0:00:00.810,0:00:02.222 You may know this feeling: 0:00:02.810,0:00:06.547 you wake up to multiple unread[br]notifications on your mobile phone. 0:00:07.532,0:00:09.714 Your calendar is already[br]packed with meetings, 0:00:09.738,0:00:12.187 sometimes double- or triple-booked. 0:00:12.822,0:00:14.818 You feel engaged, you feel busy. 0:00:15.395,0:00:17.328 In fact, you feel productive. 0:00:18.573,0:00:22.966 But at the end of it all,[br]something still feels missing. 0:00:24.176,0:00:26.203 You try to figure out what it is. 0:00:26.804,0:00:28.506 But before you do, 0:00:28.530,0:00:30.288 the next day starts all over again. 0:00:32.272,0:00:34.780 That was how I felt two years ago. 0:00:36.177,0:00:38.452 I felt stressed; I felt anxious. 0:00:38.916,0:00:40.473 I felt a bit trapped. 0:00:41.457,0:00:44.457 The world around me[br]was moving very quickly. 0:00:45.431,0:00:47.365 And I didn't know what to do. 0:00:48.019,0:00:49.656 I started wondering to myself: 0:00:50.205,0:00:51.776 How do I keep up with all this? 0:00:52.257,0:00:54.815 How do we find fulfillment 0:00:54.839,0:00:58.973 in a world that's literally changing[br]as fast as we can think, 0:00:59.627,0:01:01.603 or maybe even faster? 0:01:03.516,0:01:05.167 I started looking for answers. 0:01:05.594,0:01:08.397 I spoke to many people,[br]I spoke to my friends, 0:01:08.421,0:01:09.895 I spoke to my family. 0:01:09.919,0:01:12.288 I even read many self-help books. 0:01:13.615,0:01:16.005 But I couldn't find anything satisfactory. 0:01:16.490,0:01:18.950 In fact, the more self-help books I read, 0:01:18.974,0:01:21.479 the more stressed and anxious I became. 0:01:21.503,0:01:22.649 (Laughter) 0:01:22.673,0:01:25.974 It was like I was feeding[br]my mind with junk food, 0:01:25.998,0:01:28.763 and I was becoming mentally obese. 0:01:28.787,0:01:30.823 (Laughter) 0:01:30.847,0:01:32.069 I was about to give up, 0:01:33.133,0:01:35.528 until one day, I found this. 0:01:36.076,0:01:40.846 "The Tao Te Ching:[br]The Book of the Way and Its Virtue." 0:01:42.028,0:01:45.172 This is an ancient Chinese[br]philosophy classic 0:01:45.196,0:01:47.940 that was written[br]more than 2,600 years ago. 0:01:48.601,0:01:53.334 And it was by far the thinnest[br]and the smallest book on the bookshelf. 0:01:54.162,0:01:55.859 It only had 81 pages. 0:01:56.488,0:01:58.555 And each page had a short poem. 0:01:59.201,0:02:02.520 I remember I flipped[br]to one particular poem. 0:02:03.206,0:02:04.358 Here it is. 0:02:04.382,0:02:05.634 It's beautiful, isn't it? 0:02:05.658,0:02:07.109 (Laughter) 0:02:07.133,0:02:08.412 Let me read it out to you. 0:02:09.419,0:02:12.548 "The supreme goodness is like water. 0:02:13.473,0:02:16.245 It benefits all things without contention. 0:02:17.038,0:02:19.564 In dwelling, it stays grounded. 0:02:20.427,0:02:22.688 In being, it flows to depths. 0:02:23.445,0:02:25.603 In expression, it is honest. 0:02:26.901,0:02:29.497 In confrontation, it stays gentle. 0:02:30.520,0:02:32.758 In governance, it does not control. 0:02:33.258,0:02:35.324 In action, it aligns to timing. 0:02:36.370,0:02:38.965 It is content with its nature 0:02:38.989,0:02:41.606 and therefore cannot be faulted." 0:02:42.998,0:02:45.887 Wow! I remember[br]when I first read this passage. 0:02:45.911,0:02:49.048 I felt the biggest chills down my spine. 0:02:49.553,0:02:51.949 I still feel that today,[br]reading it to you guys. 0:02:53.048,0:02:56.300 My anxiety and stress[br]just suddenly disappeared. 0:02:57.239,0:02:58.874 Ever since that day, 0:02:58.898,0:03:03.955 I've been trying to apply the concepts[br]in this passage to my day-to-day life. 0:03:04.406,0:03:07.707 And today, I'd like to share with you[br]three lessons I learned so far 0:03:07.731,0:03:09.580 from this philosophy of water -- 0:03:09.604,0:03:13.962 three lessons that I believe[br]have helped me find greater fulfillment 0:03:13.986,0:03:15.627 in almost everything that I do. 0:03:17.023,0:03:19.540 The first lesson is about humility. 