Maximise Potential

Is your work going to be replaced by machines and robots? We are also hearing more and more about driverless cars and does this mean people who drive for a profession are under threat. Robots can now do so much more than before so does that pose a threat to our work lives? What do humans have to do to be relevant in the future? These are some of the questions that Geoff Colvin raises and answers in his wonderfully researched book Humans are Underrated. The future is indeed exciting and understanding the trends can help us prepare for the future in a much better way. The first three chapters of the book talk about how machines like Watson are beating humans (example is Jeopardy here).  Watson is loaded with the entire content of Wikipedia and also past clues of Jeopardy. There is no question that this is one area humans can’t win. I read in an article on  tech crunch  that Dr. John Kelly who leads the Watson team at IBM has said that the purpose of Watson was not to replace humans

Maximise Potential is my pet project. I believe each one of us has enormous reservoirs of potential waiting to be unleashed. However this potential has to be harnessed before it becomes latent. You don't need to be great to start but you have to start to be great.   Here are some thoughts to get the most out of yourself and make your life stand for something. The author Napoleon Hill said that “Definiteness of Purpose” is the first quality required for success after analyzing the richest men in America. Decide what you want to achieve in your life. Write down your short term and long term goals. Make it specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time bound. I like this line "Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement."  Create a personal mission statement and vision for your future. My mission is simple “I want to maximise my potential and help others maximise theirs.”  Never stop learning. If you are through learning you are through life.  Read