond a point and has excellent observations on accumulating stuff.
He makes a bold prediction that in the future, people will not hold jobs, but engage in a series of projects. I think that is easy to say from his perch of having had a successful career. To be able to do a project oriented life, one has to accumulate the necessary skills. Those skills are usually gained in traditional jobs, where they expect you to not moonlight so much. There are a few indications from the blockchain based world that a non corporate entity where people contribute their skills could be an alternative to a traditional company. They are referred to as DAO’s (Distributed Autonomous Organizations).
I liked the 5 commitment framework that he talks about. It’s a good way to use it to do things that really should matter to a person.
I found the book easy to read, not at all professorial and had a good rhythm to it. It was the right size to make me feel good that I completed it.
