Do Good

Life is What You Make It

/

Last week we did a survey in our office — we asked people how do you feel working with us by voting anonymously.
65% responded Happy
20% responded Worried
and 15% responded Sad

I told them that those who feel sad should find a better place where they can turn happy because I feel sadness cannot be repaired and we are not in the business of repairing sadness. To those who felt worried, I asked them to have an appointment to discuss the way for them to turn happy.

I made a commitment to employees that let’s work together to make happy ones more happier and worried ones to turn happy while listening to their concerns and solving it.

One employee dropped me an email. We spoke and what I discovered was that the employee was worried because she was not happy with her performance and she had doubts about her own capabilities of becoming successful in her current role. I drew the analogy from the marriage system and said to her, “We marry with so much excitement but, all the fun fades so quickly. However, we don’t give up on the relationship. We gradually strengthen the relationship and enrich each other’s life with commitment to make it a fulfilling one together. If you start thinking about the job also like a marriage, it will turn out to be a much more fun and rewarding thing to pursue. Life is what you make it. It’s not a ready-to-eat food platter from which you can choose to eat only what you like.”


I could see a smile and peace on the face and hope that next month our rate of happy employees will increase.


If you want to know how to conduct similar exercise in your office, please drop me your message.

Life is What You Make It Read More »

How to use your head to handle yourself

/

Our mind is like a child, it wants everything whether it’s helpful or harmful and that’s why God gifted us the parents. Parenthood is a role in controlling children’s minds using care and discipline; knowing well what is good for their ward. As a grown-up, how do you control yourself?

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, “A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well. “

We are living the world highly influenced by the material and marketing which influences our mind and our senses.

In order to make your mind your friend you build habits, focus and principles guiding you to not get attracted to greed, fear, fame or fetish.

Ask yourself:

1) How do you define self-control? Do you remember an event of the past when you won because you imposed self-control or lost because you could not?

2) Have you included practices like Yoga or meditation to build the habits of self-control? If not, what are you going to do this year?

3) Write down the events in the last one year of losing s

elf-control? What did you do to get back? What if you would not have reacted to the event?

How to use your head to handle yourself Read More »

Call out your calling

/
You know it — You wake up every morning with a clear objective to take some steps that will get you closer to your true calling.
But, if you don’t know your true calling then you need to know it.
To know your true calling, you need to find the intersection of your strengths, interests and the social good that you wish to accomplish.
Do you know your true calling, yet?
If not then you should go and discover it as it won’t call out to you. You need to search for it.
If YES then go and do something today that will get you closer to your calling as even after knowing it, if you don’t do anything about it then it won’t get you anywhere.

Call out your calling Read More »

How cooperation makes wonderful things achievable

/
In verse 3.12 of the Bhagavad Gita God Krishna says, “Even the blessed ones who receive various necessities of life from God enjoy these without sharing it with the other creatures are certainly a thief.”
 
You cannot achieve anything worthwhile without cooperation and help from others. It is the curbed and selfish passion that stops you from cooperating with people, organisations, and the nation. For the world to evolve, now is the time we pursue and push the agenda of “World’s One Family.”
 
How do you define cooperation?
How do you see yourself, your family, society and your organisation becoming better with the cooperation?
How will you measure whether you are cooperating well with others who matter for your plan ahead?
How will you know when you’re not cooperating?
 
And while conducting yourself in daily life remember, you are here for a short visit, not knowing how you are going to sail through the uncertain yet tough terrain of life.
 
Whatever happiness, success or peace you have today is there because of the labour of other people, how earnestly you must exert yourself to give in return as much as you receive so that living becomes happier, fearless, free of suffering and there exists a mutual respect.

How cooperation makes wonderful things achievable Read More »

What Differentiates Intellectual and Educated

/

Three surgeon friends met during the reunion and started talking about their achievements. The first friend said proudly – “I have done such a fantastic job this year. One of my patients came to me with both legs cut and I replaced his legs and this year he is running in the Olympics and likely to win the gold medal.”


The second friend said – “I have treated a lady with over 70% face burnt due to an accident and this year she is contesting Miss World competition and a strong contender to win the crown.”


Third friend maintained the silence. Other two friends asked him – What’s new with you?


Third Friend – “I cannot share my accomplishment as it is very huge and I am committed to not making it public.” The other two friends became curious and insisted him to reveal that they are friends and the information will remain private.

“You know, I had a patient who was admitted to my hospital with his head completely thrashed and I was clueless on operating him and saving his life. I was in my garden thinking about the surgery procedure and I was walking in my garden when my eyes got stuck on the Cabbage. I plucked one cabbage and stick to his neck. You know he is a Prime Minister now.”

