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

 

18th November 2010

`Suspicion is a mental picture seen through an imaginary keyhole'

-Unknown

`To be suspicious is not a fault. To be suspicious all the time without coming to conclusion is the defect'

Terence

We are all human beings. Human beings have feelings and emotions. Suspicion is a state mind just as confidence, clarity, fear, confusion etc are state of mind. We have our five senses of eyes, ears, mouth, nose and the skin through which we take in information to our mind. In the mind the information is processed based on the data bank already stored in there. Of these five senses, the eyes and the ears are the most important source of information flow. When we see or hear something, our feelings are kindled resulting in a state of mind.

Suspicion is one such.

The question is: can we suspect someone? According to me, the option is not with us! Once an information reaches our mind, the mind takes over automatically. If the quality of our data bank in our mind is good, we will get into an impartial evaluation whether our suspicion is just and fair or not. What is required a mental maturity to get into an impartial evaluation of the issue causing suspicion.

It is human to become suspicious. But we have to be humane to process the information impartially and come to a conclusion. Suspicion is like a cancer cell. If you don't treat it at an early stage, it could become fatal to human relationship!

Why not do a small exercise? During the last one week, did you suspect someone? If so how strong or sensitive is the issue and how important is the person to you? How did you process the issue which caused the suspicion? Did you come to any conclusion? If your suspicion was wrong, did you convey the reason for your suspicion to the person concerned and re-establish your rapport once again?

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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

 

17th November 2010

 `If you are rich, you speak the truth; if you are poor, your words are but lies'

Chinese Proverb

I have been addressing a group of school children three hours every week on personality development for the past two years and I am excited to notice a shift in their mindset and thinking process. I have started to believe that efforts to build good personality are even more critical than the efforts to learn the lessons of pure science and arts. The best education we can give to children is the education to build a good personality.

In executive coaching seminar I come across a wide cross section people and I have been seeing one common denominator among all successful executives: they have a good personality. I spend a lot of time with them on how to build a rich image. Image is both internal and external. Internal image gives you self confidence and a sense of self worth. External image gives you set of people who with rapport.

One of the habits I encourage the children to develop is the habit of always telling the truth, no matter what the consequences are. I consider telling the truth is a virtue which gives you a lot of riches. Consider the following riches:

·         A rich mindset of good values

·         A rich circle of friends who trust you since you are honest

·         A rich reputation of honesty

·         A rich self worth and positive self image

·         A rich set of conduct and behaviour founded on truth and openness.

I feel that one has to honestly evaluate his honesty quotient at least once in a month so that he keeps a tab on how his image grows or erodes!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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

 

16th November 2010

"Style is being yourself, but on purpose."

-Patricia Fripp

Continuous improvement is a personal choice and it cannot be forced on someone. You may want to stop learning at any point of time but the learning never ends. Over the last fortnight I have been reading Jim Collin's Built to Lost and I would like to quote a small conversation between a martial artist and his master just before the graduation for the Black Belt. It goes like this:

`Before granting the belt, you must pass one more test' says the sensei.

`I am ready' responds the student, expecting one final round of sparring.

`You must answer the essential question: what is the meaning of the black belt?'

`The end of the journey', says the student. ` A well-deserved reward for all my work'

The sensei waits for more. Clearly, he is not satisfied. Finally the sensei speaks. `You are not yet ready for the black belt. Return in one year'.

A year later, the student kneels again in front of the sensei.

`What is the meaning of the black belt' asks the sensei.

`A symbol of distinction and the highest achievement in our art', says the student.

The sensei says nothing for many minutes, waiting. Clearly, he is not satisfied. Finally he speaks. `You are still not ready for the black belt. Return in one year.'

A year later the student kneels once again in front of the sensei. And again the sensei asks: `What is the true meaning of the black belt?'

`The black belt represents the beginning – the start of a never-ending journey of discipline, work, and the pursuit of an even ever-higher standard'.

`Yes, you are now ready to receive the black belt and begin your work'.

The above passage made me to think deeply on my own goals and the results I have reached! I really started thinking the real purpose of whatever I have done and ponder over the same in the light of the above passage!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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

 

15th November 2010

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start."

-- Nido Qubein

As we work our way through our life, we will come across a time when we will feel that we've achieved something and we haven't something else. We may be very proud of some achievements and may be depressed on some other issues. If we stay on this mindset for too long, there are two possibilities: one, we will become complacent and we will become disinterested in life due to failure. These two possibilities will coexist at the same time.

