Acronyms to kick start the New Year

Just thought that this set of acronyms would provide each one of us the perfect inspiration for the New Year and hence I have chosen to share the same here. It would be a very person or a very dumb person who would not accept the fact that he/ she did not face failure in the past and particularly in the year just gone by. Most times the failures could be attributed to incompetence, inefficiency, tardiness or carelessness. However often when we attempt something new we are not successful in the first attempt and we are dejected. Many times we refrain from attempting something new purely because we are afraid to fail. Yet when we reflect on all the progress we have made right from the time we clumsily held  a pencil in the hand and attempted to write the alphabets to the numerous times we feared drowning in the pool while learning to swim or the numerous bruises that  testified to the difficulty we had in learning to cycle we realize that failure did not hinder our resolve. This is because to FAIL was just an acronym for First Attempt In Learning.  Resolve to attempt something new each month and master it or make significant progress in it by the end of the month.

For sure, you would have committed blunders and felt that it is the end of the road as far as your future was concerned. Yet, despite the admonishments and embarrassment you faced you still got another chance to redeem yourself. Perhaps you failed an exam or did not honor a commitment. Possibly you did not clear a number of job interviews or worse still never got a call for a job interview despite applying in numerous places. Some of you may be stuck with a boss who is often critical and unappreciative of your work and threatens you with dismissal. The fact is that despite these very daunting circumstances you still live with hope, possibly you have even managed to be successful in your academics or career and you have expectations to a even better future. All this, despite you often feeling that it is the end of your dreams. This clearly demonstrates that the END is merely an acronym that reminds you the Effort Never Dies.

One word that hurts us most is the word No which to put it mildly is a point blank refusal our plea. As children we may have craved for the best toys and clothes only to be stonewalled with a firm NO. Maybe as teenager you were forbidden from attending late night parties or perhaps even encountered the pain of being rejected with a firm no by a person whom you had a crush on. It is equally possible that as a professional your subtle and not so subtle requests for a pay hike has been dismissed with a curt no. For sure every NO hurts but once we come to terms with it, we rationalize that there is always a Next Opportunity.  

So, as the poet Longfellow says in his poem ‘ The Psalm of Life’

Let us, then, be up and doing,

   With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

   Learn to labor and to wait

The First Attempt In Learning may not be successful but you must remember that Effort

Never Dies and  that life always gives us the Next Opportunity to be successful.

Action Points:

• During this week walk up to complete strangers and wish them for the New Year. ( it is not as difficult as it first seems). Also observe their reactions for it give you clues as to what you did right or wrong.
• Ask your best friend/ sibling/ parent/ colleague to tell you honestly about the one habit / aspect of your personality that they would like you to change / improve/ work on. Ensure that you make a fervent attempt to try to work on it during the year.

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PULSE

The most common act of any doctor is to study the pulse of a patient. The pulse offers a fair indicator to the doctor of the general health of the person concerned and is thus an invaluable tool to begin diagnosis of the real illness. In case of life and death situations too the pulse offers the immediate evidence of the state of the patient.  The PULSE therefore Provides Ultimate Life Sustaining Evidence both for the average person as well as the specialist doctor.

The pulse is an intangible yet omnipresent evidence of the physical life that we are blessed with. What makes it special is that it is also a good gauge of not just the physical health but also the moods and mental attributes of a person. Notice how are pulse races when we are anxious and how deep breathing when angry or upset can act as an antidote and immediately the pulse slows down and resumes the even pace when we are calm. A similar reaction could be triggered when watching a horror movie or a suspense movie or an action thriller. Conversely a light hearted comedy or a romantic movie could still make the pulse race but in a more subdued manner. The pulse of the movie as measured by you subconsciously could synchronize ones pulse to the emotion that is triggered.

On the larger canvas of life, gauging the pulse of the people is a common euphemism that plays a critical role for those who depend heavily on using this understanding to influence people’s perceptions and choices. Most political rhetoric is often centered around the understanding of the pulse of the people. The advertising world and the marketing domain are past masters in leveraging their pitch based on their analysis of the pulse of the people. Political upheavals are a good example of how ignoring the pulse of the people or not having a finger on the pulse of the state of affairs brings about catastrophic consequences. For those who ignore the pulse of the people it would be painfully evident that life does not sustain if one ignores the ground realities.

