There was a spiritual teacher who used to conduct a Satsang (group meeting) every evening with his disciples in his ashram.In the same premises, there was a cat who lived and made noises during Satsang times and the teacher ordered the team that during Satsang times cat can be tied up. This “tying up the cat “event became a practice in the ashram.
Some years later, the teacher died, but new teacher came, but cat continued to be tied up.Eventually, the cat also died, but the team brought another cat and tied.
The year later learned followers of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly essays, the thesis about the religious significance of tying up a cat for Satsang and its effectiveness!!
We can relate this story in our personal and professional life as we continue to do something either without understanding the science behind it or never question the status quo as if everything is fixed as customary practices!
Relook at your habits, business practices as it may uncover some of the Satsang tied up cats!!
Inherently, each one of us gifted with positive qualities or strength to manage the personal or professional challenges.For example, the strength could be honesty, focusing on result, straightforwardness, decisiveness, confidence, etc .Those strengths will be boon for you during normal circumstances only. During a stressful time, when you use the same strength in overdose, it would become negative. During those time your inherent strength + some more positive strength to be used with consciousness.
Let me explain further
For example, you may have strength “Confidence of getting things done from your colleagues.” During crisis time or when things are not going well as you expect, your tendency will be using your inherent strength. Further, you apply the “ confidence ”in overdose, it turns out as“arrogance," and the situation would become worst.
Highly effective people are aware of this paradox, and they always use further good qualities during crisis time and make the situation better. As in above example, along with confidence they use additional qualities such as being reflective + humility, then the result would be better.
To put it simply, during illness, when 100 mg antibiotics are not effective, we tend to go for 250 mg, ended up with more complication since the actual system needs 100 mg antibiotics + some other vitamin to overcome the illness, not just overdosage of same antibiotics.
The point is just to be aware of your inherent strength and use it appropriately. When you overuse the same strength during setbacks, it turnout weakness. Alternatively, in conjunction n with your inherent strength, apply other positive qualities as well.
Most of us have the tendency of “being busy always” either in professional or managing a business. Being busy in chasing money, success after success or even managing the challenges with the same approach.In this process, over a period of time, either we become addicted to the same methodology without evaluating its effectiveness or become so rigid in thinking process leads to ignoring other aspects of the relationship, quality of execution, next level growth, etc.
Most of the highly effective people have one common pattern in their daily management process. That is they take a timeout from their regular work for reflection.Frequently, they use to take time for themselves and evaluate what is going on in their life, what is important, what needs to be changed, etc. This will give them clarity on the behavior to be dropped or adopted, the strategy to be modified or tuned, etc. for improving the quality of life and even manage the challenges in a different approach.
Take time out frequently from being busy and get clarity on what is right and good for you and your surroundings. Finally what counts is your impact and quality of life!!
In most of the organizations, we can hear one common phrase “we have implemented it, but not continued and this will not work here”
Why do people come to conclusion as “no initiative will work in their workplace?". The reason is lack of consistency in implementation.
In today’s internet world, there is not much ignorance of knowledge and know-how; it is only lack of consistency in implementation.
How this inconsistency will affect individual & Team?
When you implement some initiatives, not consistently follow it and eventually drop it, you are giving a subconscious message to yourself and team that you are not sensitive to results or incapable of execution. This inconsistency will impact the confidence of the leader at an individual level and encourage mediocre performance at the team level. The next time when you think of new initiative, old memory reinforces you about failure or low confidence pulls you down from taking action. The root cause for all consequence is inconsistency in implementation.
So, in personal and professional level, if you take any initiative, be sure that you are consistent in your implementation even though you are relatively slow in taking a decision. Ultimately your consistent actions push up your confidence and your consistent actions inspire others to follow. This is one of the traits of leadership, i.e. consistency in thinking; talking and doing.You are meant to be a leader for others!!!!
We are always surrounded by two types of people and they influence the progress in personal and professional life. They are either past oriented or future oriented.
They display certain characterizes with us during any interactions
Past-oriented:
They are more oriented towards past.Whenever we propose or suggest something, they immediately respond as follows
"I had already tried this.it won’t work or I had done those days itself, nothing new".
Either way, like legacy or past wound memories, affect our progress on the proposal.
Future-oriented:
They are more oriented towards future, possibilities, and opportunities and always look for new. They are too optimistic or positive about new possibilities, but they may be encouraging you to progress.
In one of the interview, Google CEO Mr.Sundar Pitchai was asked about his selection as CEO and the reason for it. He replied with guessing that one of the reasons could be his practice of thinking and be interacting with his management team about the future possibilities of Google products and services. That may be one of the reasons he was chosen for this role.