0:03:20.475,0:03:22.785 If we think about water[br]flowing in a river, 0:03:22.809,0:03:24.804 it is always staying low. 0:03:25.847,0:03:28.910 It helps all the plants grow[br]and keeps all the animals alive. 0:03:29.427,0:03:31.997 It doesn't actually draw[br]any attention to itself, 0:03:32.021,0:03:34.356 nor does it need[br]any reward or recognition. 0:03:35.442,0:03:36.710 It is humble. 0:03:37.792,0:03:40.291 But without water's humble contribution, 0:03:40.315,0:03:42.848 life as we know it may not exist. 0:03:45.103,0:03:47.692 Water's humility taught me[br]a few important things. 0:03:48.492,0:03:52.000 It taught me that instead of acting[br]like I know what I'm doing 0:03:52.024,0:03:53.720 or I have all the answers, 0:03:53.744,0:03:55.799 it's perfectly OK to say, 0:03:55.823,0:03:57.188 "I don't know. 0:03:57.212,0:03:58.609 I want to learn more, 0:03:58.633,0:03:59.885 and I need your help." 0:04:00.911,0:04:05.004 It also taught me that, instead[br]of promoting my glory and success, 0:04:05.028,0:04:08.886 it is so much more satisfying to promote[br]the success and glory of others. 0:04:09.879,0:04:13.783 It taught me that, instead of doing things[br]where I can get ahead, 0:04:13.807,0:04:15.879 it so much more fulfilling and meaningful 0:04:15.903,0:04:19.433 to help other people overcome[br]their challenges so they can succeed. 0:04:21.473,0:04:22.625 With a humble mindset, 0:04:22.649,0:04:26.484 I was able to form a lot richer[br]connections with the people around me. 0:04:27.180,0:04:30.775 I became genuinely interested[br]in the stories and experiences 0:04:30.799,0:04:32.751 that make them unique and magical. 0:04:33.235,0:04:34.530 Life became a lot more fun, 0:04:34.554,0:04:37.601 because every day I'd discover[br]new quirks, new ideas 0:04:37.625,0:04:40.029 and new solutions to problems[br]I didn't know before, 0:04:40.370,0:04:43.460 all thanks to the ideas[br]and help from others. 0:04:45.093,0:04:47.926 All streams eventually flow to the ocean 0:04:47.950,0:04:49.658 because it is lower than them. 0:04:50.965,0:04:53.913 Humility gives water its power. 0:04:54.649,0:04:59.053 But I think it gives us the capacity[br]to remain grounded, 0:04:59.077,0:05:00.435 to be present, 0:05:00.459,0:05:05.006 to learn from and be transformed by[br]the stories of the people around us. 0:05:06.434,0:05:09.357 The second lesson I learned[br]is about harmony. 0:05:09.919,0:05:12.291 If we think about[br]water flowing towards a rock, 0:05:12.315,0:05:13.678 it will just flow around it. 0:05:14.125,0:05:16.704 It doesn't get upset,[br]it doesn't get angry, 0:05:16.728,0:05:18.252 it doesn't get agitated. 0:05:18.276,0:05:20.157 In fact, it doesn't feel much at all. 0:05:20.687,0:05:25.156 When faced with an obstacle,[br]somehow water finds a solution, 0:05:25.662,0:05:27.995 without force, without conflict. 0:05:29.955,0:05:32.583 When I was thinking through this,[br]I began to understand 0:05:32.607,0:05:35.082 why I was feeling stressed out[br]in the first place. 0:05:35.506,0:05:38.022 Instead of working in harmony[br]with my environment, 0:05:38.046,0:05:39.712 I was working against it. 0:05:40.369,0:05:41.867 I was forcing things to change 0:05:41.891,0:05:45.915 because I was consumed[br]by the need to succeed or to prove myself. 0:05:46.616,0:05:48.251 In the end, nothing did. 0:05:48.775,0:05:50.322 And I got more frustrated. 0:05:51.211,0:05:54.656 By simply shifting my focus[br]from trying to achieve more success 0:05:54.680,0:05:57.426 to trying to achieve more harmony, 0:05:57.450,0:06:00.920 I was immediately able[br]to feel calm and focused again. 0:06:01.796,0:06:03.653 I started asking questions like: 0:06:03.677,0:06:06.399 Will this action bring me greater harmony 0:06:06.423,0:06:08.755 and bring more harmony to my environment? 0:06:08.779,0:06:11.119 Does this align with my nature? 0:06:12.388,0:06:15.261 I became more comfortable[br]simply being who I am, 0:06:15.285,0:06:18.197 rather than who I'm supposed to be[br]or expected to be. 0:06:19.809,0:06:21.768 Work actually became easier, 0:06:21.792,0:06:24.522 because I stopped focusing[br]on things that I cannot control 0:06:24.546,0:06:26.403 and only on the things that I can. 0:06:26.427,0:06:29.220 I stopped fighting with myself, 0:06:29.244,0:06:32.928 and I learned to work[br]with my environment to solve its problems. 