What Differentiates Intellectual and Educated Read More »

The school of yourself

/

Last Saturday when I asked students, “How long do you read everyday?”
99% of students raised their hands for less than one hour a day.

It’s kind of shocking to notice that in spite of them being in school and a full time learner, they have such a low level of commitment for learning.

I feel education should never stop whether we are in school or not. We should never deprive ourselves of learning.

Our curiosity about the world should never stop. Because unless we chase every reference, unless we go deeper than anybody else, unless we explore deeper to quench our curiosity, its difficult to farther ahead and claim our significance.

Always be reading. Always collect books whether you have time to read or not. Always google.

Google anything. Google your dream. Google your desire. Google your aspiration. Googling is a beautiful thing – When you find result of your search, your imagination soars, your thinking finds strength, you garner advocacy for your concept, you find others who has similarity to you.

Be the best curious adult. Be the school of yourself…

The school of yourself Read More »

Swantah Sukhay Tulsi Raghunath Gatha

/

नानापुराण निगमागम सम्मतं यद रामायणे निगदितं क्वचिदन्यतोsपि ।
स्वान्तःसुखाय तुलसी रघुनाथ गाथा भाषानिबंध मतिमंजुलमातनोति ।

अनेक पुराण,वेद और शास्त्र से सम्मत, तथा जो रामायण में वर्णित है, और कुछ अन्यत्र से भी उपलब्ध, श्री रघुनाथ जी की कथा को, तुलसीदास अपने अंतःकरण के सुख के लिए, अत्यंत मनोहर भाषा रचना में विस्तृत करता है।

For the gratification of own self, Tulsidas brings forth this very elegant composition relating in common parlance the story of the Lord of Raghunath, which is in accord with the various Puranas, Vedas and the Agamas (Tantras), and incorporates what has been recorded in the Ramayana of Valmiki and culled from some other sources.

Tulsidas declares that he is writing the Ramcharit Manas for the gratification of his own self and even after 100s of years, it is still among the most prominent work. Most of our daily rituals, rules, social norms, and living principles as mentioned in the Ramcharit Manas.


Look at your life, look at the things you are doing, and look inside you. Are you doing things that gratify your own self? If not, meditate on it for a while, identify things which will make you feel gratified and start putting together your act.


You are born original don’t die a copy. Jai Shri Ram.

Swantah Sukhay Tulsi Raghunath Gatha Read More »

How to Start Leading

/

Lead Yourself by taking up the responsibility of your own work, your own deed and deliver what you commit you will.

Lead Your Team by communicating with clarity, align members with your goals, and understand their desires and goals well.

Lead Your Industry by spreading your message outside your wall in a way that it inspires people. For this to happen, you need to stop micromanaging, start learning and build profound connections with people who matter the most to you and your industry.

How to Start Leading Read More »

Best friend, Next best friend and Least intimate friend.

/

Your three friends: best friend, next best friend and least intimate friend.

When faced with the trouble, your best friend denies the support citing his own fears and inabilities, the next best friend comes forward only for a partial support and the least intimate friend stands like a wall to support you to handle the crisis.

Make a list of all your friends, categorise them into these three categories, and ask yourself who’s who?


What does it mean to be a good friend?


What quality do you think a good friend should have? How do you show that to your friends?


What can you do to make new good friends?


How do you keep the friends you already have?


What do you do when you see your friend not doing something right?


How do you express your admiration and gratitude to your friend?

My formula for a good friend is that I am able to count them on my fingers.

I treat my friends like my family. I share, enjoy, cherish and support them for whatever it may take.


You are the sum total of five friends you have in your life. Set your premise on respect, mutual success, gratitude and trust in your friendship. And before you expect your friend to be good, you, yourself be that friend you want to have in this world.

Best friend, Next best friend and Least intimate friend. Read More »

I am always on vacation

/

A journalist once asked, “Mr. Gandhi, you have been working fifteen hours a day for fifty years. Don’t you think you should take a vacation?”
Mahatma Gandhi smiled and replied, “I am always on vacation.”

“If your work feels like a sacrifice, you should question everything around you, but if it feels like indulgence then dive in and give it all you have. When you have indulgence, you will always feel like you are on vacation.”

Create a life that you live happily, fulfilling, balanced, and inherently enjoyable so that you don’t have to seek any escape from it.

When you wake up every morning for creating experiences, relationships, work and pleasure is all knit together so well that fosters commitment, joy and purpose.

This story is a reminder to seek fulfillment in the everyday moments and to create a lifestyle that doesn’t make you feel like you are burdened to do your duty and you don’t need any vacation to escape from it to find happiness.

