After over a year of juggling work and studies at MisFits, I realize that I may not have fully excelled in either role. This is a fundamental concept in deep learning - no machine or process operates at 100% efficiency, leaving room for continuous improvement. As I evolve and strive to become the person I aspire to be, this blog acts as a reflection of my journey and a work-in-progress software update.
This blog will be structured into three main sections:
The serendipity
The churn
The being
The serendipity
Bruce Lee was once asked, "What is the highest technique that you hope to achieve?" and he answered, "It was to master no technique".
My journey started along this pursuit. Let me explain!
You know how the twenties are - it is a confusing pursuit. You would think that you would have it all figured out as you "adult". You may not be correct either.
Along my UPSC journey, I also had a backup plan - my plan B in place. My aspiration is to join the international civil servant community, and to my 18-year-old self, becoming an IFS Officer meant having the best chance of working at the UN. (Although there are alternative paths- you may refer to this quite popular clip).
I reached out to numerous individuals working at the UN on LinkedIn, including Naman Shrivastava. To my surprise, he actually texted back, although the text asked me to explore GGI's Impact Fellowship. I had since then always followed his blogs until he officially launched MisFits.
The story of how I landed a role at MisFits is also quite unique. Perhaps a tale for another day?!
This coincidental point of contact perfectly reflects what one of the MisFitters mentioned in class: "The teacher will appear when the student is ready."
I believe I was ready for the churn after spending a mirageous UPSC preparation in solitude and with no actual knowledge.
The churn
According to Bruce Lee, "A good martial artist does not get tense when faced with his opponent, but ready; not thinking yet, not dreaming, ready for whatever may come..."
Any progress made is always better evaluated with some yardsticks. I'm a little unsure of the right way to gauge my personal growth. However below are some indicators that highlight some qualities that I have worked on/ working on:
Energy Management > Time Management
It is true that everyone has access to the standard 24 hours. In accordance with the law of energy, energy can only change forms.
We must develop our capability in such a manner that the top prioritized goal receives our highest levels of energy (highest mostly means the purest form of energy that is supercharged with, let's say photons).
I think I could have handled this better. It is necessary that you prioritize your tasks and complete it. Think of epochs in machine learning as just batches of data that the computer processes and learns from. The epochs are the batches of tasks in order of priority.
Building your knowledge base
This is simply the pareto principle, 20% of your efforts, yielding 80% of result. It also relates to thinking from first principles, having logical reasoning skills, and so on...
Nevertheless, this informed guessing can only happen, when the algorithm has been exposed to a significant portion of its training data. If more pieces of information remain unexplored, the algorithm's accuracy is likely to drop significantly.
Fail faster and learn quicker
The best way to learn things is by actively engaging with the subject material.
We learn to swim by actually throwing ourselves into the pool, using a pool buoy to keep afloat, and overcoming initial setbacks before mastering the skill. You may sink twice, and eventually you learn to kick and swim.
You see, you are not sitting in a corner with a "learn how to swim" guide written on a bunch of A4s.
That's exactly the way you learn any material. If you are passionate about something, that's alright- get into the field. Have the conviction that you will see it through and go ahead. It will be okay.
The key is to engage directly with the content rather than relying solely on instructional guides.
Nurture Confidence
It comes from action. When you commit to something and follow through, it builds up significantly over time. Therefore, there is a close connection between communication and action.
Bring Clarity of thought, word and deed
We see our reflection in still water, but not in water that is stirred. This is what clarity does to our speech, conduct, and thinking. Achieving clarity is challenging, but once attained, it is unbeatable.
These are qualities that all MisFitters naturally possess, some are developed within the ecosystem.
"....and when faced with the opportunity, 'I' do not hit but it hits all by itself. "
-(Continuation of Brue Lee's thoughts)
The being
This is basically the present. This year has undeniably left a lasting impact on my character owing to MisFits being one of the factors. Every one of us is simply preparing for this opportunity. You never know when it may strike.
Naman Shrivastava and Shatakshi Sharma are indeed creating those platforms so that we are prepared.
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