If we continue in this mindset, we will become stuck and we will become immobilised. We have to come out of this as early as possible. In order to overcome this state, we have to believe that we are just at the starting point. Just imagine the mindset of an athlete at the start point and at the finish line. At the start point, his mind will be totally focussed on what he should do and how well he should do it. He will be mustering all his energy and his only aim is to win the race. At the finish line, if he has won, he will become easy, and if he has lost, he may become disappointed.

This example is very relevant to our everyday life. Instead of taking our life as a long marathon, we have to take it as short sprints. We have to have a mindset that we are in the start of the race and consider the exciting possibilities and opportunities.

Today, before going to bed ask the following questions and try to ponder over the answers:

·         Where am I now in my personal and professional life and what are my goals?

·         If this is the beginning of my goal and ambition, where do I want to go in the next five years?

·         If I have to achieve what I want to achieve in the next five years, what are the most critical three things I should do tomorrow morning?

Go to bed with this mindset and notice your energy level as you get up the next day!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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

 

12th November 2010

`You are the only problem you will ever have and you are the only solution'

Bob Proctor

All of us have problems. We look for solutions outside us. We have to understand that the problem is inside us and the solution is also in us! The first step to solve any problem is owning the responsibility for the origin of the problem as well as for solving the problem. This principle may appear to be a bit strange, but it is true.

Take the problem of drinking or smoking. How did we get into the problem? Can we say that someone forced us into it? Could we not have resisted the same? Having got into the problem, isn't it our responsibility to get out of the problem? The question is what are we doing to do to come out of the problem? Are we going to continuously blame others for our problem?

Take another example. Lets us say that we do not have enough money. Are we not in any way responsible for it?

We need to change our internal processing of our and solution. We have to change our thinking process from blaming to taking personal responsibility. Read the following problems statement and how you can take control of the same:

·         I am lazy: What I am going to do to overcome the same?

·         I procrastinate: What is my action plan to beat my procrastination habit?

·         I don't have reliable friends: How I am going to rebuild healthy relationship?

·         My business is failing: How I am I going make my business profitable?

If you adopt the above thinking process, the problem may not disappear immediately. But you will be definitely in a better frame of mind to deal with your problems.

In fact you should thank your problems since they make you even more stronger builds a good personality!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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

 

11th November 2010

Happiness is not by accident, nor is it something you wish for. Happiness is something you design.

Jim Rohn

Don't you design your house or your farm house? You design your dress and give instructions to the tailor to stitch your dress the way you would like to have. You may not like to have something which someone designed for you without your participation.

This principle applies to life also.

We have to design our happiness also. We have to decide which will make us happy and we should know what will make us happy. More than anything, we should believe that we can be happy and decide to feel happy. If we decide not to feel happy, we will not become happy, no matter what others do for us. No one can make us feel happy without our consent and involvement.

We should know that happiness is a feeling and feeling is a state of mind.

The question is: how to design happiness? May be you can try the following checklist:

·         Have a checklist of things which will make you happy. May be music, may be food, may be meeting people.

·         Once you are clear about the above, schedule an activity to make you feel happy. Manage your time in such a way that you find time to schedule that activity. If music will make you happy, invest on an ipod or a music system. Visit a music stores, or download a music.

·         Make self affirmation statement such as `I can decide to be happy', `I am happy' etc

If you decide to be happy, you can design happiness and over a period of time, you can become a `master designer'!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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

 

10th November 2010

 "There are more self-marred people in the world than there are self-made."

 Arnold H. Glasow

We feel we are being prepared for the world. But the reality is we are making our own life. Either we are helping ourselves to grow or we are destroying ourselves. The irony is, while we may be conscious when we are developing ourselves, we are not even aware when we are harming ourselves.

Sheer statistics will show that there are more number of people who have marred themselves than the number of people who have developed themselves. While development is a self made conscious decision, destruction is an unconscious irresponsible choice, for no one wants to be destroyed.

There can be one reason for the self destruction: ignorant of the consequences and lack willpower and personal vision. Those who achieved exciting results are those who had a compelling vision of their future. In fact they dreamed and imagined as though they had already achieved what wanted to achieve and this mental picture gave them the necessary energy to sustain their efforts.

On the other hand, those who destroy themselves have not pondered over the consequences of their actions or inactions and they blissfully enjoy what their life style. They do not mentally visualise what their life will be like if they continue to do their activities. Ability to visualise the future is a rare gift which perhaps only the human beings can claim to have.

Perhaps many of us do not even stop whatever we have been doing and project the implications of the same on our life. If we do this self audit, we will be able to do a `gap assessment' of what we are doing and what we should be doing.

Perhaps you can ponder over this issue during this weekend.

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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