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Stay On The Bus

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You would have taken a bus ride from a nearby bus stand. You’d have seen the signpost mentioning bus numbers that read as follows: 21, 32, 37, 47, 76, and 92
You’d have observed that each bus takes the same route for at least a few bus stops along the way where the same numbers are repeated: 21, 32, 37, 47, 76, and 92.
Now think of each bus stop as one year in your professional life, meaning the 3rd bus stop will be considered as three years of you doing a specific job or profession.
You took those 3 years to become a rockstar coder for a specific technology. You start talking about people and how amazing you’ve become in something. Someone tells you that you’re so outdated. The world has changed, and what you’ve accomplished is already done by others. So you hop off the bus, grab a cab and head straight back to the bus station looking for another platform.
This time, you take mobile technology development, and you spend three years building it. And then showcase your work to others. You’re again told about how your art has already been done, and someone else has become far more competent.
So once again, you get off the bus, grab the cab, race back, and find a new platform. This goes on all your professional life, always showing new work and always being compared to others, and always leaving your work for something that looks greener than where you are.
What to do? It’s simple: Stay on the bus. Stay on the f**king bus.
Why? Because if you do, in time, you will begin to see a difference. The buses move out on the same line but only for a while, maybe a kilometre or two. Then they begin to separate. Bus 32 goes to Bandra, bus 19 Ghatkopar. And likewise.
It’s the separation that makes all the difference, and once you start to see that difference in your work from the work you so admire (that’s why you chose that platform, after all), it’s time to look for your breakthrough.
When you stay on the bus, your work starts to get noticed. Your vision takes off. And as the years mount up and your work begins to pile up, it won’t be long before the critics become very intrigued, not just by what separates your work from someone else, but by what you did when you first got started and pursued it consistently, you become an expert.
So, whenever you are thinking to get out of the bus, think again. You will reach your destination only when you Stay On The Bus.
 
Inspired and adapted from Helsinki Bus Station Theory developed by Minkkinen

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The sound of drumbeat is always melodious from distance

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Mostly unhappiness is felt because you feel a little by looking at what other possess. While you are disappointed in life for something there are millions who aspire to reach at your spot.

A boy looking at flying aircraft in the sky always dreams to fly but, the pilot at e cockpit looks at earth and dreams to land their and enjoy the scenery and play carelessly.

In spite of you ordering your favorite food in the restaurant, when you see the platter at next table you start feeling that why you didn’t order the same dish.

The real happiness is to enjoy what you have got. No money can buy the peace and happiness. Money alone isn’t a currency of happiness but being content is. Position alone does not bring power otherwise all leaders would be walking without security. Beauty alone does not guaranty relationship bonding otherwise celebrities would have had the most successful relationship – live well..do good…win hearts…

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अष्टादश पुराणेषु व्यासस्य वचनद्वयम् ।

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अष्टादश पुराणेषु व्यासस्य वचनद्वयम् ।

परोपकारः पुण्याय पापाय परपीडनम् ॥

इस संस्कृत श्लोक का अर्थ है कि महर्षि वेदव्यास ने अठारह पुराणों में जो सबसे महत्वपूर्ण बात कही है, वह यह है कि दूसरों का भला करना पुण्य है और दूसरों को अपनी वजह से दुखी करना ही पाप है।

यह श्लोक जीवन के बहुत ही मूलभूत सिद्धांत को सरलता से समझने और अपनाने में मदद भी करता है। 

परोपकार का अर्थ यहाँ अच्छे कर्म करना जैसे की जरूरतमंदों की मदद करना, समाज कल्याण की भावना को सर्वांगीण करना, आध्यात्मिक उन्नति करना तथा स्वयं एवं संसार के प्रति सकारात्मक दृष्टिकोण रखकर आध्यात्मिक उन्नति करने को ही जीवन का असली मकसद बताता है। 

अब हम यहाँ पाप को ठीक से समझें तो इसका मतलब सिर्फ धार्मिक दृष्टि से गलत कार्य ही नहीं बल्कि वे सभी कर्म भी शामिल हैं जो नैतिक रूप से, देश, काल और परिस्थिति के अनुसार भी अनुचित है और दूसरों को नुकसान या कष्ट पहुँचाने की मनसा से किये जाते हैं। 

