Good at Heart .....

       I often wonder two ingredients to lead a successful life are hard work and faith in god. But upon time I am realizing being good at heart is also one of the factors to lead a happy life. 'Hard work' is like a last name for most of us in this era where all of us do good justice. Temple and prayers are becoming part of everyone's social life and the amount of activities I see in temple these days makes me wonder everyone is spending good amount of time and money on temple activities. People believe in positive vibration by stepping into temple's premises and spreading love and positivity in the air by surrendering oneself to almighty and also by committing oneself to volunteer activities in temple which is growing manifold these days. But still there is something which does not make us feel happy? Thats where the third factor comes into picture.

        Being good at heart doesn't necessarily stop with one thing. There are way too many things in which one can be good at heart. Helping poor and needy, volunteering for the betterment of society and community, appreciating or even at times encouraging your peers, most importantly being thankful for what you possess all count towards being good at heart. In this cut throat world being jealous comes to you even without you realizing it, something like bed bug but we got to watch out for this and somehow convert this thought of jealousness to being competitive. At times we may have to accept defeat with our counterparts which is part and parcel of the system. Being a sport and having a positive attitude may help us on a longer run.

       World needs to be a better place. We got to spread positive fragrance to our near and dear ones. Everyone's life is different but one thing that binds all of us together is love and affection. After all no one is going to measure someone by the amount of villas and luxury cars they own at the time they bid adieu to the world but instead everyone will talk about the person's humanity. Its just one life ...lets crack some silly jokes and enjoy life to the fullest by not just making yourself happy but also surrounding you happy..as they say smile is a curve that straightens everything. 

How one bad experience can ruin your day !!!

    We live in a modern era where Time is everything and not just money. Things move at 100 MPH and at times we don’t have time to do our mundane tasks. We just run behind the clock. While we try to manage our work-life balance there are some occasions which would totally piss you off and pretty much spoil your mood and your day. This could be so very frustrating since there could very well be a need where your attention is very much needed.

   Things go especially bad if we had to deal with any of the frustrating experience in the morning – a bad commute due to horrible traffic on your way to office, a lengthy call with your customer service representative which did not add any value, badly trying to reach someone who is not picking up the call etc., The worse thing is if its not your day then anything and everything goes for a toss and you may even just want the day to end without having the energy to bear any more.

   I believe the focus has to be the bigger picture rather than worrying about small pitfalls. Rather than having your day getting ruined by petty incidents I believe we should have all our thoughts and actions aligned towards the goals we want to accomplish. This is easily said than done but that’s where we learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat the same mistake over and over again.

   May be few mind games can do the trick? Or even game of Suduko? Something intriguing for our mind to keep up our focus and ultimately making us more productive. 

Best healer of Pain !!!

        There is a saying that “When it rains it pours” – I am just trying to visualize that in my mind. On a pouring day if beltway is caught up with traffic, on top of that if it starts to snow, on top of that if there seems to be lot of mist, on top of that if roads are slippery, on top of that if there are few minor accidents, on top of that if there seems to be a big tree which fell on the highway, on top of that if there seems to be a power outage …..just imagine someone sitting in the car waiting to go home.  It is just as worse as it would get but just holding on, hanging in there with some patience can eventually get him through.

       None of us know what life is about to offer you. Astrology can predict things but as individuals we got to face the reality. There is so much more to life which unfolds at every single step. That’s the thrill as well as the anxiety which creeps in. Life teaches many things through experiences. At times we just don’t know why do things happen but the story is told at a later stage.  Going through a rough patch is a difficult thing especially when your mind is looking for every single opportunity to exploit you. But that is where strength, courage and spirit grows within you.

      Is there any medicine better than ‘Time’? Time is the best healer. It is natural way of curing something. It may be slow but it is definitely the most effective way. It teaches you so many things during the course of your tough phase which are basically lessons of life.  The best thing to do is to engage in something where your mind does not dominate you. 

    I am just wondering if everyone’s prayers are answered right away then all we got to do is to pray and wait for the result to happen right away. If this is the case then we will see more crowd on temples than in any of the busy highways. Prayers with faith and patience are always rewarded.  Just that you got to wait …wait and wait ….if things don’t click for you then the wisdom is for us to realize god has better plans for you. 

Art of Diplomacy

      I recently had a chance to serve for two years in a Non profit organization and had a chance to experience some of the best practices of human behavior. One can do Yoga either in the morning or in the evening but earlier the better since you gain more mileage out of it. So I wanted to take up the role much earlier just to make sure I learn from people regarding the various traits of human relationships. Being a guy who observes people I could have not asked for a better atmosphere to learn things.
      

     Diplomacy is one of the most powerful words in English dictionary as it is basically as ‘Art’; Cooking is an art since everyone gets the same ingredients to make a dish – what makes a great dish compared to a good dish? Well it just depends on the nuances of cooking and that what makes it an art. Same way being diplomatic is an art by itself. The way you respond/react/talk has so much to do with your individual behavior. Diplomacy at time may even be boring or tend to be cliché but do we get tired of a nice dish irrespective of the number of times we had tasted the delicious dish. It just depends on what context we use our words and actions. Observing few senior people I learnt one of the best practices to have in your kitty is to be diplomatic.

