It's Time

It’s 6:39 in the evening.

 

1. In case you are out, go home. Get fresh.
2. Have a cup of coffee or tea or whatever you like to have.
3. Open the door and go out in the balcony. Lean over the grill with the support of your elbow while holding that cup with both your hands.
4. Is the weather amazing? Great! Look up. Look around. Witness the world. Take in the surroundings.
5. Be thankful to what Mother Nature holds for you. The clear blue sky. Light orange color of the dusk gradually scattering all over above you. Take it all in.
6. And hold the cup easy; as it is a part of you. Feel the warmth. Let it flow inside out. Feel it. Don’t rush. Let the world as it is. Still. Things won’t go far.
7. Let your thoughts flow freely. Notice where your mind and heart takes you and enjoy the moment. Feel the joy. Embrace it.
8. Listen to smooth steady music. Be free from all the noise (for a few minutes though). But, it’s okay. You deserve a break. You need it – some quite time for yourself.
9. Go on. Assign a time slot for yourself. For you alone – just you and your thoughts. And enjoy that moment. Every single day, for the rest of your life.

Image on Flickr

Shadows

We live under the shadows. Because it’s cozy there. We can lie lazy there for hours and procrastinate work (doesn't matter personal or professional, important or insignificant, big or small) most of time. We put things off for the later, reschedule agendas and push to-dos ahead in the calendar that we should be attending or doing right now.

Shadows keep you away from achieving what you have always dreamed of, what’s in your to-do list, what you can become, what you can serve and the change you deserve. We read a lot of help books. We search for how-tos. We say we have put our efforts. But we know that’s not enough.

"Easy never lead to an easy and happy life. Difficulties do."

And it’s not that we are afraid to work - sometimes we are only afraid to take the first step. For we fear. We fear what would happen (what lies in the future). We fear failure and from all that comes worries. A lot of worries. And then Bang! We put all that our mind, hands, legs and muscles have created up till this moment in a nearby black trash bin.  Next second, we again lay there in a 36 x 75 well cushioned – fascinating about a brighter, more successful and happier life.

But the real thing has always been outside the shadows. It’s under the Sun – where you move, sweat and work. When you mind-boggle a lot, generate ideas and work upon them. That’s where the light is. You just got to move your ass out of your comfort zone to get things done, to achieve the biggest and become the happiest. There is no other way to it.

Image: Rajiv Kumar Solanki/Follow him on Flickr!

With Power Comes Responsibilities

You know why I love to watch children play? Because, they only know innocence, happiness and fun. When I look at them and think how young they are, how innocent they are - they don’t know what is happening out there and they don’t even care. And that care-free mind-set I envy the most about them. They can do whatever they want without caring about submitting assignments, completing projects, getting a job, next-minute meetings, meeting deadlines, buying a house and paying bills, sabotaged relationships, health issues and everything else that is in this world.

Summer break has arrived with the completion of third year of my graduation (one more to go) and temperature here exceeds bearing level – 43 °C. Guess it’s time to head home now.

Before leaving, I was spending an evening sitting in my Hostel Veranda, watching small children of slum workers play. They had a poorly ragged, small baby carriage; riding it one by one. After 15 minutes of running, riding, playing and expending energy they eventually became thirsty. And fortunately, there was a gardener nearby watering the plants with a pipe. To no surprise, they ran to quench their thirst and the gardener helped them in having enough drinking water.

The minute children were finished drinking, the gardener didn't stop there. He had a little fun instead – he splashed water on the ground near their feet that got sprinkled back on them and then played with the kids with water. Who doesn't love playing with water in a scorching heat and that too when we are talking about children!

Undoubtedly, the kids enjoyed it too. They sure had fun. There were smiles on everybody’s faces – on the gardener, the three kids and mine. An ecstasy. :)

By now, you may ask why I am telling you this. For, I learnt something that day. What did I learn? I learned that when you have power of something, you can use it to help others beside your prime responsibilities that come with that power. It can be power of anything. Can be power of money, power of politics, power of authority, physical power, power to extend emotional strength, power to simplify someone’s life or power to quench someone’s thirst.

