Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Six Golden Rules to Live Happily Ever

1.Don’t hurt anyone- It takes only a few seconds to hurt people you love, and it can take years to heal.


2.Live today-There are two eternities that can break you down. Yesterday and tomorrow. One is gone and the other does n’t exist. So live today.

3.Value - What is most vulnerable is not, What you have in your life but who you have in your life.

4. Money- Money can buy every thing but not happiness.

5. Marriage- Do not marry a person that you know that you can live with; only marry someone that you can not live without.

6.Trust- It takes years to build trust, and a few seconds to destroy it.

Other Related Posts : 

Keep the Spark Alive

New Year Resolutions for 2011

Monday, March 7, 2011

When Both The Tortoise And The Hare won the race

An age-old fable revisited with changing times:
Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was fasterThey decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race.
The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race
He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep.

The hare woke up and realized that he'd lost the race.
The moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race.
This is the version of the story that we've all grown up with.

The story continues …

The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching. He realized that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him

So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed.
This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.

The moral of the story?
Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. If you have two people in your organization, one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and still reliable at what he does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organizational ladder faster than the slow, methodical chap.

It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable.

But the story doesn't end here …

The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there's no way he can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted.

He thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route.
The hare agreed.
They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the river.

The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.

The moral of the story?
First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency.

In an organization, if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that enable the senior management to notice you.

If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research, make a report and send it upstairs.
Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed, but will also create opportunities for growth and advancement.

The story still hasn't ended …

The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better.

So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time.

They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank.

There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back.

On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier

The moral of the story?
It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well.

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.

There are more lessons to be learnt from this story.
Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could.
In life, when faced with failure, sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort. Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different. And sometimes it is appropriate to do both.

The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.

When Roberto Goizueta took over as CEO of Coca-Cola in the 1980s, he was faced with intense competition from Pepsi that was eating into Coke's growth. His executives were Pepsi-focused and intent on increasing market share 0.1 per cent a time.

Roberto decided to stop competing against Pepsi and instead compete against the situation of 0.1 per cent growth.


He asked his executives what was the average fluid intake of an American per day? The answer was 14 ounces. What was Coke's share of that? Two ounces. Roberto said Coke needed a larger share of that market. The competition wasn't Pepsi. It was the water, tea, coffee, milk and fruit juices that went into the remaining 12 ounces. The public should reach for a Coke whenever they felt like drinking something.

To this end, Coke put up vending machines at every street corner. Sales took a quantum jump and Pepsi has never quite caught up since.

To sum up, the story of the hare and tortoise teaches us many things:
 Never give up when faced with failure
  • Fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady
  • Work to your competencies
  • Compete against the situation, not against a rival.
  • Pooling resources and working as a team will always beat individual performers
 Let’s go and build stronger teams!

Friday, December 31, 2010

100 New Year Resolutions for 2011

Following  100 resolutions I recieved in mail from one Mr Neelkantan. His compilation I want to share with all. Spend little time to brows, if  even a few could be adopted that would make the like wonderful in the new year.
 
