What have your tatooed your mind with?!

All of us keep seeing body tattoos on the youth icons of the day, and also many youngsters seeking to convey a message or even trivia….  Body tattoos are in vogue and indeed a fashion statement all over the globe… But what we tattoo on any part of the body for others to see is not as important as what we tattoo in our minds….  And positive, successful, energetic mind tattoos are a must to attain success… 

The story goes, as I read somewhere,  that Dr Norman Vincent Peale was walking by a tattoo shop when a confused looking young man came out of the shop with a tattoo in his right arm that read “Born to Lose”. Dr Peale asked the tattoo artist about it and the tattoo artist replied…. “ I did ask the young man if he was sure that he wanted to state “Born to lose” in his arm and the young man was pretty stubborn in that. A surprised Dr Peale asked the tattoo artist – “Is’nt that surprising?” For which the artiste replied “Not really! Much before he tattooed it on his arm, he has firmly tattooed it in his brain, and his body tattoo act is just a reflection of his mind tattoo”. 

That brings us to our topic, the power of mind tattoos’. Every single act of us, big or small, positive or negative, winning or losing, good acts and deeds or otherwise are a sheer reflection of the cluster of small and big thought tattoos we keep etching in our mind, be it consciously or unconsciously,  And this mind tattooing process is the most powerful in determining what the outcome is in reality. 

So, it should be our conscious and subconscious endeavor to keep tattooing our mind with thoughts that are ONLY about winning, what we want be, want to reach, want to achieve, that perfect day as desired,  and about that ideal job/career and all that wealth that we would want to accrue in our lives….. ALL THAT IS SOUGHT BY US FOR A GREAT LIFE. 

Call this positive mind tattooing…. And our effort here MUST BE to continuously and consciously strive to tattoo our mind, ONLY all that is desired in reality…. And what else do all of us desire than the very best in all walks of life…  Let us tattoo these desires in mind in as much positive detail as we can….   With the smell of victory, with love and affection for the near and dear ones, for winning at the work place, and for recreating the hearts’ desires to the mind… and creating an ideal life in our own terms….. 

While doing this positive mind tattooing, it is quite but natural that in the mood swings we have, there will be situations when negatives get tattooed in the mind too…  The easiest way to persist on our terms of life is to quickly erase this negative mind tattoo with a more and say bigger positive mind tattoo. And when we perceive the negative tattoo is close to affecting our success/life agenda, we have to be ruthless and aggressive is working on creating positive mind tattoos, only resting when we are thoroughly convinced that the positive tattoo has erased and prevailed over the negative. 

All of us are born to ONLY win, and none of us are here to lose in Life.  If anyone of us is losing it is because we are etching our mind with unnatural negative tattoos, rather than etching it with positive tattoos, which are natural, easy and a part of the flow of life….. 

Now on, be a consistent positive mind tattoo artist… not only for you but do that bit of positive mind tattooing on all those around us…  Inside each one of all us, there is a spectacular positive mind tattoo artist…..  

Brand YOU... the journey!!

Building a brand you is just a beginning of a long journey. Its so important to take stock of your personal brand time and again. And most of us seldom do that.

With a thorough insight of our own competency and skills circle, and added to that our formal degrees, work experience and other paraphernalia, each one of us must be able to articulate what our personal brand statement is!

Almost entire careers or work-lifes get squandered in the absence of a personal brand statement - and a personal brand statement just mens that you are sold to yourself. Only when you have been successful in selling to you, will you be able to sell to the outside world... the outside world would mean anything, just about anyone of your stakeholders - family members, client, employer, workplace, society and so on.

Another notion which we all cherish, wrongly but, is to think that our personal brand remains the way it is for the rest of our life. This is far from true.

In a world where even product or service brands re-position, re-jig, and re-invent them in appropriate phases of their life cycle, it will be foolish and rather suicidal to think that you can do with a static personal brand.

Whether your personal brand works or not at any point in time, is not just dependent on who you are and what you stand for, plus your competencies; it is, more importantly, how the brand is seen to be, by the end user - it can be the job market, employer, and strangely even a spouse. For your brand to win in the 'marketplace', the users have to feel the relevance of the brand and a need for the same. If it's an employer or someone who has to invest capital in your personal brand, they need to see a value add by "brand you" to them.

So, as you can see, the brand you as seen by others can be so much different from what it really is. The essence will be to communicate and clearly articulate the value of your brand to the relevant stakeholders - by making the right noises - your brand communication.

As we see many times, choice of the personal brand which an employer makes is purely his perception of the brand. So, success in the employer market could depend immensely on reducing the gap between your brand in reality and the perception of your brand. Its all about effectively creating your brand speak. And communicating it at the right time, in the right place, in the right quantity.

The most important part of the brand you, is to make sure that you also must do a reality check of the brand. Is it relevant to what you aspire for? Are you honing yourself with the right competencies, soft skills, knowledge etc, to be in the race for mindspace (with your stakeholders)....

In todays times of upheaval in the global economies, which does not spare any nook and corner of the world, and any individual, the probability of your brand taking a beating or being battered over time is very high. It is times like these that dictate a re-jig of your personal brand.

The key ingredient of your brand, irrespective of how you reposition and re-invent is - the brand must have persistence, and stay afloat against all odds. The brand must keep going. The brand must possess and live a never say die attitude. The brand must stay relevant and must be at the right place. The brand must be a powerhouse of knowledge, and niche skills, which could be transferable across different industries, timezones, and geography.

Ensure that you evaluate the credentials of your personal brand, and see how it must be re-invented or if need be re-born, time and again

BE YOU... stop 'comparasitis'!

Take my word on this today – comparisons are the biggest bane we all face in our life journey! “Comparisitis”, as I would call itis the single most important block to your happiness and success.

What do I mean by “comparisitis”? It’s the most dreadful thing that can affect your mind and soul if left unattended to. That that lingering tendency in you to be someone else – live life by someone else’s standards - to peg you and your life against peers, friends, relatives, and the rest of the world!

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” E E Cummins 1955

So, know this, and live this - comparisitis in not the natural choice of being! By drawing comparisons to YOU, you are putting yourself to unnecessary stress, and making such a pleasant experience of life into a fight of sorts – and things which are quite natural to you, become otherwise.

