SHARE

As children we are often encouraged by our parents and teachers to SHARE and this ensures that we Start Helping All Receive Enough. While some of us felt happy to share what ever we had, most of us were more possessive and declined to voluntarily share our possessions unless cajoled or compelled to do so. Ironically, almost all of us coveted what others had and felt hurt and miserable when we denied those goodies by those who were fortunate to own them. Whether it was a ride on a rickety tricycle or sharing a cricket bat or a piece of cake or some cookies, if someone else had it we felt the urge to partake of it.

The psychology of sharing gives us insights into our own mindsets and behavior patterns. Most times we refused to share because we took pride in not just owning something but took perverse pleasure in denying it to others. It could be the latest gadgets or toys that we might not even know how to use or enjoy but we got a strange pleasure in denying someone else the opportunity to explore the wonders of it. Sharing would also expose us to the risk of getting less of the object be it an edible item or less time to enjoy if it were a non edible item. Very high on our risk parameter is the risk of damage/ breakage or appropriation by the borrower. In fact if we look back there must b so much we have hoarded over the years without either using it or enjoying it and with time the object has lost it relevance or utility or has become outdated an stale. Look at the number of old LP records or spool tapes that we refused to let any one borrow. Are there some pens and stationary that we hoarded for use at a good time? Do you have books that have never ever been opened and read but never given to anyone to refer to either?

Now look back at the times when you were the beneficiary of the largesse of some kind friend or understanding elders who let you partake of something that you could never have owned. Perhaps it was learning to cycle on a friend’s bicycle which you fell of from numerous times scraping yourself and damaging the cycle too. The pain of the fall must have long been forgotten but the pleasure of cycling still triggers a warm feeling inside. Imagine you looking longingly at a doll or a ball that you so desperately wanted but could not afford but most surprisingly somehow your parents managed to gift it to you for your birthday. Also recollect the pleasure you derived from bringing wonder, surprise and awe on the faces of those who benefited from your magnanimous gesture of sharing some of your prized possessions. The most common item that one shares is books (unfortunately reading is no longer as popular today) and that apart perhaps you lend someone a suit for his first big date or a cherished cosmetic to a young lady on her prom night.

When one has to SHARE, it is important that we do it with good grace. There is no fun in sharing grudgingly, unwillingly or reluctantly for the feeling of bad grace pervades and dampens the spirit of sharing. It is equally vital that we share not just from what we can spare but real sharing is giving out of your little. Remember sharing lunch during school days, with friends who craved your mother’s special dishes and you let them eat it all, saying there is more at home for me when you knew that there wasn’t any left. When giving off clothes you have outgrown ensure that it is mended, washed and really presentable. It is worthwhile remembering that when you SHARE you ensure that you Start Helping All to Receive Enough and since what goes around comes around you will soon get your SHARE too.

Action Points:

1. Make a list of all the things you have collected/hoarded/ stored which you do not visualize using in the immediate future. Against each item write down the name/s of someone who will appreciate it or make good use of it. Work out a schedule to share these items that you no longer need. Ensure that you have a big smile and a warm hug when giving these goodies off.
2. Some of the simplest things that you can share include a warm smile/ a pat on the back/ lavish praise/ heartfelt sympathy/ a thank you note/ respectful acknowledgement / volunteering your time and efforts

The answers to the questions in the previous blog dated 4^th August 2010 are

• H _ _ n   (4)   HYMN
• G_ p _ y (5)   GYPSY
• M _ t _   (4)    MYTH
• R_y_h_   (5)   RHYTHM

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/ 

THINK

There have many people who have asked me how I manage to come up with a variety of new and apt acronyms week after week. The answer is simple; you just need to THINK and that means one has to Try Hard to Invite New Knowledge. Last weeks post also had a small exercise as part of the Action Points, where again you had to think a bit and then get the answers. If you haven’t got all the answers make one more attempt before you check the answers at the end of today’s post. What is important is that one makes a good attempt at exercising ones grey cells before one calls it quits. Even more important is that we leverage our ability to think logically, creatively, rationally and philosophically to solve our personal problems; be it one of relationships, personal growth or the challenges posed by daily life.