The point is that legacy or past worries may not help today as the environment is keeping on change. The world is looking for futurist and who can think of new possibilities and opportunities.
Just be aware of your style of the thinking process and whom you are surrounded most of the time, past or future reminders?
There was a king offered a prize to the artists who would paint the best picture to represent “PEACE”. Many artists tried and only two artists came for the final round.The king looked at both artists’ picture.
One picture was of a calm lake surrounded by peaceful mountains with green trees. Overhead there was a blue sky with white clouds.The picture looked cool and everyone felt this picture would win the prize.
The other picture also had mountains, but with rough surface and plain. The overhead was the sky with dark clouds, from which rain fell and lightning was also shown. This did not represent peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall, a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush, a bird had built the nest.The bird was sitting in perfect peace in midst of the lightning and raining.
The king chose the second picture and surprised all. He explained that peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise and trouble. Real peace means to be in the midst of all those troubles and still be calm in the heart.
Moral of the story is that how we maintain our coolness and peace at heart amidst all the troubles and challenges in life.Some times we are disturbed due to external factors.Real maturity is being calm despite external challenges and this is what we need to learn.
There is no doubt that quality of thinking determines our quality of life. Equally the WORDS we use daily or frequently in personal & professional life determines our personality and quality of life. The type of words we use frequently either makes or hurts.
If we observe highly effective people, we may notice that they are very careful in choosing the words while speaking/writing and they use mostly energizing words as much as possible. By that way, they are influencing others positively.
Some of the words frequently used by them
Thanks / Please / Help / challenge /well/ gifted/ blessing / appreciate/ excellence/ excellent/healthy/ wealthy / effort / goodwill / good / nice/ faith full / extraordinary/ grace/ possibilities / Responsibility / vision / inspiring / winning spirit / happy/ opportunities, challenges /growth/ Success /grateful / learning
Those words are not cliché. They represent the person’s attitude towards life.
Just be aware of your words as they silently making an impact in your inner world which manifest as your personality externally.
Some people, they are gifted with right usage of words due to their upbringing and environment. But others, the good news is that it can be learned and inculcated with effort.
Pl SHARE to me some of the ENERGISING WORDS you come across as you use or from others!!!
Most of the communication and interpersonal relationship issues in the organization or in family arise when we are not understanding others from their perspective, from their thinking and feeling. This result in arguments, blaming, abusing and finally results in straining the quality of the relationship.
Everyone has their own stories and hardships. If we understand others, their thinking, their feeling, then our way of looking at them would be different as everyone is undergoing different emotions at any point in time and to deal with them, empathy is required.
I came across a below video which explains the empathy in a beautiful way and I understand that this is being used for educating medical professionals to treat others in an empathetic way …
Pl watch it when you have time …thanks to Cleveland clinics on education series
https://goo.gl/YqsP2H
One of the common complaints or phrases, I use to hear in an unorganized or small organization from employees is “I am not getting appreciation from my colleagues or manager”. In fact, it is not heard in a family environment, but it would be the hidden cause of all the domestic arguments and fights.It is particularly from spouse!
Why we are reluctant to appreciate others when they do even small good work?
The psychological reasons for this reluctance to appreciate others could be
Fear of losing control
More of self-centered and thinking as if no time for anything else
Taking granted others as they are part of us
Poor self-esteem or low confidence
Not being in awareness or always busy in something
This needs self-introspection within us.
One of the studies said that the person needs to be in a positive frame of mind. If one is not in a positive state, he/she cannot able to appreciate others. Hence, appreciation is not for only motivating others, it is a measure of our wellness of mental strength.
Relook your habit of appreciation of others and frequency, especially the people in your family and the people are working for you. It reflects your mental health.
We enjoy what we do only when the colleagues, partners, teammates are in almost same wavelength, that is a similar thought process, acceptance, understandings about the intentions etc .However in reality, we may work with the people who may not be similar thought level. Practically you may not have an immediate solution to move away from them, the only option left out is to cope with them.
How to deal with those people?
Accept their qualities as such. The moment you accept them, you mentally prepare yourself to work with them
As you think more about them, you are developing negativity about others and reinforce your non-acceptance.
Think & distant yourself beyond them as life provides a lot of opportunities to enjoy and then you realize how small they are in your life
Least, you relate with nature.Nothing lasts forever like cyclic of day and night.Everything will change
The point is you can not change all the things as you like, but you need to adapt to reality as ultimately you need to do a lot in a short span and your peace of mind is important!
