NEAT

If asked each one of us would want to do a NEAT job no matter what the work is. From the most mundane to the most complicated work, the adjective NEAT if it precedes the effort, would show case the ultimate result a notch higher. The difference between good work and great work is often just the way the ultimate result is perceived and a NEAT job ultimately gets noticed as a Nice Elegant Appreciative Try. 

Neatness is a mix of order, symmetry, balance, elegance and visual ecstasy. Invariably those getting good marks in exams have a slight edge if they have a neat handwriting because the end result gets highlighted and catches the eye of the examiner. Similarly, people who excel in art and drawing have the ability to conjure up a balanced and visually appealing product be it a painting or flower arrangement or merely the overall setting in which they operate be it at home or work. Ironically many a talented and artistically inclined thrive in chaotic and messy surroundings and perhaps they are so obsessed with the neatness of the end product that everything else is ignored. 

If one wants to be NEAT it is imperative that one prunes the junk. This means all that is superfluous and unwanted must be ruthlessly eliminated. The difficulty here is that we are often obsessed by the tendency to hoard and that is why we tend to store, stock and showcase the good, the bad, the useful and the useless. The next is to develop a sense of balance, order and symmetry. If one lacks this innate ability then it is essential that we get someone else with this ability to help us. The spurt in using the service of architects, interior decorators and landscape designers reflects the move to seek professional help. Finally if one wants to be NEAT at all times, one must be prepared to take a lot of effort. The effort involves maintaining a high personal standard of excellence and this could mean not compromising on even the most insignificant detail. Continuity is the key and the one big stumbling block is the constant care, maintenance and cleanliness that taken together forms the axis around which neatness revolves.

Finally it is essential that we examine our own beliefs, attitudes and actions to determine how committed we are to being neat. Simple things like how much importance we attach to personal grooming, the seriousness with which we approach a given task, the extend of detailing we would go into with respect to any activity etc. would indicate to us our ability to meet the rigors of being neat. Perhaps we can make a good beginning by just examining our own setting at this point in time and determine if we are in a NEAT setting and tell ourselves that it is Nice Elegant Appreciative Try. 

Action Points:

1.  Every month make 2 major changes in your living room and bedroom to give you a feeling of change, newness and neatness.
2. Attempt at least 2 of the following:

• Visit an art gallery and observe the style, shades, strokes that are reflected in the paintings on display.
• Visit a car showroom of a high end brand of cars and appreciate the subtle differences that make the car so special and expensive.
• Go to the major vegetable market in your city and examine reasons for dirt, squalor and untidiness there. Are there solutions to redeem the situation?
• Visit the local zoo or a dairy farm that maintains its own milking cows. Ask yourself 3 reasons that ensure the place is relatively very neat.

 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 www.actspot.wordpress.com

WORK

The one feature that acts as a great leveler for the human race is the undeniable fact that every individual has to WORK not just to earn a living but to also make the living worthwhile. There would be many who would say that the billionaires and the mystics are exceptions, but the truth is that even they have to put in that effort to keep themselves occupied and engaged for it is that WORK which is the Worlds Original Rewards Key that gives physical, moral, financial, psychological, intrinsic and extrinsic sustenance.

For the vast majority of people, the notion of work conjures and image of hard physical labor which was the true nature of work in the beginning of time. However, with the dynamic progress of the human race, the introduction of technology, the concept of leisure as a business and the with the dynamics conjured up by imagination and creativity the ambit of WORK embraces every sphere of human activity. For the spectators, watching a professional sport may be leisure as also for an audience enjoying a movie or a TV sitcom, the experience would be relaxation but for those professionals who entertain us, they have to WORK hard to earn a living. Ironically for the sports commentators and movie critics who in our myopic view  get to enjoy the sport or movie free, they see themselves as professionals engaged in WORK.

It is equally true that almost everyone views work as a unavoidable evil and given a choice would dream of being a billionaire imagining that they would just sit back and do nothing. A close look at the life and style of billionaires would reveal that they work much harder to increase wealth, maintain power, maintain a work life balance and protect their turf from competition. Each of these accomplishments is seen by them as reward for their effort. Similarly, the time and effort you are taking to read the post is part of the WORK you do and the learning, the new thinking, the motivation and euphoric revelations if any that you will experience, would be the Worlds Original Rewards Key that opens up your life to varied possibilities.

The question that everyone is seeking an answer to is ‘Can I find a WORK that I never tire of and eagerly look forward to everyday?’ In this context it is worthwhile recalling the saying that’ if you chose a job that you love, you will never have to work a day in your life’. A few fortunate people manage to identify what they love and get doubly fortunate in finding their calling in that sphere. Many mystics, priests and religious leaders would often fall in this category. For the rest the alternative is to ‘try and love the job you do so that you are not burdened with work’. Be assured that no one can escape WORK in some form and so why not use WORK to be the one single key that rewards us in direct proportion to the effort and eureka you realize that WORK is Worlds Original Rewards Key to lifetime happiness.

Action Points:

While every job has dignity, due to personal bias and lack of appreciation of the job we all have our personal dislikes of some professions. To help you get a better feel of some of these jobs you have to decide which ONE of these jobs you would choose if you were forced to by circumstances and fate and how would you get to like it.

• Garbage collector
• Undertaker (one who makes funeral arrangements)
• Butcher
• Coroner (someone who investigates deaths)
• Helper at a mental asylum

(Also spend 5 minutes reflecting on what would happen if someone was not available to do each of the above jobs)

What are the things you dislike in your current job/ work. (Here is a list to help you get started)

• It is too monotonous
• It is very stressful
• I dislike the job
• I hate the work environment

(Now make a list of things that you appreciate in your current job. (Here is a list to help you make a beginning)

• I have a job which gives me an income
• I have a great set of colleagues to work with
• The job is interesting and yet not stressful
• My education and talent is being used optimally

 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/