Logical thinking is what we are most familiar with since most of our lives we spend in logical thinking. We have rules for grammar, mathematics, science and we have similar rules of discipline, decorum and decency, almost all of it following a logical order. Our day to day life is overwhelming influenced and controlled by logical thinking. Most of the problems we are confronted with are first sought to be over come by logical analysis and correspondent logical answers. The problem with logical thinking is that it confines our thoughts to set patterns and it does not have a provision for emotion and feelings to be juxtaposed in the process. Our creative thinking is sparked through the softer side of formal learning like arts, craft, debates, essay writing etc. We nurture our creative thinking by honing the skills by being inventive in playing pranks, finding excuses to escape punishment, by being curious and making new discoveries which open our eyes to new possibilities and by pushing the boundaries of our established thinking into the realms of imagination, fantasies and wishful thinking. E.g. When one blows into a balloon we can inflate it. Someone wondered what would happen if we fill helium gas which is lighter than air into the balloon and suddenly you had balloons that could float in air. Someone decided to see if the balloon was made gigantic in size and filled with hot air if it could take a joy ride using the original principle of the helium gas and soon we had hot air balloons being used to soar up.

Rational thinking mirrors logical thinking but it is generously sprinkled with abundant doses of feelings, sensations, humanness and if required laced with a generous helping of creative inputs. E.g. An eye for an eye logically sounds like a the most appropriate system to ensure fairness to a victim but to the rational mind sounds very barbaric. With a healthy dose of creativity we have established the judiciary system to ensure that the guilty are made accountable and the victims given fair justice. Philosophical thinking focuses on marrying the various types of thinking into a process of self fulfillment. Philosophers study, analyze, explore, and propound the ideal thought process that attempts to capture their understanding of harmonious day to day living. Human nature seeks answers to complex questions like the origin of life, the existence of God, afterlife etc. and philosophical thinking attempts to fulfill that quest.

At various times each of us indulge in these varied styles of thinking. When we desperately seek answers we alternate between these styles rapidly and pick up the answer that suits us. Many a time the answers thrown up by each style contradict each other and confuse us. We are then forced to THINK and Try Hard to Invite New Knowledge that will offer us a clearer path forward.

Action Points:

1. Assume you are in a museum that has some of the finest paintings by the world masters including paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso and Rembrandt. Suddenly you become aware of a fire raging. You can save only one of those priceless works of art. Which one of those priceless treasures would you save? (This was a question posed by a leading newspaper and the best answer they awarded the prize to will feature in the next blog post. Meanwhile you can send in your answers as a comment to this post.)
2. Here are 4 words in English which do not contain a vowel. Can you fill in the blanks and identify the words? The number of alphabets that make up the word are given in brackets.

• H _ _ n   (4)
• G_ p _ y (5)
• M _ t _   (4)
• R_y_h_   (5)

The answers to the questions of the previous blog post dated 26th July 2010 are as under:

2E and 1N on a F = 2 ears and 1 nose on a face
S is B (Hint it is a well known phrase) = Small is Beautiful
5 T on a F = 5 toes on a foot
3 W on a T = 3 wheels on a tricycle
B B B S & T T L S = Ba ba black sheep & Twinkle twinkle little star

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

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

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SHAPE

When we attempt to give a form or structure to anything we fancy be it a drawing, a sculpture, writing, communicating or even our thoughts and reflections we are in effect giving it a SHAPE which enables us to See How A Pattern Emerges. In order to ensure that we can shape our future and script our success it is important to understand how one should go about the process of shaping our dreams and turning them into reality.

Visualization holds the key to us being able to format a shape first in the mind, then on paper and finally in the end result. To visualize one needs to tap into all the senses, be vivid in our imagination, indulge in letting our mind run amok and rein in the diverse responses and collate it to get the first rough cut. The trick in visualization is to suspend judgment and not to filter our thoughts with any form of logical or so called rational filter. Instead just let your imagination run wild and explore all options, create magical moments and fantasies and capture and concoct the most improbable scenario. When there are numbers one can be choosy so the focus is on generating the quantity and then sort out and isolate what we truly believe in or hope to harness fully. Eg. Write down 10 social problems that you are deeply concerned about as a citizen.