1. Send flowers to near & dear ones

2. Never look back
3. Don't brood, keep the head high
4. watch news channels over soaps
5. buy and read books
6. Chill! Cool your heels
7. Give a damn to foes
8. snore less (if you can help it)
9. Give back, when required
10. Spend time with the pet
11. Network more, make friends
12. Pray to the Almighty
13. Express admiration for others
14. Clean the bedroom, at least weekly
15. Write and continue writing diary
16. Celebrate without reasons
17. Admit your faults
18. Less use of credit card
19. Enjoy nature, rains
20. Listen to music regularly
21. Bake a cake, once in a while
22. Visit aged relatives
23. No lending money
24. Be yourself
25. Cultivate a hobby
26. Read and share jokes
27. Take trips
28. Gift yourself
29. Help mom/wife in household choir
30. Listen to Dad's advice in investment
31. Connect to old friends
32. Beg pardon.. after burping
33. Flush, after hitting the loo
34. Save, save and save with a target
35. Clean up your own mess
36. Brush teeth twice
37. Bathe daily
38. Stop doubting the maid
39. Eat healthy, say no to junk food
40. Cook a meal, as frequently as possible
41. Drink more.....WATER
42. Go for an eye checkup
43. Don't bring work to home
44. Listen to parents
45. Say no to jealousy
46. Discuss ideas and concepts, not people
47. Picnic
48. No borrowing clothes
49. Express your love
50. Show when you care
51. Have a positive bent of mind
52. Don't pretend
53. Think beyond the given conditions and the present
54. Feel good
55. Smile more often
56. Compliment liberally and truthfully
57. Dutch... with friends
58. Take morning walks, long walks
59. Use the fork and spoon, while eating
60. Ignore hygiene mania
61. Respond to all emails
62. Write snail mail
63. Chat with common sense and honesty
64. Count calorie intake
65. Do something about being overweight
66. Start the day with newspapers
67. Respect secrets & keep them
68. Trust fellow human beings
69. Listen to your heart
70. Believe in miracles
71. Want less, accept more
72. Share your dreams
73. Thank your stars..more often
74. No self praise
75. Thank God more often
76. Treat dandruffs, get to a dermatologist
77. Change socks daily
78. Fold clothes before putting them in the cupboard
79. Give space, mental and physical, to others
80. Participate in home choirs
81. Donate to charity organizations
82. Give advice only when it is asked for, and when it is a life and death question
83. Surf less, meet people more
84. Use the dressing mirror less
85. Accept your flaws
86. Spend at least one Sunday every month purely at home
87. Wear an attitude, not pride
88. More truth..less lies
89. Sleep with mouth closed
90. Work hard
91. Talk more..sms less
92. Don't curse the neighbor
93. Find a new heartthrob
94. Forget the ex flames
95. Dare to dream
96. Gift yourself at times
97. Eat with mouth closed
98. Always carry a clean hanky
99. Don't litter
100. Not to break any of the 99 resolutions taken above


I hope you have enjoyed these pretty little New Year trivia's. New year is simply the perfect time to make resolutions and make for a fun-filled day. Take in the coming year with open arms.

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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Where the Peace is ?

The professionals get strained because of the push and pulls of the work environment. If any body is asked what is he or she looking for. The reply would be .. peace.  Where can we find peace?  When I asked this question to one of my friends - Sunil Tailor in Surat, he  mailed me following anecdote.
There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peacefully towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on the nest - in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (5.10):

One who then beyond contamination by sinful reactions, exactly as the lotus leaf, though remaining in the water, is not wet.

Be the bird and make a nest to work peacefully surrounded by noise of the work environment and live peacefully.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Person hindering YOUR growth is dead!

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written:

“Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral”.

In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up.

Everyone thought: “Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!”

One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: “There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: IT IS YOU”.

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your centre changes.

Your life changes when YOU change, when YOU go beyond your limiting beliefs.

Friday, September 24, 2010

GUIDE TO A BETTER LIFE

Randy Pausch 47 yrs old, A computer Sc. lecturer from Mellon Universityhe died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, but wrote a book The last lecture before then, one of the bestsellers in 2007. What a legacy to leave behind …



In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan , and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful " guide to a better life " for his wife and children to follow.



May you be blessed by his insight listed in the following points to improve your life.

Personality:



1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
3. Don't over do; keep your limits
4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
6. Dream more while you are awake
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.



9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.



Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:



15. Call your family often
16. Each day give something good to others
17. Forgive everyone for everything
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of six.
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day
20. What other people think of you is none of your business
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:



22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
23. GOD heals everything
24. Do the right things
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
27. The best is yet to come
28. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy.



While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with,
people you play with, people you work with and people you live with.
Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you.
Remember,
GOOD THINGS ARE FOR US TO SHARE.....!!!!!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

The story of an Ant & a Grasshopper

Following Anecdote I received in mail from one of my friend Sunil Tailor.  Its a beautiful satire on Indian politics, NGOs  and social system.
Old Story which our parents told us to undertstand the imporatnce of hard work and planning for future goes as:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs dances plays the summer away. Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

New Indian Version:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs dances plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
Grass Hoppers
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Famous socualist writer Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.
Medha Patkar, who got fame for opposing thr Narmada Dam construction goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .
Mayawati states this as 'injustice' done on Minorities.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan, the General Secretary of UN criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven & Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .
Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for 'Bengal Bandh' in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.
CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.
Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad demands to allocate one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.
 
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the 'Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act'[POTAGA] , with effect from the beginning of the winter..
HRD minsiter Kapil Sibbal  declares 'Special Reservation' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions in Government Services.
The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, it's home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV, BBC, CNN.
Arundhati Roy calls it 'A Triumph of Justice'.

Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'.

CPM calls it the 'Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden'

Koffi Annan, the UN General Secretary  invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.

Many years later...

The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley , 100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ,
....AND
As a result of losing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still a developing country...!!

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Keep Spark Alive, Chetan Bhagat

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