What would you want the journey of life to be – a loving, every-moment-enjoyed spectacular journey or a dreaded battle, where you don’t even feel life getting up in the morning every day, dreading the fight - a fight that is of your own creation!

Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry ~Oscar Wilde, De Profundis, 1905

The cardinal rule of life is to have a strong belief that LIFE is unique and YOU are unique too!

It’s one fact you ought to realize – the journey of YOUR life is so UNIQUE, only you can make the best of it – by just being YOU.

I am sure you will not want to squander your journey, by making it a mime of someone else’s footprint!

Be yourself, in your wonderful journey! Shun comparisitis in you today! And if you would want to help others, please ask them to do so as well!

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are” E. E. Cummings

I have no doubt whatsoever, that YOU are courageous and would want to live only your signature.

Learning from lovely kids!

All of us want to teach kids, and see what can be done to shape them as great persons.

Contrarily, how about learning from kids, who always wow us with some of the greatest human qualities! Here are some of them.

1. Kids smile. At anyone and everyone. They can smile for no reason. Unlike you and me - we need a volley of reasons just for a simple smile. Change that. Smile more.

2. Kids forget and forgive. They yell a second and just forget and forgive the next second. We don't. We have a mask that says you have to put on, or carry it to even the grave. Sounds stupid, but that is precisely what all of us do. Now on, learn the art of forgiving and forgetting! Master it till it comes as second nature.

3. Kids love fairplay. Kids play any game for the sake of playing. Not just to win. Kids know so well than most of us - grown adults - that there is only one winner. And they know it only matters how well you play to the finish. The winner is incidental. So, let us admit and come to terms with the fact that you just have to play well. Play well to the finish. Period.

4. Kids live in the NOW. I have never seen a kid who was preoccupied with what happened or was worried. And will bet my last rupee that you have'nt either. What about all of us? Oh...... It's so tough for us to just be present in the NOW.... And all this new age meditation gurus work so hard to just make us be in the NOW! Folks, its so easy to be in the now. In fact, its the easiest disposition to be in. From this minute, master the art of being in the NOW..... Look at kids, master it by just focussing on what you do this minute. Greatest service you do to youself is to be here and NOW....!

5. Kids master time, and just won't waste a minute. Not sure how many of us see the various manifestation of this - yet, this is a great lesson of kids. Adults get flustererd when kids always want to do something. Always - 24/7 minus sleeping hours. Its another way of saying that they would not waste a minute of the awaken hour. Let us not waste a minute of time which we have; follow the kids path. Stay alive and active, now, and always.

So much to learn from lovely little ones.

It's high time we left teaching to them, and we grown ups start learning!

The 'BANISH FEAR' song...

On your way to being your very best
You always have just one block
That will pop up again and again
So much that you might waver from your best....

Fear. It is the biggest nuisance. And Not even a worthy foe.
Fear has no face to come and show to YOU.

Yet, you give it a hundred manifestations.....
And hold to it like.... Like you will hug a porcupine.
Uh... Hug a porcupine.... Never never...

Now, decide that there is nothing you fear.
'Coz it does not even exist.
Why drain your energy on something that
Never never exists, never ever'll happen!?

Stop hugging that fear porcupine..... Banish fear from your mind, your LIFE

Be what you are meant to be
Your best... And what ONLY YOU CAN BE!

Art, in progress...

For each of us, life is such a unique and wonderful journey, filled with a series of unique events, accomplishments, challenges, and joy unplugged! The emphasis here is on the word 'unique' - because no two persons are alike in the creation of God - each one of us is such a wonderful work of art.

You must have heard more often that each one of our lives is work-in-progress. But, I would take it one step ahead and say that each of our life is a wonderful work of art-in-progress.

While God or the super power, whichever your belief be, has given us the wide canvas unique in itself, it is we, as creations and individuals who perfect the art canvas by our unique brush-strokes - every single action, deed or decision in life being one stroke of your brush.

Every artist worth his brush will only have one mission in life (in doing every piece of art) - make sure that each stroke of the brush adds value to the painting - add beauty to the canvas given to him, one stroke at a time.

There is so much qualitative difference in seeing yourself/your life as art-in-progress, compared to seeing as work-in-progress. Work can remain same between two or more people - but art cannot.

Every work of art is the accumulation of a series of unique and one of its kind brush-strokes. So, every single journey of life, is the accumulation of a series of unique deeds (brush-strokes), deeds that have no parallel anywhere, in anyone else's journey.

Like the artist striving to perfect each single stroke, better than he did it the last time, each one of us must strive to improve on our own acts, in any facet of life - it can be at home, at work, in our creation.... the goal must be to create a 'unique brush-stroke'.

And the artist seldom spends time looking at how some one else's art is shaping up - that results in him losing his decisive focus on each of his strokes. The singular focus in each step of the journey of creating your life's painting, is to better and better your brush-strokes.

So, as your life artist, what are your brush strokes for today?

Make the journey of life wonderful, and as unique as only you can. Life is nothing but ART-IN-PROGRESS.

Life's most powerful law.... ACTION!

Each one of us live in a clutter of advises, as to how we can get what we need and want in life. The desire to get from point A to point B is the fundamental and most natural law of nature... and it holds good irrespective of what one desires... be it a great job, a loving family, an award or prize, being an accomplished pro, or as simple as a good human being!

But, most of us just refuse to understand and acknowledge that to get to all this and more, the first and decisive step is to ACT!

ACTION and ACTION alone gets you to go from point A to point B! From desires to realities!! ACTION is the magic wand which is omnipotent! And it is this "Law of Action" in life we should imbibe in our minds as a magic rule... as one rule that will make all the difference in this great journey of life.

Life does not take excuses... It only rewards actions in any front... To illustrate, just constantly saying that we love our family, but not acting on it by either spending tones of quality time in their midst is of no avail. Such inaction will only lead to heart breaks!

Rather than speak volumes and mouth platitudes, we rather just get into ACTION mode by doing something with the family.. Spend a quite day loving and cuddling your spouse and kids, take them out somewhere, gift something to them! Be it anything - only ACTION and DOING is the right way, and not otherwise..

The same applies to anything in life... increasing your knowledge in any area, writing that book, getting that promotion at work, buying that car or dream house...