In this case the gardener had a power; power of access to water and his prime responsibility was to water the plants. But he also used it to help others (quench little ones’ thirst). At the same time he found a way to had fun, though for a very short period of time in this so big busy world. And I see no harm in it. :)

So, the next time you possess a power, doesn't matter which power, just a power of anything, even for a little time, use it to help others beside the prime responsibilities you have because of that power. And what’s magical about your powers without moments of enjoyment and fun! Add fun around with your powers if you can (there’s no harm in having a little fun). And with it, create moments of happiness that bring smiles on faces – no matter what the age is !  :)

Well Done Is Better Than Well Read | Actions Matters The Most

I love reading what Chris sends to me over mail. He writes about productivity, motivation, success, being brave, willpower, habits, decision making, social media marketing, digital business and a lot more. He has a way of telling impactful stories full of insights and experiences. And whatever he says, you will always find it helpful in some way or the other.

One thing to notice in his mails/blog posts is that they are very personal. In one of his recent newsletters on “action” he wrote, “I have the supreme pleasure and delight of watching people learn. More accurately, I watch how people respond to learning. But what I’m most excited about when observing everyone is the difference between readers and do-ers.”

"Transformation Comes From Action"

“You and I can read all we want. We can “collect ideas” all we want. Until we give it a go, we won’t know how it “really” works.”

He gave it a try and did his first ever HIIT workout (High Intensity Interval Training) – “For instance, I’d read about it for a while, and it sounded ouchy. Do something really intensely for 30 seconds, for instance, and then rest 1 minute. Repeat for about 30 minutes. From all I read about it, I worried that I couldn’t do it.”

“When I gave it a shot, I learned rather quickly how it works. I can explain to you what I learned, but until you try it, you’ll have knowledge but not experience.”

In his experience, information is not enough. Information with references or extra resources helps more in comprehending the matter. Whereas, actionable information has the most impact on our thought process which asks to take action instead of just reading and thinking.

Well, it’s simple and makes sense. What if I read about something that I want to do; say, learn cooking and I don’t take any action on it? What if I don’t practice what I have read - go to the kitchen and make a food item or two? Only reading and thinking of cooking a great recipe won’t make me learn cooking in real.

To my experience as well, to understand things in a better way, we need to put our knowledge to work. And by taking action we have a deeper understanding of how things work. Eventually, if you really want to learn something, action becomes more important than just reading. You have to step out of your comfort zone and act, if you really want to achieve what you desire.

No doubt, reading teaches us a lot. It gives us the knowledge. But it doesn’t give you the insights of self-explored experimental learning process. It is only by doing that you will learn the real thing and gain valuable experience. For that, you got to not just read and think but also beat procrastination, clear distractions and start doing. Today.

So, when you are finished reading this post, go take action and do whatever you want to learn to do!

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Chris Brogan is CEO and president of Human Business Works. Chris aims at helping professionals work better, do the work they want, and to be brave while building a strong, sustainable, relationship-minded business. He helps businesses grow and believes in delivering great value to his customers/clients. He is also a consultant and frequent keynote speaker. His clients include Google, Microsoft, Dell, Sony, Panasonic, GM, Coca-Cola, Pepsico and many more. Besides that, Chris is the New York Times bestselling author of The Impact Equation and Trust Agents. Read more about Chris here.

Fear

We all fear something. We encounter something fearful everyday. And fear limits the way our lives are meant to be lived: fearfully.

How can one ask a farmer not to expect when he has worked too hard for the surplus? How can one ask a student not to hope for good grades if he has studied well all semester? How can one ask a investor not to expect decent return? With hope and expectations, comes fear. Fear is natural. It's inevitable.

"Fear is nothing but the product of thoughts we create."

Everybody has their own version of fear and hence definition of fear differs with demographics. A seven year old may fear spiders, a 18 year old teen may have a stage fear or an adult working in an MNC may have fear of career failure.

