About a year ago, we were at an Italian restaurant in Palo Alto with our lawyer who is a wise man. We were talking about our kids and other topics the discussions also touched American politics.

What is your opinion about the possibility of Trump winning the elections?

“No way” – was my answer and I added, ” I feel that the population that chose Obama as their president is collectively wise and the possibility of electing Trump as president is low.”

Looking back, I was wrong. I had been right in many of my predictions, and I have been wrong as well.

Most new learnings happen when I make a prediction ( 10x more is done in my notes and head than shared publicly) and get it wrong.

And I believe that it is an excellent tool to learn. As a kid, I used to be scared to say out loud what I thought in the classroom thinking what would-would happen if I am wrong and the memory of a how I was laughed at when a few times I did get wrong did not help either.

What happens when I am wrong is I would get an opportunity to learn something, discover new variables that were at play but not know to me.

New questions emerge, new insights emerge, and what if people see that I was wrong?

The Richard Feynman influence inside me comes out in my head and says “What do you care what other people think? ”

Now, I listen very carefully even a whispered feedback about me, and I try to understand people’s opinions. But caring what others think about me? – I have 99 problems, but this isn’t one!

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