The video addresses the continuous death of ideas in everyday settings, such as coffee shops, offices, and restaurants, but emphasizes that some ideas have the potential to live forever. The speaker discusses the varying life spans of ideas and introduces a concept called the "I add" equation. This equation is explained as a method to find fulfillment by combining inspiration, proactive actions, direction, and effective decisions with one's unique purpose in life. The talk highlights the impact of ideas throughout history, citing examples like Henry Ford's manufacturing innovations and the evolution of social media platforms.

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. catalyst [ˈkætəlɪst] - (noun) - An agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. - Synonyms: (stimulus, impetus, spur)

Now, ideas have been catalyst for change in our world.

2. revolutionized [rev-uh-loo-shuh-nahyz] - (verb) - To change something radically or fundamentally. - Synonyms: (transform, overhaul, innovate)

What did his idea do? It revolutionized that industry completely.

3. adaptation [ˌædæpˈteɪʃən] - (noun) - The process of change by which an idea or thing becomes better suited to its environment. - Synonyms: (adjustment, modification, alteration)

A simple idea transformed into a social media giant only through continuous development and adaptation.

4. entrepreneurial [ˌɒntrəprəˈnɜːriəl] - (adjective) - Having the qualities or characteristics needed to succeed as an entrepreneur. - Synonyms: (business-minded, innovative, enterprising)

And with that entrepreneurial bug within me, I did not know that an evolution of an entrepreneur was waiting to happen.

5. interconnected [ˌɪntərkəˈnɛktɪd] - (adjective) - Having all constituent parts linked or connected. - Synonyms: (linked, related, interlinked)

An idea is a combination of interconnected thoughts.

6. proactive [prōˈæktɪv] - (adjective) - Controlling a situation by causing action ahead of time to deal with anticipated problems. - Synonyms: (preemptive, forward-thinking, anticipatory)

A stands for action, but its proactive actions, not just actions.

7. debatable [dɪˈbeɪtəbl] - (adjective) - Open to discussion or argument. - Synonyms: (questionable, arguable, disputable)

Penicillin, for that matter. Of course, it is debatable, right?

8. fulfillment [fʊlˈfɪlmənt] - (noun) - The act of fulfilling a promise, desire or goal; feeling of satisfaction or happiness. - Synonyms: (satisfaction, achievement, realization)

I plus add is equal to fulfillment, right?

9. broadcasting [ˈbrɔːdkæstɪŋ] - (noun) - The transmission of programs or information by radio or television. - Synonyms: (airing, transmitting, disseminating)

They have all become broadcasting platforms. Agree?

10. materialistic [məˌtɪəriəˈlɪstɪk] - (adjective) - Excessively concerned with material possessions; money-oriented. - Synonyms: (worldly, acquisitive, consumerist)

It's very important that first you fulfill your dreams and desires. Your materialistic dreams and desires.

The equation for turning your ideas into action - Vandana Mehrotra - TEDxLakhotaLakeStudio

So, have you ever witnessed death of an idea or ideas? Anyone? Oh, great. It happens all the time, right? Every hour almost. Where? At coffee tables. Right. In the cafeteria of your offices. Right. Resto. Pubs, hotels, restaurants. Right? And panthela. Oh, no, no. Smoke shops. Okay, so it's happening all the time, right? Well, I did not let my ideas die, right? Though I have been appreciated for some of my ideas, blamed for some of my ideas, right, for losing time, losing money and resources. But what I got was priceless insights, right? Which I would love to share with all of you, right?

So what is the lifespan of an idea, right. Some people kill ideas almost instantly in their thoughts, right? And some people let ideas live a little longer, right? After few discussions with family and friends. But some people let the ideas live for few years in the form of products and services that they create, right? But some ideas live forever on this planet. Whether you are there or not, your ideas live forever.

So today I will be sharing some interesting thought provoking examples. I'll be giving you a very powerful equation. Not formula, not system, okay? A very powerful equation which will help you find meaning and purpose in life, just the way it helped me. Right? I call it the I add formula. I plus add is equal to fulfillment, right? So let me elaborate. What is this I add formula. In fact, I'll give you one more variant of the. It's the equation. Sorry, not the formula. So I'm going to give you one more variant of this equation, right.

So first let me explain. What are the a's and the ads and all here? So I. Very powerful word, right. I. You, as in I. Right. I for idea. Ted itself is a great idea, right? Spreading ideas. Right. So I very powerful. I ideas. I for inspire. I for intensity. I for involvement, okay? So when you are too intensely involved with your life, it gives you insights and ideas that inspires others. You become an inspiration yourself. I. Right.

Plus a d. D, add. Right. A stands for action, but its proactive actions, not just actions, because idea alone with actions doesn't take you where you want to reach, right? So proactive action taking. Right. D stands for direction. Very important. In which direction are you taking actions? You may be running on the treadmill, right. Are you teaching anywhere? According to physics, also work done is force applied in the direction of displacement. There has to be movement. In which direction are you moving? Right. And then decisions. Are you taking decisions quickly or delaying your decisions? Right. So when you combine this I plus add, plus in bracket whatever is your products or services, whatever you have come for in this world to do is equal to fulfillment.

