Learning precedes Earning

Learning precedes Earning. Anyone who's started their career in the 90's would have seen this metamorphic transformation happening in front of their eyes, from a 'labour driven' economy to a 'knowledge driven' one. Data is the new Oil. Information is the new Soil. Analysis and Actionable Insights are Latest Testaments. Anyone who focusses on Learning, will have plenty of Earning, as a by-product. Someone who is after the Earning, will find himself, off track many times in their career. With technology changing faster than ever in history, stagnation may be devastating. Keep Learning to Earn, as the only place Earning comes before Learning, is in the Dictionary.

How to put UP, when you're DOWN!

We always put up with life; it's ups and downs. Didn't want this to be a gospel or the "how to series", instead quick 3 simple tips that really help you put UP, when you're down.

HOW TO PUT 'UP', WHEN YOU'RE "DOWN". Here goes...

1. Dress UP - There are so many days, that we dress up for friends, bosses, colleagues, the special ones, spouses, kids, business, media or others, in general. The days you got to dress UP for yourself should the ones when you're down. Try it...wear your favourite shirt or your lucky t-shirt (or your fav perfume), dress a couple of notches up than your normal day. It can instantly change your mood and help you put UP, when you're down.

2. Talk with 2 friends who you haven't kept in touch with lately - and don't raise your concern if you think not. Instead just catch up; 2 or 3 things could happen...He/ she could tell you something that you cheer you up, like what happened with other friends, the latest movie release, the restaurant he/ she's been to and the banter. He/ she could talk about why they're feeling down right now (which you could empathize with or do something about - and lo, you get your mojo back). OR nothing could happen, but a GOOD nothing - you would've caught up with a friend.

3. Watch a comedy  (needn't be a film if you don't have the time) - A short video downloaded/ streamed from the internet would suffice. Whoever said laughing makes you happy, didn't perhaps know HOW right he/ she was and how this could help you put up, when you're down.

And here's the bonus (coz you read through :) - SMILE WITHOUT A REASON! It not just makes your day, but the day of others around you and you would've shown others how to put UP when you're DOWN.

Convert adversity into OPPORTUNITY!

A certain amount of opposition is of great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with the wind - John Neal.

Adversity or difficult times are often feared, dreaded; the mere mention of it gets people worried. We're most comfortable when things happen as per OUR plan, coz we think we know what's best for us. May not be the truth always.

Adversity needn't be that phobia inducing circumstance, if you change the lens you view it with.

How many times haven't we turned back to look at adversity, our difficult times (yes, and all of us have been through them) and thought that definitely has taught something. I'm better off today since I went through that period of adversity.

We've also heard of inspiring stories: JK Rowling lived on welfare with a dependent child before creating the Harry Potter franchise. Before founding  Walmart, Sam Walton milked cows and sold newspaper subscriptions. Henry Ford was broke 5 times before he started Ford Motor Company. We would never have heard of 'Honda', if Soichiro Honda had got the job he wanted, of an engineer at Toyota. And remember, India wouldn't be a free nation, if Mahatma Gandhi thought it is difficult to convince half a billion Indians then, to fight for independence, but through non-violence in the face of severe oppression.

So, if and when, you're going through rough waters, look at what is going on FROM A DISTANCE. Take yourself out of the picture. See what you can do about it, what you can learn from it. And more importantly, Opportunity often comes disguised as Adversity. Look deep & look hard to find yours.

Adversity is like waves in the sea and need to be taken in the same spirit, like a surfer doesn't worry about them and uses them to keep surfing, to go higher, farther, faster.

Adversity is the gift that's not packed properly, but what's in it is invaluable. OPPORTUNITY!

This ain't no good-bye!

This ain’t no good-bye!
Good-bye, I wouldn't bid
Lest, I be outbid.
Ain't certain about Hasta pronto,
although we could.

Fare-well, touchwood;
Howbeit, I leave for good.
On the road to my destiny,
As one always should.

My parting parlance ain't set;
Now now, not yet;
For, we may meet again,
I can almost bet.

If our paths should cross through;
and I sure hope they do,
I deem you want to meet a wiser me.
I wish to meet a  newer you.

I'd bow, my Namaste perfect;
And with that, a lot of respect,
million thanks and a load of wishes;
To my peer and prefect.
                         
                               - Niranjan Rao


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Talk more. Talk less.

Talk more with the person(s) that matters most; talk less with everyone else. Easier said than done, as most often, we reverse the order. Let's take a closer look.

When was the last time you had a 'heart to heart' talk with yourself? Appraised yourself, re-evaluated priorities, looked at your life from a distance, set up goals and directions, confessed, appreciated, encouraged or just spent time with the one person that can benefit you most - YOU!

Also, how often do you describe 'what you feel' to the ones that matter most in your life - show your love, talk about what bothers, appreciate and console? If you don't have confident answers here, perhaps it is time to start talking more, and more often.

Now, if you're a working professional, a student, a busy teenager, a parent or just about anybody who's got to talk for a living, chances are that you are expected to speak a lot; your opinions and thoughts, ideas and suggestions, solutions, your strengths and perhaps other's draw backs. Ofcourse, a little bit of gossip doesn't hurt too. Time to stop that urge and talk less. Ofcourse, you're the best judge to figure how much less, to not hurt your social life.

What else does having 2 ears and 1 mouth signify? Talk less with others. Talk more with yourself.

I'll stop right here. Time to talk with 'me'.

Thank God, it's a Wednesday!

WEDNESDAY, Ahoy! 

Week after week, it happens.

Every Monday goes looking back more than ahead;

Day that follows, goes in planning for the week that is.

Next comes Wednesday, when you live (in) the present.

