Chanakya (350-275 BCE) was a great Indian teacher, philosopher, statesman, royal adviser, economist and jurist. Alternatively known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta, he penned the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashastra. He is said to be the pioneer of economics and political science in India. A Brahmin, originally hailing from Northern India, he was also a professor of political science and economics at the University of Takshashila, also known as Taxila. A past master of Vedas and ancient Indian literature, he is believed to have had some knowledge of Zoroastrianism as well.

9. Chanakya 

Chanakya was as shrewd as he was wise. He helped the first Mauryan Emperor, Chandragupta, to establish the Mauryan Empire and was an immense asset to him during his rule. Chanakya also served as Chief Advisor and Prime Minister to both Chandragupta and his son, Bindusara. His immense works were lost towards the end of the Gupta Empire and were rediscovered only in the early 20th Century.

Chanakya is often associated with the Arthashastra, which identifies its author's name as Kautilya. Only one verse in it refers to him as Vishnugupta. Some believe that Chanakya was given the name Kautilya as that was the gotra (clan) that he came from. However, there is yet another more interesting theory about the emergence of this name.The word "Kutila" in Sanskrit means "crooked". He could have been given this name, as he was a shrewd politician, who knew the ins and outs of administration.

As Kautilya Or Vishnugupta

Vishnu Sharma's Panchatantra (3rd Century BCE) explicitly identifies Chanakya as Vishnugupta. However, there is no historical record about this – it is possible that these three names belonged to three different people.

Some believe that he was born in Takshashila, while others aver that he was born in South India. He was the son of Chanak (or Canin) and Canesvari. He hence got his name from his father.He was educated at the ancient University of Takshashila and later, went on to become a professor there. Though he was raised as an orthodox Brahmin, he knew that he had the capability to rule a kingdom. He was not handsome, but his tremendous knowledge more than made up for his lack of looks.

.....⁹

As mentioned earlier, there are several versions of Chanakya's life story. Check the weblink for the Buddhist and the Jain versions of the legend.

Other Legends About Chanakya

When Chanakya was old enough, he began searching for a true king. That is when he met Dhana Nanda, the king of the Nanda dynasty. According to the Mahabodhivamsa, Dhana Nanda was the last ruler of the Nanda dynasty. He is referred to as Agrammes or Xandrames in Greek history. The name Agrammes may have come the Sanskrit word, "Augrasainya", which means, "son or descendant of Ugrasena". Dhana Nanda inherited the throne from his father, Mahapadma Nanda. He is believed to have been powerful and ruled over the Parsii (Prachya) and the Gangaridai people.

Dhana Nanda And Chanakya  

During his tenure, the Nanda Empire spanned from Bihar to Bengal in the east and from Punjab to Sindh in the west. His army was very large – it consisted of 200,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry, 2,000 war chariots and 3,000 war elephants. He, however, was quite unpopular, both with his own subjects and with the neighboring states as well. That was probably because his government levied heavy taxes and fleeced the people of their wealth.The people of Kalinga especially despised the Nanda clan, as they belonged to the Shudra varna (the lowest caste). In order to diffuse the political tension,

Nanda Empire

He also provided them with a mere handful of grains and very little water, which was barely sufficient for one human being to survive. Eventually, Sakatala lost his entire family, one by one and he was the only survivor.Seeing that the land was vulnerable, the foreign invaders again declared war. Realizing what an asset Sakatala was, Nanda freed him and requested his assistance. Wanting to avenge the death of his family at the hands of the king, Sakatala refused to help and left. He then joined hands with Chanakya.

....

Prince Shaurya Nanda wedded Damyanti of Kalinga. However, that only worsened the situation – the marriage itself was short-lived. That further complicated the equation between the two dynasties. During his reign, Dhana Nanda carried on the same ill-feeling for the Kalinga dynasty.Dhana Nanda had four ministers, namely, Bandu, Subandu, Kubera and Sakatala. Sakatala spent the entire money in the treasury to purchase peace from the Mleccha invaders. When the king knew of this, he got furious and punished him by casting him into a subterranean dungeon, along with his family.

