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Be like an eagle. Soar like an eagle

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Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?
The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.
When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.
The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.
When the storms of life come upon us, like the eagle, we can rise above them and ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives.
What is your greatest challenge right now? Jot it down. And then lift yourself higher.

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Always be prepared to grab the opportunity

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Morgan was once asked about the secret to his remarkable success. He passionately credited it to his unwavering readiness to take risks and seize every opportunity that came his way. This mindset not only opens doors but also paves the way for extraordinary achievements.
The interviewer again asked, “How do you know when an opportunity strikes? Sometimes, it may arise for a moment and disappear.”
Morgan replied – “I am ready for grabbing the opportunity every moment, whenever and whatever form it comes. This way I never lose the time when the opportunity knocks at my door.”
“It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” Whitney M. Young, Jr. Quotes

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जिज्ञासु बनिए ज्ञानी नहीं

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एक छोटी बच्ची स्कूल से वापस आकर मम्मी से बोली, “मम्मी आज में “सुपर एचीवर” बन गयी। “
मम्मी, “लेकिन प्रांशु का क्या हुआ जो हमेशा बनता था?”
बच्ची, “वो आज स्कूल आया ही नहीं तो टीचर ने मुझे बना दिया।”
मम्मी स्तब्ध…
हम तो यह सोच ही नहीं सकते। हमारे सोचने की शक्ति खो चुकी है। कभी आप बच्चे के साथ बगीचे में जाओ. बच्चा पूछेगा – “बृक्ष हरे क्यों हैं?” आप कहोगे, “वृक्ष हरे ही होते हैं इसमें सवाल जैसी कोई बात ही कहाँ है। ” पर अगर एक विज्ञान का स्टूडेंट है तो वो कहेगा क्लोरोफिल के कारण। मगर बच्चे के मन में और कौतुहल बढ़ता है। वो पूछेगा कि वृक्ष में क्लोरोफिल क्यों है? आखिर क्लोरोफिल को वृक्ष में होने की क्या जरूरत है? और, आदमी में क्यों नहीं है? और, क्लोरोफिल कैसे वृक्षों को खोजता रहता है? ‘क्यों’ का कोई सवाल क्लोरोफिल से हल नहीं होता।
आज बच्चे शिक्षकों की उपेक्षा करने लगे हैं। उन्हें भाव नहीं देते। उनका आदर नहीं करते। क्योंकि उन्हें जवाब नहीं मिलता। उन्हें किताब की रटी रटाई बात बताई जा रही है। उनके जिज्ञासा को दबाई जा रही है।
थोड़ा ज्ञान का पर्दा जो लग गया है उसे हटाकर जिज्ञासा की कुछ बुँदे आँखों में डालें।
आप पाएंगे कि चारों तरफ रहस्य खड़ा हुआ है। हरे वृक्ष हरे है, यह भी रहस्यपूर्ण है। वृक्षों में लाल फूल लग रहे हैं, यह भी रहस्यपूर्ण है। एक छोटे—से बीज में इतने—इतने विराटकाय वृक्ष छिपे हैं, यह भी रहस्यपूर्ण है। जीवन शाश्वत मालूम होता है।हर घड़ी रहस्य से भरी है। पर, आपने अपनी आंखें बंद कर ली हैं। आप ने अपनी जिज्ञासा ख़त्म कर दी है। अनंत आनंद है और आनंद मार्ग का पहला कदम ही जिज्ञासा है। जिज्ञासु बनिए ज्ञानी नहीं।

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डरो मत

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“हमारे संदेह गद्दार हैं। हम जो सफलता प्राप्त कर सकते हैं, वह नहीं कर पते, क्योंकि संशय में पड़कर प्रयत्न ही नहीं करते। ” शेक्सपियर
अभी कुछ दिनों पहले राहुल गाँधी ने सारे देवी देवताओं के प्रतिमाओं के वरदहस्त रूप के ओर इशारे करते हुए कहा की वे हमें कहते हैं कि “डरो मत।”
वास्तव में भविष्य में उत्पन्न होनेवाली चिंता और कठिनाई के बारे में सोचकर काफी लोग कुछ निर्णय ही नहीं लेते है।बीते हुए कल का पश्चात्ताप और आने वाले कल की चिंता कइयों को अकर्मण्य बना देती है।
जीवन बहूत सुन्दर है, बहूत शानदार है और असीम संभावनाओं से परिपूर्ण भी है। हममे वो सारी खूबियां मौजूद है जिसके बूते हम कुछ भी थान लें तो उसे पूरा कर सकते हैं। जरूरत यह है हम भविष्य में आनेवाली संकट की परवाह न करें और प्रसन्न रहें।
जबतक दुर्गम रास्ते पर करने की नौबत न आये, उसके बारे में व्यर्थ चिंता न करें, यह मत सोचें कि रास्ता कैसे पर होगा। भगवान् पर भरोसा रखें, प्रसन्न रहें, मन में विश्वास को ओजस्वित रखें और अपना कर्म करते रहें।
जीवन एक ईश्वरीय उपहार है, जीवन सुन्दर है, जीवन शानदार है। हमारा उद्देश्य इसे और सुखी और शानदार बनाना है। हम दासता और भय को दूर करें तो सुख, समृद्धि और सफलता हमारे पाँव चूमेगी।

