How a Butterfly's Wings Caused a Hurricane in My Life

I was 18. I had fared poorly in Std. XII and somehow got admission into an Engineering college because my parents wanted me to. I understood nothing - maths, BEE, mechanical engineering, engineering drawing… even computer science. I flunked miserably (13 out of 16 subjects in the first 2 sems). If this was how I would fare in the first year (which is the easiest), what was I going to do in the coming years. More importantly, how would I complete the first year? Something unfortunate had happened in my personal life that compounded my bad mood. Each day I woke up hating the world, hating myself, and feeling invisible.

That’s when, one afternoon, in our college library, Huzefa introduced me to Metallica. The album in his walkman (yup, it was a cassette) was ‘Symphony and Metallica I’. I liked what I heard. And then Master of Puppets blew my mind. In the days when Enrique and Britney dominated the charts, here was some music that I liked. I bought some cassettes. My friends started sharing their MP3 collections, through which I got all of Metallica’s albums. And I loved them! I was also introduced to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and Guns N’ Roses. And then, I wanted to play guitar.

Huzefa had a guitar, and he didn’t play it. So he lent it to me. I kept playing the guitar for about 8-10 hours a day (when I should have been studying for my KT papers). Then I met some pro musicians trying to put together a rock band. They offered me the role of a bassist. I was ecstatic. My mom wasn’t. She said “If you want a bass guitar, either clear your papers or buy it yourself.” I wasn't going to clear even 1 paper, let alone 13. So I did something that horrified everyone in my family. At the age of 19, I quit engineering and started working at a call centre. With my first pay, I bought a bass guitar and amp. Huzefa was there with me again. Unfortunately the band disbanded even before they could play a show.

Until I was 18, people said that I behaved like a 10-year-old. Within a few months of turning 19, people said that I sounded like a 25-year-old. I will never know how it happened, but am glad it did. I kept achieving at work, which started repairing my damaged self-image. I got promoted, changed jobs, got rejected by girls I really liked, made stupid decisions, failed, succeeded, laughed, cried, rose, sank... I really lived. Life tested me, and each time I came out stronger. Whenever it punched me off my feet, I got up before the count of 10. Sometimes at 9 1/2, but always before 10. Today I look forward to life more than I have in the last 31 years. I hope the only time I won't get up before the count of 10 is when I am dead.

All this time, I never stopped listening to Metallica and watching their videos (I’d watch them on CD initially because we still had dial up internet and YouTube didn’t exist). I was captivated by James Hetfield’s (Metallica’s frontman) stage presence. He stood at 6’2”, broad shouldered, blue eyed, blond hair and a trademark mullet, holding a black guitar, the first button of his black shirt always open. He ruled the stage like a Alexander ruled the world. Undisputed dominance. I wanted to play guitar like him, to have a stage presence like him, I wanted to be like him. My pseudo name (we have to use them in call centers) was James - spelt ‘Jaymz’ because that’s how Hetfield spelt his. Hetfield was my hero during the most troublesome years. He kept me going long after I felt like I didn’t have any strength left.

Today is James Hetfield’s birthday. Happy birthday rockstar! God knows how many lives you have touched and made a difference in. I don't know why but the last 14 years of my life are flashing in front of me today. If it wasn't for you, who knows where the f**k I would be rotting.

Huzefa is no more. It’s been over 4 years now. Every year, on his birthday, I post a message on Facebook and hope that wherever he is, he is happy. He introduced me to Hetfield. He was the only person who encouraged me to stay true to my dreams when all others thought I was crazy. Maybe I was, and Huzefa was too. It takes one crazy man to recognize another. Heard of the Butterfly Effect, a principle in the Chaos Theory? The effect states that a butterfly flapping its wings in New Mexico can lead to a hurricane in China. A small change in one state of a deterministic non-linear system can result in large differences in a later state. Huzefa, with his walkman, that afternoon in the library, was a butterfly who flapped his wings. He unknowingly helped me evolve as person, helped me find my true calling. He set the wheels in motion in my life. R.I.P. Hufu. Return If Possible.

image courtesy: Metallica

Viral Videos and Posts - The Secret Behind Them & More...

The advent of social media has led to increased usage of a word – VIRAL! People, agencies, companies and everyone else want their articles, photos, videos, advertisements, posts, etc. or even products and apps to go viral i.e. be shared hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of times. Most entities push for this achievement by pleading to everyone in all their social media networks to share what they’ve uploaded. Do they succeed? Nada. But some folks do... that too without much effort. Why? How does this happen?

Scott Stratten, founder of Un Marketing, explained the concept of viral content beautifully. Those who haven’t heard it, this is a post for your benefit.

