For The First Time

Most of us are afraid of doing new things in our life. Sometimes even I afraid or scared of doing new things in my life. Then a question comes in my mind that- “How one feels when one does something for the first time?”

The First is when I think about Entrepreneurs. In my opinion, Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle. There are many risks associated when one starts something new in the market for the first time and on his own. Their vision, goals, and plan are clearly defined in their mind. One really needs to be fearless to become an Entrepreneur.

The Second is living abroad alone. According to me one feel excited with many questions in his mind.

The third is to meet someone for the first time in a business meeting or in a party. Many questions strike in mind when one meet someone for the first time.

There are certain situations where one feels tense. Going for an interview for the first time, the first day in office,  the first time on stage, teaching in a class for the first time, winning an award for the first time and thinking of a life partner for the first time.

Before writing my first Blog I was afraid of many things. There were many questions in my mind. Keeping momentum, what topics to choose were the big ones. However, now after a period of 8 months I feel confident about writing and share my thoughts and views publicly. The feeling of appreciation and comments from people motivate me and make me write more.  

Our life tests us in many situations but we keep moving in our life, handling all situations properly on our own. If in nervousness of doing something for first time one does not want to take initiative or steps back from doing what he wants to do then he himself is bringing an obstacle in his way. One should learn from each moment in one’s life and keep moving bravely and positively whatever may be the situation.

There is a Famous quote by Robert F. Kennedy:-

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

What goes around, comes around!

A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly the father falls, hurts himself and screams, AAAHHHHHH!!!!! .  To the son’s surprise he hears a voice repeating, somewhere in the mountains AAAHHHHH!!!!! . Curious, he yells” who are you?”  He receives an answer “who are you?” and then he screams to the mountains “I admire you!”

The voice answers “i admire you!”

Angered at the response he screams “coward” he receives the answer “coward”. The son looks to his father and asks what’s going on?

The father smiles and says “my son, pay attention “again the man screams “you are a champion” the voice answers “you are a champion”. The surprised boy is still curious to know what’s going on. The father explains,” people call this ECHO but really this is LIFE. It gives you back your actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart, if you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.

This relationship applies to everything in all aspects of your life. Life will give you back everything you have given to it.

“YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE IT’S A REFLECTION OF YOU”

Empty And Full

A very true story for a successful Life.

An old king wanted to choose his successor, but he had three sons. Everything about them was so similar that even their father and mother got confused among the three brothers. They were all handsome, intelligent and courageous and the king was getting older and could not figure out what to do.

So he went to an old wise man and asked, “How do I find my successor?” The man said, “It is not a difficult thing. Give all some money, the same amount and tell them, “You have to fill your houses with something this money can buy.”

All the three had their own big houses and the money just did not seem to be big enough for filling the whole house with flowers or any good things. Now what to do? So the first hit upon the idea to go to the municipal corporation of the city and ask for all the rubbish would fetch some price. The job was done.

The second was in trouble because the first had already filled his house well before time. He had to hurry. He too thought and could find nothing ‘good’ to fill his house with. It was rainy season and mud was all over the place. He thought he had just to bring trucks and carry the mud to fill his house. That should not cost much. He too completed the job.

Both were happy and looking at the third as to what he was doing, because he was doing nothing at all.

When the evening of the appointed day came, the king came to visit them. The first house stank “Come and see”, said the first son, “the house is full”, “Agreed”, said the king, but enter the house? No, no such a foul smell!

Visiting the second house, he saw the entire marble house filled with mud! And it looked really dirty. Now the king started getting worried. He thought if the third son too had done something like this, then how was he going to decide whom to choose?

Anyway, both the sons and the king went to the third son and they were surprised to see the house completely empty and even the furniture had been removed. The king said, “The house is empty and you were given money to fill it completely.” The son said, “Look a little harder,” they saw and said, “But it is empty”.

“But father, didn’t you see those candles which are filling the house with light? It is empty but full of light and I thought, there can be no better way than to fill it with light. And here is the money I wanted to return to you, because the candles were cheap and there was no need for so much money”.