0:06:34.267,0:06:36.274 Nature does not hurry. 0:06:36.879,0:06:38.737 Yet, everything is accomplished. 0:06:39.704,0:06:43.252 That's Tao Te Ching's way[br]of describing the power of harmony. 0:06:44.260,0:06:48.346 Just as water is able to find a solution[br]without force or conflict, 0:06:49.006,0:06:53.149 I believe we can find a greater[br]sense of fulfillment in our endeavors 0:06:53.173,0:06:56.474 by shifting focus[br]from achieving more success 0:06:56.498,0:06:57.958 to achieving more harmony. 0:06:59.228,0:07:03.387 The third lesson I learned[br]from the philosophy of water 0:07:03.411,0:07:04.849 is about openness. 0:07:05.744,0:07:07.863 Water is open to change. 0:07:08.395,0:07:12.318 Depending on the temperature,[br]it can be a liquid, solid or gas. 0:07:12.965,0:07:14.497 Depending on the medium it's in, 0:07:14.521,0:07:17.772 it can be a teapot, a cup[br]or a flower vase. 0:07:18.566,0:07:22.876 In fact, it's water's ability to adapt[br]and change and remain flexible 0:07:22.900,0:07:25.265 that made it so enduring through the ages, 0:07:25.289,0:07:27.530 despite all the changes[br]in the environment. 0:07:29.002,0:07:32.356 We also live in a world today[br]of constant change. 0:07:32.979,0:07:36.185 We can no longer expect to work[br]to a static job description 0:07:36.209,0:07:38.174 or follow a single career path. 0:07:38.792,0:07:42.625 We, too, are expected to constantly[br]reinvent and refresh our skills 0:07:42.649,0:07:43.799 to stay relevant. 0:07:45.419,0:07:48.213 In our organization,[br]we host a lot of hackathons, 0:07:48.237,0:07:50.493 where small groups[br]or individuals come together 0:07:50.517,0:07:53.259 to solve a business problem[br]in a compressed time frame. 0:07:53.601,0:07:56.878 And what's interesting to me[br]is that the teams that usually win 0:07:56.902,0:08:00.244 are not the ones with the most[br]experienced team members, 0:08:00.268,0:08:03.053 but the ones with members[br]who are open to learn, 0:08:03.077,0:08:04.677 who are open to unlearn 0:08:04.998,0:08:07.117 and who are open to helping each other 0:08:07.141,0:08:09.601 navigate through[br]the changing circumstances. 0:08:11.244,0:08:13.176 Life is like a hackathon in some way. 0:08:14.014,0:08:18.358 It's calling to each and every one of us[br]to step up, to open up 0:08:18.382,0:08:19.851 and cause a ripple effect. 0:08:20.800,0:08:24.967 Now, we can stay behind closed doors[br]and continue to be paralyzed 0:08:24.991,0:08:27.799 by our self-limiting beliefs, such as: 0:08:27.823,0:08:30.356 "I will never be able to talk[br]about Chinese philosophy 0:08:30.380,0:08:31.784 in front of a huge audience." 0:08:31.808,0:08:32.856 (Laughter) 0:08:32.880,0:08:35.355 Or we can just open up and enjoy the ride. 0:08:35.828,0:08:38.099 It can only be an amazing experience. 0:08:39.077,0:08:42.119 So humility, harmony and openness. 0:08:42.703,0:08:46.308 Those are the three lessons I learned[br]from the philosophy of water so far. 0:08:46.752,0:08:49.324 They nicely abbreviate to H-H-O, 0:08:49.348,0:08:50.518 or H2O. 0:08:50.542,0:08:51.605 (Laughter) 0:08:51.629,0:08:54.876 And they have become[br]my guiding principles in life. 0:08:55.885,0:08:58.505 So nowadays, whenever I feel stressed, 0:08:58.529,0:09:02.001 unfulfilled, anxious[br]or just not sure what to do, 0:09:02.025,0:09:03.538 I simply ask the question: 0:09:04.247,0:09:05.700 What would water do? 0:09:05.724,0:09:06.946 (Laughter) 0:09:06.970,0:09:10.526 This simple and powerful question[br]inspired by a book 0:09:10.550,0:09:15.306 written long before the days[br]of bitcoin, fintech and digital technology 0:09:15.330,0:09:17.045 has changed my life for the better. 0:09:17.685,0:09:20.140 Try it, and let me know[br]how it works for you. 0:09:20.164,0:09:21.680 I would love to hear from you. 0:09:21.704,0:09:22.855 Thank you. 0:09:22.879,0:09:28.968 (Applause)