Time for Break!

Well its been quite a time with this blog. I am embarking upon a new journey. I would like to share the thoughts of the transformation on new platform. So I will not post on this blog for a while. The new postings will be at www.exploringlimits.wordpress.com

Visual Resume

Was trying to do some thing creative... So created my Visual Resume.

(BTW, If anyone interested in creating one for them, I can help)

Milestones

I'm a step closer to one of my milestones. I love the sound of a milestone passing by. These things keep you alive. Also, I don't want to continue my existing professional career. I've decided something for me and want to pursue that. But there is another 10 months delay to that. Don't know what should I do.

Careful with your Wishes and Thoughts

I’ve been trying to control the thoughts. Identifying What I DON’T WANT. I’ve been identifying on the things that I want to feed my greed. And also, that would not be any good for me. In this high flying world, everyone wants to be an achiever, but very few of them know what they’ll do once they achieve THAT THING.

I’ve been doing thinking what I want and how much of it - Education, Money, Fame. Everything has its own importance and bringing out balance is not a bad idea.

Education provides you the tool to understand how the utopian world operates. It provides the way a person thinks and helps putting one’s a potential to a maximum use. Plato once mentioned, “Life is education” and nothing can be far from true. I’ve to define what I need to learn, what I need to unlearn and what I need not know about exists.

Thoughts on money are always welcome. No one can deny the importance of it in any form and whatever you do, you can’t ignore it. As Zig puts it, ‘money is just close to Oxygen’; and I agree to it. I also agree to Any Rand when she says money is a tool that provides “Value for Value”. It’s the essential that we need without any curbs on it. But I don’t want more than my wants. And that’s where I’ve to do the thinking – How much do I want. But the inflow of it surely gives the happiness (and pride). Money can corrupt or bring more out of people. It all depends on the user. In capitalism and consumer driven economy, the money you have is directly proportional to your success. But then there is catch to it – It doesn’t directly identifies person’s worth.

The least of the three, but the most dreamt of – Fame! From very young ages, humans start looking upon their heroes and wannabe them. At times they ignore the downsides. Once you’re there, everyone is inquisitive about everything you do – which hand did you use for brushing your teeth, the soda can that you didn’t put back in the fridge, the armpits that you didn’t shave. As rightly put by someone, “The higher the monkey goes, the more of it’s a** it shows”.

And that’s why I want to control my thoughts. I need to define what I want and How much. As they say, ‘be careful for what you wish for; You never know which one will come true.’

Keep wishing!

PS: Stevie Wonder singing - "I Wish"

Looking back on when I, Was a little nappy headed boy
Then my only worry, Was for Christmas what would be my toy
Even though we sometimes, Would not get a thing
We were happy with the, Joy the day would bring

I wish those days could come back once more,
Why did those days ev-er have to go,
I wish those days could come back once more,
Why did those days ev-er have to go,
Cause I love them so

Don't predict future; Look out of window

Have you ever been to an art gallery; or for that matter, gone through any art work? Some leisure time gave me to do just it. And I was amazed by the fact that different pairs of eyes observe the paintings differently.

If you want to predict the future, the only way is to create it. Another way, as per Drucker, is to stop predicting it. As you know, Drucker is so in for me. 100 yrs on and the theories are still so live. On more than one occasions, he’s asked to look out of window. Observe the obvious instead of predicting it. You’ll be amazed by the results. The most important part is to be with the observation. If you want to be part of the future, observe and then swiftly act on your observation. It’s like an artist thinking on couch and then with quick strokes of brush, he realized his dreams.

So next time you go out, observe! But beware! Often, nuances are painted in bright colors to take your eyes off the big picture.

PS: Mariah Carey - When You Believe

There can be miracles, when you believe; Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill,
Who knows what miracles you can achieve; When you believe, somehow you will,
You will when you believe!

Know the ‘Role’ and ‘Purposeful Abandonment’

Peter Drucker is the flavor of the month!Born in Vienna in 1909, he migrated to the land of cheese and opportunities (US) in 1937. Since then he’s studied the organizations like people, and earned himself the title ‘father of management’.