The king exclaimed, “Oh! I didn’t realize how beautiful your house looked, how very beautiful indeed!

If we too could learn “To fill our own house of ignorance with the bright light of knowledge”.

Life Without Apple

Few days ago, I was using an Apple iPod and suddenly a question struck my mind. How many people’s life is linked to Apple and what would happen if there were no sudden incidents because of Apple?

I find three stories related to Apple.

The forbidden Apple that Adam and Eve ate. This term basically comes from the legend that when Adam and Eve ate the “apple”, the piece got stuck in Adam’s throat and made a lump. It was the Fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which God had asked them not to eat.

The Second story is that of Sir Isaac Newton and the Apple. Sir Isaac Newton was a deep thinker. If that Ripe Apple would not have fallen on him then it might have taken a few more years to find the Universal Law of Gravitation, or even worse, the law may never have been discovered.

He also said that, “The Earth is many millions of times heavier than any other object near to or upon its surface; so it draws every such object toward it. This is why things fall, as we say, toward the earth”. Without this Law, Scientists would be unable to launch satellites or send man on moon and so many inventions would not have materialized.

The Third is Steve Job’s and Steve Wozniak’s creation of the Apple Corporation. Founded in 1977, Apple changed the world by technology. Apple is well known for Innovations and creativity. They began with a PC and restructured their gadgets to an iPhone. Apple was the first Organization that replaced walkman with iPod, by providing the ease of storing 1000 songs in our pocket.

There are certain stories related to Apple. But these three are ones which remind me when I think about Apple and the genesis emerges from the humble Apple. In my view, life without Apple would be very different as of now.

What if a day has only 12 hours?

Last night I had a dream, what if a day has only 12 hours. We make our day productive when we have 24 hours what if we only have 12 hours. How do we manage our time for education, job, sleep, friends, Facebook, emails, parties, movies and vacations? Just imagine the size of clock a bit small. Instead of 12 numbers in a watch we only have 6 numbers and half day is of 3 hours.

Isn’t it interesting to imagine, just like a fantasy. Earth revolution is faster. So just for the sake of discussion, what will happen if a day has only 12 hours?

We will have less school hours, say just 1-2 hours and six subjects.

How many days will it take for a test match to end?

How many days will it take for a person to travel from Kashmir to Kanyakumari or from India to USA?

An aspect which is particularly interesting is office timings. We will have to work only for 4-5 hours. It is very less time to prove ourselves in an organization.

We would have worked only for 7-8 hours in a day. If in reality we have this situation then one can easily accept and answer the famous problem “How to Manage Our Time?”

Even after there are 24 hours in a day, people say “I don’t have time”. After carefully evaluating, the problem is not because of lesser hours. The problem is time management and the solution is also time management. If we are able to manage our time well then we can do all we need to do in a day’s time whether there are 12 hours in day or 24 hours or 36 hours.

If our time is really hectic and not enough to cover all our activities, the key is to spend time wisely and spend it well. Truly God puts equilibrium in everything he created. As for me, I now see the 24 hours of my day must be spent so that the thought or dream of 12 hours in a day will not enter my mind again.

Sisters

Beautiful lines By Someone,

There's no better friend than a sister

There's no one more loyal and true

And even when sisters are different

Their likeness comes shining through!

Perhaps it's a family resemblance

That strengthens the bond they share

Or maybe it's just that sister’s live life with a similar flair!

A sister is one of the nicest things that can happen to anyone. She is someone to laugh with and share with, to work with and join in the fun. She is someone who helps in the rough times and knows when you need a warm smile. She is someone who will quietly listen when you just want to talk for a while. Her love is no less than a mother. She is a true friend and mentor. After a long search I found this poem and I Want to dedicate it to my Sister.

When I sit in the shade,

And look up at a sky of blue….

I thank god for giving me

A Sister like you.

When I walk down the street in a crowd,

So Heartless and Cruel….

I thank god for giving me

A Sister like you.

When I’m tired and sore,

And I just want to sleep,

When I’m sickened with sadness

And my heart’s in a heap.

