Showing posts with label Inspirations. Show all posts

Blind!


Pic Courtesy: www.danlew.com

Rainbows used to be the magical color palette of the nature until you found out the science behind it. The stars were mystical beauties until we realised its just a mega giant torch burning far far away from us. Many things that were wonderful and beautiful becomes mundane and uninteresting once you find out the science behind them. So is it that being ignorant is bliss? Nope! Poets, writers and painters see the same moon, same stars, rainbows, lovers everyday and still are inspired by them every day. They see the beauty in what they have and what they don’t. They are not seeking perfection from these elements; after all they are not some ill-grown manager. They are inspiring leaders who see the beauty in the positive as well as the negative. That is why, I have a simple rule "never be in awe of anyone/anything". Respect everything/anyone that will make you humble and realise how little you have achieved. However, if you are in awe you will only end up as a blind follower. Being a blind follower you are paving way to two kinds of blindness - Learning the right lesson and missing the beauty. 

The frenzy around Steve Jobs is a prime example for blind following. He resigned and the whole world had to write eulogy, and rightly so, as if he died in war! This man has shaped how more than half the world does its work today, converses with others and in some cases even how it thinks. All the praises that we have showered on him is worth every word of it. But then there are two side effects to this frenzy. One, we fail to grasp the real reason why Steve was so successful. Second we fail to look into the failures of Jobs and hence lose the lessons in the loss. I am sure most of us think he is some kind of wizard who dreamed about ipad and unleashed his creativity one fine morning to capture our imagination. But truth cannot be far from it. Here are two articles that somewhat captures the enigma behind Steve's success - Article 1 and Article 2. These are way better than the "Steve is god" posts on most other sites which would sound like a pre-teen raving about Justin Beiber. Also, here is one article that points to one of Jobs', probably biggest, mistake. 

If you have to appreciate the real beauty of a person then you have to understand his/her positives as well as negatives, if not appreciate them. This is the second disaster that blind following leads you into. One small mistake and you tend to trash the person who you revered moments ago. Had you not been in awe and just followed your reason, respected him as a human being then you will be able to appreciate his real beauty as well. Our fathers are prime example for this! He was our hero during our child hood and whatever he did was the best. But wicked life adds its twist and we are revealed that dad is conservative. He cannot even surf the net. In short, he is not "cool". And then like sudden brakes in an otherwise smooth travelling Volvo cruiser you feel a push and then a pull. You stop seeing him as hero and the gap widens. This is when he stops being the handsome, strong dad to a vile, destroyer of freedom, dad. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, only because the brain said so! Garner some respect for everyone and everything; understand the good and bad of everyone and everything. Beauty will reveal itself from within you!

P.S: I have committed my share of blind following as well. I am a human being and I am a huge fan of Kamal Hassan, APJ Abdul Kalam, Sachin Tendulkar, AR Rahman and Illayaraja. In my blinded state I wrote a piece in this very blog on how Sachin is a god's avatar to show how a sportsman should be. Just like how Lord Ram came into this world to show how a ruler must be. Even Lord Ram had his share of shortcomings. He was not the best of Husbands, some might argue. Sachin too slipped from being a good citizen. Not once, but twice. At least the first time can be termed as a casual mistake - When he got a Ferrari without paying customs. The second time he has committed (almost) the same mistake pertaining to taxes. Well, he has twisted the laws to suit his pocket. Read from here.
General, Inspirations, Management Touch
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B+ - How Vs Why


Pic Courtesy: redbubble.com

When we were kids, we did not know anything about B+. Then slowly it was introduced to us as a blood group. Then a little later it was one of the dreaded grades. But this post is not about any of them. This is about being positive. Almost every feel good book, motivational speaker, teacher, coach, strategist, doctor, lawyer and many others preach this slogan of "B+ always; more so in the face of adversity" But most of them fail to say how! At least in India, my motherland, the answer for that question is "Have faith" or "Believe in the almighty!" Though I am a theist, I simply cannot make my mind wait for the events to turn positive when I am already distressed and am thinking am knee deep in sh!t.

The next question that pops up in our mind is what is that we need to be positive? Is it only when we are down? Or do we need to develop a positive outlook to everything around us? Be it a small incident or a slip up or even criticism. With a positive bend of mind, your life turns out to be better for you. Faced with adversity or victory does not matter when you can think through an optimistic lens. Before you close your browser tab, labeling this as a gyan post, let me move on. But only before warning you, this still could turn out to be a gyan post. But what the hell! Be positive buddy :)

I am not a management guru or any such thing. I am just a recent graduate and I think about everything that happens to me during the day before I go to sleep. This helps me organise my thoughts, schedule and most importantly analyse my behavior. One such outcome of that is about "How to be positive?" This is not a panacea and might fail in most places. But it is something and this something will help you in at least a few places. I strongly believe so and hence spending a few minutes to pen my thoughts.

