[Time-Management] Arise, awake and take charge!

 

24th September 2010

The measure of life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.

Corrrie ten Boom

I was emotionally tickled by this quotation. It is not important how long we are going to live. What is even more important is what we are going to contribute while we live. You know when you become valuable to others? When you've something to offer and not when you receive something from others. I was listening to someone speak. He said that all the plants and flowers grow towards the sun because the sun has everything to give and takes nothing in return! Isn't a powerful point?

We have to give our optimum contribution at the earliest time without others having to demand. We have to be very magnanimous and broad minded while giving something to someone. Normally we want to receive as much as possible and give back as little as possible, that too with reluctance.

Just imagine how pleasant this world will be when everyone gives much more than they receive from others?

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] Ignited Child!

 

24th September 2010

Ignited Child!

As I mentioned in one of my previous newsletter, human beings are thinking beings and not merely doing beings. We are meaning making beings and what we do should be meaningful to us so that we get involved mentally and not merely physically.

NLP is the study of human excellence. When the original originators of NLP studied the behavioural patterns of some of the excellent people in United States, they found that the external behaviour did not `just happen' but was triggered by an internal programme. It's something like a smoke and fire. The smoke is a result of fire. If you want smoke, then you should create a fire. Similarly if you don't want smoke, you have to extinguish the fire. Isn't a simple common sense?

Let me give an example which I am fond of giving in my Parents' Study Circle. My wife is a Math teacher. A few years ago one of her students stood first in the State in tenth Board Exam. I interviewed him to know his strategy in a popular television channel. I was amazed his mental programme which decided his studying strategy.

I asked him whether he will answer the one mark questions first or ten mark questions first while handling a question paper. He replied that he does not distinguish between a one mark question and a ten mark question! He did not stop here. He added that if he distinguishes between one mark question and a ten mark question, he will get only 99 marks and not 100 marks!! Isn't amazing? Then I asked him what will be preferred sequence of answering the questions, at random or sequentially, like first question first, and then second question, then third question like that. For this he replied that he will answer the question in sequence and the most interesting part of his answer was his logic why he answered the questions in sequence. He said that he did not want his teacher to search for the question and wanted to ensure a smooth `flow' so that she will be in a very happy frame of mind while correcting his paper so that he will be `liberal'!

This is what is called an excellent mental programming and this is what makes a person unique!

Read further…

N C Sridharan and Radha Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] Ignited Child!

 

23rd September 2010

Ignited Child!

Let me take the example of the computer once again. If the computer is not responding to your command, you don't label the computer as a bad computer. You want to find out what causes the problem. You wear `trouble shooting' cap and investigate. As soon as you buy a computer, the first thing you do is to understand the computer from two perspectives, the hardware and the software. Once you know these two parameters, you decide an output which the computer can give.

For example you know that your computer has 200 GB memory capacity and a RAM of a specific speed. You know that the computer has a Microsoft Office 2007 software. You are also aware that the computer does not have the fonts of your mother tongue. You know that there is no web camera and that there is no internet connection.

With this basic understanding of your computer, you try to get an output what your computer is capable of giving. You type a word document, and it types and you store the fine and it saves. But you try to type your mother tongue, the computer screen shows some garbage. You want to send an immediate message to your service provider that your computer does not accept your mother tongue fonts and try to connect to internet through e mail. Obviously you fail. But you get angry and blame everyone, shout at people, feel upset that even though you have an excellent computer, you are not getting the maximum form the same.

This is what happens with our children. They are the most advanced computer with infinite capacity to perform anything you want. But the only condition is: you should understand how they are configured. You need to understand what 'soft wares' are `preloaded' in their mind and what other soft wares you need to load in order to get the outcome you want from them. Once you understand this simple principle, it will be a very pleasant experience to operate your computer, sorry, to interact with your child!

In the next few newsletters, I am going to give you the basic building blocks of NLP!

Igniting your curiosity?

N C Sridharan and Radha Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] Arise, awake and take charge!

 

23rd September 2010

"One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life."

Edward B. Butler

Recently I read a research article on the making of an `expert'.  We know legends such as Steven Spielberg, A R Rahaman, Viswanathan Anand etc., who have reached the pinnacle of success in their life. Most of us want to become world class. In fact that is what all of us want to do. We also have ideas and plans. We even start. But how many of us persevere and follow through? Sustaining the enthusiasm and our effort level is the secret for success.

If you want to become an `expert' in your chosen filed, you have to indulge in what is called `deliberate practice'. If you do deliberate practice for 10,000 hours in your chosen field, you can become an expert! Sounds very simple? But read the following points which makes `deliberate practice':

1.    Such a focused deliberate practice will not be inherently enjoyable. You will feel bored and stressed.

2.    Practice is different from working or playing. For example if you are a cricketer, the time you spend plying the game is not counted for this 10,000 hours! Only pure practice hours will be taken into account.