The first and powerful step to moving in the direction of getting all the above is to ACT... and it is for this reason, we keep coming across the words "ACTIONS speaks louder than words".

Even the biblical warning says faith without deeds is of no value.

The most powerful obstacle to achievements in life is procrastination... and simple ACTION HABITS can chase procrastination out of all our lives, forever.

The other time honored formula for accomplishing in life is BE, DO and HAVE... BE committed, DO what it takes, and HAVE what you want. In this formula, DO what it takes is the most critical part. There can be so much commitment to something, but sheer talk of being committed without the needed ACTION will never make you HAVE what you need! So DO what it takes in anything in LIFE....

Get the ACTION HABIT built inseparably into your mind, and for sure you will get to every single thing you would want to accomplish in LIFE.

Wake up every morning with one thing in mind.. ACTION, ACTION one something... and the only way to keep failure and loss out of your life is to get to the ACTION habit!

Only Action is rewarded in Life...! Everything else is an excuse... excuse for not ACTING!

So, ACT NOW... and WIN forever!

CEO, Your Life.

If you are a professional, whichever chosen field of work you are in, the aspiration is to become the CEO of an organisation. Day in and day out, every step as a professional, we work hard to reach that place. Some reach there, whereas many don't.

As in any game, the difference between the one who reached there (CEO) and the one who could not make it is just the equivalent of that one ten of a centimeter, in a 100 m dash, or something like that. Ceterus paribus (all things remaining the same), the person who reached the CEO position gets there by that little extra he gave in terms of every single effort of his, all through the journey of life.

Now, cut to the personal front - which is any-day more important than the professional front - I can see some of us murmuring that how can you have a joyous and happy personal life if you don't get to the top in your profession?! In reality the opposite is mostly true - there are hordes of people who have reached the 'top' in their profession, leaving behind just about everything - family, friends, happiness and what not. And once they reach there, they realize it was not worth kicking off just everything that really mattered in life.

The better choice to make would be - aspire to be the CEO, your life.

This will be so much fun, and work/career will be one part of this whole. By consciously seeking to remain CEO of your life, you get the priorities of life right, a great balance between all the elements of life - which include family, friends, parents, society, your continuous learning and your contributions to all the facets of your life.

You always remain the CEO of your life, and every thing you do in that position is a well thought out choice - how much you should work and grow, how much you will spend time with family, what social causes you will spend time on, what will you do to make you a better person, what new skills and qualities you must develop to be a better CEO everyday... and so many thing which are truly important, and will remain wildly important now (WIN) all through the life journey!

The core of being CEO, your life, will encompass the truly relevant priorities for you, which are so unique to only you. A life that is unique and will not justify any comparisons whatsoever, with anyone else!

So, now on, aspire and be one thing - CEO, your Life.

Half time?!

In life, there are times in which most of us think about what has gone wrong or right, in the midway mark, as we perceive it - thats what I call half time!

And its precisely in this half time, we have a lot of naysayers and doomsday specialists go around saying that its all over, and life is well lost!? Listening to such naysayers, will be the biggest mistake we can do - more than a mistake, its nothing short of doing gross injustice to this great journey of life.

How many times have you watched a match, something like the a world cup foot ball play off match or even the IPL T20, and have been able to decide that the team which has an upper hand midway through the game, will win the match for sure? I would think that its almost impossible to judge the victor in the half way mark (assuming that both the sides are balanced in skills).

Not one team that you know off in any game or sport, throw of the game at the half way mark and walk away into oblivion! Its the opposite that is true most times - dramatic bounce backs, famous comeback performances and the accolades that accompany, are for those players who make a mark in the later half of the game!

If a simple match or game of sport cannot be thrown halfway, irrespective of what the situation be, don't you think the same applies to your and my life?

Half time or may be the better way to call it is mid-life or mid-career is the best time to assess things as they are in reality, and move forward and make sure that we play to the fullest of our abilities! Its the time we know the pluses and minuses, and ups and downs - a pefect time and place to be in, and one that will decide the road to be taken ahead!

The road ahead can be just a course correction or a completely new route, and it will depend on your 'unique' half time. Each of our half times in life are so unique and who else but you and me, are the best judges as to how the second half of the game (life) is played?

To say that its all over in midlife, in half time is stupidity of the highest order - it is so silly that we can't even do something akin to that in a street match. Yet, some of us do that to us, and sort of squander away the best part of the journey that remains in life.

So, today, and now on, tell yourself and bear in mind that half time is the best time indeed to re-start the journey of life, as we desire and love to do. And make sure that we play to the best of our ability, using all the ammunition in our personal armor.

By doing that, we can see the journey of life transform for each one of us; reaching us to greater heights - in joy, happiness, success and life.

Whether it is half time in your business or halftime in your life, whatever you do and wheverever you are in life, dont, just DON'T let up now. Look well beyond the half time score - The only way you will win is when you endure till the very end of this wonderful journey called life. And to win, please remember in mind... keep constantly doing What is Important Now (WIN).

With these thoughts embedded in your mind and soul, life could well be a exponentially upward curve, beginning the half-way mark!

The power of a "personal vision statement"!

Did you think that vision statements or credo are only for organizations and not for you and me? It’s time for a reality check.

The most important driving force of any successful and contended individual is his or her ‘vision statement’. And this statement can be made by the person at any point in life, by thinking and writing down what he/she thinks are important and priorities to life… in the personal front, family, work, friends and so on. On giving the values and priorities a considered thought, they shall be written down in the form of a ‘personal vision statement’ or ‘credo’.

Once this is done, this will be the beacon that will guide each and every action of the owner of the ‘vision statement’.

The time spent on making a ‘vision statement’ for yourself, will be worth more than its weight, not in gold, but the most expensive metal in the world….. Just think of the fact that at every point and step in any facet of your life, you will be subconsciously guided by your ‘vision statement’ of which you and only YOU were the author.

Let me give a simple example of my own case. About a couple of years ago, on reading extensively about the value of personal written vision statements, I just spent about a day thinking of what my priorities in life would be, and what value systems would guide me on-course. Concluding the thought process, this was the ‘vision statement’ written down.

“…will be a successful man who will nurture his family with love and affection, provide them a better and comfortable future. He will embark on any step that will directly or indirectly contribute to this mission. He will live life with integrity, full of smiles, and radiate the same wherever and however he is. His career will be full of creative contribution to the positions he shall hold".