Transcribing on paper is the perhaps the toughest part of the process of giving shape to our ideas, dreams, visualization and strategies. There are two possibilities at the time of transcribing on paper; the first is the plethora of ideas and the second is a complete lack of ideas. The latter leaves us with little option but to choose from the limited options. It is when we have plenty of options that we get caught between what to choose and what to leave out. Here we need to use a combination of filters to distill the best option. First is the filter of simple logic and screen for the option that is most likely to be a winner. The second filter is the filter of practicality and this could mean scanning resource availability, time constraints, criticality and acceptability. The third filter surprisingly is an antithesis because it works on the principal of gut feeling and instinct. Eg From the above 10 social problems that you have listed pick one concern and write a letter to the editor of the newspaper on the same. Whilst writing bear in mind the following questions.. What will your focus be on? Why should the letter b published by the newspaper? What is the impact your letter to should make on the reader?

Can you see a pattern emerging during the process of your efforts? Visualize a target board used in archery where there is a small bull’s eye circle with bigger and bigger circles around it. When you begin to transcribe on paper you begin with the biggest circle as your reference point and then you narrow it down slowly to reach the bulls eyes. However one hits the bulls eye only when attempts the shots. Similarly execution is the final step in shaping success. One will need to constantly rework and redraw until the bull’s eye is clearly visible and that is when one needs to take the plunge and execute the plans. It is when one commits that one can begin to give SHAPE to ones hopes, dreams, desires and passions and it is then that one can See How A Pattern Emerges triumphantly.

Action Points:

1. Draw a target board used in archery from memory. Color code it too. Next look up the net and view an image and compare it with your own effort. Do you experience a sense o pride in your effort? On need not be a skilled artist to do the exercise, yet one can easily get a sense of achievement on doing the exercise.
2. Attempt to solve the following. Let your imagination run riot and then rein it in if you want to solve it.

 (The first one is given as an example for you to understand.)
24 H in a D = 24 hours in a Day
2E and 1N on a F =
S is B (Hint it is a well known phrase) =
5 T on a F =
3 W on a T =
B B B S & T T L S =
(Answers will be given in the next post )

 

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/  

 

 

 

REST

Look around and you will find harried mothers, exasperated children, stressed out business executives, tired workers and many listless people moving around like zombies. Perhaps you are one of these too and you are aware that you are not at your optimum best. A short reflection will perhaps enlighten you to the reality that you may be working too hard and that what you really need is REST and Recoup Energy Smartly & Totally.

The trouble with trying to rest is that many of us feel guilty that we are whiling away our time whereas in reality it is a way to unwind and recoup our energy. If our mind is not willing to accept that not doing anything and lazing away is almost sinful, going through the motions of resting becomes even more stressful, for it saps our mind and body because of the constant tension created by our own lack of belief in resting. Our discomfort about resting would often be a sign of our workaholic nature or symptomatic of a troubled mind. When we have too many activities lined up, take on varied responsibilities and are poor in delegating tasks rest becomes the rust that corrodes our compulsive need to be busy bodies.

 

There are many who really get confused about how to rest. To a certain set of people rest is all about vacationing but wanting to extract every moment out of the available time. They invariably plan out vacations designed to encompass extensive travel, sightseeing and long days at the end of which each passing day becomes even more stressful than the previous day. They return from trips more tired and haggard but secretly relieved that they visited many places but blissfully unaware that they didn’t savor the beauty of the place. There are others who are more impulsive and go unplanned for long trips and then feel cheated when they encounter reservation and hotel booking problems and come back drained and disappointed. Nothing beats the people who go vacationing with their laptops and files for they end up annoying everyone including bosses by their tardy responses and the family by their insincere pretence of enjoying family time.

Anyone who wants to enjoy the best rest must be prepared to switch off completely from their present activities. This includes switching off cell phones, laptops and any form of communication that is work related. The tougher part is switching of mentally from the work mode to a chill mode for we invariably end up worrying about frivolous matters that should be ideally left to the boss or subordinate to handle. While a good sound sleep is a wonderful way to rest, one can also indulge in ones passions like music, movies and reading to get the ideal rest. Learn to indulge in what you crave (in moderation if there are medical restrictions) be it wining, dining and dancing or being an occasional couch potato. Vacationing is a highly recommended too because it can also help broadens ones horizons and possibly promote bonding and self discovery too. If you have a group with you be it family or friends, ensure that you strike a balance with the plans of all those accompanying you. It is pointless ending up arguing and disagreeing when you plan to rest. Soak in the freedom, enjoy the bliss and peace, catch up on sleep and never forget to plug in to the ‘moment’ for that is when you really REST and Recoup Energy Smartly & Totally.