Out of all, these are the most profound fears we have:

• Fear of failure
• Fear of losing someone or something
• Fear of not-being-good-enough
• Fear of rejection
• Fear of missing out (FOMO)
• Fear of what lies in the future
• Fear of uncertainity

But, you have total control over your mind and thoughts. Nobody else other than you define the things you fear. Your fears have the power to hold you back from doing what you love, what matters most to you, what is important to you, what you desire to do, what you have been putting off for days, weeks or even years. It eventually stops you from living and enjoying your life to the optimum as you should be by stealing your peace and happiness.

Whatever your fear may be, you can either authorize these self-created-fears-of-yours stop you from living your life to the fullest or you can take on them one by one and live a more bold and braver life cherishing every moment. I recommend going with the latter one.

What should you do?

• Be strong: You have to be strong. It is a must. There is no other way to this. There cannot be a should. You have to say to yourself repeatedly all day long out loud, "I can do this. I must do it. I will not fear you." I do this all the time and vouch for this as it is extremely helpful in any situation you can imagine of. Trust me.
• Make a list of the things you fear: I made my own and named it as "Black Chart". Start with the small things you fear like spider or heights or darkness and then step down to the big ones. Highlight the important fears which you think need the most of your efforts to be put upon.
• Face them - one at a time: Take on the fears from your things-you-fear list one by one. Start with small fears. Work on them. Analyze why you have that fear. Ask yourself if you really need to be afraid of it. Is that thing a necessity for your happy living? Mostly the answer will be a negative. For example, if you have fear you might miss out on important notifications or news feed if you don't log in to your facebook account try asking yourself if you really need to check shitty updates from people whom you don't know or people who don't care about you. Does it really matter what are they doing with their lives? Instead why not focus on your life and try making the best of it. You yourself create and decide your life priorities, goals and needs. You can make or break any of it any second. It's all up in the mind. Move on to next step if the answer is otherwise.
• Suppress them and move on: This is the "action" step. If you don't execute this, you will always fear your fears. Once identified try to fight your fears. Suppress them. Simply say, "I will not fear you!" For the above case, you can limit your logins into facebook. Say no to shitty updates and unnecessary distractions for a more fearless and happier life. You will not die. I didn't. In fact I reduced my social networking footprints and am still alive, writing this post! And to be very frank, you have no reason to be afraid of anything. You can also seek help from your family members, friends, peers or even me!
• Do things you have been putting off til now: Time to do things you have been not doing because of the fears you had. Fears that have been holding you back.
• Shatter every boundary: You know no limits. No boundaries. It's just you and your fears. No one in between. And in the end it will only be you living a more braver and happier life.
• Claim things which are rightfully yours: Haven't got what you deserved? What you thought should be yours? Success, Love, Fame, Money, Happiness. You name it. And your fears always stopped you? Huh! Kick them out.
• Achieve the goals you have been setting offside: Had a long list to-dos which you haven't struck out? Wanted to start a learning class? But didn't do because you feared that you won't get enough admissions. Wanted to pass an interview? But feared rejection. It is time now.
• Make your dreams come true which you have been wishing for: Don't just dream. Get out and make them come true. You have nothing to fear about.

Go, grab things. Especially those you fear the most in the first place. Think how wonderful your life would be if you didn't fear what you do. Once you overcome one of your fears, you will be more confident than before in everything that you do afterwards. You will start to feel this energy of accomplishment; the energy you get after overcoming an obstacle. Cherish that feeling. Hold it for it will compel you to achieve the unachievable. And go for the next in the-things-you-fear list.

Let me know what you fear and how you overcame it.

Who Moved My Cheese | Book Review

Who Moved My Cheese? What? Is that even a book’s name! I looked at the cover and I said to myself, “NO I am not going to read this book at all! Why do I read a book with such a peculiar title! NEVER!” But, I did the opposite. Yes! I got my hands on its pages when I heard, “Read it!” my Dad and Brother exclaimed, “It’s a nice book.” So there I was, turning pages; trying to figure out what really is in there that everybody was talking about. They say it will help you anticipate changes, adapt to them and enjoy it. And so did the back cover presented with a phrase like this: Written for all ages, this story takes less than an hour to read, but its insights can last for a lifetime. In a nutshell, the book is all about getting adaptable to changes smartly.