Once I wrote this, and kept a few copies of it with me, I went through it time and again, probably for a few months. In hindsight, I can state emphatically that I have been guided by this ‘vision statement’ in all my deeds - be it at home, at the workplace, or anywhere and anything done, for that matter.

Think of what you want to do, what you want to accomplish, what will be your guiding values in each of your actions and steps…. And put down this, in the form of a concise vision statement. This ‘vision statement’ can change and evolve, and be written and re-written time and again, by introspection.

Write your vision statement NOW……. And see success and accomplishment in all you do…success and accomplishment as defined and set forth by you….. Because that is what is you command your mind, body and soul to act on consistently.

So today, and just now, please sit down and think of what should be your vision statement. Consult your parents, your spouse and kids if need be and make sure that you have a written vision statement before you retire for the day.

Make a few copies of your ‘vision’ statement, and leave it in places which you will see if often, may be 2 to 3 times a day. Carry a copy of that in your wallet. Make a public commitment – be it to your spouse, friends, and confidante about your vision.

The result of this easy and simple exercise will be there to see for the rest your life…….. and you/your family shall soak in be nothing but accomplishment, happiness, satisfaction, success; at its best. In your terms.

Mind tattoos... what are you etching in your mind?

All of us keep seeing body tattoos on the youth icons of the day, and also many youngsters seeking to convey a message or even trivia…. Body tattoos are in vogue and indeed a fashion statement all over the globe… But what we tattoo on any part of the body for others to see is not as important as what we tattoo in our minds…. And positive, successful, energetic mind tattoos are a must to attain success…

The story goes, as I read somewhere, that Dr Norman Vincent Peale was walking by a tattoo shop when a confused looking young man came out of the shop with a tattoo in his right arm that read “Born to Lose”. Dr Peale asked the tattoo artist about it and the tattoo artist replied…. “ I did ask the young man if he was sure that he wanted to state “Born to lose” in his arm and the young man was pretty stubborn in that. A surprised Dr Peale asked the tattoo artist – “Is’nt that surprising?” For which the artiste replied “Not really! Much before he tattooed it on his arm, he has firmly tattooed it in his brain, and his body tattoo act is just a reflection of his mind tattoo”.

That brings us to our topic, the power of mind tattoos’. Every single act of us, big or small, positive or negative, winning or losing, good acts and deeds or otherwise are a sheer reflection of the cluster of small and big thought tattoos we keep etching in our mind, be it consciously or unconsciously, And this mind tattooing process is the most powerful in determining what the outcome is in reality.

So, it should be our conscious and subconscious endeavor to keep tattooing our mind with thoughts that are ONLY about winning, what we want be, want to reach, want to achieve, that perfect day as desired, and about that ideal job/career and all that wealth that we would want to accrue in our lives….. ALL THAT IS SOUGHT BY US FOR A GREAT LIFE.

Call this positive mind tattooing…. And our effort here MUST BE to continuously and consciously strive to tattoo our mind, ONLY all that is desired in reality…. And what else do all of us desire than the very best in all walks of life… Let us tattoo these desires in mind in as much positive detail as we can…. With the smell of victory, with love and affection for the near and dear ones, for winning at the work place, and for recreating the hearts’ desires to the mind… and creating an ideal life in our own terms…..

While doing this positive mind tattooing, it is quite but natural that in the mood swings we have, there will be situations when negatives get tattooed in the mind too… The easiest way to persist on our terms of life is to quickly erase this negative mind tattoo with a more and say bigger positive mind tattoo. And when we perceive the negative tattoo is close to affecting our success/life agenda, we have to be ruthless and aggressive is working on creating positive mind tattoos, only resting when we are thoroughly convinced that the positive tattoo has erased and prevailed over the negative.

All of us are born to ONLY win, and none of us are here to lose in Life. If anyone of us is losing it is because we are etching our mind with unnatural negative tattoos, rather than etching it with positive tattoos, which are natural, easy and a part of the flow of life…..

Now on, be a consistent positive mind tattoo artist… not only for you but do that bit of positive mind tattooing on all those around us… Inside each one of all us, there is a spectacular positive mind tattoo artist…..

What do you speak to yourself?

Does it sound weird, that I am asking you this question? Not really.

Speaking to yourself here means the sustained dialog you have with your sub-conscious mind. And this dialog constantly happens whether you are aware or not, and also whether you control it or not!

Over years, it is this constant dialog that creates what we all call a 'mindset'! You must be completely aware that the person creating your 'mindset' is none else than YOU! And this is done by the way you speak and affirm to yourself over days, months and years, ever since you came into existence in this world; and ever since you started to have independent thoughts.

Yes, to some extent the environment et al do affect the conditioning of your mind, but YOU can decisively influence your 'mindset' by what I would call your 'mind-speak'.

Just notice now, what you are telling your mind? Are you saying that you are a confident and knowledgeable person, who can handle any situation if life, and take up the journey as a fun-trip, or are you saying to yourself that your life is drudgery and only you are constantly battered by so much of problems?

Both of them are right, and the one you chose to think and speak to you constantly, turns out to be your mindset, which in turn invites all the related events and outcomes if your life.

Constantly tell yourself that you are a miserable soul, and what else can you see happen to you in life, other than loads of misery.

Tell yourself that you will break the back of all your problems and turn them into advantages and victories, and that will essentially happen in your life.

So, this minute on, watch your mind speak - the sustained dialog you have within you - make sure that you give positive affirmations and self elevating metaphors.

Yes, there will be moments in which you, in the burden of the situation, will be forced to do some negative mind-speak - the goal must be to be immediately aware of this flow of thoughts, and replace it by self affirming, positive thoughts and mind-speak.

Once you get this in practice, it will be a part of your natural flow and personality.

It is your mind-speak that determines what happens to you and in your journey of life. And that, when it is powerfully positive can beat any of the challenges posed by what we all fancy to be the 'external environment'.

Please watch your mind-speak, now. And always.

Ensure that they shape your life and destiny in the way you chose it to be.

Are you cleaning copper? Polish your gold instead!

On how many occasions in the recent past, did you brood on what skills you did not have, and why you could not make it big? ‘Big’ - not by your own standards, but by the standards of what you perceive as ‘the world’!