While our pulse rate can be influenced by illness or trauma which could require medication, the stress and travails of life too have a major bearing on our pulse rate. One needs to introspect and understand both the personal metabolism as well as those personal triggers that can send us into panic or rage or anxiety or exasperation which have a negative impact on the pulse rate which shoots up due to stress. However a quickened pulse rate is not always negative. In times of danger the pulse rate is a trigger to take evasive action. Have you noticed the flight or fight instinct that is triggered when you come face to face with a wild animal or a growling dog or a spitting cat? The PULSE thus Provides Ultimate Life Sustaining Evidence be it by being proactive or by being reactive. provided we gauge the pulse right.

Action Points:

1. Observe people around you and judge for your self if they are relaxed, calm, anxious or stressed. Thereafter if you can, try to feel the pulse of these people and take the count for a minute. 70- 90 pulse beats per minute is considered the norm for an average adult. Do you think your initial assessment was right? Get someone to check your pulse too.
2. Feedback is good source of getting to know the pulse of the people around you regarding their perceptions about you.  Pay attention to both the positive comments and particularly to the negative comments to find out your strengths and weakness. If some negative comments are bang on even if they are resented by you, work on improving. E.g. if you are constantly told that you need to improve your body language because you slouch most of the time then this painful realization should be taken seriously and efforts must be made to stand more erect.

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/

LEARN

As man developed and evolved over the centuries, the key to the progress was the effort he/she made to adapt, adjust and advance which was made possible by the ability to LEARN. Learning was a mix of being enriched by experience, progressively experimenting, acquiring new skills and developing through analysis, thinking and creativity. What made the process smoother was the realization by each successive generation that through the process of learning each once was collectively and individually experiencing that Life gets Enriched As  Resources are Nourished.

When one set about to learn, there were specific competencies that we sought to improve but interestingly the learning nurtured much more than just one aspect of life. When one sought to became a better hunter, it was not the mere hunting skills that developed but the tools of hunting evolved, the styles of hunting changed and even the approach to what was to be hunted was carefully discerned.  In school today, the array of subjects that a student is taught is focused on giving an opportunity to everyone to have a feel of the various hues of learning and in the process helps one to have basic skills in key areas of life be it mathematics, an idea of geography, grasp of language skills etc.

Sports as an area of learning was focused on nourishing the energy and enthusiasm that forms the core of youth. It helps one develop his/ her physique, stamina, flexibility and in addition helps one discover the hidden talent and potential as a sportsperson. That apart, team sports bring out the team spirit and cohesiveness required to succeed, the realization that there is a leader and subordinate relationship, that individual skills alone cannot guarantee success etc. The sports arena also highlights the importance of being very fit, the realization that there are off days when even the champion looks very ordinary and that competition will always be around to challenge and compete.

As one goes about living one’s daily life, the process of learning continues consciously and unconsciously. Bringing up a child, balancing a career and a home, coping with sudden changes and calamities etc. are all events that we are never formally trained in or taught about. However the learning in most cases happens unconsciously, occasionally painfully but always fruitfully. If one seeks to learn, one must have the right attitude, the willingness to pay a price for the learning and the courage to experience the learning even if there is risk and danger attached to the process. A learning attitude is all about nurturing the mindset to accept what comes our way and to hope that we get a benefit even obliquely. Every experience is an opportunity to learn and many a time the experience can be painful, distressing and demoralizing. Nevertheless the gain is in realizing that it is not the end of the road. The best learning comes from putting into action or practice what is absorbed. Despite the best attitude, the best preparation and extensive practice, the reality is always unpredictable. We then LEARN that when we are willing to be lifelong students Life gets Enriched As Resources are Nourished though our experiences, by our own experiments and our positive expectations.

Action Points:

1. Jot down the 3 new things you learned during the last one week. It could relate to your work, it could be something you gained from the TV/ neighbor/ children/ friend etc.
2. Outline some new things you would want to learn. This could relate to your passion/ profession/ whim / or as a challenge. How will you outline the way you plan to achieve this and put some clear deadlines to begin and allocate the time for it too.

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/