Home of Shariq Mustaquim on the Internet!
"Let's align on the desired outcomes before we engage stakeholders across all touchpoints to maximize value creation."
I thought communication was about getting your message across, not making it sound more impressive.
"I'm so happy it's Friday!"
When did our most precious commodity become a liability?
Not an absolute truth obviously but I see it hold true in most instances
It's not that engineering platforms have been tried and found wanting
It's that they've been found complex, and not truly tried.
We often dismiss DevOps or platform initiatives as "not working", when in reality, they require patience, design maturity, and cultural adoption.
The challenge is not the technology itself, it is our commitment to doing the hard, systematic work it takes to make it succeed.
In school, Jimmy was the star student who always had his hand up first. He took pride in answering fast and being the "smartest" kid in the room.
But in a job interview, being Jimmy is a red flag.
Jumping straight into an answer without pausing to think or asking follow-up questions shows a lack of depth. An interview is a look into your problem-solving thought process in real-world, not a a trivia contest.
Slow down. Ask clarifying questions. Establish the scope before you offer the solution.
The best candidates are sometimes the ones who ask the best questions.
I believe that for most highly successful individuals, success was less about genius or relentless hard work and more about talented individuals finding themselves at a crossroad of opportunity.
History shows this repeatedly. Moments of technological change, market shifts, or structural resets create brief windows where the rules are rewritten, presented to a capable person who recognize the moment and help themselves.
Hard work still matters, but mostly after the luck has knocked on the door. Effort determines how far someone goes once they are in the game.
This is also why success often looks inevitable in hindsight. We romanticize grind and talent while underplaying timing, access, and early positioning. Survivorship bias makes success stories feel linear, even though anything in life rarely is.
It reminds me of what many bowlers say about taking wickets in cricket. Skill and execution matter, but only up to a point. The rest depends on things outside their control. Does the edge carry or fall short? Is the catch held or dropped? How does the pitch behave?
Success, much like a wicket, is rarely earned by effort alone.
Remember when we could find our way around without Google Maps? We relied on our own sense of direction, and you know what? It worked surprisingly well.
I think we're at a similar crossroads with AI tools. The more we rely on them, the easier it is to stop exercising our own thinking muscles.
The trick isn't to avoid using AI. It's to stay engaged while you use it.
Keep your skills sharp, let AI amplify them.
Like any skill, your mind sharpens with use. So keep thinking, keep questioning, and let AI be your co-pilot (pun intended), not the driver.
| Letter | Concept | What It Means | Quick Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | Detachment | Mentally disconnect from work after hours | No emails after 6 PM, switch off notifications |
| R | Relaxation | Calm your mind & body, reduce stress | Short walk, meditation, music |
| A | Autonomy | Control over how/when/where you work | Flexible hours, task choice, remote options |
| M | Mastery | Opportunities to learn & feel competent | New skill, challenging project, training |
| M | Meaning | Work feels purposeful & valuable | Connecting tasks to company mission, societal impact |
| A | Affiliation | Feeling connected & supported socially | Team bonding, supportive colleagues, psychological safety |