 

Action Points:

• Name your 3 favorite leisure activities. When was the last time you indulged in any of them and soaked in the pleasure of it completely? Is there something that you wished you could indulge in but held back because of circumstances? Do you think you can work towards making that a reality in the next 2 years? Start planning for it and experience the joy of planning and notice how relaxing that is too. 
• Given a choice between the following holiday spots which one of them would be your choice and why?

- A beach resort
- A trek up the mountains
- An idyllic locale in the country side
- A five star hotel located in an A grade city

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/    

DECIDE

To make up ones mind means to DECIDE but the process is not as simple as is sounds because one need to Develop Extra Clear Insight to Discern Emphatically. To get an idea of the problems one faces in taking a decision, recollect the story of the man who was asked to sort out potatoes. This is an apocryphal story about a man who was searching for a job and who managed to get a job of chopping wood, which he did with great alacrity and impressed his farmer boss. He was then asked to sort out the potatoes into 3 piles small, medium and big. At the end of the day, the boss was stunned to see the man barely having a few potatoes in each pile. On inquiry the helper confessed that he was having a very tough time deciding in which pile each potato should go. Clarity in decision making is tough especially when the facts are subject to varied interpretations.

If there are law suits that are growing in geometric proportions worldwide, a large part of the problem lies in the reality that deciding who is right and who is wrong or deciding on an equitable solution is extremely tough. In fact world over more and more people are tempted to believe in using the legal system to address their domestic issues which in normal course could be amicably settled. This trend of increased litigation is partly due to the complex nature of the decision making process for each party to a dispute believes that he/ she is right and decisions of mediators are rarely accepted for fear of bias. This throws up another angle about the decision making process; it must never be influenced by personal preferences or bias or the end results could be disastrous. 

The ability to discern becomes another critical skill for anyone who needs to exercise judgment and decide. Experience is often a reasonable ally of anyone having to make a decision. However our past experience must not close our minds to the possibilities of other alternatives. As Mark Twain puts it ‘One must not be like a cat who once having sat on a hot stove refuses to sit on a cold stove’. Equally important is firm faith in our chosen decision. Many a time we attempt to change boats midstream and in the process end up falling overboard and drowning. The classic story of Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez who when he landed in Mexico on the shores of the Yucatan by ship ordered his men to burn the ships so that there was no turning back on the decision made to conquer or perish.

Finally it must be borne in mind that not all decisions we take bear fruit. Sometimes we go wrong in executing the decisions, other times the decision is right but the anticipated outcome is not got. Timing is just as critical for the decision to bear fruit. What is important however is that we develop the habit of taking decisions for only then can truly Develop Extra Clear Insight to Discern Emphatically.

Action Points

1. Read up on one of the great decisions taken by King Solomon http://www.kingsolomonlegend.com/the-judgment-of-solomon.html 
2. List out all the things that you need to do during the day. Now prioritize it and begin executing. Do you need to reprioritize the list more than once? Were you forced to reprioritize because you missed out on some crucial assumptions or you made the wrong assumptions to begin with?
3. Here are the answers to the scrambled words challenge posted on 13 July 2010 in our blog http://actspot.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/expect-nothing/ 1. ALONE 2. HAVOC 3. GRAZE 4. NASAL 5. STAMP ( Did you underestimate the time because you were overconfident or were you undermine your abilities and overestimated the time)

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

MANAGE

When one has to deliver results the key is to MANAGE. Be it people or other resources, the trick lies in  ensuring Meticulous Aim Nagging Accuracy & Good Execution. The challenge of managing has been there since time immemorial. Right from the time Noah had to build his ark things have just got more complex today. Fortunately management as a discipline has evolved in leaps and bounds and technology has aided in making the process more rigorous and systematic. Yet at the heart of the whole business of life is a simple edict, deliver results.

In business, when judged by the yardstick of delivering results, irrespective of the scale of operations, the size of the activity or the complexities involved, we need to simply manage all our resources in order to get the results. Classical management theories have an acronym for the key management functions ‘PODSCROB” which when expanded reads as  P-lanning O-organizing D-directing S-staffing C-controlling R-reporting  and B-budgeting . When we examine each of these we realize that for the functions to work in harmony and tandem what is needed is simply someone to manage to each area. Yet if one has to manage each of these functions there has to be a clear understanding of the role of each function and the interplay between them.

