PAIN

Plain Awareness of Intense Need is the message conveyed by PAIN.

When in pain, be it physical or psychological, the body and spirit screams for solace. It could be medicines or just companionship, empathy and acceptance that is needed but often quick relief is hard to come by. Occasionally pain cries out and seeks the need for rest, recuperation and relaxation, which are often at a premium for the upwardly mobile and success craving professionals.

While there are many cures for physical pain, a grieving heart, a lonesome being and an outcast have very few choices before them. Empathy, companionship and acceptance are the only cures and alas none of these can be bought over the counter. It is in these moments of an others pain that our character is tested to the full. Empathy is more than sympathy for the latter is feeling sorry for the other person while empathy refers to us feeling the pain of the other. Companionship demands that we be able to spare time and possibly our patience too particularly to be with the old, the sick and the infirm. Acceptance is unconditional love for another be it a leper, an AIDS patient or a destitute.

Sometimes the pain is never ending. Imagine the pain of deformed person, a victim of burn injuries, survivors of accidents and bomb blasts who have lost a limb etc. For them the reality has to be lived with and frequently they would fall into the trap of self pity. Self pity is nothing but self inflicted pain and the cure is positive thinking, acceptance of reality and a drive for achievement. They are motivated by their ability to be productive, their thankfulness for the gift of life and reinforcement of their self worth as invaluable members of society.

Reflect on the pain of rejection, the pain of being the butt of jokes, the pain of being scoffed and humiliated, the pain of being the target of sarcastic comments and the pain of falling out of love. Perhaps now you will realize that PAIN is nothing but the Plain Awareness of Intense Need

Remember: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

Action Points:

1. When was the last time you suffered physical and psychological pain. Can you recollect the exact sequence of events or have you unconsciously blanked out large portions of it? Have you got over your psychological pain? Which pain troubles you more often?
2. Do you think a smile, a courteous word and sparing time for people would be good antidotes to pain for people? How often can you do any or all of the above? Starting now, attempt to do it and make it a habit to smile and spread cheer.

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/  is focused on -

 Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/   

STYLE

It is the Smart Trends Yelling Loud Everyday that catches the eye and opens the wallets that fuels the STYLE euphoria. In a world driven by marketing gimmicks, trendy lifestyle and keeping up with the Jones’s culture, STYLE is the generic term used to describe the trends and the cool dude tag. If you think that style is the prerogative of the young think again, for it is the older generation that actively promotes styles for business ends; and the world is lapping it up.

The style mania gets its thrust from the big money spends of the big brands when they get endorsements done by the movie stars, sporting icons and the occasional celebrity from another discipline. The message is simply ‘you need to own this if you want to be seen and recognized in society’. It could be a hairstyle, the latest technological gizmo, being present at premiers or the so called exclusive events or just splurging on the so called designer clothes, accessories or event events like a birthday bash or wedding. The key driver of style is the high cost attached which acts as an entry barrier and preserves the exclusivity and puts a premium on ownership.

The most vocal critics of STYLE are the conservative older population who argue that most style is just cult following with little or no functional enhancement or utility for the price paid. They view style as an illegitimate offspring of the unholy alliance of corporate sharks and marketing quacks. The more vociferous opponents old the fanatical view that style is exploitation of the ignorant, through the subtle manipulation, using a mix of technology, psychology and sociology. Their most touted proof pertains to the relative short term life span of most styles be it the hippy culture, the bell bottom pants or the Marlboro Man.

The style fanatics on the contrary point out to the numerous advances made because of style. The move from desktop computers to colorful laptops, the wide range of mobile telephones using an array of technology, the changes in the formats of games from test cricket played in all white’s to the quick fix T20 format played in flood lights and in colored clothes show the range of styles that have borne testimony to the growing fan following. The proponents of style point out that style leads to innovation not just in the presentation but also through extensive use of technology, has a large mass appeal and will be improvised upon periodically depending on the market demands.

Style is here to stay; it will dominate the years to come for no one can ignore the Smart Trends Yelling Loud Everyday

 

Action Points:

1. What are the Style trends that you find hard to identify with? Is it because they are too loud/ or is it because you feel awkward attempting that style / or the style violates your sensibilities?
2. How often are you tempted to buy a new technology gadget because it is the in thing? Do you think the features of the new technology can be effective harnessed by you or are you just paying the premium for being called trendy? What are the most functional and useful styles that are in the marketplace today that is useful and efficient? Eg. Solar powered gadgets, fuel saving small cars etc.

 Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/  is focused on -

 Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

 

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/   

EGO

While the animal kingdom abounds in examples of  a hierarchy, usually headed by a dominant male who usurps power by brute force, history bears testimony to the fact that the human race has often been subject to the Machiavellian antics of despotic, scheming and cunning leaders most of who were driven by an Exaggerated Grandiose Opinion of themselves.

From a more down to earth perspective, it is often the same EGO that has become the bane of corporate and political leadership. Opportunism, power grabbing and personal wealth creation are seen as a culmination of the EGO. If Hitler’s Aryan ego was responsible for the massacre f the Jews, the modern superiority race is played on the battlefields of technology and the ill effects are showing in terms of Global Warming, extensive pollution, the growing divide between the rich an poor countries and the constant threat of nuclear arsenal being used to massage the ego of the technologically superior nations.

While the EGO has its ill effects, it also plays a vital part in realizing the potential of an individual, a nation and a society. An individual can strive to achieve much more than he/ she is capeable of simply because his ego wants to prove itself. Similarly a nation would leverage its core strengths to ensure that it is competitive in the world. The Arab world for example would not easily let go its stranglehold on the world oil market. Similarly competition is nothing but a battle of egos and the beneficiary is the consumer who gets better choices, cheaper alternatives and better customer service. The society at large is then a beneficiary of the ego vs ego game.

For us the important learning is that the ego exists and if it is leveraged correctly, can be exceptionally beneficial. Else, our Exaggerated Grandiose Opinion could be like quick sand from which we cannot easily extract ourselves; the consequence is anybody’s guess.

Action Points:

1. Doing a reality check on ourselves would be a good start. The best way is to pay close attention to the criticism we get be it at work, home, from our children or parents. The annual appraisal time is also a good time to consciously make an effort to check our ego levels. Do we keep mentally refuting all criticism or vociferously justifying our actions?
2. Make a list of people whom we are not comfortable with or have a dislike for. Now objectively assess if your dislike has to do more with the competence and self confidence of the other person and this affects your personal ego?  How do you feel when you are in the company of some who is the life of a party or who can tell the most hilarious jokes or people who easily attract people around them? Who are the icons of society that you envy? Does ego have a part to play in your envy of the person?

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/  is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/

YEARN

The normal tendency of human beings is to seek avenues and opportunities to earn. There is nothing wrong in people seeking to accumulate wealth as long as the means are legitimate. However if one wants to really enjoy the accumulation of wealth, it is relished best when one can Yield Enthusiastically & Accumulate Rewards Next. The small Y that differentiates the EARN from YEARN makes the critical difference in putting more life, spirit and fun into your earnings.

When you Yield to your passion, remember that you are doing what you always desired to do and work no longer becomes a chore but a daily romance. The difficulty though is to identify what ones real passion is and to have the courage to yield to it. What we find passionate may be disapproved by family, friends and society at large; all of them will constantly remind you that it doesn’t fall into the societal norm. True passion will override such objections because your heart tells you that you are right. At this stage you will come to an inflection point where the EARNing rings louder than the YEARNing. If you can cross that chasm with one giant leap of faith, you would have started on the ecstatic path of life that * Robert Frost made famous ‘I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

As any married person will tell you, finding the right spouse is easier than maintaining the romance for a life time. That is where the Enthusiasm comes in and provides the perfect mix, to keep the flirting passionate and the job on hand fun. Enthusiasm is all about eagerness, anticipation, expectations and the ability to see positives in every thing that happens. Once a person exudes enthusiasm he / she energizes himself / herself and transmits that energy into everyone around. It then becomes a collective positive and potent force that ‘ like faith, can move mountains’. Enthusiasm will pierce the clutter, create pathways where none existed, wager long odds and they will WILL the dice to roll the right way up.

When any one holds the two aces of Yielding to Passion and Enthusiasm it is merely a matter of time before one gets the third ace called Rewards. So the message is simple; stop looking to earn and add a Y before it and then Yield Enthusiastically & Accumulate Rewards Next.

