Posts Tagged ‘Motivation’
How Challenges Becomes Opportunity
February 23rd, 2010 | 
Author: I’ve a decade of experience as an entrepreneur. It was an experience filled with challenges and issues which only helped me to become a man of great character and stature. To be frank I became an entrepreneur as an incident rather than a planned one. Only after stepping in I came to know it is not everyone’s piece of cake and by the time I realized it I was lost in deep jungles.
Since I was trapped in a deep jungle I have no way out and only option when you don’t have a choice is to walk further until you find your way out. There were lots of adventures, accomplishments, experiments. Many a times I worked on more intuitions rather than plan. But with lots of perseverance I was able to overcome all the challenges and also found out a way out of the jungle.
I’d like to share one of my personal experiences where I was able to convert a challenge into an opportunity.
As I always repeat about my academics that I was a poor student I didn’t have the guts to disobey my parents as they always negotiated / blackmailed me about my results. I never had the guts to disobey them and when I told them that I had the desire to become an entrepreneur after the completion of my under graduation (UG). They immediately de-motivated me that I can’t be a successful businessman as I didn’t hail from a business community and also because I was poor in my academics.
They admitted me in a college for Post Graduation even when I was in my UG final year. After completing the final year in UG I failed in Discrete Math’s and I was treated as a failed guy in life. My mother and grandmother were crying day in and out adding a sense of insecurity which only demolished my confidence.
Then to stay away from all these negativity I started a business and started working from my friend’s office. Within a year I got a lot of self confidence and also I cleared my arrear. The very next year my parents forced me to join PG which I refused to do. When they asked me to get out of the house I was prepared as I had developed my self confidence by this time.
Thought it was a tough two months I has to pass after getting the exam results I always think I’m an entrepreneur today just because of the failed result. If I passed at first attempt I’d have joined PG and would have taken a job after it and would have been on the list of guys who never followed their dreams.
Today I had discussion with one of my Director about the financial crunch we are facing because of Paypal and also because of poor collections. All I told him was we have to learn the lessons and to dig for the opportunity hidden inside the turbulence. At this time what I expect from my team members is to believe in their skills and stay focuses and break the way to success.
All I can tell at this point in Tough Times Doesn’t Last!! But Tough People Do…
Posted in 
Sharpen Your Skills
Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked for a job with a timber merchant, and he got it. His salary was really good and so were the working conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.
His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to cut the trees. The first day, the woodcutter brought down 15 trees.
” Congratulations, ” the boss said. ” Carry on with your work!”
Highly motivated by the words of his boss, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he only could bring 10 trees down. The third day he tried even harder, but he was only able to bring down 7 trees.
Day after day he was bringing lesser number of trees down.
” I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.
” When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.
” Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”
That’s right. Most of us NEVER update our skills. We think that whatever we have learned is very much enough. But good is not good when better is expected. Sharpening our skills from time to time is the key to success.
Our Attitude Defines Life
Life is Best for those who want to Live it,
Life is Difficult for those who want to Analyze it,
Life is worst for those who want to Criticize it,
Our Attitude Defines Life…
Enjoy Your Life,
Laugh so Hard That even Sorrow Smiles at You,
Live Life so Well That even Death Loves to see you Alive,
Fight so Hard That even Fate accepts its Defeat…
Law of the Garbage Truck
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly. So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks.. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so…. Love the people who treat you right. Forgive the ones who don’t. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Have a garbage-free day!
Ways to improve self-confidence
Here are some quick tips to improve your Self-Confidence. If we are committed to have a healthy self-confidence there are many things you can do every day to boost your self confidence, each small steps that will help you to reach your goal. The good news is that self-esteem is not fixed and can be improved; try some of the steps below to boost your confidence and self-esteem.
- Identify your successes. Everyone is good at something, so discover the things at which you excel, then focus on your talents. Give yourself permission to take pride in them. Give yourself credit for your successes. Inferiority is a state of mind in which you’ve declared yourself a victim. Do not allow yourself to be victimized.
- Look in the mirror and smile. Studies surrounding what’s called the “facial feedback theory” suggest that the expressions on your face can actually encourage your brain to register certain emotions. So by looking in the mirror and smiling every day, you might feel happier with yourself and more confident in the long run.
- Exercise and eat healthy. Exercise raises adrenaline and makes one feel happier and healthier. It is certainly an easy and effective way to boost your self-confidence.
- Turn feelings of envy or jealousy into a desire to achieve. Stop wanting what others have just because they have it; seek things simply because you want them, whether anybody else has them or not.
- When you’re feeling superbly insecure, write down a list of things that are good about you. Then read the list back. You’d be surprised at what you can come up with.