3.    The number of hours you spend on practicing should be to develop the relevant skill. For example, if you want to be the world's fastest typist, the hours you spend on reading will not be taken as typing practice.

4.    It's not watching someone practicing, but you have to log in 10,000 hours yourself to reach the world class expertise level. If you want to be an expert singer, you have to practice singing yourself, and not listening someone to sing.

5.    You have to be involved and committed in your serious practice, and not mere ritualistic and superficial practice. The practicing should be intensive and deliberate.

6.    You should have an expert as your coach or mentor who can identify the gap in your current expertise level.

Why don't you do another weekend exercise? Identify a field in which you want to become a world class expert, say, swimming, dancing etc. and chart our an action place of deliberate practice as listed above. With this plan in place watch your progress!

N C Sridharan

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[Time-Management] Ignited Child!

 

Ignited Child!

22nd September 2010

Let us understand the meaning of the three word that makes `NLP'. `Neuro' refers to the brain cells called neurons. All our activities are triggered by our brain. The brain function manifests through our five senses, namely, eyes, ears, nose, tongue and the touch feeling. If the brain stops functioning, these sensory organs will not function, and we cannot see, hear, smell, taste or feel. In a dead body, all these five organs are there and so in a patient who is in a cerebral coma. But these organs, even though present, are useless.

The second word `linguistic' means the way we communicate. Linguistic means the study or use of language. Whenever we communicate, the words aloe do not make up the communication. The way the words are used, the tonality, the voice inflection, the metaphors that are used, the non verbal aspect of communication etc makes a big difference to decide the quality of communication.

`Programming' is taken from the computer science. If a computer hardware is not loaded with the requisite software, it cannot be programmed and hence will not be useful for any application. In the context of human behaviour and interaction, the mind has to be programmed for an action to take place.

Let us take a simple example. Suppose you want your child to look at you. You need to draw his attention. So what do you do to draw his attention? Clap your hand? The child listens to the sound, turns to you. If you show something interesting, the child keeps `hooked' on to you. But what if the child has made up his `mind' not to turn to you no matter what you do? You can clap your hand any number of times, but the child will not look at you! Because, the mind has a different programme!

Simple principle, isn't it? In fact NLP is simple, if we understand the same properly.

Read further…..

N C Sridharan and Radha Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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[Time-Management] Arise, awake and take charge!

 

22nd September 2010

"Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can be aroused by two things: first, an idea which takes the imagination by storm; and second, a definite, intelligible plan for carrying that idea into action."

Arnold Toynbee

Apathy means lack of interest. Isn't true that at some point of time in our life, we lose our interest in doing what we are supposed to do. This slows down our pace of work, and if allowed to continue, it will affect the quality of our work. We cannot commit ourselves whole heartedly on any activity if we are not interested.

The antidote for lack of interest is enthusiasm. We have to understand how the thing we have undertaken fits into the overall purpose of our life. Our enthusiasm will be contagious and will also influence others positively.

The next question is how do we get enthusiasm? To imagine and visualize how we will be if our idea is implemented and made to work! The imagination should be wild and powerful. Even if it an exaggeration, it is fine, since we need to excite our mind.

At the same time, we need to understand the power of the left side of the brain, which is logical and sequential. The right brain is emotional and dreams the impossible, but gives us a kick and hypes our emotions. But the left brain should be engaged to support the enthusiasm and come out with concrete plan of action.

Here is a home work for you: take an activity that you have given up. For example, you stopped playing your favourite musical instrument. Ask the question, what it means to play it again. Go back to that day in your life when you played the same and what difference it made in your life. List at least three good things that you will get by practicing it again. Mull over it in your mind. Then have a time schedule to practice the instrument from this week. Do a small activity by way of implementing the idea.

Do this exercise and notice the difference!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimeofuncation.com

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[Time-Management] Ignited Child!

 

21st September 2010

Ignited Child!

Just observe a computer and think: what makes it work? Is it the hardware? If it the computer operator? Is it the electricity? If the answer is `yes', then how to do explain a computer not performing a particular task even though you have given the required command? If you have some knowledge of computers, you will understand the `programming' aspect of a computer. You may have an excellent computer, but if it is not loaded with the requisite software, no matter how costly is the computer, it will not give the output you want.

Let me explain the NLP concept in a very simple way. You boot your computer, open a file and you want an output. For example you want a print out of the word document. You press the control button and `p' button. If you get the print out, its fine. If you don't, you will verify if you have given the right command. If you are sure that you've given the right command, you would like to verify if the printer is properly connected with the computer and if the computer is processing the input. If your computer is not processing the input, you've to do something about it. You don't blame the computer, the key board or the printer.

This comparison is very relevant in understanding human behaviour, whether with respect to a child or a grown up adult. The brain acts as a computer hardware, the mind as the software and the five sensory organs as the input devise!

Getting even more curious? Keep reading…

N C Sridharan and Radha Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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