This piece is to emphasize the fact that there can be nothing more suicidal to your personality and life; there is no bigger waste of time than just thinking of all the weaknesses in you, and wonder what has gone right or wrong in life’s journey!

Most of us are trained and taught to work on our weaknesses, day in and day out, and overcome them come what may!

Today, I would want to leave a contrarian thought in you – and I can assure you that it will work well for you

Ignore and belittle your inherent weaknesses, and spend all the time and resources in honing your inherent strengths… you will do a lot of good to you, your life, and work…

Many contemporary life & leadership lessons speak of the need to do what you are good at… Decisively identify your strengths and do something which is pretty close to your core competence. What else can be core competence other than you natural strengths? The strengths which sort of flow with you in life, and with which you don’t have to undergo the so called drudgery of ‘work’.

Visualize this – spend a few minutes and do this - You have a handful of a mix of shining gold coins, and some rusted old copper coins… Would it be good to just ignore the rusty dusty copper coins and just put all your time and energy into how well you can exploit and make good of the shining gold coins on hand…. Or would it be good to waste your time and energy on cleaning/making the rusty copper coins into Gold coins? You will be wasting that much time because whatever you do, the Copper can never ever turn to Gold…. On the other hand, you can make the best use of the Gold coins…hone and polish them, and take them to the market place and show your worth and mettle to the world

This, is the cardinal rule in managing time – put time to its best use here and now…. So, your time is not going to be best used by cleaning the rust and dust of the copper in you…… Just do not give any importance to the copper in you (weaknesses) and hone your gold (strengths) now and always…

We all have heard enough of why and how we should somehow work on converting our weaknesses into strengths. Believe me, if you have ever worked on any of your weaknesses for some considerable time, you will testify to the fact that it takes a lot of time…. with disproportionately small or miniscule result. Just look back in life and see how many weaknesses you have managed to convert into strengths and you will get what I mean here!

It is wishful thinking that we can completely overcome our weaknesses and even convert that into strengths. With that, we expend so much energy… almost make you feel that you are losing it and making you frustrated with yourself, and the the so called weakness in you. The only end result is that you have lost precious time and energy….

Precious resources that should have been used in focusing on the positives with us and getting to the point of perfection….

Your goal and intent must be – only focus more and more on the positives.. Make the best out of the inherent strengths you possess and shine your ware in the market-place of the world.

Many business leaders have opined that working on weaknesses is not a great personal growth strategy….More can be achieved by getting more time and focus into what you are good at….

Mediocre to Good is a journey of high improbability. Gold to Diamond, if you can see is a more successful endeavor.

So, pick up three to five things you are good at and work hard and toil to make them great personal offerings! See the difference it makes in your life…. And you will enjoy the journey of life more…..

Power to brand YOU.