When I am irritated or frustrated or feeling low or angry, I concentrate on asking the right question rather than finding the right answer. Seeking the answer before asking the right question can be a disaster in the making. So what is the right kind of question? Well, if it was just that simple and standard then I think life will be boring. So, even I don't know what is that question. But what I do know is that there is no one right question (sounds like globe or gas. Well it is :) ). In what I have discovered so far, I think it is better to avoid "How" questions and encourage more "why" questions to help being positive. Let me explain this with an example.

All of us have friends or relatives. Most of us would have fought with them time and again. When we fight, it usually is mended by other firends or by ourselves. However, in the interim period we undergo turmoil that is mood-killing to say the least. And during this period, most of us will be pondering over the "how" questions. "How can he say that to me?" "How can she do this to me?" or various other questions might pop up. The downside of such questions is that it leads us to recount the favors that we did for the other person while completely forgetting about what help they have rendered for us ["I helped him when he was financially down and this is how he repays?"]. Instead, try asking the "why" questions. "Why did he say that to me?" "Why did she do this to me?" Maybe, just maybe, you will get a few responses that might elevate the other person in your eyes. At least it will give you more than one option and a quicker healing time. "May be what I said irritated him" or "May be she did not know this will hurt me."

There might be a better example or a better way to handle such situations. If you know them or use them in your life, please let me know or spread the word for everyone to know.
General, Inspirations, Management Touch
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Energy Supplements

sIt is very rare that I blog on an impulse. But this is one such occasion. I usually type out my thoughts on a notepad, then transfer that to a word doc where I edit and make it better and then search for a good pic to go along with it and then, finally, post it on blogger. But not this time... I found this gem of a write-up which I had saved from the net or email forward long long ago. It is about 21 little things that you can practice to live a happier life. Not wealthier or successful, but to be happy. Read on.. I am sure this will act as an energy supplement for you when you are emotionally down.
Home Touch, Inspirations
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From the Master's Mouth

26th October this year, I posted 10 commandments that Sachin Tendulkar has given to us while he was playing cricket. Almost a month  later, the master himself has provided his thoughts on some of the key points that I had penned down. Enjoy this interview - Sachin on being Sachin!
Inspirations, Management Touch
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11 > 1000 !!!



Srirangam is the foremost of the eight self-manifested shrines of Lord Vishnu. It is also considered the first, foremost and the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples. The temple complex is 156 acres in extent. It has seven prakaras or enclosures. There are 21 magnificent towers in all prakaras providing a unique sight to any visitor. But there is one other feature of the temple that is of my interest. The hall of 1000 pillars!
Though known as the hall of 1000 pillars, the hall has only 953 pillars. Here is the reason for the reduced number: The king who started to build the temple (somewhere in the 13th century, I forgot his name) wanted a hall of 1000 pillars and had put a deadline for completion (Like our dear IT Managers ;)) .But in the whole universe, only Lord Indra is believed to have a hall of 1000 pillars. Understandably, Indra was not very happy about a rival hall being constructed. So he devised a smart plan. On the deadline day, he disguised himself as a rooster and announced the arrival of dawn before it really was (unfortunately there was no Timex/Titan that time). So the construction of the 1000 pillars was stopped by the king (the workers were like developers caught during appraisal for low productivity ;)) and the hall had 953 pillars.
Now snap back to reality!!! Around 2000 years later... at ANZ, eleven people came together. They were people from different places with different ideologies. There is one similarity though, that I should admit, we all knew Tamil :) But that was not the uniting factor. Honestly, till this point I don’t know what bonds us so strongly. It just happened (Like it happens in some love stories!). We were distributed over groups... we met during lunch... we were distributed to various teams... We met at cafes... we became close... That was it! And when one of our pillars decided to support the statue of liberty, we met to bid her bon voyage and that was when we really christened ourselves as THE 11 PILLARS.
Legend in the future will say that Indra was very upset, more than he was with the construction of 1000 pillared hall. But little could he do for such was the strength of the bond between them. Even the gods envy us! And here are the 11 pillars for you...