      Being diplomatic comes with experience though. Once we are exposed to real world situations and conversations that we are normally not used to accustom in our day to day lives we may tend to act in a very immature way. That’s where the learning curve starts. At times even beating round the bush may seem to be appropriate. It takes time to get into your system to acknowledge some of the ways in being diplomatic.

     Diplomacy has so many different dimensions to it – a very slight variation in a sentence may tend to be more diplomatic. How exactly you draft an email, how exactly to react to a situation, on what basis a decision was taken, how you stress something and you subtly convey something everything plays a role if you are to be considered a diplomatic person. At times you might wonder am I losing my own individuality by adjusting to things around you but later you come to know best way to handle anything is to be balanced in your approach by giving yourself enough time for dust to settle.

     Diplomacy is definitely signs of maturity – I used to dream that I wanted to pen my thoughts on any single topic and come up with a book. May be this is the topic which I should cash upon since I have so much of contents to write. I am aware this is just a wish list but nevertheless I am happy that I have gained some invaluable lessons which are much more worth than writing my own book. 

How does Luck work?

The literal definition of ‘Luck’ is “success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions”. It clearly means irrespective of one’s effort consequences happen this way or other. Luck plays such a crucial role in this era where everything is competitive. Winners are losers are not distinguished by huge margin, difference between both is very minimal. Luck plays a role where it just elevates you onto the next level which is a good enough launch pad to get further up in the ladder.

Does Luck work in such a way that it carries from our past lives? I don’t know the answer but I have heard people saying when something really good happens that they must have done something very good in their past lives. May be there is just one balance sheet per human being versus being every single life. If this happens to be true and let’s say person XYZ was a gardener in his past life with humble living nurturing thousands of plants then he might lead a sophisticated life in his current life where lady luck may keep showering.

        Is Luck directly proportional to hard work? I believe this is true as it fulfills the basic philosophy that hard work never fails. Sometimes no matter how hard you try things never click; this phase can be so frustrating. This is the time where not just one but many things go out of your reach and it really tests your patience. But all of a sudden everything seem to work and it just amazes you how quickly life changes. So does that mean you keep working hard and lady luck will take its course later in the game?

       Is Luck anything to do with Intelligence?  People who trade stocks take a big gamble but their instincts are backed up with sound intelligence. Intelligence is build by sound knowledge and sound knowledge is built by keeping abreast with industry news by reading articles, following strategies, following best practices etc., Though people lose money once they learn their lessons and try to be more wiser than before then there is a good chance lady luck may favor them.

      So I believe Luck has several dimensions to it – keep working hard, being wise and also leveraging on the goodwill earned from our past lives. But nevertheless Luck is a very interesting topic to explore. 

It’s all about Selling!!!

        As consumers we follow certain metrics before we end up buying a new product. Obviously one of the things we do is to go over the label. I just wonder people get smarter each day when they try to sell the product due to the stiff competition. There are various different ways one can come up with in their advertisement material but taking a closer look would baffle many. Same with the case of surveys, statistical reports, Job reports etc., All these are used to lure the consumer towards buying their product. It is true that sometimes even people with lots of awareness overlook some of the pitfalls.

       Let us consider a jar full of cookies. Cookie may contain 20 grams of sugar for each piece and it is very natural for people to have at least 3-4 in one shot due to the size of the cookie. The company may label in such a way it may say 40 grams of sugar and it may say serving size to be two pieces. This is all true but for a common man who is trying to get some cookies into his shopping cart without paying attention to details may end up buying. Same with the case of Job reports – unemployment rates are calculated by leaving people who are unemployed for more than two years. This is just to bring down on the percentage and come up with false news. When people prepare statistics saying these many number of units have been sold does that mean the product reaches the end customer? They may sell it to their retailers and wholesalers but it may still be sitting somewhere in the supply chain before it reaches the end customer.

      There is nothing wrong in trying to sell your product by highlighting the selling points but why the common man does not kept aware of the rules that go into the making of these gimmick?  Why do the sellers take buyers for granted? Whom do the buyers contact if they see a contradiction? The intelligence of a common man should not be tested. There are countries where Illiteracy rates are very high and this is where laws and regulations have to be tightened enough for a common man to have his voice be heard. I guess public awareness is the key for common public in order to keep him from falling into these modern day gimmicks. 

Photo Album ...

     I recently went to one of my friend’s place and happen to see hard copies of some of their Photo albums. It was so nice to flip over the album and see the faces of people. It brings fond memories of the past and it was fun to see people when they were young. I was just wondering with the advent of digital cameras we have the extravagance to take hundreds of photos but do we really go back and see them? Digital cameras are so inexpensive these days that every household has one or two cameras. With the memory we have we tend to take hundreds of clicks and then store it in a folder which is then secured in a hard drive. But the key thing is we seldom open the folder.