In fact, when I decided to read the book, I was to judge how come a parable can teach you to deal with the changes you go by in your daily life. Even the critics do not understand how so many people could find it so valuable. However, if you google the reviews about Who Moved My Cheese? you can see by yourself people reporting that what they discovered in this story has improved their businesses, health, marriages and hence their social life! “The cheese story has found its way into homes, companies, schools, sports teams and almost everywhere. Its appeal is universal.” I was not going to believe it until I read it word by word.

Finally, even to my amazement, the book stood by its reviews and feedback. One really feels the change after finishing it. I did. It’s like having a new set of wear glasses on and watch opportunities, changes and life with a new perspective. The moment you are halfway reaching the last page, you will feel very light hearted as if now you know where you did the mistake. I can bet you will start associating main characters, points, with your real life situations. You will be able to recognize from your past the moments when you denied the change or accepted and moved on. You will now try more to accept the change as it arrives. And the fact you will also like it, is for the enticing illustrative images of the main lessons you ought to seek from the book along with Kenneth Blanchard, co-author of one of the other books by Dr. Spencer, The One Minute Manager, telling you the story behind the Cheese story.

Although the story is short; it is very simple revolving around four characters Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw who live in a maze and look for cheese. The Cheese in the story refers to what we want to have in life. It can be anything. Be it a job, a relationship, money, house, freedom or whatever. Each of us carries our own version of cheese and pursue because we believe it makes us happy. And the Maze represents where you spend time looking for what you want. It can be an organization, the community, etc. The spicy thing in the story is how different character reacts to the loss of their Cheese in their own way. The two mice Sniff and Scurry move on with the change as their Cheese moved/changed. Other two, Hem and Haw were Littlepeople with complex brain and emotions thought too much about the change, the reason behind it and they got so much attached to it that Hem denied the change and suffered. Then you come to know how overcoming your fear for changes can open doors for the new ones. And that’s the soul of the story. The story and language used is simple, but insightful. Dr. Spencer Johnson has himself admitted that there is nothing in the story but the way readers interpret and apply it to their own situation that gives value which will help them to move with the Cheese and find New Cheese.

So, go read this book. I don’t care whether you buy it or download a pdf version, just read it. I don’t think a book which has been the #1 bestselling business books ever since its release, selling over 24 million copies isn’t worth even a read! I am telling you again, it will change the way you behave. It will change the way you see things. It will get you ready, giving you strength to stand up the difficult changes in your life. It will tell you how to accept few changes even its hard to and move on for the better. Go. Read. It.

An Entrepreneurial Interview!

Recently we had Amit Grover, founder of Nurture Talent in the premises of Sharda University for an Entrepreneurship Workshop. We had a personal interview with him. Here are the excerpts:

Hello Sir! How are you? We are glad to have you here. :)

“Yeah I am fine. Thanks for the invite!”

•   How do you define entrepreneurship? From your view, what is it?

Amit Grover during the workshop

In my view, somebody starts something keeping in mind a problem and solves it for certain type and number of people; that is entrepreneurship and ultimately it is to try to make a difference in life of a few customers. That’s it.

•   And of course if I am to open a venture I may perhaps face a few probable challenges. Isn’t it?

See, there are various challenges. Some of the biggest challenges are to overcome the internal fears like what will happen if I start, the uncertainties, there is no-one to start with me, lack of financial resources or something like that. Other challenges could be somewhat like society does not support the idea or the educational system does not support it and there are certain business challenges which are true for any business, for example, getting customers, doing marketing, developing products, getting teams. Those are the business challenges which any one has to go through in the process of their entrepreneurial journey.