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यूँ घूर घूर कर मुझे देखा न करो

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कुछ दिन पहले  एक कॉलेज स्टूडेंट से बात हो रही थी तो वो कह रही थी कि किस तरह पुरुष वर्ग लड़कियों पर तंज कसते हैं, उन पर अभद्र व्यंग करते हैं, ललचाई नजरों से घूरते हैं और कभी कभी तो अश्लील हरकतें भी करने को उन्मादित होते हैं। इसे लड़की ताड़ना कहते हैं।
मैं जब भी ऐसे वाक़या के बारे में सुनता हूँ या ऐसा करते हुए युवकों को देक्ठा हूँ  मुझे रामचरित मानस की एक चौपाई और राम लक्ष्मण के जनकपुर भ्रमण वाली प्रसंग याद आ जाती है। प्रसंग कुछ ऐसे है
हियँ हरषहिं बरषहिं सुमन सुमुखि सुलोचनि बृंद।
जाहिं जहाँ जहँ बंधू दोउ तहँ तहँ परमानन्द।।
राम विश्वामित्र के संग मिथिला पँहुचते है। शाम के समय विश्वामित्र जी राम और लक्ष्मण के साथ सत्संग के लिए बैठते हैं। लक्ष्मण जी का मन सत्संग में नहीं लग रहा क्योंकि उनके मन में अयोध्या घूमने की कौतुहलता है। राम यह भांप लेते हैं और गुरु जी से शहर देखने जाने के अनुमति का अनुग्रह करते हैं। गुरु जी यह जान लेते हैं की भगवन की इच्छा अपने गुण शील और ज्ञान युक्त मिथिला के भक्तों को दर्शन देने की है तो उन्हें आज्ञा दे देते हैं।
राम लक्ष्मण नगर की ओर चल देते हैं। बच्चे उनके पीछे पीछे, पुरुष सड़क के दोनों ओर और नगर की नारी वर्ग अपने घरों के छत से भगवान् के दर्शन के लिए उमड़ पड़ते हैं। उनके मनोहर छवि की एक झलक पाने को सब लालायित हैं। राम और लक्ष्मण बिना इधर उधर देखते हुए नगर भ्रमण कर रहे हैं । स्त्रियों को भगवान के मुख का दर्शन नहीं हो पा रहा और इसलिए वो थोड़े उदास हैं, वो आपस में उपाय सोच रही है कि किशोर राम और लक्ष्मण के मुख का दर्शन कैसे किया जाए।
फिर एक स्त्री उपाय बताती है – “अरे सखी अपने अपने बेनी के फूल निकालकर हम उनके ऊपर फेंकते है ताकि वो नजर ऊपर की तरफ करें और हमें उनका दिव्य दीदार हो जाए। सारी स्त्रियाँ ऐसा ही करती हैं भगवान् के ऊपर सुन्दर और सुगन्धित पुष्पों की वर्षा होती है और भगवान् अपनी नजर ऊपर के तरफ करते है और उनके मुखावलोकन से नारियाँ मन्त्र मुग्ध हो जाती है।
तो अगर आपको किसी को आकर्षित करना है तो अच्छे गुण शील और ज्ञान की शक्ति स्वयं में ओजश्वित करो। छिछोड़ेपन से खुद को कलंकित क्यों करते हो।

यूँ घूर घूर कर मुझे देखा न करो Read More »

Billionaire Entrepreneur Charlie Munger’s Strategy to Success

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I always thought the key to success was creating a vision, setting goals, and working hard toward them every day. If I failed, I thought I did one of these steps wrong.
Today, I read a quote by Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman: “He shows another equally important path to success: thinking through what can go wrong no matter how smart and hardworking you are. Realising this, Munger continuously and methodically considers every way a plan could go wrong and plots out how to avoid each obstacle.”
“Invert, always invert: Turn a situation or problem upside down. Look at it backwards. What happens if all our plans go wrong? Where don’t we want to go, and how do you get there? Instead of looking for success, make a list of how to fail instead–through sloth, envy, resentment, self-pity, entitlement, all the mental habits of self-defeat. Avoid these qualities, and you will succeed. Tell me where I’m going to die so I don’t go there.” Munger says.
Munger’s approach tells me to avoid roadblocks and be more prepared when I inevitably encounter one. Furthermore, a growing body of academic studies on the topic backs up the idea of combining goal setting and obstacle avoidance. When people only ‘fantasise’ about the future, they take less action than they would if they also thought about what could go wrong and made plans to avoid it.
To summarise the key message, “Being both pessimistic and optimistic is better than just being optimistic. One of the best ways to win is not to lose.”
To apply this principle, test your plan with this three-step premortem process developed by Meathead Movers CEO and cofounder Aaron Steed:
1) List the ways the project could fail
2) Assign a probability to each possibility
3) Prioritize actions that can be taken to avoid failure
Rather than adding new procedures to help those projects succeed, he developed the pre-mortem process to remove the barriers preventing them from failing.

