Category: Attitude
What is courage?
Courage : The mental or moral strength to persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty – Merriam Webster
While thinking about this, the first thing that comes to my mind is my earliest recollection of fear. I remember the sun was blazing into my eyes when my mother and aunt literally had to carry me like a swing (one grabbing my feet and the other my hands) to drag me to nursery school for the first time. I don’t remember that turning into courage, school just became routine.
Another early recall is my constant fights with the apartment building bully who was a few years older and much stronger, because I did not want to give in like the others. This continued until I turned 11 or 12. Considering that I was skinny and considerably weaker, this required what seemed to be at the time, monumental courage…. Continue Reading →
Finishing Strong- Iron Man, Silken Heart
Bill Britt was one of the greatest business leaders of the 20th & 21st centuries. I had the privilege of spending time with him, learning and observing. This included watching him on stage for hours on end, listening to his CDs and streaming talks, and most importantly, sitting at his feet, spending face time with him, singing with him and building a unique bond.
He would often tell us that a dreamer will always have unfulfilled dreams when he breathes his last, and if they were worthwhile dreams, others would carry the torch and help fulfill them. Bill Britt was an influence leader, and was able to create a strong vision that other leaders bought into, of helping the everyday person with much needed guidance and mentorship on how to create economic and personal freedom. He was able to realize many unusually strong dreams before he passed away on Jan 23,2013…. Continue Reading →
How spotlights work
While sharing pictures and videos of the grand receptions and vast audiences related to our speaking engagements, I am torn between the fine balance of sharing relevant parts our lives with you, and being braggadocios. Every time I click the “Post” or “Publish” button, I tell myself that my intentions matter more than perceptions.Because they do.
When spotlights are new, the glamour and the attention can be intoxicating. However, with the passage of time, other things take priority. Anjali & I are in the business of developing and empowering leaders. This means that we have the responsibility of putting the spotlight on other people -those new and upcoming team leaders who are proving themselves through words, deeds and character.
You see, unless you have the spotlight, you cannot put it on others. You may not be an attention seeker, but you should get the necessary attention to get your message across…. Continue Reading →
Will may not be the way
“If you control your environment, you don’t have to control your will.”
I love this quote not just because it is mine. I do believe that if we put our will to test unnecessarily, it is only a matter of when, not whether we will succumb.
If you are a teetotaler, and you insist on spending every evening with friends in a local bar, it is only a matter of time before you try a sip.
A few years ago a holy man India with a massive following was caught on video in a compromising position with a movie star. Many people argued that it was a case of entrapment. My question- Why was he alone with the movie star in a hotel room in the first place?
On an earlier post, Thanksgiving, Tourniquets and Trains, I talked about how the internet can foster unhealthy relationships…. Continue Reading →
Say Yes When They Say No
During the late 1950s, a young man in his twenties found a job as a stenographer in a small Bombay (now Mumbai) company called Fassalboi. The namesake and owner was a visionary, and was trying to introduce fluorescent (tube) lights and transistor radios to rural India. His slick salesmen returned empty handed, saying that bad electricity and fear of “black magic” from a little box not connected to anything were respective deterrents.
The stenographer offered to step up to the task. Mr. Fassalboi liked the attitude, and gave the boy some money to buy a suit, and sent him off to his village in Palakkad, Kerala. On the first day, the young man’s excitement generated a lot of interest in the tube light, but the transistor radio was still off limits. Voices from a little box spooked everyone in the village. The next morning, he was able to bring divinity into the picture when he discovered a radio station that played religious hymns…. Continue Reading →
Charity – From Gong to Giving
Have you ever heard of The Gong Show? In the 70s and 80s, it was a televised contest between performers ranging from dubious to amateur. Each contestant had 3 minutes, and any one of three judges could strike a huge Gong in plain sight to interrupt a performance and disqualify the contestant.
I played a South Indian classical percussion instrument called the Mridangam. I am not sure if it was my talent, or that the judges were too intrigued by its exotic appearance and sound, but I prevailed without getting “Gonged”.
Ok, so mine wasn’t a televised show. It was organized in Piscataway, NJ, by Bellcore (now Telcordia Technologies) to raise money for the United Way organization. I was relatively new in the country and wasn’t involved in any charitable giving. As a matter of fact, I felt like I should have been on the other end of giving…. Continue Reading →
Tender Tantram
Something went wrong at a company. The CEO is outraged and he unloads on the President, who in turns takes it out on the GM. This process continues all the way down to the secretary, who yells at the receptionist. The one at the bottom of this hierarchy is the janitor, who bottles up his emotions till he gets home. Finding his son watching TV, he flares up, and gets into a tirade about how his “good for nothing son” is wasting his time in front of the idiot box. The son turns the TV off, and walks outside, frustrated. He comes across a cat, and kicks it.
The company hires a management consultant. After much research, she comes up with a proposal to improve efficiency. One of the recommendations she makes is to provide the CEO directly with a cat, saving time and sparing the people in between…. Continue Reading →
The Motivation Multiplier
One of my mentors, Bill Britt, explained motivation using a simple formula-
NEEDS X FAITH = MOTIVATION
Joe has needs – to pay the bills, to put food on the table. He also has faith (belief in something that is yet to happen) that he will reach his workplace safely each day, and that he will get a paycheck every two weeks. Without faith, he wouldn’t leave his house. With faith, he is motivated to act.
Faith can be further explained as a cross product of different kinds of faith. Joe’s needs are normal. His faith formula could be as follows-
FAITH = FAITH IN THE JOB X FAITH IN THE PROCESS X FAITH IN SELF
Mary has just founded a tech startup. Her passion has created an intense need to succeed. She has to fight against all odds, put a team together,… Continue Reading →
Fast and Steady
If you are walking on a tight-rope or threading a needle, then Slow and Steady will probably win the race. But in day to day living, we need momentum. Not break-neck speed, but momentum.
One of my mentors, Bill Britt, repeatedly told us that happiness comes from the process of accomplishment rather than the accomplishment itself. And the process can only be fulfilling if there is energy, choices and quick decisions to make. Without choices, we cannot set priorities.
In the story of The Hare and the Tortoise, the problem was not that the hare was fast. The problem was that the hare took a nap. He wasn’t steady. In life, moving slowly hoping that others will take a nap to allow us to win, is not a good strategy. Naps are helpful and sometimes critical, but they do not belong in a race…. Continue Reading →
The Superhero Inside
Inside me is a superhero, always rearing to go. This guy is limitless. He has unbounded energy and a limited list of real talents, but an inexhaustible set of “possibility” talents and skills. If my body is an institution, then this superhero heads two departments – “Dreams and Vicarious Living ” and “Goals and Accomplishments “. The first department has taken me from benign indulgences like simply day dreaming to fantasizing the possibility of becoming a world class tennis player well into my forties. In my mind I have been an adviser to the U.S President and other world leaders, and on the board of Google, Facebook, Apple and Tesla. In this world I have won the Oscar, and the Augusta Masters tournament. I could have landed the plane on the Hudson just as effectively as Scully.
This crazy department also made me think out of the box,… Continue Reading →