•   Then, you must have also confronted a number of problems while starting NT as an entrepreneur. What were they?

So as I said, I had a couple of problems I had to face once. One was about the challenge of marketing. Okay so, entrepreneurship training and development is a nascent area of business. Hence, there was a lot of spirit among people but will they pay, how they will pay, how much will they pay… how can you reach and market to them. So those were the initial challenges which I faced but I heard lot of support coming from investors, entrepreneurs, mentors, organizations and eventually overcame these difficulties.

•   After working with Infosys, Asian Paints and Onida, how and when did you decide to start NT?

It happened about a span of three years, I would say. While I was in Onida, I was meeting entrepreneurs every day and as a part of process of investment, decision making, business analysis; at the end of the day I used to discuss what entrepreneurship is. If you meet Shahrukh Khan every day, then you want to become Shahrukh Khan. That is what has happened to me as well.  So, I said one day I have had enough discussions and delegations and debates on entrepreneurship that led me an entrepreneur and tried to help them, train them, mentor them, work with them and starting with their challenges.

•   What served as your motivation to keep moving when the times were hard?

I always had these objectives that we had to have entrepreneurs coming out of NT and through it, had to generate 2500 jobs. We were working on these ideas and even if there is only one person in the workshop, we would never have postponed the workshop. So, it kept us moving. Recently we achieved the milestone of 100 workshops with 500 entrepreneurs trained who hopefully land in the world of business.

•   Why is entrepreneurship training important?

I believe it’s some kind of polishing your ideas up before starting. It saves your time and the cost of starting a business. It gives a form of belief in your business ideas. Training is a very important thing. It may be for a short duration to understand the things which can go wrong and have plans accordingly to overcome those challenges. You will know the difficulties that might halt your way and be ready one day before. Anybody else who has not gone for these programs will not understand from an entrepreneurs’ prospective, investors’ prospective, from customers’ prospective. Form my angle, it’s a good business but getting you a thing from customers’ angle is what is required. And this is exactly what we are trying to do in these training programs.

•   In India we see a lot of grass root entrepreneurship, what are your views on that? How do you visualize the future of entrepreneurship in India?

The future is very bright in long term prospective. The GDP is going by 10% and I don’t see even a single reason why an entrepreneur should fail while starting. There is a tremendous opportunity whether it is agriculture, or technology or any other sector. In fact, there is a huge amount of scope! It has just begun.

•   Where do you see NT after 5 years? What are the prospects?

We will definitely have reached the 1000 entrepreneurs goal and 20000 jobs. In future we have many services coming up which are in the pipeline. So, hopefully by the end of the next year we will be able to finally reach for the possible customers. Team is a one angle on which we are looking out for, how do we group and how do we grow.

Thank you Sir for your valuable time. We wish that Nurture Talent reaches new heights and we pray for the best! :)

Breaking Into The Real World

Take a day off
Go to the Termagio Sea
Waves are high and silent
Aquatics breathe in the nature.

Take a day off
Visit the Avocet forest
Birds chirrup in tune
Trees shade the extincts.

Take a day off
Move to the Tuxedo’s highest peak
Witness marvelous scenes and fresh air
Experience the untold adventure.

Take a day off
Quit the virtual world
Step into nature’s wardrobe
Hear the silence and feel the relief.

Being Optimistic

It might be a good thing
If you,
Shield yourself before the firm winds attack
Discourage the sunrise that darkens up the world
Imagine real vision within the bleakish fog
Uncover the beauty hidden inside ugliness
Cover your ears whenever true lies
And trash transitions
Promising to remain unchanged
And ultimately borrow time that waits

It might be a good thing
If you,
Understand the vastness of
Narrow streets across one’s heart
Invite the pain that never hurts
Try unbinding adversarial bonds with friends
And if so desperate and determined
Then bag grief full of delights

It might be a good thing
If you,
Keep faith in every doubtful decision
Destroy the creators of inhumanity
Aim to improvise from the lowest apex
To avoid repeating sinless crimes
And end up the endless end.