Ironically the real challenge is for us to manage our own life. We are often caught up in the rat race and our goals more often than not, are decided not by us but by our bosses and customers. These professional goals often subvert our own personal goals realting to family life, social life and personal time. It is not that we do not have goals in life but compulsions of daily living have molded us to be subversive to the demands of our career. The conflict between our own ambitions and the demands of a career create tensions and makes our life even more challenging and demanding. If we objectively ask ourselves why we have so much of tension and worry in our life, we make the painful realization that it is because we are not able to manage our life.

Apart from the fact that we are subject to demands of work, society and the challenges of living, another important factor that we need to manage is our own goals. Unfortunately many of us have very vague goals and these goals are rarely tangible but often expressed as adjectives which are hard to crystallize in any manner. A good job, lots of money, a posh house, fame and recognition etc. are terms we use to describe our goals. Notice that none of these terms will mean the same to any two people. If there is lack of objectivity in the goal itself, how can one ever come to know that he/ she has attained that goal. Even more problematic is the fact that we can never manage a vague goal.

Instead of chasing imaginary happiness illusionary riches or perceived success, what we need to focus on is, identifying tangible goals for ourselves personally, professionally and socially and systematically MANAGE it through Meticulous Aim Nagging Accuracy & Good Execution.

Action Points:

1. List out goals under the following heads: personal, professional, financial and social. Under each head there must be at least 5 tangible / actionable / progressive points.
2. If married attempt a role interchange between your spouse and you for 2 days a week to better understand the challenges of each other’s role. If single ask a close friend or family member (parents/ siblings/ cousins) to tabulate a list of goals that they would set for you. Now compare your list and realign your goals if needed. Focus on goals that are extremely tough for you to achieve but something that you really want to.eg. You want to improve your grades by 5% in the next exam but you either hate  a subject or are weak in a couple of subjects. You will have to now double your efforts or get extra coaching for the subjects.

 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/

CHOICE

One of the ironies of daily living is that we crave to have choices but when given a CHOICE we are confused and indecisive because although we Can Have Options Including Candid Evaluation all alternatives look attractive and sacrificing one for another is anathema to our rational. Perhaps emotions have a big part to play in us being unsure of the right choice or it is possible that we suffer from the ‘grass is greener on the other side’ syndrome.

 

The beauty of choice is in the fact that we have alternatives from which we can choose. This is critical because each of us has our own unique tastes, thought process and yardsticks to come to a conclusion and make a decision. The mobile hand set boom for example has triggered a revolution simply because it incorporates style and features that can be customized to be as distinctive as the individual who owns it. Choices also ensure that there is no monopoly, control or domination and at the same time ensures that there is vigorous competition that ups the quality antennae, expands the range and keeps the price competitive.

However too much of choice poses a new dilemma; one of selection rationale. To commit to a choice implies that one has made an informed decision but as is often seen in the market place regarding investment choices for example, we have to seek professional help and hope the advice is without any vested interest. This however is a minor price to pay for we can attempt to educate ourselves and at the same time give deep thought and have greater clarity about our end goals. The real benefit of choices is the freedom that we as individuals enjoy for we are free to choose and also free not to choose. There are times though when we are left only with a Hobson’s choice where the alternatives are equally poor and yet we have to make a decision. If there is no choice then we would be forced to make a half hearted commitment as we do for example when we cast our vote at election time. Yet one would agree that the imperfections of choice provided by democracy are far superior to the tyranny and suppression by a tinpot dictatorship.

Choices enable us to exercise our personal power and express our individuality. While many a decision we take are often unduly influenced by our emotions and feelings, if we have a focused goal and clarity of purpose we Can Have Options Including Candid Evaluation. We can then be proud of our decisions when they turn out perfect and we will have to manfully accept our error of judgment if we exercise a wrong choice. Remember the series ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire or the Indian version of it Kaun Banega Crorepati’!

Action Points:

1. Clarity of our end goals is the key to choosing the right options. Attempt to write down your goals for the following aspects of your life. Long term financial goals at retirement. Short term goals to pursue an interest or passion. The kind of assets you want to create over the next 10 years.
2. Based on your goals work out the action plan with specific timelines and milestone activities clearly identified. Keep reviewing your goals and also your choices made from the various options available to you to attain those goals. 

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/