1. Have a vision for yourself. Articulate it well. The more clarity you get in this articulation – put it in writing and revisit/rework in it time and again – the easier it is to position BRAND YOU.
2. Create your ME brand-speak – how do you wish others speak about you/see you/perceive you. Check with your close friends how you are perceived – it will help you position the YOU brand powerfully.
3. Make BRAND YOU Vision boards – this is a powerful tool – vision boards that help you get to where you want – in most cases vision/imagination translates to reality. What does BRAND YOU stand for, and what are the offerings, competencies. Let all this be in your vision board. This will make sure that BRAND YOU eventually gets powerful!
4. Keep a goal book and iterate it again and again. Put your goals in present tense, and feel the sense of accomplishment, right now. These goals can be personal, professional, social and so on. Goals are not necessarily measured in money – and many a times, you would see that by accomplishing something else, money will flow in naturally.
5. Discover your natural ‘flow’. Flow is something that will use your strengths, make you be at your best always, without you feeling the heat and stress of slogging. When you do something you enjoy, ‘natural flow’ sans any effort does happen. You have to discover your flow understanding yourself well. And no one else can do it for you – off course your family, friends, colleagues can help you spot your ‘flow’ – the success of BRAND YOU depends so much on knowing your ‘flow’
6. Work on a time-bound IDP (Individual development plan). All of us are ‘work in progress’ and discover more of us as we live life fully. Drawing an ICP creates a great sense of self discipline – in figuring out where we are, and where we would want to be, on the basis of our strengths. It helps us build new qualities, which make us better BRAND YOU.
7. Image your BRAND ‘outcome’ personality – this is a time tested technique, with many authors dedicating books on how to image a better ‘BRAND YOU’. Imaging is pretty simple – visualize the BRAND YOU, and feel that you are that in this moment – behave as if you are already there – use all your energy to do this with sincerity, passion and commitment. Most of what you image turns out to reality sooner that you want.
8. Play only to your own rules – this is to say that your goals shall be by your standards, and not by comparing you with others. That never works, and added to that leads to energy leaks. Focusing on things besides YOU, you are wasting your time and energy, only to get you to a less resourceful state. Why do that? Every living minute, you must spend only in a manner that will better the BRAND YOU – it’s your life.
9. Attitude determines your altitude. There will be when things come to a naught, things don’t work as you wished – worst thing to do when such things do happen, is to move to the negative resourceful state. Blaming you, others, the environment, the recession and what not. When things do not seem to be their best, take a break from what you do. Loosen up. Relax. That state of being will throw up new features of the BRAND YOU, which you can use to promote, reposition, or even re-launch YOU. All this will happen when you carry the best of good spirits, great humor and a sense of balance. Stay alive and stay positive. Be a positive outcome addict – there is great power in being a positive outcome addict. Always wear that attitude to YOUR brand.
10. Be your own success coach – you will come across endless volumes of success literature, which no doubt will serve as tools of inspiration. And some of that mentioned by success coaches will be useful if you can practice. But there is a caveat: YOU are unique, and you alone are the author of BRAND YOU. Only you will know what needs to be done, worked on, corrected, promoted better, and played down in the YOU product. So, use all the coaching tools that you can lay hands on: You are the powerful river, and you know your strengths. Decide how to course through the highs and lows, with the objective of getting to your own magical ocean of accomplishment and satisfaction.
11. Play to the best of your strengths: It’s now become fad for coaches to suggest, work on your weaknesses. That would be to squander away opportunities of a lifetime, only to brood on a couple of qualities which are in us. And there is enough research to show that in most occasions, you don’t fully overcome some weaknesses. So, why waste useful energy, time and resources on weaknesses – instead, it would be a great thing to work and hone your strengths, see what best use the strengths can be put to use to create our own victories in life.
12. The power of discipline and persistence: If there are 2 great qualities that will make the difference between what you could have been and what you are – it’s discipline and persistence. Great careers in any walk of life have been brought to a halt, killed in infancy by the lack of discipline and persistence. Bear that in mind, and you certainly will be unstoppable in your course. They say discipline comes by repeating right acts for a month, on which habits are formed. As for persistence, it’s just that you refuse to be put down, come what may, until you reach your highest potential.
13. Replace your ‘no no’ habits – this is a follow through of being disciplined. The only challenge to discipline is we doing things that are no no – things that neither gives us short term happiness, and long term benefits/satisfaction. Work to throw any habit that will answer in the negative for these 2 questions. This done, you will be so quick in erasing all your no-no habits. (The best example is being worried. Pose these 2 questions, and you’ll see how ridiculous it’s to be worried – being worried is the least resourceful state for any human being, who has been gifted the joy of Life)
14. Get the Action habit – Action is the only antidote to a non-resourceful state. Just try this – when you feel a bit down, whatever silly the reason is – just set in motion yourself – jog, walk, climb a staircase, or just step into the coffee shop next door. You will see that your non-resourceful state vanishes. That’s why we are all taught never to be idle.
15. Be infectiously enthusiastic and incorrigibly optimistic – this is a must. Enthusiasm and optimism will score the highest, amongst qualities of a great player of life. In a sense, enthusiasm happens so naturally, when you are in your flow. Do something that is not natural to you, and your enthusiasm wanes and dwindles. There is another way of looking at this. The moment you begin enjoy doing some of the inevitable chores of life – which all of us, any case, must do – then enthusiasm sets in. Enthusiasm is also, all about being in the present, and enjoying the present – the now, and the YOU in the now. Optimism comes by always firmly believing the power of a positive outcome – a positive outcome addict, is necessarily an incorrigible optimist.
16. Pick up the best from past experiences; learn and move on, or ignore and move on. When we sit back and think how much time we spend introspecting why things did or did not happen this way or otherwise, beyond some point, we are wasting the present. Things have decisively gone behind, and that’s why it is called the past. So many of us willfully want to hang on there, with no value add to the BRAND YOU. Not to say that you should be a rock. Do look back at the past, and see what lessons can come to us. Be done with that. Possibly, if there have been some wrong steps, wisdom would mean that we do not repeat it. Period.
17. Focus on playing well, winning will be a by product – Playing well happens when you are fully in the present, engaged in your ‘flow’ and be in a positive outcome mode. With all this, playing well will happen so easily. And once you play well – with excellence by your own standards – winning by your terms is bound to happen. That’s why it is said, play your game well and winning will be a by product. That’s precisely how it should be also. Most time, when you look around, you will get a feeling that someone had it easily. It’s just that their focus is on just playing well and nothing else. Somewhere I read that ace athlete Ashwini Nachappa said exactly this when quizzed how she beat P T Usha – Ashwini never aimed to be better than P T Usha, she just wanted to better her own record, and winning happened. Truly, winning is just a by-product.
18. Stand by your own Brand – You have to be the spokesperson for the BRAND YOU, and no else can ever be. Think of that, when, even for a moment you think of blaming some external factor or some person for what you are and what you aren’t. Nothing can be comical than blaming someone. You are the owner of the BRAND YOU. All the attributes of the brand are as demonstrated by you – the place, the features, the promotion, packaging… This essentially means that the ownership of whatever happens to BRAND YOU is only YOU alone.
19. Get the right advice – all of us love getting advices, from all and sundry. The point is you know your brand best. Advice, unless it comes in from a stakeholder in the brand, or a well-wisher who thinks the brand should flourish, is of no use. All the more such advice taken from an unconnected quarter will harm the brand, more than an iota of any good it does. So, beware of who YOUR brand consultants and advisors are.
20. Core competence – be aware of your core competence. This comes in from understanding what you flow is, which you will spend a lot of time discovering as you play the game of life. And once you be aware of the core competence – call it the core values of your brand, you must keep improvising on the value offerings of the YOU brand, day in and day out. Look around brands that have thrived long times, and you will see that the value offering was improvised, price points tweaked, customized offerings made, re-positioning done almost every season or every year. BRAND YOU is no different. Sustain the value offering, reposition if need be, package well, and customize time and again.
21. Use the 10000 hour study tool to increase your circle of competence – this is a great thing to do, once your goal is to excel in your circle of competence. Spend approximately 10000 hours of reading/understanding better in the area of your competence, to make you an authority. This gives immense power to the Brand YOU. It may sound tough, but just think about the fact that the life cycle of the BRAND YOU is going to be anything like 20 to 30 years, depending on when you launch the YOU brand. The time you will spend honing competencies will shape your brand across 3 decades.
22. Never brood on your weaknesses – If you read point 11, then this is just a take away. Once you play by only your strengths, then there is hardly any energy that can be spent on thinking about your weaknesses. Nothing would have been ever accomplished in this world if some of the greatest people of our times chose to spend time brooding. They all accepted their weaknesses, and assiduously positioned/honed their strengths. You just do the same for the BRAND YOU.
23. Sell you to YOU first – This is about you being a buyer of you. Unless you are convinced that you will buy your brand for what it offers, then who else will invest in the BRAND YOU. So, sell you to you. Create that YOU sales talk/promo/30 second spot. Believe you and the world will come flocking to your brand. BRAND YOU.
24. Say no to gossip and whining – doing this is absolute energy leak for BRAND YOU. When you gossip, whine and complain, or do anything in a negative resourceful state, you are wasting time on some other brand. And what good does that do to BRAND YOU? Nothing, absolutely nothing. So forever, never even spend your precious time worrying about some other BRAND. Decide that your time will be spent only on BRAND YOU, come what may.
25. Be deaf to negativists – there are a whole lot of people who would not even remotely know what BRAND YOU stands for. Yet, they have an opinion, say that will not work, say you will fail, and what not. Keep the BRAND YOU deaf to such naysayers and energy drainers.

Personal brand journey....