As per Drucker, in effective organizations, employees know their roles. Any journey of self-exploration, he believed, should begin with five essential questions.

1. What is our mission?
2. Who is our customer?
3. What does the customer value?
4. What are our results?
5. What is our plan?

As it turns out, a little pondering over these questions will bring about the value creation framework for our customers. In other words, the framework tells us to take care of our customers, and the business will take care of itself.
For me, apart from these 5 questions, I ask the 6th one as well –

Are we the number 1 or 2 service provider to the customer?

In this era of multi-vendor sourcing, there is very much unlikely a case, where I’m the sole service provider. In such scenario, I’ve to ask myself whether I’m the top service provider in the chosen area. If not, Exit!

Drucker’s theory of ‘Purposeful Abandonment’ outlines this - "The first step in a growth policy is not to decide where and how to grow; It is to decide what to abandon. In order to grow, a business must have a systematic policy to get rid of the outgrown, the obsolete, the unproductive."

I believe the learning should be same for ‘Brand Me’ as well. We should strive to be at the top of what we’re best at. What says your opinion?

Inspired from the article on

www.inc.com

Objectivism!

“You remember, you said once that we had the same root somewhere in both of us, because we both believed in life? It’s a rare capacity and it can’t be taught.”

Finished WE THE LIVING by Ayn Rand, the lesser known one from her arsenal. A lot has been said about the author and her philosophy of OBJECTIVISM.

I’m out of words for this writer. If at 25 she can think of something at this depth, this is disturbing. Now Objectivism holds that there is no greater moral goal than achieving happiness; that reality exists independent from consciousness. Though still at my first step towards learning, I believe world today can’t be in more need of Objectivism than before.

We’ve seen Socialism, which refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods. We’ve witnessed Capitalism, the economic system in which the private ownership of property is protected by law. Now both these are good enough to give a rosy picture but they don’t touch the lives of ordinary and don’t increase the averages.

Objectivism is a philosophy for living in this material world that promotes values like love, friendship, wealth, and comfort. It respects science, technology, and innovation. It emphasizes reason and clarity. It values purposefulness, achievement, and success. It reveres passionate living, and pursing the greatest heights. It sets personal happiness as your goal, and gives you the tools to figure out how to achieve it.

It’s more of an optimistic approach. The idea is to focus more on life and add or subtract the factors to improve it.

PS: AR Rehman again weaves the magic:
Aaja main hawaaon pe bithaake le chalun;

tu hi toh... tu hi toh meri dost hai!

Aaja main khalaaon mein uthaake le chalun; tu hi toh meri dost hai;

Awaaz ka dariya hoon, behta hoon main nili raaton mein.

Main jaagta rehta hoon neend bhari jheel si aankhon mein.

Awaaz hoon main...

And hubby cooks the chicken!

She has been awake since 5 in the morning. Starting the day with the regular chores – taking care of extended family, preparing for husband’s day and readying her daughter for the school. “Rehaan!” she asked “Can you please drop Mehul to school today?”. “Not today”, he replied. “I’m busy with this presentation. Have to deliver it today.“ And she thought, for how long she’s to take this way. Turning on the ignition she thought if it was a tad better.

The thoughts kept on creeping during office hours as well. It was a long Friday and she never waited for weekend so long. While paying for chicken, she thought if there was someone with whom she felt comfortable with. She’s always tried to fill colors in the blank canvas even the day had been grey and dull. But not a single relationship tends towards infinity.

Mehul came running and smiling as she entered the home. “How was the day honey?”. “It was good moma! We tried colorbook today”. Rehaan was in the sofa working on his laptop. “What’s for dinner tonight?” he asked. “Got chicken”. And Rehaan commented “you better get some good stuff. Tomorrow is parent-teacher meeting”. “But ain’t you going for it?”. “Not this time. I’ve got this urgent work to finish by this weekend”.

Life seemed hollow to her. Lying at her sister’s home she was thinking ‘Why can’t there be a day of smiles with someone who cares for me’. There he was pondering in the kitchen while cooking chicken for his dinner ‘What did I do?’.

PS: The song in the background -
Here I am, lost in the light of the moon that comes through my window

Bathed in blue, the walls of my memory divides the thorns from the roses

It's you and the roses...