यहाँ पीड़ा का मतलब शारीरिक, मानसिक, भावनात्मक, और आर्थिक पीड़ा भी है जिससे किसी की प्रतिष्ठा या किसी के अधिकारों का हनन करना भी हो सकता है। 

प्रेरणा:

  1. “परोपकाराय पुण्याय” हमें एक सच्चे और नैतिक जीवन जीने की दिशा में प्रेरित करता है।  
  2. “पापाय परपीडनम्” की अवधारणा हमें एक संवेदनशील, जागरूक और जिम्मेदार व्यक्ति बनने की प्रेरणा देती है। यह हमें याद दिलाती है कि हमारे हर कर्म का प्रभाव दूसरों पर पड़ता है, और इसलिए हमें हमेशा दूसरों की भलाई को ध्यान में रखते हुए कार्य करना चाहिए।

अष्टादश पुराणेषु व्यासस्य वचनद्वयम् । Read More »

A true friendship

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God Krishna says: “I am friend of one and all, it is upto you, whether you consider me as your father, mother, master, associate or friend.

For me, friendship comes first. I enjoyed my childhood with the cowherds of Vrindavan. I played with them like an ordinary boy. I went on to steal the butters from the house of the herdsmen. I killed Kaliya snake who was poisoning the Yamuna water and making the water undrinkable for cows and cowherds. You would have read about my friendship with Sudama. He was my best friend. When Sudama arrived at my home, I could not control myself even for a moment, and ran away to hug him. I treated him like myself with full of compassion and equanimity.

During the war of Mahabharata I was thrown in a peculiar situation. Kauravas’s blamed me for playing one sided. So, I offered them the solution. I asked them to visit my place and whomsoever I see first in the morning after I wake up, I will be part of their side. You know that Duryodhan came first and sit on my head assuming that when I wake up and open my eyes I will first look at him. However, Arjuna came and sat on my feet and I saw him first. I never discriminated with anyone. Arjuna was my ardent devotee. For him, I was the ultimate master ruler of his life.

You would have heard that Draupadi use to call me “Sakha” and I use to call her “Sakhi”. I always came to her rescue as she treated me as her ultimate friend and I always protected her whenever she remembered me for help.

I live in the heart of everyone in the form of consciousness. There are some  who’s forgotten me, and there’re some who constantly keep me in your mind.

I am committed to be the rescuer of all those who remember. You are what you are. I am what I am. We are the same-when you take the time to remember me. The only way you can conquer me is through love and there I am gladly conquered.”

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Go where you are rare

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Success is being at right place at right time. Once upon a time, I refused a lucrative offer to join a leading IT company in Mumbai citing “I won’t shift to Mumbai.” I was well settled in Vadodara when I got an offer to join Sony Music in Mumbai. I asked a close friend for advice, and he said, “Ishwar, you should go there as you will get better opportunity to grow yourself.”

If I’d have refused, Sony Music won’t have happened. Opportunity to write 100s of articles won’t have happened. Joining the league of youngest CEO of Digital at Zee won’t have happened. Traveling the around the globe won’t have happened. Speaking, mentoring and guiding 100s of entrepreneurs won’t have happened. And meeting 1000’s of beautiful people won’t have happened.

“Go where you are rare.” is a great sentence. Being rare positions you as an extraordinarily excellent. It brings the power to you. Things work differently. That ‘rare’ position gives you the opportunity to discover, justify, explain, convince, and win over hundreds of people aiming to grab the spot you are enjoying. You’re at the spotlight.

If you have spotted that ‘rare’ position, the only word of precaution: Don’t solely rely on your talent to draw an extraordinary result out of your situation; push your limits, empathy and your desire to serve.

Keep honoring the purpose of your being that ‘rare’ person, and do more of those things to serve the people around you.

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Die a hero… so that, people show up on your funeral day

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Lots of time, many people would have asked you one common question, “What I want to be when I grow up?”
You’d have answered many things under the pretext that you’d not show that you are here for a small bet.

Today, I want to tell you something more valuable, “Never grow up. Period.” Because your life is not one chapter. To complete your life book, you will have to write many chapters. Instead, live like a “blank piece of paper and beginners mind.”