Aarthi alias Gaaj:
I was unfortunate; as I learnt later, not to have interacted much with her. Still, I remember the way she cut me in during induction and bounced one into the ribs (cricket lingo). And I can never forget the way she says... "A (p) diyaa....” For some crap you say and make you feel that you have said something gr8! She is one gal whom I have always seen as ruling the corporate roost. Another example that gals are study maniacs!!! Now rocking in US! (I pray to god that she doesn't bring Hershey’s or Kisses when she returns home! Something better Gaaj, pls)

Aparna alias Mahabali alias Phone Booth:
You can never miss her. Partly because of the huge space she occupies and partly because of the noise she creates. If you don’t find her at her seat, don’t panic, go to the nearest phone booth and you shall find her. But do knock the door before entering or enter at your own risk ;) She is like the small niece of Jerry the mouse (in Tom & Jerry) that is always hungry. Poor thing forgot where her stomach ends :P. In the future I would recommend her to start a portal for all the restaurants in the town, where people can get to know what to eat and where to eat. Walking encyclopaedia for all the restaurants in Bangalore (dunno if she has separate DB for other cities).

Aravindan alias vind:
He is such a great philanthropist that he adopted Calvin and Harry (Potter) to be his own sons: P. My buddy from college, TP @ NITT and I will never forget him (reason: he wrote my first testi in orkut ;)). Jokes apart... no nonsense guy with a lot of aptitude, an ambition to scale great altitudes and a guy whom I thought to be having lots of attitude when I first met him. I don’t know why, sometimes when I see him I remember a dialogue by Hermione "Just because you have an emotional quotient of a teaspoon!” Buddy, do talk something other than stock markets, percentages, IPO s, you, more than anyone else know that there are more beautiful things :)

Bharath alias Lover boy alias Bar:
Bharath was my college mate. A nice friend with whom you can discuss any issue under the sun and this guy will know it. A councillor was killed in Neykarampatti; Bobby Jindal winning elections, Indian markets being thrown to dogs, this guy will know all. So informed yet so withdrawn and calm. Like Bhageera of “The Jungle Book”. He is exactly that... Mystery and style; Keen and agile. To me he is an enigma!

Karthik alias aachu vaa:
Hail the Mysore maharajah! This maharajah of Mysore has two lethal weapons:
1. Mokkais (PJs)
2. Tamil: P
The only king who has conquered Chera dynasty (U know who ;)). A very good guy and if you are searching for some one to talk to, have fun with... Then here he is. He is a nice companion to have. Though I know him only recently, I can assure you that he is one guy you can enjoy being with. Every thing is "seri aachu vaa polam" for him. Machan una intha 11 pillars kulla itanthathuku aravindanuku thanks sollanum da :)

Lakshmi alias kuty laks alias milk:
I take this opportunity to thank the founders of the words like patience, hard work, conviction etc... For without these words I will not be able to describe this gal. She works so much that you will feel guilty of under working in the company. You might have heard about/seen talking alarm clocks. But Lakshmi is a special clock; every ten minutes into the cafe/lunch hall she will sound an alarm - "POLAM" ;). She is a great friend of mine who has been with me through thick and thin.

Nivasini alias Akka alias Lappy alias Kappy alias...:
Akka as called by us all, she is a very easy go lucky character. She can make your mind glow with a 1000 watts with her 1000 whats? I am yet to come across a kid to beat our akka in asking so many whats? For our akka, everything is rosy in life and if it is not she will not accept it as part of life. She likes to walk in a bed of roses and expects to see a rainbow at the end of the path :) (Such optimism only she can show).She accomplices with many other fellows to make a fool of us all. She has done everything to make GURU look at her except slapping him right across and asking him to look at her. I am also eager to see our GURU MACHAN or DHEIVA MACHAN.

Naveen alias Pondoos alias dude:
The sweet heart of our gang and my personal sweet heart in my room as well :) Known him since the first day of my college (He used my bucket for taking bath on the first day and never thanked me! ;)). I doubt if I can see another guy who can make a dead man laugh. No! Not with his jokes but with his own actions ;) An excellent dancer who can give Mallika Sherawat a run for her money. Grand master in CHESS (sport as well as job). The entire custody support is on his shoulders whilst he snores with his bum to the ceiling ;)!

Santosh alias Red Bull alias RB alias Gundan:
Big man with big dreams. His pet name of Red Bull has more meanings than his stock market ventures ;) You better be very sharp otherwise you will miss all his gimmicks: 1. Acting like he is serious
2. Acting like he is an innocent guy.
A good companion to pass time with and know about the stock market. Has been an entrepreneur right from high school. Some how this bull likes only married cows :P

Shanthosh alias govinda:
Looks can be deceptive! Shanthosh is a living example for the phrase. Looks and "acts" innocent, but believe me he has a lot inside. Both in his heart and also in his head. THE WALL, I can say... very dependable friend with whom I have shared a lot! Aiming to move higher up and conquer the management world with his brain.

Shankar alias Shanky alias sithapps:
Big guy (read as: like Hagrid ;)) with even bigger dreams. The author of this blog who doesn't believe in blowing his own trumpet! ;)
Home Touch, Inspirations
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