Why “Work Smart, Not Hard” Sends the Wrong Message

The phrase "Work smart, not hard" is often shared as advice to encourage efficiency. While the intent behind it is understandable, I believe it conveys a fundamentally flawed message.

The reality is that success demands a combination of smart and hard work. Focusing exclusively on "working smart" risks undermining the value of dedication, perseverance, and effort—the very traits that drive long-term achievements.

Consider the importance of relentless commitment to a goal, solving real challenges, and inspiring a team through action. These elements go beyond just "working smart" and require consistent hard work to bring ideas to fruition.

Hard work creates the foundation for learning, growth, and mastery. It teaches resilience and adaptability—qualities essential in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. Meanwhile, smart work—using the right tools, strategies, and prioritization—amplifies the impact of that effort.

In our pursuit of success, let’s not forget that hard work is not an outdated concept. It’s a cornerstone of innovation and excellence. When paired with intelligence and strategy, it becomes unstoppable.

So, the better mantra might be: “Work smart and hard.” That’s how we build lasting success—for ourselves, our teams, and our organizations.

Remaining Relevant!

The reality is that, at some point in your life, if you can't train others with the knowledge you've gained, you will start to become irrelevant.

You might continue doing what you're doing now, but as you get older, your mind won't be as sharp as it once was, and acquiring new knowledge will become more difficult. You have a choice: either risk becoming irrelevant or share the knowledge you've gained, be humble, inspire passion in others, and hope that some will learn from you and remember your guidance.

Cycle of Life!

I feed and care for stray dogs and cats as much as possible. This morning, a new stray showed up in front of my place. He's old, his eyes are red, and he's clearly sick. I've seen him a couple of blocks away with another group of dogs. I think as he got older, his group rejected him. Interestingly, my group accepted him, and I hope it remains that way. I plan to feed him and take care of him.

No matter how useful or important you are, at the end of the day, when you get old, you're often no longer needed. It's the cycle of life!

My Learnings

1. In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. - Robert Frost
2. Such is life. - Winston, John Wick
3. I always say, the way a man treats his car is how he treats himself. - Tarconi, Transporter
4. If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid. - Epictetus, Dean Kansky, Serendipity
5. You know the Greeks didn't write obituaries. They only asked one question after a man died: "Did he have passion?". - Dean Kansky, Serendipity
6. You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. - Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight
7. Tomorrow millions of people will curse me, but fate has taken its course. - Bruno Ganz, Downfall
8. The notion of yours is merely an illusion. - Rajiv Hassan
9. Love is the absence of judgment. - Dalai Lama XIV
10. I've always assumed that love is a dangerous disadvantage. Thank you for the final proof. - Sherlock Holmes, A Scandal in Belgravia
11. As the philosopher Jagger once said, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find, you get what you need". - Dr. Gregory House, House
12. We're going to hell, so bring your sunblock. - Ari Gold, Entourage
13. Silence, it's golden. - Ari Gold, Entourage
14. Opinions are like arseholes - everybody has one. - Old Adage

Dreams!

A Dog Has Died

BY PABLO NERUDA
TRANSLATED BY ALFRED YANKAUER

My dog has died.
I buried him in the garden
next to a rusted old machine.

Some day I'll join him right there,
but now he's gone with his shaggy coat,
his bad manners and his cold nose,
and I, the materialist, who never believed
in any promised heaven in the sky
for any human being,
I believe in a heaven I'll never enter.
Yes, I believe in a heaven for all dogdom
where my dog waits for my arrival
waving his fan-like tail in friendship.

Ai, I'll not speak of sadness here on earth,
of having lost a companion
who was never servile.
His friendship for me, like that of a porcupine
withholding its authority,
was the friendship of a star, aloof,
with no more intimacy than was called for,
with no exaggerations:
he never climbed all over my clothes
filling me full of his hair or his mange,
he never rubbed up against my knee
like other dogs obsessed with sex.

No, my dog used to gaze at me,
paying me the attention I need,
the attention required
to make a vain person like me understand
that, being a dog, he was wasting time,
but, with those eyes so much purer than mine,
he'd keep on gazing at me
with a look that reserved for me alone
all his sweet and shaggy life,
always near me, never troubling me,
and asking nothing.

Ai, how many times have I envied his tail
as we walked together on the shores of the sea
in the lonely winter of Isla Negra
where the wintering birds filled the sky
and my hairy dog was jumping about
full of the voltage of the sea's movement:
my wandering dog, sniffing away
with his golden tail held high,
face to face with the ocean's spray.

Joyful, joyful, joyful,
as only dogs know how to be happy
with only the autonomy
of their shameless spirit.

There are no good-byes for my dog who has died,
and we don't now and never did lie to each other.

So now he's gone and I buried him,
and that's all there is to it.

Bicchinno Abeg

একদিন আমি হেটে চলেছি পথে একা
হঠাৎ হোঁচট খেয়ে থমকে দেখি
চারিদিকে আঁধার
আঁধার আর আঁধার
আঁধার আর অজ্ঞতা
কোন দিন আমি গাইব সেই গান
যে গানে থাকবে না মলিন অহংকার
কোন দিন আমি গাইব সেই গান
যে গানে থাকবে শুধু জোসনার সচ্ছতা

আলোয় আলোয় ভরা চারিদিকে
তবু কেন ঘরে এত আঁধার
শুনি তবু শুনিনা
বুঝি তবু বুঝিনা
গানের মত গান নিয়ে কেন তাই
কোন দিন আমি গাইব সেই গান
যে গানে থাকবে মহাশুন্যের উদারতা
কোন দিন আমি গাইব সেই গান
যে গানে থাকবে সাগরের গানচিলের ডাক

বন্দী আমি নিজে নিস্তব্ধতায়
কন্ঠে আমার নেই কোন সুর
বন্ধ জানালার পাশে বসে আছি
ফুলের সুবাস পাই
আলোর দরজা খুলেও কেন খুলিনা
বারবার শুধু ছিটকে পড়ি
অশ্লীল কারাগারে
কি যেন কি পাবার
মোহে... মোহে...
একদিন আমি হেটে চলেছি পথে একা...

Divider

Standing on the divider,
Undecided!
Which way to go,
Undecided!
Waiting for so long,
Undecided!
Till you see those lights,
Now!

Release

I see the world
Feel the chill
Which way to go
Windowsill
I see the words
On a rocking horse of time
I see the birds in the rain

Oh dear dad
Can you see me now
I am myself
Like you somehow
I'll ride the wave
Where it takes me
I'll hold the pain
Release me

Oh dear dad
Can you see me now
I am myself
Like you somehow
I'll wait up in the dark
For you to speak to me
I'll open up
Release me
Release me
Release me
Release me

Project Managers

Who are Project Managers?

They are organized, passionate and goal-oriented who understand what projects have in common, and their strategic role in how organizations succeed, learn and change.

Project managers are change agents: they make project goals their own and use their skills and expertise to inspire a sense of shared purpose within the project team. They enjoy the organized adrenaline of new challenges and the responsibility of driving business results...

Oh! Happy New Year!!!