The Law of Circles

When a product (or app or song) is launched, or when content for sharing (photo, infographic, video, etc.) is created, the people who share it are often from the first circle. These are people directly associated with the product or campaign. They’re either someone from the team which created it, or are people who share to be in their boss’ good books... so on and so forth. When they share the content, it reaches the second circle or their first circle, which includes their friends and family. Their first circle is not obliged to share it with anyone. However, when the latter does, the content reaches the third circle, which is similar to the first circle of the people associated with the product or content. People in the second circle share it with their family and friends because they genuinely like what they see. Forget the marketing terminology of “adding value” for some time. People share because they want others to see what intrigued, entertained or enraged them. People in the third circle then share it with those in their first circle, and the cycle continues. This leads to a product, photo or video going viral.

Think about it. Isn’t this why Michael Jackson and Metallica produced so many hit songs? Isn’t this why ‘Why This Kolaveri Di’, the Volvo commercial featuring Van Damme and Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ were such hits? And why Felix Baumgartner’s Space Jump was one of the most watched YouTube videos in 2013? And, of course, Justine Sacco’s tweet, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

99.9% of agencies and marketers aiming to produce viral content fail to remember a key aspect – only one factor lures people to share something with others... EMOTION. Liking a Facebook post is one thing, sharing it on their timeline with 400+ friends is another. A person shares something when it engages her emotionally. It may evoke feelings like fun, joy, anger, nostalgia among others. You can beg people to share your content, but how many do? And when something barely crosses the first circle, you can bet your bottom dollar that going viral is out of the question.

So remember, don’t focus on creating “viral content”. Focus, instead, on creating something awesome and engaging. Content which is not necessarily related to your product or service, but which touches an emotional cord with readers and viewers. Do something outrageous, which delights people; give them a reason to share what you’ve done or created. Then, dear friend, you will have done something which is worth reaching hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people across the globe.

5 Steps on How to KISS!

Not that kiss silly! I’m talking about Keeping It Short & Simple.

We’re hell bent on complicating almost everything we do today. We are weighed down by the need to stay ahead of others. Who can blame us? Competition is cut throat, isn’t it? So we try doing everything differently, doing a lot at once, putting in too much in one thing… you know what I mean.

Let’s simplify life. Simple doesn’t mean easy. But simple is elegant and successful today. Be it the iPhone (simple functions), Gucci (simple designer wear), the art of Zen (simple concepts) or Metallica (simple heavy/thrash metal music).

 

KISS - Keep It Short & Simple

So how do we make things simple, you ask? Well, here are 5 tips to get you started:

• Don’t imitate someone: Companies today try to copy what worked with competition. Likewise, we individuals keep trying to go one–up on peers. Comparing with others impacts how we look at what we have. We end up trying harder; wanting more – more money, more recognition, more assets, more gadgets, more happiness outside… I had talked about howit hurts us and how to get rid of it. The best (and only) yardstick for comparison is YOU! You owe nothing to no one and no one owes anything to you. So measure your success on the basis of your past. Expect rewards depending upon the effort you have put in. Imitation and comparison hurt no one but us.

• Don’t do it all at once: Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Companies try to incorporate everything they can think of in a new product simply because they can. Musicians try too many things in one song thinking it will become interesting. People work out extra hard in the 1^st month to lose weight expecting miraculous results. Writers try to cram too many points into one sentence/paragraph. You know what happens. Products flop, maintaining them becomes tedious; music doesn’t hit it with the audience; people lose steam instead of weight; the reader loses interest… All this happens just because we try to do it all at once. I know you have plenty of ideas; so many that your head must be buzzing. But try them gradually. Have patience, stay persistent and you’ll taste success. Plus you’ll have a lot more to keep yourself interested.

• Aim to Simplify: Keep asking yourself one question “How can I make this simpler?” It’s a myth that simple is no longer awesome. In fact, simple today is preferred over complex. The simpler you make something, the better it becomes. And believe that you can make it simpler. This applies to music, work, food recipes and even your daily chores.

• Have faith: Everything you want to accomplish takes time. Everything good takes time to evolve. Even those who got successful overnight have been working painstakingly at it for years. If success was easy, everyone would achieve it. Don’t give up because it isn’t working out now. Chota Bheem director Rajiv Chilaka took 7 years to taste success. Jubilant Foodworks streamlined their business for 15 years before they listed on the stock exchange. So many people don’t know how close they were to their goals when they gave up. So have faith; stick it out.

• Know that you’ll be alone: A vast majority of those around you can’t comprehend this. They won’t listen to you. They want to complicate, which is the status quo today. They won’t appreciate you challenging it. They won’t appreciate you trying to change things, even if it’s for their betterment. The longer you hold on, the more likely to succeed. As Gandhi said “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you and then you win.”

Simple today is the need of the hour. Try incorporating it in everything in your life. Simplify your diet, your lifestyle & your thinking and watch your life improve. Simplify your behaviour, your attitude and see your relationships improve. Go on, try it. And thank me in the comments section.