Action Points:

1. Make a list of things that interest you. Make it an exhaustive one. Now study each one carefully and whittle it down to 5 or 6 interests. Over the next week spend an hour at least on each of your interests and come up with at least 5 different aspects of each that you are really passionate about. E.g. Music is one of your interests. So is it singing, playing a musical instrument, organizing a musical show, compering the show or talent management that you are passionate about? One you have some clarity on you passions chalk out an action plan to make a career out of it. 
2. Study the life and career of some of the well know people in your chosen field of passion. Pay close attention to their struggles and how they overcome these struggles. Identify the inflection points in their careers that sky rocketed their careers. If they have not been able to realize their full potential or burned out after peaking examine the reasons for the same. How did these icons innovate, foresee the trends, adapt to changes, care their own niche- study these in depth and you will have enough knowledge to arm yourself and conquer the world.

Just don’t forget that this post ignited your career to the dizzy heights that you are already visualizing now!

* The Road Not Taken – Poem by Robert Frost

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/  is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/

PRAISE

Even as I write this post, I can’t help but think about the varied feedback that I get for the posts particularly on the sister blog of this one www.actspot.wordpress.com To my mind the comments are actually their way of expressing themselves and giving me a feedback. More often than not they are appreciative of the posts and I value their comments because it is actually PRAISE a simple acronym for People Recognizing Achievement In Someone Everytime. By the way the number of followers who join in here, also signify PRAISE because they wouldn't be following if they didn't appreciate the contents of this blog.

Who would not like to be recognized?  It is a human craving and one that is rarely satisfied because it is also a human frailty that ‘we are quick to condemn but very slow to praise’.  Praise is not just an acknowledgement of an achievement or effort. It is going beyond that and expressing a feeling of personal envy, a sharing of regret that perhaps we who praise are inadequate to deliver in the same manner and an expression that you beat our expectations.  Perhaps that is also the reason why more often than not, we temper praise with criticism or give praise very reluctantly. We cannot forget that we also have personal preferences, biases and peeves, all of which have a bearing on the evaluation and consequent feedback.

What about the one receiving praise? The common tendency is to be extremely modest and state that we are undeserving of the lavish praise bestowed on us. This comes from a feeling that we are expected to do our best and so it is but natural that the outcome was good. There is also the possibility that we are still brooding over a minor glitch or bleep in an otherwise perfect act and that in our opinion overshadows the net effect of the achievement. The fact that we are taught to be subdued and humble in triumph, prone to deflect attention from us to others and not comfortable holding centre stage, adds to our distinct uneasiness, when the spotlight is trained on us and PRAISE is generously heaped on us.

Is praise a rare compliment? Most of us go through life feeling that praise has to be given only for some extraordinary achievements. Reality is that praise is the fuel that fires the spirit of achievement, drive and enthusiasm in any human being. Nothing spurs on an individual as much as PRAISE and we have ample opportunities to give praise every single day to almost everyone we meet. It must be genuine and not a put on act, with an ulterior motive of winning the others favor. You can praise a person’s smart dress sense, appreciate his /her punctuality and commitment, share with others a significant achievement or success that a person has attained or simply appreciate the warmth and pleasant temperament of the person. You do not require special occasions or significant moments to express praise. Simply calling up a person and telling him/ her that you missed talking to them or meeting them is PRAISE ; for you are saying how much you value them and their companionship.  A small miss you card, sending an email to a long lost friend and even adding friends on your social network account are ways of telling people that you praise them for being a part of your friends circle.

Action Points:

1. Starting now pick up you cell phone or landline and call up at least 5 people whom you haven’t been in touch with over the last one month. Alternatively, write an email to 5 people with whom you haven’t been in touch but have always meant to keep in touch with. Check your social network account and see whose birthday is around the corner and make it a point to send a birthday greeting to them and if possible call them up and wish them too.
2. How about listing out 5 of your favorite teachers from school or college ; colleagues or bosses from a previous work place or someone who has left your work place. Can you make the effort to reach them and talk to them or better still send them a small note appreciating their role in shaping your career / destiny.  Experience the pleasure you get out of it too.
3. Make it a practice to PRAISE at least 2 people whom you meet in the day.  Sound sincere and not artificial as if you are doing it as part of a forced project work. Initially you might feel uncomfortable but remember you need to start somewhere.

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our daily inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/