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The Joy Of Service: A Life-changing Story

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In Conversation with God Krishna, I asked: “Why am I always in the want mode? When I don’t get what I want, I feel miserable, and when I exactly get what I want, I still feel bad because I feel I have limited my want so little.”
God Krishna said, “It’s because you are always in “I” mode. I want a house. I want a beautiful spouse. I want a car. I want success. You are no worth more than a beggar. Even if you have enough, you always want, want, and want. It’s because you have not experienced the joy of service. For all such want-mode people, they suffer bigger hardships.”
I further asked, “Joy of Service? What can I serve when I don’t have enough?”
God said, “There are four ways that people feel the joy of service: Some give their work to the divine, which is doing your work and surrendering it to the feet of God. Some give their life, surrendering their bodies to the holy feet of the divine; some offer their wealth to serve the common good, and the ultimate man gives their soul to the service.
You look at nature; all of them are always offering their service without any want of their own. Just try to live like nature to experience the joy of service.
March forward with a common goal. March forward with open-mindedness and working together in harmony. March forward to sharing your thoughts on integrated wisdom. March forward following the example of our ancestors, who achieved higher goals by virtue of being united.”
श्री कृष्ण अर्पणमस्तु।

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Essential Morning Mantra to live blessed and blissful every day

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Today, tomorrow, forever and more, start your day with these peace mantras and make your every day a blessed and blissful day.
Om Santi Santi Santih!
Sarvesham Svasti Bhavatu
Sarvesham Santir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Purnam Bhavatu
Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu
May auspiciousness be unto all;
May peace be unto all;
May fullness be unto all;
May prosperity be unto all.
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah
Sarve Santu Niramayah
Sarve Bhadrani Pasyantu
Ma Kaschid-Duhkha-Bhag-Bhavet
May all be happy;
May all be free from disabilities;
May all behold what is auspicious;
May none suffer from sorrow.
Asato Ma Sadgamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir-Gamaya
Mrityor-Ma Amritam Gamaya
Om Santi Santi Santih!
Lead me from the unreal to the Real;
Lead me from darkness to the Light;
Lead me from mortality to Immortality.
Om Peace! Peace! Peace!
Om Santi Santi Santih!
Carry out your daily duty with these thoughts in your mind, keep reminding yourself during the day about these positive energies and let your day be the best yet!

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Four Life Lessons by Mark Juckerberg as shared by Naomi Gleit, Meta’s Head of Product

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I listened to Lenny’s podcast with Naomi Gleit, Meta’s Head of Product (and 29th employee) working with Mark Zuckerberg. Describing Mark as a good friend, she referred to a specific time in her life when she was going through a breakup; Mark asked her if she was interested in joining her to conduct the entrepreneurship course for school kids.

Four life lessons Mark Zuckerberg wrote on the blackboard using chalk were: 

One, love yourself.

Two, only then can you fully serve others.

Three, Focus on what you can control. 

And four, for these three things, never give up.

I reflected on these points and wrote my understanding in my notebook. I am putting it together with the aim that it might help you as well.

“Lover yourself” came to me as a way of caring for an adolescent child. Just as parents create a safe, loving environment for their baby to grow, I need to create that same nurturing environment in my own mind for myself.  I deserve the same unconditional love, patience, and care that parents give to their newborn babies! 

“Only then can you fully serve others.” This makes me imagine a situation where I am with an empty bottle, trying to quench a thirsty person. How can I love or care for others if I am not staying healthy and fine?  It’s like putting on your own oxygen mask on an aeroplane before helping others with theirs.

“Focus on what you can control” is like playing a video game where you can only control your own character. I have no control over what other players do. I can only control things like what I learn, how hard I work, and how kind I am to others. However, I cannot control the weather, what other people think, or whether I win or lose every time.

“For these three things, never give up.”  The fourth life lesson drew me to reimagine how I learnt cycling. I fell off several times and got hurt with minor injuries, but I didn’t give up. There are days when I feel down and out, but I keep going by loving myself, serving others, and focusing on things I can control, which matters most.

Think of this like learning to ride a bike. You might fall off many times, but you keep trying because you know it’s important. These three lessons (loving yourself, helping others, and focusing on what you can control) are important skills that take practice. Some days will be harder than others, but keeping at it is what matters.

What did it remind you to?

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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 »

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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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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