When I just want to move away

And say it’s all through….

At last, I really thank god

for a sister like you.

One song that I want to dedicate to my sister and which I always had:-

We shall overcome, we shall overcome,

We shall overcome, someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We shall overcome someday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1pHRZXK3T0

Networking- Some hands go for a period of time

We network every day, everywhere. Every time one goes to school, college, office, parties, one is networking. Every time one establishes a relationship, one is networking.

Networking is very important. Some may think it is a dirty word, selfish and awkward but the truth is, networking is the number one way to get a job and build your career. It helps in building personal relationships, Job search and community impact.

In a survey it is said that the biggest reasons that college students don’t network are that they don’t know the benefits of networking or consider themselves too shy to network.

One example for Networking is:-

“Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, network together to change the world.”

Most Networking begins with a casual conversation. One never knows who may have a brother, uncle or colleague in your field. One thing that one must remember in networking is that be respectful. One can do networking anywhere. It can be in Office, Marriages, Alumni Sessions, Seminars and Fests etc.

There are certain things to remember when one meets someone for the first time. Introducing yourself and asking questions is most important. Establish rapport. Keep focus on gathering information and advice. Don’t make it a one sided conversation. Wrap up conversations with a promise to keep in touch and follow them /connect on facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.

There is a quote by Michele Jennae:-

“Networking is not about just connecting people. It’s about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities”.

Why do people lie?

Lying, deception and more broadly unethical behavior are part of human behavior. People often engage in such behavior unaware of societal consequences.

“People lie to gain access to tangible or intangible benefits and once they manage to get the opportunity, it acts as a positive reinforcement strengthening their beliefs about the act of lying or deceit. Liars are apt to try deceit at the workplace too by taking credit for work they are not entitled to and use unfair means to climb up the professional ladder.

Psychologists say that people with low self-esteem and trust deficits are prone to lie as they try to fill the gap between the “real self” and the “ideal self”.

People with personality disorders could lie in order to manipulate and deceive others without much hesitation as the act of lying gives them a sense of control and power. They do not require specific reason to lie.

Deception has been defined as a social behaviour in which an individual attempts to persuade another to accept as true what the deceiver believes to be untrue. “Deception is the part of natural world”. Organisms deceive one another because evolution made them that way.

“Human beings are part of this picture. We, too, are part of this big picture and this helps us to become more successful. Humans learn how to lie”.

Human beings have taken deception to new levels by their power of thinking. The sense of morality in humans is also important in the context of deception. When forced to react quickly to a situation, people’s tendency to lie is more: when they have time to think it over they lie less.

Ref: Mint-Tuesday, December, 17, 2013, Delhi

Sharpening your axe

There is a good story written by Stephen Covey that I want to share:-

Once upon a time there were two men who lived in the same forest and decided to have a contest of chopping wood. The first man was in a good physical shape and very muscular. The second man was in good shape but smaller in stature and wiry.

They would chop wood all day and at the end of the day compare to see who had chopped the most wood.

The first man laughed to himself and thought that there was no way this wiry little man could beat him. So they began the contest.

Every 45 minutes the smaller man took a break and he seemed to just wander off somewhere.

The first man laughed again to himself and said “yep there’s no way this wiry little man is going to beat me.”

This happened several times during the day. At the end of the day the two men compared their piles of chopped wood and unbelievably enough the wiry little man had chopped twice as much wood as the physically fit man had.

He said “I don’t understand. Firstly, I’m twice your size and twice your strength! On top of that, every 45 minutes you rolled off and took a break or a nap or something. You must have cheated.”

The smaller man replied “I didn’t cheat. It was easy to beat you because every 45 minutes when you thought I was taking a break, I was out back sharpening my axe.”

I love this story because it always reminds me, how important it is to “sharpen your axe.”

To compete in Day to Day life it is important to persevere and for this one needs to update regularly.

We can compare it with the story where smaller man was sharpening his axe in regular interval breaks. One should sharpen his brain to work efficiently.