Sakatala

Chanakya was interested in a position available at a daankendra or charity center. The king wanted only a Brahmin to run the center. He was well aware that he was very unpopular – there was even a rumor that he could be assassinated at any time. Dhana Nanda opened up this daankendra in a bid to salvage his flagging image. Chanakya entered the palace to apply for the royal position. On entering, he saw nine seats lined up on either side of the throne. Out of these, eight were for the Nanda Princes.Chanakya promptly rested on the empty seat, which was reserved for

the person who would become the manager of the daankendra. He then boldly declared that, his unkempt appearance notwithstanding, he was indisputably the best man for the job.Disgusted by Chanakya's unsightly countenance, Dhana Nanda and a few other princes assembled there, insulted him, calling him an ugly monkey. The king also thought that he was not refined enough in behavior and hence, refused to offer him the position. Humiliated and angry, Chanakya vowed that he would not re-tie his topknot until he had destroyed king Dhana Nanda and his entire clan.

The exact circumstances of Dhana Nanda's destruction and ultimate death are not clear. Some narratives suggest that he was killed by Chandragupta Maurya himself,after the latter captured Pataliputra. When he lost the battle, he was permitted to leave his capital, along with his two wives.He also gave away his daughter in marriage to the Mauryan Emperor.Other stories relate that Dhana Nanda went into exile after Chanakya stealthily captured Pataliputra. He was never seen or heard of after he fled from there. Some other sources seem to suggest that Chanakya ordered that he be killed while on his

Chanakya Fulfils His Vow

exile, thus clearing the path for Chandragupta to occupy Pataliputra's throne. Yet another interesting version suggests that Dhana Nanda adopted Buddhism just before going on exile. He completely renounced the material world after his clan got wiped out during the war. When Chanakya realized that he was no longer a threat, he left him alive and let him leave from there forever.

Realizing by then that king Nanda had to be defeated in order to bring Chandragupta into power, Chanakya approached king Parvataka (often identified with Porus) and made an alliance with him. Chanakya met the Greek generals as well, to discuss the possibility of an alliance with them as well. Knowing how strong and able they were, he knew that getting them on his side would be immensely beneficial to Chandragupta. He knew that this joint army could easily defeat Dhana Nanda. Sure enough, this alliance gave Chandragupta a formidably powerful army, made up of the Greeks, the Scythians, Nepalese,

Chanakya's Role In The Rise Of Chandragupta

Persians and several other sects. This joint army laid siege on Pataliputra from all directions. Seeing the sheer size of the army, the Nanda rulers had no other option but to surrender their beautiful kingdom. Chanakya then founded the Mauryan Empire and placed Chandragupta at its helm.

Chanakya is identified as the author of two important books, namely, the Chanakya Neeti (alternatively referred to as Chanakya-Niti-Shastra) and the Arthashastra. Arthashastra speaks in detail about several aspects of administration, such as monetary and fiscal policies, war strategies, welfare, international relations and so on. This treatise also relates the duties of a ruler. Some experts aver that the Arthashastra is actually a compilation of several earlier texts penned by various authors, and that Chanakya may have been one of those authors.

Arthashastra And Chanakya Neeti

Chanakya's political ideas and maxims,as specified in the Arthashastra are completely practical,unsentimental,controversial and, sometimes,even downright ruthless.This book takes a rather impersonal stance on conducting assassinations,killing family members, managing spies and secret agents,chalking out treaties and then violating them and so on and so forth. Due to this, he is often compared to Machiavelli.That said;his attitude is not so merciless throughout the treatise.He also talks about the moral duties of a king and how he should always place the happiness of his subjects above his own.

Arthashastra 

which consists of 17 chapters, is a collection of aphorisms and maxims, which are believed to be selected and gathered by Chanakya from the various shastras. This book is filled with interesting quotes, most of which are relevant even in the present times.Several Indian nationalists consider Chanakya as one of the greatest ever thinkers. His Arthashastra is still regarded as one of the best resources to learn about developing and implementing strategic national and administrative policies. Several Indian institutes, involved in training, leadership and politics are named after Chanakya.

Chanakya Neeti,

This article is about the historical character of Chanakya, who through his strategic prowess helped Chandragupta Marya establish the Maurya dynasty which ruled most of northern Indian subcontinent. He was a great administrator and political strategist and helped form good relations with the Greek dynasty.

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Personal Development

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Leadership & Management

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Society, Arts & Culture

Chanakya - Scholar and Administrator Par Excellence

T﻿here are lot of video, courses and books that will help you read faster but a great book is not meant to be speed read. A great book should never be speed read. It should be read slowly and multiple times. This remind me of another quote by Naval:﻿﻿"If you can speed read it, it isn't worth reading."﻿

1) "The smarter you get, the slower you read."