Touch me and I will follow in your afterglow

Heal me from all this sorrow

As I let you go I will find my way when I see your eyes

Now I'm living in your afterglow...

Here I am, lost in the ashes of time, but who owns tomorrow?

In between the longing to hold you again

I'm caught in your shadow, I'm losing control

My mind drifts away, we only have today

Touch me and I will follow in your afterglow

Heal me from all this sorrow...

Morally Corrupt

“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things... I am tempted to think that there are no small things in life” - Unknown

I live in morally corrupt city. I wonder why can’t we change a tiny bit, adjust a little to be role model across the globe. Listing out a few disruptions that should be brought about for moral conduct. I’m open to any updates to this list.

1. Chivalry never hurts.
Does it take too much to show courtesy at public places. We all do it with our closed ones, then why not with the unknowns? Will opening a door for a follower delay our schedules? Or smiling at something wrong happened dent our egos?

2. Queues and Orders are always welcome.
I believe in order and think it’s pretty cool stuff. Don’t you?

3. Following lanes makes my mind less cluttered.
A very simple thing can make our life much easier – FOLLOW THE LANE DRIVING!
And please understand the purpose of lane changing signal. It is even available in toy cars these days. Then why not use it? Or are you afraid of Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs)? At least do it for the humanitarian cause!

4. Honking helps you reach home early. Is it?
I wonder why we have horns in our vehicles. Everyone is sick of it but still use them where it does no good. You know there is nothing 'quiet' of these horns and we all peace loving. You know what I mean! You can scream instead of blowing it "For the sake of humans! GO! GO! GO!"

5. No spitting and littering please.
If you go to foreign country, you guys follow the rule. And as you land back at home, you forget to keep the place clean. I wonder what the rationale behind that is.

6. Smiling has more advantages than bad effects!
This one is tough especially with so many things going in life but that should be in code of conduct as Chinese did during Olympics. Why not smile a little more at strangers. I know it can be trap – a girl will say that guy is constantly smiling at me. But then it may be an ice breaker. So two birds with a single shot – more friendliness in the air and world will be at more ease with us! At least I'm trying to be more molar-to-molar; you should also laugh your way.

I hope this won’t be too tedious a list to follow!

PS: Song in the mp3 player - Oh Life by Desiree!
So after all's said and done, I know I'm not the only one
Life indeed can be fun, If you really want to
Sometimes living out your dreams, Ain't as easy as it seems
You wanna fly around the world, In a beautiful balloon
Life, oh life..... Oh life, oh life

Do silly, not great things!

If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done. - Ludwig Wittgenstein

I’m going through ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. It’s an impressive read from two of the known scholars in the Business World. What fascinates me is that things mentioned there are not very out-of-the-box but overlooked ones. And that brings us to today’s topic – Gotta become great? Do silly, not great things!

And as Calvin thinks, there’s an inverse relationship…

Though Euro Cup is the flavor of the month, but I still like to read about Tennis. Roger Federer is The Master. He covers the court like a ballet dancer. But Novak Djokovic is winning the hearts it seems. His fan following growth rate is far above than the industry average it seems. I especially liked the humor he brings to the competitive and serious game. Have you ever seen the imitations he does? Watch out a couple at:
http://elgringocolombiano.blogspot.com/2007/09/novak-djokovics-imitations.html

And the most wonderful thing is his persona on and off the court seems to be the same. Check out his diaries at the below link (These do tell something about the guy! Don't they?).

http://www.novak-djokovic.com/eng/diary_list.php

These days am thinking to take up doing silly things; maybe every first Friday of the month. I’ve made the Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create grid for charting blue oceans of silliness. I would like to have the ideas from you, readers, to add to my grid.

PS: Song on lappy – A Thousand Miles (Vanessa Carlton)
Making my way downtown,Walking fast,Faces passed,And I'm home bound.

Staring blankly ahead,Just making my way,Making my way,Through the crowd.
And I need you, And I miss you, And now I wonder...
If I could fall, Into the sky; Do you think time, Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk, A thousand miles If I could, Just see you… Tonight!