When you are like a blank piece of paper, you can do many things – you can draw, write poetry, sketch a picture, make a paper boat, fly a paper plane, etc. etc. Only one warning: Don’t dirty yourself by accumulating the bad and the blemish on your life.

And while you are on your flow to write your living story; from time to time:
– Assess your life to find out where you are.
– Decide what area to take action on, and start gathering options.
– Keep prototyping your future self 5 – 10 years from now. Remember that there’s no failure, just continuous progress towards your destination.
– Choose to think and live in ways that focus on living your life like a hero does.
– Maintain a mindset of joyous life in which you learning, growing and having fun.

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Maybe this isn’t for me

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When did you last watch a toddler’s first attempt to walk? I did it a few days ago. What I observed was that when the child was learning how to walk and fell several times, he never thought to himself, “Maybe this isn’t for me.” He kept trying and the beautiful thing was that the people around were encouraging and appreciating the child for his efforts and didn’t point their finger at him for the fall.

As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The lightbulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

I find social validation the greatest enemy. You look for someone else to validate who you are by seeking their approval and setting up yourself for disaster. You’re born a whole and complete man. It cannot come from someone else. You have to know who you are. You have to keep constantly trying like Edison without being worried about the fall much.

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Bhagavad Gita: 10 Commandments to win over conflicts

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The Bhagavad Gita starts with a conflict that arises when Arjuna is on the battlefield, fighting to win the most of his life. When I read Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Gita, I found it intriguing how to handle conflicting situations. Here are ten commandments I learned from Chapter 1 to eliminate important wars or conflicts with your leadership values.

  1. Always stand firm in your beliefs, no matter the challenge. Your values are your guiding light.
  2. Choose integrity over popularity, making the right choices even if they upset others, including those you care about.
  3. Leadership is about knowing yourself and staying disciplined, not controlling others.
  4. Prioritise the greater good, making tough decisions to uphold what’s right, even if it causes conflict.
  5. Recognise your strengths and weaknesses, and don’t hesitate to seek expert help when needed.
  6. Never let personal feelings for family and friends influence your judgment—stay fair.
  7. Consider material success and align your decisions with spiritual and moral principles.
  8. Face challenges with courage, embracing difficult situations as part of your leadership duty.
  9. Resolve inner conflicts by prioritising what’s most important, guided by wisdom and a deep understanding.
  10. Draw lessons from the timeless wisdom of the Gita to navigate modern dilemmas with clarity and purpose.

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Be the part of solution and fix things that you can

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A skilled craftsman goes to old broken house and restores it into a fabulous looking home. A mechanic repairs your car back to travel ready. A doctor heals by treating the disease of a patient. They all see the problem and they all specialise in fixing it.

Be the solution side of any problem and hone your skill that enables you to solve the issue. Also, when you begin fixing the problem you become the favourite of God as he is the one who always fixes the problems when someone calls him.

Allow yourself to be God’s next fixer upper project.

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Life, by it’s very nature is brave

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I was standing firm with both shoulders widespread on the rock near the sea face. Cold breeze air was enchanting my soul and the sea from the wave was challenging me to roar ahead with the flow.

It felt like this is the life, bold and true, standing proud of the sky, lapping up a chance to catch a glimpse of moonlight in a dark cloudy sky.

I asked, “Why am I just living?  Why I couldn’t belong here? I realised, that life, by its very nature is brave. It’s us that get trapped in limiting beliefs, limiting values and limiting circumstances. It’s one life to live. It’s one life to love. It’s one life to be brave.”

If not now, when?

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Dumb. Stupid. Willing

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There are dumb people and they can be defined as someone who doesn’t know what they’re supposed to know. Dumb people are by product of circumstances that lack access to learning, bad teachers or unguarded parenting. They are like an empty glass.

There are stupid people – filled with agendas, notions, and concepts and limiting beliefs. They believe they are best at everything and except for themselves, everyone else is a useless species. They know what they need to know, that’s kind of fixed as they have made it a choice not to learn new things. They are like a full glass in which even a drop of water will cause overflow.And then there are people who are willing. Willing to thirst upon the learning that enables them to make good decisions, willing to learn to explore the limitless possibilities, willing to learn to deal with the ever changing world, and willing to question authority, including the self. And these are the people who make things, choices and create a world filled with the makers of amazing things to lead the world to a better place than they were born. These people can be represented as half empty glass.