Don't force yourself to read the genres that are more popular. You should read the books that you like.

2) "Read what you love until you love to read."

Don't read the books that are written to make money.

3) " If they wrote it to make money, don't read it."

A great book can't be summarized. If a book can be easily summarized then it is not worth reading. Don't read book summaries try reading the book itself. You'll learn more from a book than the summary.Visit Site to know more about the article!

4) "Any book that can be easily summarized isn't worth reading."

This article is about reading habits and how to read. I got this source from a Twitter account @libraryMindset 

Library Mindset

Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.

"Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake..." - Edwin Markham quotes from BrainyQuote.com

Edwin Markham Quotes

<ul><li>Be proactive.</li><li>Start with the end in mind.</li><li>Ensure that you priorities your goals properly.</li><li>Strive to understand the other person before you try to be understood.</li><li>Make agreements where you and the other parties involved all win.</li><li>Practise your skills individually and as a group</li></ul>

Lessons From “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People”!!

Important learnings from the book “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People” at a glance.

A leading management consultant outlines seven organizational rules for improving effectiveness and increasing productivity at work and at home.

productivity

Productivity

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Motivation & Inspiration

habits

Habits

The 7 habits of highly effective people is recognised as one of the most influential books ever written. In this seminal work, Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centred approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty and human dignity -- principles that give us the security to adapt to change, and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. The 7 Habits have become so famous because they work. From Habit 1: Be Proactive and Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind, millions of People have worked their way through the 7 and found in them a key to transforming their lives. This book has been the key to the success of legions of business leaders and individuals the world over.

Stephen R. Covey is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Stephen R. Covey has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Stephen R. Covey's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Stephen R. Covey

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

When your team communication is working as it should within your small business, every employee knows what to expect, enabling them to plan and respond accordingly as things develop throughout the day. If, on the other hand, the messaging from management is unclear, no one is sure if a task has been completed or not, and only certain employees have an idea of what the status is of a project at any given time, it is very difficult to run a successful company.
Your messaging needs to be clear so that your employees understand what is expected of them and their coworkers.

Keeping Everyone On The Same Page

With effective team communication, employees feel more comfortable talking to management about issues they are having at work, which can in turn lead to improved employee retention and productivity.It’s important to remember that every worker within a company has individual likes, dislikes, and work styles that should be respected and addressed by management.

Relaying Employee Needs

We’ve all had the experience of walking into a store or business and wondering how they are still open: employees at the front desk are unable to answer any customer questions, orders have been lost, and these poor workers have to email or call multiple different colleagues to get a satisfactory answer about anything. The problems in such businesses boil down to one ultimate issue: ineffective team communication.These companies need to create an environment where transparent communication is encouraged.

Improving Customer Experience

Whether your small business prefers to use email messaging or other means of communication, all that matters is that the information is clear.It can be incredibly frustrating to work in a team where work is being done twice, tasks are not being addressed at all, and team communication is generally poor.Happy, efficient employees are the most important part of your company. These are the people who are going to carry out the tasks necessary to ensure that your small business remains profitable in an increasingly competitive world.

Clear and Easy To Follow Communication

Team communication leads to easier and more effective collaboration, resulting in a better final product. When one person is working on a portion of a project by themselves with no collaboration, it’s undeniable that they will get less done in a given time period than they would when collaborating with a team.

Improving Collabortion

Email messaging is one of the greatest communication tools we have developed, but also one of the most irritating. Throughout the work day, a single employee can literally receive hundreds of emails. Some of these are important and need to be responded to, while others are redundant and it would have been better if they were never sent at all. If your team communication is clear and understood by everyone involved in the company, you can eliminate at least a few of these extra email notifications that fill your employees’ inboxes throughout the day.

Eliminate Useless Emails

For effective business communication, you need a unified communication system that can combine all your team communication from emails, chats, calls, documents in cloud storage, and to-dos in one app and organize them based on topic or context. So, whenever you want to refer to any conversation or file, you should be able to retrieve it in a few seconds.

Unify Team Communication

In the age of email messaging, cell phones, and all of the other ways we can now interact with others; team communication within a small business seems like it should be better than it’s ever been…

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Communication

teamwork

Teamwork

business

Business

7 Reasons why team communication is important for small businesses

Present the company's key objectives for the next six months and ask your team members how their expertise and interests can help the company reach these goals. Without tying goals to the company's overall strategy, it can feel like employees are just doing something for the sake of doing something.
Managers should refrain from creating goals for employees. You can dictate the objective but not the goal. It's best if the employees come up with the goals themselves.