- Don’t be afraid to push yourself a bit – a little bit of pressure can actually show just how good you are!
- You can try taking martial arts or fitness class/course (or both). This will help build confidence and strength.
- Invest in some new clothing and donate some of your old clothing to send a message to yourself that you both look sharp and feel sharp.
- Try to make yourself talk positively at all times. When you hear yourself saying you can’t do something, stop and say you can. Unless you try, you will never know whether you are able to or not.
- Don’t get wrapped up in your mistakes and dwell on bad points; they can contrast your good points or even give you something to improve. There’s no feeling like being good at something you were really bad at.
- Don’t confuse what you have with who you are. People degrade their self worth when comparing possessions.
- Surround yourself with nurturing friends, not overly critical individuals who make you feel inadequate or insecure. This could do great harm and damage to your self confidence.
Way to raise Kids!!!
Today I was having breakfast with my friend Kannan and I’m must say this was an enlightening breakfast. Kannan was sharing his childhood experience and the way his parents raised him in an Indian lower middle class style. Kannan shared a particular experience where in his mother taught him the value for money. So the story goes like this;
Kannan was a 9 year kid and he insisted his mom to buy him a scented rubber which costs 50 paisa where has his mom been willing to buy him a rubber which coats 10 paisa. Little Kannan got irated with his mom and he was curious to buy the rubber he desired. When he showed his piece of mind to his mom; his mom insisted him to earn that 50 paisa to buy his desired rubber. Our little Kannan who was highly egoistic decided to take up a job to earn for the rubber. He went and requested for petty job of breaking the bricks from the supervisor who was construction his house.
The supervisor after consulting with his mom offered to give him a job to break the bricks. Happy Kannan requested for a hammer to break the bricks from the supervisor. Supervisor said Kannan must posses the kits for the work and asked him to come with a hammer. When Kannan asked him mom for a hammer she said she doesn’t have one. Little Kannan started hunting for hammer from neighbors by 8.30 AM in the sourced a hammer from a hammer by 10.30 AM and he started the work by 10.30.
He worked till 12.30 in the noon and he went for lunch and after lunch he wanted to have a nap for 10 min. He requested his mom to wake him after 10 min and his mom denied the request telling if he is sincere in his job he must be on his own. Being a kid and working in hot sun made him tired and he slept till 4.30 PM. When his woke up he got angry again with his mom for not waking him up and by the time the day has come to an end.
Little Kannan went to the supervisor and asked a wage for the amount of work he did. The supervisor said Kannan that he doesn’t deserve anything for the half-baked work he did and he offered him 50 paisa for the work he did knowing he worked for that 50 paisa. Kannan got angrier on supervisor as he thought he deserved more for the work he did. But Kannan got the money to fulfill his desire and he instantly got the rubber.
When he returned back home his mom asked him to list the things he did from the morning to earn that 50 paisa.
Kannan says that was the day he understood the value of money and his way of seeing things changed. I might have learned this experience of Kannan at a later stage. But as a parent I came to know how I can raise my kids.
I must thank Kannan for sharing his experience and allowing me to post it in my blog.
Sweet Thought Of The Day
One man cried when He had no shoes, but he stopped crying when He saw a man without legs.
Life is full of Blessings, Always try to understand it.”
Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program By Chetan Bhagat
Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited.. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates – there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.
Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks.. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party –several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.
I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, and aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?
Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing – to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.
To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure – a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.
Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born.. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.
I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
You must have read some quotes – Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.
One last thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said – don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I ive? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up?
It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.
I’ve told you three things – reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.
Disappointments will com when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember – if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.
Disappointment’s cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life – friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it to seriously.
Unfairness – this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.
Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.
There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms – disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.
I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today… That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only throughcollege, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying – I come from the land of a billion sparks.
The Difference between Focusing on Problems and Focusing on Solutions
One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan’s biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.
Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent a whoopee amount to do so.
But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems.
Now Cogzidel has a William Wordsworth
It is always nice to get motivation from someone… Also in an organization if someone take initiative and start showing the path it is even more exciting… Today I think we have two mangoes in one shot… I’m doubly thrilled… The reason is;
We are opening up night shift from tomorrow and I don’t know if people have fully accepted the change… When we communicated this information in our mailer, Ms.Narmatha started a loop of fun with her poetry skills… It brought the entire situation to funny zone and people started telling they are the ones who will be working on the night shift… Here goes her quote;
“Hai,
How lucky the moon is!
Finally it got the chance to enter his rays into Cogzidel.
Take care Friends.”
Here is a screenshot of her mail, which has a reply from saravana proudly claiming that he one among the lucky ones to work under the moon 
…