Ending Thursday, I plan for the week next;

Saturday is for friends and family, Friday goes planning for this.

Don’t disturb me on Sunday, coz it’s “me-time”

All week goes by, before one could spell “Wednesday”

You then wait for what’s coming up.

 And then, I realize

how, when I’m at the top of my game,

on a song, do more and get closer to my goal;

yes, it’s always a Wednesday!

Notes:

1. Research proves that people are most productive during the middle of the week. Wednesday, in particular has that special aura around it, it's the exact middle of the week, when one doesn't look back too much and doesn't plan future a lot. Wednesday is about living in the present, executing the plan, with the re-assurance that there is still a good part of the week left to finish what one has begun. It's the closest one can get to Nirvana/a neutral mindframe in the week long madness, that engulfs a lot of us these days. Thank God, it's a Wednesday. Enjoy your Wednesday!

2. An acrostic is a poem which spells out a word or idea (in this case, WEDNESDAY Ahoy!).

Bouncing back

When life drops you; it only wants to see you bounce back, higher. Bouncing back each time one gets dropped is what separates 'winners' from the rest.

While there are quite a few factors to achieve success, in whatever it is that you're after, the 'one' that is most important is - perseverance. Bouncing back and keeping at it, when you're NOT at your best, is what has gotten results to each one, every single time that (s)he has yearned for anything.

Life could get rough, real tough at times and the goal you've set could appear distant. When that happens, don't waste time procrastinating or cursing your luck, because that is what it really is - waste of time. Instead, start bouncing back from that very moment you fall (or fail), to get the headstart and gain momentum. There will be better times to rest. Now's the time to be bouncing back.

Collect all you've got, analyze the situation and by all means, make course corrections where warranted, and bounce back. Take advice from friends, learn from your experience and others', think  and be positive, work harder and you're sure to be bouncing back. Sounds simple, but not easy without your perseverance, that is.

Be a leader. Lead your life to the greatness it deserves. Bouncing back, each time you fall.

The power of SMALL teams

The real power and potential of SMALL teams.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead.

We've often heard about the virtue of 'BIG' and 'LARGE' and it has its rightful place in the world. There are distinctive advantages of a large operation or team, but let's examine what being 'small' truly means and the potential of a small organization or team.

Small teams yield power, sometimes beyond their imagination, however counter intuitive it may sound. Smaller teams means being nimble, flexible and hungrier, which help them to be more customer oriented than larger teams and organizations. Small and stable teams over a period of time, develop the togetherness and bonding which large teams can seldom replicate.

Smaller teams have lesser decision lags, act faster, are quicker to change and provide a good breeding ground for innovation. Its easier for the smaller teams to look in 'one' direction and communicate effectively than it is for any large group. Also, there's less of pointing fingers, no working in 'silos' and 'escapism', given the small size of the team, which brings in more accountability and ownership. All of this produce more value to the customers, better profitability for the organization and more purpose for the people involved.

We will all do ourselves a favor by recognizing the "power of small teams" and leveraging that wisely. Large organizations could be well served by a cluster of 'small teams', but the biggest benefactor of this fact should be the "small organizations". Internet and digital media have anyway levelled the play ground to a very large extent already. It is now for the smaller teams and organizations to believe in their power and themselves.

Finally, it is the larger trees that fall hardest in a storm; the smaller ones withstand it better.
Herald the power of the small teams. Small is indeed BIG!

An ode to team spirit!

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You are not alone - no matter what!

You are not alone - no matter what. You can never be; not just in the philosophical or "believer" kind of sense.

Firstly, consider the many conflicts we have today, which btw establish that all of us don't think alike, while also noting there aren't always 2 sides to the proverbial coin. That happens in movies and stories, where one doesn't have enough canvas to paint reality OR where a decision is required. Life doesn't give us the switch with "On-Off", but a slider with infinite length and you set your meter to your comfort on all matters. There could be a tolerance range on the slider, beyond which there is disconnect.

Statistics could show that whatever your thought, inclination, intent, idea, feeling or action; there'd be hundreds, if not more, on the planet who've set their slider to the exact point as yours. You are not alone.  It's not that hard to believe any more, given about 7 Billion homo-sapiens tread the earth today. Pretty good chance, that some had this idea on the same day as you. That also explains why the whole city, or atleast it seems that way where I live, shows up the day/ time you go out grocery shopping.

Looking back, whether it was the ancient greek philosophers, Newton's experiments to prove gravity or for that matter, any of the modern inventions; while there are a lot of nay-sayers to the unknown, there were and will be a few believers, some more open than others. Radicals or terrorists, for instance, don't look upon themselves as such and for what we know, there'd be a few sympathizers, some of whom form the available talent pool.

Just imagine, you're 50,000ft above ground and could see thoughts and deeds in distinctive colors (hoping there are as many colors and one is not color-blind); you could match the like-minded and perhaps count too! Survey poll companies would hate this though.

Simply put, "if you did not find anyone agreeing with your point of view, supporting your cause or joining you on the journey; well, you haven't reached out enough yet". In essence, you are not alone; can never be. Now, that already feels good.

What varies though is the number. As long as one figures good from bad (and we're not talking about that now, later maybe), you'd find a lot more people 'with' you when you think/do what tends to be 'right'; and fewer as your scale points in the other direction, that's how it is supposed to be atleast.

So, whether you're afraid of long words like I am (btw, the fear of long words is called "Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia", god bless) OR fancy scaling Mt. Everest in your pajamas (do I see heads nodding here), you are not alone.

Well, the downside is, if you'd really want to un-belong from whatever that is, you'd still be part of the "un-belongers" group, you are not alone!

P.S: And again, I'm hoping a few mates will also like this blog :-)