There is an underrated quote by Abraham Lincoln:

“If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”

Perseverance

Perseverance is the Key to success. It is commitment, patience, endurance and hard work. Every field requires dedication and perseverance.

Heroes are a breed apart. They defy the paradigm. They challenge the equilibrium.

Their dedication and commitment towards work make them different from the others.

Giving up is an easy option in life but perseverance towards work is what makes one a Hero.

There are many examples of this:

“People should retire at the age of 60” but Amitabh Bachchan , who was once ruined financially, was voted as the youth icon at the age of 60.

We always say “An Individual can never make a difference” but Mahatma Gandhi did.

There is a famous quote “Success Comes with Experience” but the 16 year old Sachin Tendulkar rocked the cricket world with his bat.

“One doesn’t need education to go in the corporate world”, Bill gates.

If “One needs money to make money” then Dhirubhai Ambani would never have been in the Indian Business Sector.

It is their passion, commitment and perseverance that makes them Heroes of this world. They challenged themselves and stood apart from others.

Dale Carnegie once said- “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

Indelible Impressions

There is an old saying, “Practice makes a man perfect.”

When we practice a skill regularly we master that particular skill.

This clearly shows how important it is to implement it on a regular basis.

To continue to be successful, one needs to read books related to business, surf the net, attend seminars and be an initiator other aspects which help us in improving our skills.

One should be constantly striving to learn and push oneself on a regular basis to learn new things. “Challenge one-self, not others”.

Regular practice will create indelible impressions and will help one in scaling great heights.

Let’s compare this with real life situations. Suppose one mark’s a table with a knife and repeat this on a regular interval on the same mark. The mark will become permanent and it will remain the same even after many years.

Now if one mark’s the table just once and sees it after many years, one will find dust on it and the depth of the mark will not be the same as it will be after marking it daily for a period of time.

This is termed as “Indelible Impressions”. If one sharpens one’s brain regularly, then the brain will remain as it was.

There is a saying “If you’re not getting better you’re getting worse.”

One should practice daily to be perfect and sharp.

THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM AND THE SECOND MOUSE GETS THE CHEESE

The early bird gets the worm, meaning it is good to work proactively, instead of delaying them. The second mouse gets the cheese, because the first mouse gets trapped in the mouse-trap and the second mouse grabs it by starting late and learning from the mistakes made by the first mouse.

The dichotomy is that if the early bird gets the worm, is true then how is it possible for the second mouse to get the cheese, to be true too? 

If one wants to grab opportunities then one must get a head start before anyone else and be like the early bird that gets the worm.

But if one loses the opportunity or misses out something very important and another person achieves it, then, one can just learn from others’ work and achieve one’s goals.

Success comes when one works hard and prepares well. It is the effort that we have put in to achieve something that gets the result.

One can’t just make a team and play without practicing before the match. Planning strategies before performing any team task is very important, otherwise the team can't win.

One must work hard to succeed is what I have learnt. I have also been taught that taking initiative is very important and working without any procrastination is the ladder to success, making me believe in the part - “early bird gets the worm”.

However, in my career I have realized that doing things after observing other examples gives better results. By waiting and judging others’ performance I get to learn from their mistakes and do a better job than them, by following the part- “second mouse gets the cheese”.

At last I would like to say that we should keep motivating each other and work hard to achieve our goals. To be like the early bird or the second mouse is everyone’s personal choice. Both achieve their goals in their own ways.

“Failure is the key to success.”

Failure occurs from mistakes. One should learn from mistakes and move forward in life. Ups and downs are part and parcel of life. Similarly, failure occurs when life wants us to focus more. One should never give up in life. For many individuals, giving up in their life is an easy option but they never realize that God is testing them, and their tenacity and whether they can handle the burdens of their life. Giving up is the biggest mistake that an individual makes in life.

“One must not worry if a problem can be solved and why to worry if the problem has no solution.”

Another reason for failure is copying others to achieve success.

This builds a wall in between success and the achiever, because, it keeps gratification at bay.