Building a brand you is just a beginning of a long journey. Its so important to take stock of your personal brand time and again. And most of us seldom do that.

With a thorough insight of our own competency and skills circle, and added to that our formal degrees, work experience and other paraphernalia, each one of us must be able to articulate what our personal brand statement is!

Almost entire careers or work-lifes get squandered in the absence of a personal brand statement - and a personal brand statement just mens that you are sold to yourself. Only when you have been successful in selling to you, will you be able to sell to the outside world... the outside world would mean anything, just about anyone of your stakeholders - family members, client, employer, workplace, society and so on.

Another notion which we all cherish, wrongly but, is to think that our personal brand remains the way it is for the rest of our life. This is far from true.

In a world where even product or service brands re-position, re-jig, and re-invent them in appropriate phases of their life cycle, it will be foolish and rather suicidal to think that you can do with a static personal brand.

Whether your personal brand works or not at any point in time, is not just dependent on who you are and what you stand for, plus your competencies; it is, more importantly, how the brand is seen to be, by the end user - it can be the job market, employer, and strangely even a spouse. For your brand to win in the 'marketplace', the users have to feel the relevance of the brand and a need for the same. If it's an employer or someone who has to invest capital in your personal brand, they need to see a value add by "brand you" to them.

So, as you can see, the brand you as seen by others can be so much different from what it really is. The essence will be to communicate and clearly articulate the value of your brand to the relevant stakeholders - by making the right noises - your brand communication.

As we see many times, choice of the personal brand which an employer makes is purely his perception of the brand. So, success in the employer market could depend immensely on reducing the gap between your brand in reality and the perception of your brand. Its all about effectively creating your brand speak. And communicating it at the right time, in the right place, in the right quantity.

The most important part of the brand you, is to make sure that you also must do a reality check of the brand. Is it relevant to what you aspire for? Are you honing yourself with the right competencies, soft skills, knowledge etc, to be in the race for mindspace (with your stakeholders)....

In todays times of upheaval in the global economies, which does not spare any nook and corner of the world, and any individual, the probability of your brand taking a beating or being battered over time is very high. It is times like these that dictate a re-jig of your personal brand.

The key ingredient of your brand, irrespective of how you reposition and re-invent is - the brand must have persistence, and stay afloat against all odds. The brand must keep going. The brand must possess and live a never say die attitude. The brand must stay relevant and must be at the right place. The brand must be a powerhouse of knowledge, and niche skills, which could be transferable across different industries, timezones, and geography.

Ensure that you evaluate the credentials of your personal brand, and see how it must be re-invented or if need be re-born, time and again

Whats your daily recipe... ?

Happiness stalks you, the moment you chose to date it! So, how does your daily dose of mind-food look like?

Here is a daily recipe from your Happiness guy... bring all these on in your day, and see LIFE transform!

• Wake up early. Spend the first hours being physically active – walk, stretch, cycle, just ensure that there is some good physical activity... ….fitness is a great gift you can give yourself… and your mind feels so fresh for the rest of the day
• STOP switching on the TV in the early hours of your day. It’s an idiot box as we all know, and yet how many of us just switch it on so naturally.
• Make conscious efforts to be extremely active, physically and mentally, in the early hours of the day.
• Be thankful to all you have in life NOW. It is the greatest positive vibration you can send in your mind and body
• Begin by visualizing how your perfect day will look like. Etch these visuals/images in your mind, and it mostly will come true.
• Decide and commit to stay an OPTIMIST all through the day.
• Have a want to stay happy 24/7. This might sound artificial and even ridiculous in today’s world – but having this want make you stay happy most of the time. When you are beaten down by something or someone, try saying to yourself, ‘I want to stay happy’ – repeat it about 10 times, and see how it changes you.
• Visualize in great detail – with all the colors, motion and the buzz all around… See receiving accolades, appreciation, people coming to you for advice, knowledge….
• Spend just about 5 to 10 minutes making a to-do task list - in your style. Writing/listing makes us to get to our priorities.
• Make helping others and gratitude a part of your day. Help even if in a small way. Be grateful even for the small things someone does to you.
• When you begin the day, make a simple resolution that you will focus of what you WANT. This is magical. And is the best way to ensure that we have no energy leaks.
• Consciously avoid energy leaks. Energy leaks happen when you allow your WANTS, priorities, and agenda to be taken over by others/external factors.
• Stay in the NOW in what you do/where you are. This is the best way to make sure that you deliberately enjoy every step in the day. Also staying this way when we speak to others, are in meetings, with friends etc will make us to be seen as someone who cares & contributes. It shows when we are not present in the NOW.
• Wear that smile on your face. Smile those whom you see in the lift, at the traffic signal, and get that positive attitude in you every other day. Do this consciously, and over time it will come to your naturally.
• All day, do unto others, what you expect them to do. This, even if you are a boss, or a co-worker. Treat everyone with love, dignity and respect them for what they are.
• At work, make sure you are giving in your best... don’t work for the sake of your boss, or under any kind of pressure. You decide what you must do to fulfill your role for the day – and better your own standards. Excellence comes so easily.
• If your are working on a computer all through the day, set an alarm so that you take a break every 20 or 30 minutes. Stretch, relax, share some positive words with colleagues, and check if all is well with them
• Resist the temptation to hit the send/receive button every other minute. It’s so common, even when we know that most mails in the inbox are junk. And if there is something so urgent, then the sender will call you sure.
• Through the day, you will sure encounter negativity, and some disappointment, or bad behavior by someone… when this happens, and your mood swirls towards bad, consciously push it to happiness. Think of something funny, or how you did something so well on some other occasion, how your team won that deal.
• By practice, pushing us to a happy state/better mood comes easily. It is such a great saver of time and our own energy.
• On any day, see if you’re playing the best of your strengths. How well are you using your greatest strengths is the best determinant of a great day. Done on a regular basis, this increases your self-esteem and gives your supreme self confidence.
• Stay positive. Hang out only with positive personalities. Avoid nay Sayers. And those who spend the large part of the day only in bitching, back biting, comparing etc. This is the easy and best antibiotic to make sure that your personal/professional health is always in great shape.
• Practice looking at the GOOD side in any situation. Even in a bad or dismal situation. This helps for LIFE. Learn or Let go – make this your life mantra.
• Cultivate a sense of humor. It comes by practice, and looking at the lighter side of things. Having a sense of humor eases any grim or bad situation, and also serves to alleviate stress of YOU, and those around you.
• When someone comes to have a word with you, stop what you are doing and speak/listen to them in the NOW. Listen. Listen with effort - until it comes effortlessly. Never allow them to speak as you keep scribbling something or checking mails.
• In your team, make sure that you interact with everyone as much as possible. Never get into the habit of sending a mail to the colleague in the next cubicle. Even if you have to do it by protocol, speak, share and then mail.
• To a colleague or subordinate at work, show how things can be done better, rather than just speaking and reprimanding when things go wrong. Making people do things right is your primary responsibility – not just fault finding.
• Professionally and personally, see how you add value in any situation. At home. At work. Even in the society. This is the best way to develop you as a person.
• Say Thank you as many times as you can. Cutting across all levels at office, and to anyone whom you come across in the road. And most of all to your family.
• Keep family first. Always. This is not to say that you ignore your work or profession. Working hard does not mean ignoring the near and dear. Remember, they are the bedrock of your LIFE.
• When all goes at work or even work goes off, in this ever changing world, FAMILY remains.
• At home, spend time speaking to spouse, parents and kids. Make family time protected from any digression. The couple of hours you spend this way, speaking, sharing, enjoying and loving will nourish your mind.
• Help at home whenever possible. Running a home is as tougher as today’s challenging work place. At your workplace, your failure will be made up by some else’s success – this can never happen at home. YOU MUST WIN AT HOME TO WIN AT WORK.
• Listen to some great music or inspiring talks. Read a little of the book you always wanted to read. Do this everyday.
• Use waiting time and commuting time to listen to some great stuff or read.
• Ask your spouse how her day at work or home was. Share the same about your day.
• Ask your kids what they school day was like – whom they met new, what they learnt, what was interesting etc. Kids will turn out to be great teachers, and love when the parent asks!
• Never go to sleep after watching TV for hours together. This causes mental fatigue, and upsets the next day morning. Instead, chat with spouse, kids or parents, or listen to some soothing music. It works wonders and you sleep well.
• Sleep well for seven to eight hours. Begin sleeping by visualizing pleasant things. This comes by practice and is so powerful.