Show Employees How They Can Have An Impact

Encourage employees to talk about their personal goals, and help them see how working toward these goals can also support the company in achieving its objectives.During an end-of-year, one-on-one conversation, ask employees to consider how they can use a certain interest or a skill they're trying to develop to fill a gap on the team.Invite employees to talk about their unique skills, what they are good at and what is challenging to them, and then set goals that allow them to optimize the skills they have and develop new talents.

Find Common Ground Between Employee and Company Goals

Use experiences from 2021 to help employees consider what they could have done differently at work, and then develop goals to address those issues. Ask each employee, "If you were able to make changes, what would you have done differently?Helping employees set goals that will get them to collaborate with colleagues in other departments. This will give them the opportunity to learn something new, increase their visibility and help them form new relationships that have the potential to advance their careers.

Consider New Possibilities

The process of goal setting had gotten a negative slant because of the focus on documenting goals.Goal setting can also be termed as "expectation setting" to put more emphasis on the conversation and less focus on the process. Under this new concept, managers talk to employees about what is expected from them based on their role, job level and projects from three angles—what the firm expects, what the team expects and, finally, how the employee hopes to grow in the coming year.

Change The Name

Give employees time to reach their goals. Perhaps employees take a half-day every Thursday to work on their goals, whether that means taking online training, meeting with a mentor or thinking through a stretch project.
Work with employees to break their goals into bite-sized achievements that can be celebrated. Building in milestones is a win-win. If you don't achieve the entire goal, at least you hit a milestone and we're still miles ahead than we were before.

Help Employees Achieve Their Goals

Ask employees to think about how attaining that goal would improve their lives.For instance, perhaps they would become more confident, learn a new skill or earn a bonus. Help your employees to see the goal as not just an end, but as the beginning of something else that could be new and improved in their lives.

Show The Benefit Of Reaching The Goal

Too often, performance goals set at the start of the year become obsolete by midyear. Here are six ways managers can help employees set meaningful goals for 2022.

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Career

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Corporate Culture

Here’s How Managers Can Help Employees Set Meaningful Goals

For business owners and leaders tasked with driving digital strategy, it is their perception of risk that is more impactful on success than anything else. Deciding to incorporate digital tools or infrastructure can be daunting because of the unknown it represents, but shying away from the process can be a far riskier path. 
By understanding the psychological barriers behind digital decision-making, industry stakeholders can and should encourage technology adoption in small and medium-sized businesses — in doing so, they will strengthen the backbone of the global economy.

The Psychological Barriers

Given the near-constant state of flux, it would be fair to assume that they might be more willing to embrace new processes or tools to get themselves back on track, adapt and thrive in an expanding digital economy.Instead, many still opt to maintain the status quo. A great number of businesses still grapple with the “hassle factor” — a key behavioural barrier that sees them struggle to convince themselves that investment is worth the effort or potential risk, particularly if they don’t boast unlimited budgets.

Understanding Resistance to Change: The Hassle Factor

Along with death and taxes, change is one of life’s constants. And just like those other two examples, it is something many humans fear. 
Theoretical models suggest this is due to the absence of control and a lack of understanding of what lies ahead. It’s simple, really. We are afraid of the unknown, which can cause us to make bad choices.

Why Leaders Resist Change

This uncertainty is common in the business world. Whether it’s a new tool, a new colleague, or shifts in the wider market, it’s natural to feel trepidation about the upcoming impact. 
It therefore stands to reason that no matter how much change someone has experienced, an unknown outcome is often the biggest barrier to action.

Uncertainty: The Main Barrier

There are several psychological factors — or mind traps — that business leaders fall into when making decisions about a digital strategy. These can vary depending on the size of the organization.“Group think” is one such trap and has the potential to be damaging. It can take hold when a leadership team remains introspective, without seeking insight from elsewhere in the company. Often it is the most cohesive teams that fall victim to this because there is no friction or difference of opinion to force new ideas.

Avoiding Mind Traps and Other Decision-Making Flaws

In smaller, agile organizations, the decision-making burden may rest on one employee or a very small group of them, making it easy to fall victim to cognitive errors. “All or nothing thinking”  means small business owners may view things in more binary terms – thinking something is either completely good or bad. This means that change from the original choice can be perceived as a negative.