I am always on vacation Read More »

Whether prayers are answered

/

You will find many instances of prayers being answered when done so with the full devotion and faith by the devotee. People who have experienced the power of prayer would state that “It happened because they asked for it with full faith in the Godhood.” For prayer to be answered, the prayer must be;

The prayer must be done with the realization that God has the indomitable power to fulfil your wish.

God is so kind that he’ll undoubtedly listen to my need and show me the path to accomplishing it.

My demand for help is legitimate, important and law-abiding because of this God will grant me his blessings fulfilling my demand.

Combining the full inner devotion unto God, I have faith that my prayers are truthful and hence God will shower his blessings.

When all of the above factors are adjoined together, and prayers are offered, the devotee imbibes the confidence that his prayers will be answered. Having this mindset makes the natural forces join with the caller to get his calling answered.

May God grant your truthful wishes!

Whether prayers are answered Read More »

Work works, hard work definitely

/

“You have the right to work only but never to its fruits.

Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction. ” Bhagavad Gita 2.47

Have you ever noticed the level of involvement of any child when they play with the doll? You’d feel amazed seeing their focus, commitment and joy.

Your life is a sum total of the focus you give to what you think, feel, and do, what you love. To thrive, you need a strict ritual to plan your day, your plan should include all tasks, projects and goals which you have decided to achieve. Your every day should be planned for the result:

1) You have planned the tasks you trust for its completion
2) You assure yourself that your tasks are in front of you and you keep it striking out as they get done
3) And, you have an evening ritual to review your work to reflect on the incomplete stuff.

Success is territory, exclusively preserved to be ruled by you when you do hard work with complete focus and devotion.

Write down:
1) How do you define hard work?
2) How are you going to start working hard in 2018?
3) How are you going to make yourself accountable for the hard work?
4) What will change when you really work hard?

Gift yourself a treat today. Now you’ve made a system for hard work.

God Krishna says, “Drop everything and come to me.” That’s the kind of devotion you need to achieve your goals with your hard work.

Work works, hard work definitely Read More »

SMART questioning leads to S.M.A.R.T. Goal

/

Specific
A specific goal will usually answer the five “W” questions:
What: What do I want to accomplish?
Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of achieving goals.
Who: Who is involved?
Where: Identify a location.
Which: Identify requirements and constraints.

Measurable
A measurable goal will usually answer questions such as:
How much?
How many?
How will I know when I have achieved my goals?
Indicators should be quantifiable

Attainable
An attainable goal will usually answer the question:
How: How can the goal be accomplished?

Relevant
A relevant goal can answer yes to these questions:
Does this seem worthwhile?
Is this the right time?
Does this match our other efforts/needs?
Are you the right person?
Is it applicable in the current socio- economic- technical environment?

Time-bound
A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:
When?
What can I do six months from now?
What can I do six weeks from now?
What can I do today?

So, the secret of success lies in being SMART and to become SMART you need to first question and answer yourself to you first.
Begin it today and now, if not already…

SMART questioning leads to S.M.A.R.T. Goal Read More »

If you are a driver, you must have the right passengers too

/

An entrepreneur sent a message to me, “I am like a train engine who will continue to carry the business. I believe my employees and partners are like passengers, they will board at the specific station (situation) and alight when they arrive at their destination (purpose fulfilled). I am dutiful to keep the train in good health so that it keeps running.”

I responded, “You must have utmost focus for the right passengers to board your train at the right station and alight at the right destination. Otherwise, you cannot run an empty train whatever good its health might be.”

If you are a driver, you must have the right passengers too Read More »

If you wish to build a billion-dollar company

/

No one, absolutely no one throws away a billion dollars at someone because the person wants it, craves for it, deserves it, works hard for it, or passionately pushes his envelope for it.

People take out their wallets only if the product provides a value greater than that of customer desire through a strong value proposition and enduring experience. They pay for the craft. The connection. The emotion. The promise. The essence. The soul. The voice. They pay for what your product does to and for them.

When I interact with entrepreneurs, I find them with lots of preconceived notions about what customers want. I ask them to explain the permanence of their pain that aroused their desire for the product and why someone will pay for it. And most of them lack it. Simply lack it.

Lots of people can give you lots of advice on what to build that will get you ready for a billion-dollar run. My simplest advice would be that you set up the boot, talk to your customer, and ask him, “How do you feel about my idea?”

“It’s nice.” Look at his facial expression more than the words.

You ask again, “Would you use my product when it’s ready?”

“Sure.” “Mmmmm. I can give it a try.” Look at their facial expression.

Your last question, “What would make you take your wallet out and pay for it?”

Just look at the facial expression and you should get your answer.

And until you find the facial expression that supports your conviction, keep trying. Keep doing your bit. Keep searching for the business model on which you can build your billion-dollar dream.

If you wish to build a billion-dollar company Read More »