So, have a great day! Every day for the rest your LIFE!

What do YOU speak to YOU!

As often as you can, say these aloud to yourself.

I am strong
I am confident
I am calm within
I can be whatever I wish to be
I am loving and caring
I always stay positive
I am thankful for what I am and what I have
My mind is the most powerful place in the planet
I am here for a purpose
I accomplish
I learn, re-learn
I express love to everyone
I always have a great day
Only the best is in store ahead of me
What is in me is bigger, omnipotent than what is out
I laugh a lot
I enjoy every step of my life
I am unique and there's no one else like me
I am endowed with the most unique skills
I carry a great attitude always
I take adversity in my stride, learn from it
I am at my best alway
I radiate positivity
I am the epicentre of all good
I live and play by my strengths
I always stay alive and active
I am thankful to my parents, spouse and kids, siblings,my extended family for what they are to me.
I acknowledge the good deeds of everyone
I forgive and let go
I am what I am
I always smile
I play a fair game
I love my work
Every occurence is for good
I give for good causes
I always add value at work, home and to the society

Make this a routine, more-so when you think that things are not really going your way.

You will see magic unfold and the perceived difficult moment/time vanish into thin air!

Happiness.. like the loving kids! Shun the 'adult' mask!!

Ever thought it to be silly to behave like the loving kids? Actually, putting up the adult mask is silly! So, now, be like kids and wow! Thought how..... Here you have it!

1. Kids smile. At anyone and everyone. They can smile for no reason. Unlike you and me - we need a volley of reasons just for a simple smile. Change that. Smile more.

2. Kids forget and forgive. They yell a second and just forget and forgive the next second. We don't. We have a mask that says you have to put on, or carry it to even the grave. Sounds stupid, but that is precisely what all of us do. Now on, learn the art of forgiving and forgetting! Master it till it comes as second nature.

3. Kids love fairplay. Kids play any game for the sake of playing. Not just to win. Kids know so well than most of us - grown adults - that there is only one winner. And they know it only matters how well you play to the finish. The winner is incidental. So, let us admit and come to terms with the fact that you just have to play well. Play well to the finish. Period.

4. Kids live in the NOW. I have never seen a kid who was preoccupied with what happened or was worried. And will bet my last rupee that you have'nt either. What about all of us? Oh...... It's so tough for us to just be present in the NOW.... And all this new age meditation gurus work so hard to just make us be in the NOW! Folks, its so easy to be in the now. In fact, its the easiest disposition to be in. From this minute, master the art of being in the NOW..... Look at kids, master it by just focussing on what you do this minute. Greatest service you do to youself is to be here and NOW....!

5. Kids master time, and just won't waste a minute. Not sure how many of us see the various manifestation of this - yet, this is a great lesson of kids. Adults get flustererd when kids always want to do something. Always - 24/7 minus sleeping hours. Its another way of saying that they would not waste a minute of the awaken hour. Let us not waste a minute of time which we have; follow the kids path. Stay alive and active, now, and always.

So much to learn from lovely little ones. It's high time we left teaching to them, and we grown ups start learning!

Love those kids. Learn from them. And shed the "adult" mask! NOW!!

Perseverance can make all the difference!

Happiness is all about making a conscious choice! A choice to remain happy, this minute, this moment. A choice, irrespective of the external conditions of life.

And its also nice to have built in our DNA the ability to stay happy. And more importantly, the ability to stay put on a whole lot of things we chose to do, and what we feel is the right thing!

The ability to succeed in any endeavor is directly proportional to the kind of investments made in persevering!

Begin today with this great thought on perseverance!

When all the world is looming dark

And things seem not so clear,

When shadows seem to hover 'round

Lord, may I persevere.

When it seems everything's been tried
And there's no way to go,
Just let me keep remembering
Sometimes the journey's slow.

I may just need to stop and rest
Along the path I trod,
A time to try to understand
And have my talk with God.

As I gain new strength to carry on
Without a doubt or fear,
Somehow I know things will be right,
And so, I persevere.

By Anne Stortz
from Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul

So, stay happy, persevere, and live life today, and every other day!