 For every lock there is a key, in the same way for every problem there is a solution so always solve problems yourself.

“Taking initiative and doing things innovatively is the key towards success.”

One should try to avoid mistakes in life but failure is also the biggest teacher. Keep in mind a positive thought towards, treat failures as learning experiences, don’t repeat the same mistakes in future.

Let me share another thought which resonates deeply with me and has meaning in every word-

“Mistakes are painful when they happen. But year’s later a collection of mistakes is called experience which leads to success.”

OH CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN

This blog is a dedication to a very special teacher I met in organization. This is a blog written by a friend in which I contributed.

“For me she is my motivator and mentor. She fills with me passion and energy whenever I see her. She is the only person to whom I want to contact whenever I am feeling low in life. She has always taught me to learn to take the positives from everything in life. I always feel like saluting her whenever I see her. Her enthusiasm and passion towards sports and her ability to empathize with people is a great source of motivation for me. She is a perfectionist. The way she talks about her students, about her son, her husband and her career fills me with admiration for her. I have not seen a person who is passionate about every single aspect of her life. Thank you so much for being such an inspiration and a true mentor.”

Now, here is what she had to say:

Every time I saw the movie Dead Poets’ Society I wished I had a person in my life that could pump as much energy and enthusiasm in me for life as the character played by Robin Williams did for his students in the movie.

Throughout my school life and my graduation I looked for that one person whose passion for life could touch my heart. I met a lot of passionate people but for the first time in so many years I met someone whose passion for her work and her family is so inspiring that I wish I could have that level of passion in me.

 The first time I met her she impressed my mother and my aunt, who were apprehensive of leaving me in a hostel in Gurgaon. She told my mother about the rules and regulations and the security measures being taken by the management for the safety of the students. There was faith in my mother’s eyes, belief that if this woman is saying something it must be true. She was immediately ready to leave me in the hostel because she believed in the discipline that this woman can inspire in me. On the way back home, my mother told me that if at the end of the next two years in this institute I could imbibe a few of her qualities I will be able to attain all my goals in life.

 Be it the friendly smile she gives each of us every day, the warm hug she gave us in the hostel when we missed home, the way she shared her whole life-story with the class just to help us understand the concepts she was teaching, the way she made us all stand up and sit down in the middle of the class to stop us from feeling drowsy in class and the way she let us take a break in class and rest a bit when we told her we hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before; she inspired and motivated us all with her actions.

I, now, understand how passion and discipline in life can make me the person I aspire to be and I have her to thank for that. I may not be able to stand up on a table, in class, and salute her and say the words but in my heart, every time I see her or think of her, I want her to know that my inner self stands up and salutes her and says – “OH CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! ”

Fear : To face it or to run from it.

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

 FRANK HERBERT, DUNE

In My Opinion, F.E.A.R is Face Everything and Recover or forgets everything and run.

Like every coin has two sides, the word FEAR has the two meanings. It depends on how an individual handles it.

For me, sometimes, this small word creates so many difficulties that I can't think of a way out of them.

I still face difficulty in my life as to how to handle this small word which has very big hazards associated with it. "Fear if once chosen will always result in failure. There is only one thing that can make a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

I must adapt FEAR only if I can achieve resilience after it. This is the simplest way to achieve success in life.

If I face everything then it makes me feel that I am brave and after facing all the ups and downs when I recover, it gives me a motivational feeling towards my life. It gives me hope. It gives me the courage to stand up and face my problems and to keep on winning over each of it that brings me down.

At the same time a part of me just wants to forget everything and run, ignoring the reality around me and staying in my comfort zone. Sometimes I just want to hide and give in to all my fears and choose the easiest way out of difficult situations i.e. running. I don't know what others think about this but FEAR many a times remain a FEAR. It haunts me.

FEAR of losing a friend,

FEAR of career,

FEAR of change,

FEAR of getting low scores,

FEAR of facing a mob,

FEAR of taking an initiative,

FEAR of fulfilling expectations,

FEAR FEAR FEAR FEAR FEAR!!!!!!!!