And then there are people who are willing. Willing to thirst upon the learning that enables them to make good decisions, willing to learn to explore the limitless possibilities, willing to learn to deal with the ever changing world, and willing to question authority, including the self. And these are the people who make things, choices and create a world filled with the makers of amazing things to lead the world to a better place than they were born. These people can be represented as half empty glass.


Who are you, when no one is looking?

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Knowledge is a product of learning, and wisdom is a lifelong attempt to experience it

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In Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2.29, God Krishna says,”Some see the soul as amazing, and some describe the soul as amazing; similarly, some hear of the soul as amazing and some, even after having heard, still have no knowledge of it.”

Poet Kabir explains the phenomenon, “Reading the book, millions have died, but one who experienced the two and a half letters of love has become the master.” Reading certainly helps in acquiring knowledge. It helps us travel from darkness to awareness, but reading alone does not give us experience. 

One cannot claim to be married by just obtaining a photo of the bride, chanting the Vedic mantra and garlanding the picture. For a real marriage to happen, one must have a bride and experience wedding rituals. Similarly, one cannot explain the soul by having it beneath the body. For knowledge about the specifics to be communicated convincingly, one must have experience about it and then the ability to communicate it citing the experience. 

A four-step process is defined as obtaining wisdom.

Learning about the subject through listening and reading.

Reflecting on the subject through concerted efforts and going deeper into the meaning and origin of the subject.

Experimenting with the reflection in a lab-like setup to help garner confidence on the subject.

Experiencing the subject in a real-world environment by accepting and stabilising the self in an acquired state.

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Painstakingly painful pain

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My observation of the worst of pain isn’t what felt at night  when you’re alone, it’s felt during the day when you’re surrounded by your so called loved ones.

It is when your loved ones hit you so hard that you’re knocked off your feet. When you realise that everything you believed was all a lie.

When that warm heart which you prided in most was just a hole lacking in positivity and joy. Because that’s when you know, your life has no meaning.

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Little Bets

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During an interaction with student entrepreneurs at Nirmala College, I met a student who started his business while being in college.

His story is like this:
He thought that he has passion and acumen for photography. He purchased a low-cost camera to start his photography business.

Subsequently, he made some money and invested in buying a professional DSLR with the investment of Rs. 80,000 from his profit. Now, he has a dream to set up his own studio.

My own journey as an entrepreneur started with little bets. Selling books, computer stationery,  side projects. I call it little bets for a small win to gain the confidence you need to inroad for a giant leap.

Little bets are concrete actions taken to discover, test, and develop ideas that are achievable and affordable.

They begin as creative possibilities that get iterated and refined over time, and they are particularly valuable when trying to navigate amid uncertainty, create something new, or attend to open-ended problems.

If you have been thinking about starting up something big, start placing little bets today to experience small win and a big confidence boost. I bet you to place little bets today…

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A real happiness is certain when you aim to attain the liberation

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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2.15, the God Krishna says, “That person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both situations is certainly eligible for liberation.”

A diseased person happily consumes bitter medicine with the hope that it will help him get cured. A person opts for painful surgery to remove a specific organ/object from his body to live better. Likewise, the distressful situation should be considered the pathway to happiness. This understanding alone can bring so much comfort and happiness to everyone’s life.

Our whole life has become a struggle to possess material objects that can please our senses and provide illusory comforts. Every moment, we are in a war-like situation to accumulate material objects that can bring pleasure—that big car, house, comfort, lavish lifestyle, etc. The more we get habitual of these, the more distressed we become. And once we are trapped in the net, it’s never-ending situation. 

Recently, I was told by the son of a billionaire that he wants to buy a studio apartment and wishes to live a simple and ordinary life.

True happiness comes with the realisation that nothing is permanent. The happiness of being a millionaire is only until you live in a society of poor people. Then, you move to a society of billionaires, and being a millionaire will be a painful experience. Your state of happiness changes based on the lens through which you look at life.

Liberation is felt only when you use your material possessions for the right purpose and when your capacities and capabilities are used to help the needy. You choose to live life within the necessities rather than being surrounded by self-pleasing objects and comforts. You are bound to suffer the biggest distress—the complete waste of life in trying to gain pleasure while swimming against the flow of the river.

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