     On the other hand those old days where we used cameras based on rolls every click we are so careful since we can afford to take only 36 pictures in a roll. It takes lot of effort to go to the studio, print it and then assort it in an album. Albums also needs to be maintained since there is a good chance it may get spoilt upon time. Albums also consume storage space. But the best thing is we tend to see more often than soft copies. The joy of seeing a hard cover album cannot be matched with seeing soft copies of photos.

    As time rolls on Technology replaces some of the time consuming tasks we used to do earlier. If everyone around you follow the latest trend you have no choice at times other than to follow the trend. If someone disrupts the pattern and goes back to the old way of doing things suddenly it becomes hot news which once upon a time was quite normal.

LEGACY ....

      Everyone builds Legacy during his/her lifetime and it varies with each person. There definitely has to be some meaning and purpose for your existence into this world. People define the boundaries with respect to their legacy and they have the right to go far and beyond their proposed target. I just wanted to throw some light on this interesting topic ..this topic gets more interesting upon two way communication. I had some conversations about this topic with my better half and also with myself and just want to pen my thoughts.

     Is Legacy planned or gradually builds through consequences? Planning is organized way of doing things but reality is always chaotic; since this is contradicting to each other I guess one should have open ear to changes and adapt themselves as things evolve. As the individual goes through ups and downs and gets more matured the determination to build your own legacy grow stronger. Also the extent to have a positive influence on your near and dear ones grow @ feverish pitch in this phase.

    Does Profession has anything to do with Legacy? I guess very much. I can just talk about Medicine profession since I know what exactly it takes to become a doctor. When one finishes high school around 17 or 18 a person who wishes to pursue medicine pretty much starts career around 32/33. Fifteen years of struggle goes into the making only to build a strong legacy. Ask a doctor and they will explain true definition of the term ‘Legacy’. They make a difference to society every single day and their answer of how purposeful a life should be will stun many people. I just happen to read the personal statement my better half was preparing and felt proud as well as bit embarrassed.

   Being an avid movie lover I just loved this scene from Tamil movie “Unnal mudiyum Thambi” which talks about LEGACY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dg9rE_Ihhg

Special day celebration !!!

      Looks like Mother’s day and Father’s day commemoration is slowly getting into every family. Is this Cultural change? Is this face of the new modern era we are stepping into? I had no clue about these days when I was in my childhood. Now these days are celebrated widely across different cultures and it’s a trend gaining more and more attention. Even the most conservative society started celebrating these days and adding more emotional quotient to these events.

      So how did these events transform the current generation? Where did these events evolve? There is a big commercial viability attached to these special occasions and every shop starts selling gifts, flowers, cards etc., Schools start to edify the children to offer something special to their dad or mom by means of drawing, writing, some creative activity etc., by this way they can please the parents to some extent. Media run special programs acknowledging the occasion by ways of bringing celebrities and making them dedicate gifts/songs to their parents. Restaurants do some brisk business and seats gets reserved pretty quickly. Every one seems to catch on the mood by being bit ingenious and touching the emotional quotient.

     The problem I have is looks like I am the odd man out; I am afraid that I will either be forced to celebrate these events or I will at least be obligated to commemorate these days. When everyone surrounding you celebrates I am not sure how am I to escape from these modern day fantasies. I personally feel these are unwanted and don’t see any reason to celebrate these days as a special occasion.  We slowly imbibe this culture to the next generation and then it becomes a custom practice within our tradition. The more I think the more I get confused J

Modern Day Hypocrites!!!!

      I was watching an awards function and the channel has always been one of my favorites due to its creativity and the way they package their programs. Their awards function is becoming more and more popular which was pretty perceptible from the number of sponsors that was read out. Awards functions are always with lots of glitz and glamour and it attracts lots of celebrities naturally. Channel was very vigilant is choosing jury members and they change the members every year just to make sure the integrity is not questioned. Channel also does a good job in spotting good talents and recognizing them in a big stage and hence persuade budding talents and make the general public aware of such talents.

      Because I like the channel very much I am prompted to question them on what basis did they give the coveted Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan award to SRK and not to some of the legends in the state like MSV, Raja sir, Manorama achi, Janaki madam etc., There definitely got to be a protocol in choosing the recipient of this award; Can the Channel publish that to public? Who decides the recipient? Does Glamour and popularity play a role in choosing the recipient? Does Box office results alone good enough? The Channel got to respect the intelligence of the audience and should not test them.

     The anchor is stalwart on public stage and who can talk on any topic embarrassed many by asking the audience to give a standing ovation to this north Indian figure. Why does he want to hang his brains in front of a celebrity? He talks about so many things about dignity and the way one should carry themselves by why all of a sudden this change in attitude? Is this called Hypocrisy at his best?

     Every time I see the cricket stadium full of people I wonder how responsible the cricket officials should be. This entire spot fixing scandal is taking the cricket frenzy nation for granted. Often double standards are employed and the people are been taken for granted. Can these officials be called as modern day hypocrites?