Psychological Barriers: All Or Nothing Thinking

With so many hurdles to effective decision-making, it’s no wonder digital transformation is hard to get right. In addition, convincing budget holders to increase technology adoption is no easy task. 
But it can be done. Sometimes, rational explanations aren’t enough to get through to business leaders. Humans take time to change and so it takes a much longer-term approach to shift their mindset.

Overcoming Your Company’s Psychological Barriers

By applying the principles of nudge theory, it’s possible to persuade them. Many of these techniques play on core facets of human programming, such as the human fear of missing out. For example, comparing commercial progress or digital strategy with competitors can be an effective method to highlight the cost of inertia. It’s also important to make it clear that tech-driven strategy is the new standard. Instead of asking, “Do you want to adopt technology?” the question should be, “Which technology do you want to adopt?”

Thinking Past The Sale

Otherwise, we can prime business owners and leaders by sending them reminders (advertisements fall into this category) or asking them to imagine a scenario in which technology is or isn’t adopted. 
Appealing to the imagination in this way can be very effective — and can include prompting them to consider how decisions may impact loved ones or colleagues.

The Power Of Imagination

Of course, affecting change in business should be carried out entirely without manipulation. 
Whether you’re a government, tech vendor, or an industry body, there is a moral imperative that should govern efforts to influence tech adoption.

The Moral Angle

For business owners and leaders tasked with driving digital strategy, it is their perception of risk that is more impactful on success than anything else. Deciding to incorporate digital tools or infrastructure can be daunting because of the unknown it represents, but shying away from the process can be a far riskier path. 
By understanding the psychological barriers behind digital decision-making, industry stakeholders can and should encourage technology adoption in small and medium-sized businesses — in doing so, they will strengthen the backbone of the global economy.

The Bottom Line

Overcoming resistance starts with understanding the psychological barriers at play.

technologyandthefuture

Technology & The Future

Convincing Your Company Leaders to Invest in New Technology

How authenticity builds positive workplace

Emotional Vulnerability: The Key to authentic leadership

You may believe that emotional vulnerability and business do not go hand in hand; but people no longer follow leaders who show no emotional vulnerability because people now expect authenticity and connection to be the currency with which they build professional relationships.

When a leader can show the inner workings of their heart while still guiding the organisation toward an impactful future, there is a unique strengthening that occurs. A leader who can displaye their humanity transforms their organization's culture from one in which people simply get a paycheck to one in which people belong and find fulfilment.

Remember that your example sets the tone and atmosphere of an organisation. If you choose to be guarded and show no sign of flaws or fun, your staff and employees will reflect this attitude. Soon, your organisation will lack the vibrancy that comes from genuine connection.

People deserve to be treated as individuals, regardless of the type of business they work in. Leaders must also allow people to find a safe haven within the work to which they devote a significant portion of their lives. This necessitates a leadership revolution, which many are already embracing.

As a result, emotional vulnerability is not redundant when it comes to developing a dynamic, value-producing work culture. As a matter of fact, it may be the missing ingredient in helping your organisation foster healthier and more positive relations.

entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Leadership 

Art is Art. Everything else is everything else.

"Art is Art. Everything else is everything else." - Ad Reinhardt quotes from BrainyQuote.com

Ad Reinhardt Quotes

<ul>
<li>First, the leader needs to have the guts to stand out and be mocked.</li>
<li>A leader's first follower has a crucial role: he will show everyone else how to follow.</li>
<li>Next, the leader embraces the first follower as an equal. Now it's not about the leader anymore but about them.</li>
<li>They will call their friends, and each one that follows will add to the movement. New followers will emulate the followers, not the leader.</li>
<li>After a few more people join, you've got momentum. The more people join, the less risky it seems as they won't be ridiculed or stand out. They'll be part of the in-crowd.</li>
</ul>

How to let a movement happen

<ul>
<li>Remember the importance of nurturing your first few followers as equals. It's about the movement, not about you.</li>
<li>The most important lesson is that followers transform a lone person into a leader. A leader is nothing without followers.</li>
<li>If you care about starting a movement, dare to follow and show others how to follow.</li>
</ul>

Lessons for the leaders of movements

http://www.ted.com With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two.)  TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate. Watch a highlight reel of the Top 10 TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

videos

Videos

http://www.ted.com With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two.)

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate. Watch a highlight reel of the Top 10 TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com

How to start a movement | Derek Sivers

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