WORK

When we hear the word WORK the immediate thought that comes to mind for most people is that it is an insipid, terrible way of going about living. If these thoughts overpower us daily, our daily life will be hellish one. Rich or poor, king or pauper work is destined on mankind and we cannot escape that reality. Some may argue that the filthy rich need not work but look around and you will notice that they are working harder than most. The utterly poor including beggars also have to go about doing their work so as to earn, live make their life more comfortable and pleasant. Since work is inevitable, how about looking at life in a more acceptable way and see it as a Way Of Rewarding Knowledge?

The rewards of work are manifold. To begin with, work enables us to keep busy. If we did not have any work, we would in serious trouble since an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Work rewards us with learning. While it is true that we often do the job based on what we have learnt, the reality is that what we learn on the job is far more critical in terms of being efficient and productive. It also enables us to realize our true potential and perhaps even helps us discover shades of out personality that we never knew existed. The most important reward of work is that it leads to monetary gains be it salary or profit. Far too often we focus on the monetary rewards without applying our mind to the quantum of effort or quality of work we do. Perhaps this often leads us to hate our work. By and large each one is rewarded by work in a relatively fair manner.

The key to doing good work is in leveraging the knowledge one has to the fullest. This could mean that at times we have to upgrade our knowledge, seek out opportunities at work to find niches in which we can pitch out expertise and the truly rewarded are those who make work a passion of their own liking. Knowledge is never static and so while academics can provide crucial inputs to get us going being able to proactively improve and enhance value in the work done is what brings large rewards.

The problem for many is how to love our work. My suggestions are as under:

• First accept that work is a reality that we cannot escape.
• Next try and find a work that is closest to your interest, passion, knowledge and ability.
• If you are unable to find such a work that matches all the above or worse still has no correlation to any of the above, then be grateful you have some work that keeps you out of trouble and in fact rewards you for the effort.
• Dispassionately look at your work and find as many reasons as possible to be appreciative / thankful for the work you do. E.g. A heart surgeon has greater respect in society than a pathologist who conducts autopsies. Yet there must be some motivation for people to choose to be a pathologist
• DO also remember that, it is human nature to be craving for more and the rewards of work rarely satisfy most people. So while you must seek to be rewarded more for the better work you do, do not forget that better work means more effort.

Perhaps now, you have a better appreciation that WORK is a actually a wonderful Way Of Rewarding Knowledge!

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

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our inspirational and motivational blog

http://www.actspot.wordpress.com

WRITE

It is ironic that the classic usage of the three R’s that formed the basis of schooling only had the first R being used correctly when we referred to Reading, wRiting and aRithmectic. The other two R’s shot into prominence because of the phonetics, which again was ironic considering that the English language is not based on phonetics. Despite this anomaly, the critical role that is played by knowing how to WRITE can best be understood when we realize that it is a Way to Record Important Thoughts & Emotions. History is testimony to that since we are aware of what happened centuries ago, mainly because we had paintings and writings from those eras to fall back on. A major part of the credit must go to those who took pains to write and record happenings and events of those times.

Today we have so many writing and recording options that we are truly blessed, for we can with relative ease, write on what we fancy.  Yet for the vast majority of people, writing is a taxing chore that is best avoided. There are others who would have loved to write but perceive themselves too inadequate to the task. There is also a motley lot who believe that they have the ability to write and plunge headlong into frenzied writing churning out reams of material but then are aghast that they don’t seem to get sufficient readership.  Having regularly written this blog and www.actspot.wordpress.com  for over a year and a half, let me take the liberty of sharing a few tips to all those who would like to explore their writing talent and share their thoughts, emotions and storytelling skills.

Here are the 4 essentials to any form of writing.

Have a clear objective for writing. It is important that we visualize the audience who we are addressing for only then can we get some clarity as to what we want to write about, work on how we can convey what we want to share and ensure that our writing reaches the audience we target.  Many people write randomly and then feel frustrated that they run into writers block, don’t get sustained reader attention and worse still is that sinking feeling that no one knows that I write.

Develop your own style. The writing style is not merely limited to the content, the manner of presentation or the techniques used to keep reader interest alive. Style also refers to the choice of medium, the frequency of writing, the dynamics of reaching out to newer audiences and making your writing stand out and be noticed. Also pay attention to your own strengths in visualizing and transcribing for one can be a poet at heart, a story teller by inclination, an essayist by skill sets or a philosopher by nature. Each offers an opportunity to explore one’s writing abilities and we can attempt it all and then freeze on what suits our natural style best.

Have self belief. The problem for many beginners who attempt to write is that they give up too quickly. Writing is both a skill and an art. Unless one is exceptionally talented, it takes time to be noticed, needs discipline to prolific, takes courage of conviction to keep going when recognition takes time and one has to be creative and strategic to reach out to the right audience. Not all of us are blessed with all these qualities but those who have self belief will persist with patience and optimism.

Improve the play with words. All writing in any form is ultimately a play of words. There is no substitute for a rich vocabulary, a vivid imagination, a structure and syntax when put in print and a flow that is appealing and engaging. Experiment, experience, explore are the three E’s that will aid one in playing around with language and the fine nuances of it. If required, don’t hesitate to get feedback from people who can be objective, experienced and encouraging.

Hopefully, you will be able to grasp the subtle nuances of the points I have elucidated above and be able to appreciate how to WRITE well. If I have achieved what I set out to do, you too will find a Way to Record Important Thoughts & Emotions that are yearning to be put in print.

Action Points:

1. Can you recollect 3 of the best articles and 3 of the best poems that you read/ studied in your language text books in school? Can you outline the reasons for still being able to recollect those articles/ poems? 
2. Attempt to solve Crosswords, play a game called “Pictionary’ and / or   ‘Scrabble’. Also find out other innovative ways to improve your vocabulary.

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

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our inspirational and motivational blog http://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/