Thank you so much. So now, let me give you a variant of this equation. You can call it I, dad, okay? Is equal to fulfillment. Add or dad, whichever makes you. If you are a father's kid, your father has inspired you. You remember, I dad is equal to fulfillment. But if you want to create something valuable in this life with your unique presence here, make significant impact in this world with whatever you have come for here in this lifetime, I add value into this world through my products or services or through my thoughts, right?

That is the equation for fulfillment. Now, ideas have been catalyst for change in our world. Agree? Right. Ideas change the world. Ideas are the invisible source code of progress, right? Now, if we look at the inventions in the last hundred years, starting with the manufacturing, the streamlining manufacturing process by Henry Ford, what did his idea do? It revolutionized that industry completely. He made cars available to public and at lower cost.

We can look at many such inventions that have happened in the past hundred years. Penicillin, for that matter. Of course, it is debatable, right? Then we have Internet, then we have personal computers. Then we have all these new age apps, Facebook, Instagram, social media. They have changed the way the information is shared and distributed, the way we consume information, the way marketing works. They have all become broadcasting platforms. Agree? So all you have to do is just start with the. With the initial idea.

But initial idea never is the key, right? The idea. Look at how Mark Zuckerberg Burke, a simple idea transformed into a social media giant only through continuous development and adaptation. The word here is adapt. You have to listen to what customers are saying, just the way Instagram did. How it evolved from just a filtering photo app thing to a more visual way of storytelling, right? So their approach was being more customer centric and focused development, right?

So these are all the stories of people outside. Now, what's my story? Why have I earned the right to talk about this? And why do I resonate so much with this topic? Because I have taken a lot of actions in my life. See, when I was graduating after engineering, I failed 20 plus aptitude test and ten plus direct interviews. Even though I was a so called topper, I failed. And it was three years of struggle to find the right job, which suited my capabilities. Finally, I found the right job.

I worked as a software engineer. And then I got good opportunity, good work, exposure, and then suddenly, office politics hits. While being on maternity leave twice in 2003 and 2005, I was given the lowest rating, performance rating, although I was a performer all this while, right? I was working with so much belongingness and ownership as if I stopped, my company would stop. But then during this phase of maternity, I realized nobody cares. And that's where I was unhappy at the workplace.

I had a thought. So I'll also cover the difference between what is a thought and what is an idea. So I had a thought. I want to quit. I want to be a full time homemaker. These were my thoughts. So I took action. What did I do? Without anything in hand, I resigned. Instead of being unhappy at my workplace, I simply quit that same job, which I struggled to get into the first place.

And then while I was on that space where I could give time to myself. And with that entrepreneurial bug within me, I did not know that an evolution of an entrepreneur was waiting to happen. So what are the different types of businesses I could start was my next thought. So what is a thought? It is just a random, fleeting moment in your brain with slack structure. There is no structure to it. Random thoughts, right? But what is an idea? It's a combination of thoughts. Combination of interconnected thoughts which will lead to some value in your life, someone else's life. Right?

A thought is a combination of. Sorry. An idea is a combination of interconnected thoughts. So now I want to start business. I want to do something of my own. That's the thought I got. But then I got interconnected thoughts of what is the business I can start? What should I be doing? Should I do what I have done before in my work life? Or should I do something of my own? New, totally open a boutique, open a dosa plaza in a foot coat. These were some of the thoughts I was processing.

And then I took action again. I went and spoke to business owners, some of the business owners on what are the challenges and how is business for them? And do they make money, how much money do they make? And all these things some people shared, some people simply shooed me away. But I took action. And finally, after a few deliberation, I decided to start it consulting firm. Because that made a lot more sense right now. While we had this it consulting firm, we were just doing training and staffing. Very soon I realized this is a vanilla offering in the market.

Nobody will give us opportunity, so we need to be the different ones if we are not the first ones. So how to be different? So we were. We had more skills than just training and staffing. So we decided to. So we decided to get into a space which the software industry had problems with. And we found our business model, thank God. Luckily that gave us a lot of funds to start another business. Another business. Another business. Right. So I started seven diverse businesses in a period of eleven years.

Three sold. Sorry. Three failed. Sorry. I want to correct myself. Three failed. One soldier. Three successfully running. So ideas have power to change your life, your world. Because only once you feel fulfilled and contented with your ideas then you look forward to contributing in others life. Wear your own mask before you put mask to others. Right?

So acha lakhta hai bolna mehdusroke. But reality. It's very important that first you fulfill your dreams and desires. Your materialistic dreams and desires. Only then when you are fulfilled and contented with life, you want to give. And that's where I would like to talk about this as well. I created a giving platform and this idea lasted with me for seven, eight years. And I was shortlisted by economic time. Power of ideas. I was a change maker for global action on poverty.

But I cut it short. I had to pivot the product due to lack of resources. But that idea is still close to my heart and I have not shunned it yet. Because of COVID everything got paused. But I will reignite that. Because your idea is like a spark. Action taking is a fuel that ignites it. Right? And your attitude is like the wheels that proactive action taking and your decisions and directions are like the steering wheel and control panel of your car.

So take a pledge today. Take a pledge today that you will not be the one who will regret that you did not act enough on your ideas. Or you were not the one who gave up too early to your idea. So ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much. It's an honor to speak about this concept which is really close to my heart because it helps you unleash a greater and grander version of you and helps you make a significant contribution in life with your presence here. Thank you.

Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Motivation, Ideas, Change, Personal Growth, Tedx Talks