SORRY

It is said that the English language has three magic words and one of those magical words is SORRY. It often happens that knowingly or unknowingly we tend to upset people, hurt them physically or emotionally, betray their trust or simply ignore them and then when we realize our folly, the relationships is often strained if not completely yanked off. Fortunately the English language has this magical word SORRY that acts as an instant balm to heal all wounds, if said with sincerity, with feeling and with the hope of restoring relationships. SORRY is a Simple Option to Rejoin Relations Yanked

Unfortunately this word has been overused and used indiscriminately and so far too often its effectiveness has been dulled. Yet the power of the word sorry is phenomenal and when it is applied in the right context, for the right reason and in the right manner, it can transform relationships beyond imagination. The key is in using the word correctly. This is where most of us fail and perhaps the magic is lost simply because we say it without meaning the magic to work. Often, those who are offered the apology and told sorry are equally guilty of not wanting to accept the apology either because they perceive their hurt to be too deep and too malicious to be healed by the balm of the word sorry. Of course ego and thoughts of revenge too sneak in to the psyche to ensure that a SORRY is kept at bay till one has got even.

It is essential that one says sorry at the earliest possible moment when one has realized that one has made a mistake. Many of us take time to acknowledge our mistakes because the apologizing becomes an ego issue. This delay in acknowledging mistakes and deciding to say sorry could lead to misunderstanding and sour relationships which then become more complicated to restore back to normal. Equally important is the sincerity with which the sorry is said and the genuine feeling of remorse must be evident in the apology to make it effective and acceptable. Similarly it is essential that the people who have been aggrieved and to whom the apology is tendered be open and magnanimous in pardoning the mistake and being able to forgive. This takes a large heart, a soft approach and enormous patience. An apology must also be received with good grace showing respect to the person apologizing and saying sorry for it is in the manner and courtesy extended that will determine how the future course of the relationship will pan out.

A good way to view the use and effectiveness of apologizing and saying sorry is to see it as the oil that keeps the wheels of relationships moving. No matter how deep the divide, how painful the hurt, how swiftly the relationship was yanked out or how insulting the humiliation, if those who have erred can honestly acknowledge their fault and sincerely offer to say SORRY and if those receive the apology can keep their egos aside and seek a rapprochement both parties will find it the most Simple Option to Rejoin Relations Yanked.

Action Points:

1. Do you now regret not saying sorry to someone with whom you have broken off or had a dour relationship? Similarly do you now regret not forgiving someone who said sorry but your ego didn’t permit you to forgive him/ her? Remember it is still never too late to forgive and say SORRY, for it will be a big burden of your chest.
2. Look back at your younger days and recollect the following incidents and what you feel about it then and what you feel about it today

• A time when you goofed up your homework and your apology was not accepted
• A time when you bitterly disagreed with your parents and later they apologized for their tough stand although you knew you were at fault
• The number of times you quarreled with your best friend/ lover/ sibling and then made up.
• The power and feeling you got when someone apologized to you and you accepted it with good grace

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Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

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

GROW

It is the natural order of life that one has to grow. All living creatures and plants have to grow physically but it is the human race alone who has the ability to work on his/ her non physical growth be it emotional growth, psychological growth, personal growth, academic and intellect, financial growth or spiritual growth. The way to GROW therefore is rooted in ones ability and efforts in Grasping Rewarding Opportunities Wisely.

For anyone to grow there are three essential conditions; the willingness to grow, the ability to spot opportunities and the daring to grasp the opportunities no matter how difficult it may seem. Most of us are content with life as it is but we are frustrated that others seem to have more luck, more opportunities and an easy path to grow. We believe that others are more intelligent ( we do not see them burning the midnight oil in order to achieve their excellence), that they are more emotionally stable ( we do not see them venting their frustrations), others are more popular and social ( we cannot phantom the sacrifices they make in order to keep their relationships growing) etc. When we see the efforts made by others, we rationalize that the end result is not worth it simply because we are not prepared to grow if it involves a lot of effort. Hence we shy away from aiming for the success of others that we secretly envy and occasionally despise. Willingness to grow therefore is the trigger that will help us explore opportunities to grow.

Just being willing to grow is not enough because we have to be proactive if we want to grow. This means that we have to be on the look out for opportunities to expand our imagination, harness our abilities, experiment and discover and furrow a lonely path with just faith to guide us along. Ironically almost all opportunities come disguised as problems. Yet we are so conditioned to escape from problems, avoid problems and pass on the problems to others that we end up scouting for things on a platter and these are really non existent. No opportunity comes out screaming aloud but we keep our senses alert we can see it in a jiffy. Alas, when we are not willing to grow we tend to lapse into a smug and contended life style like the frog who things his well is the ocean. On the other hand if we are desperate to grow, then we would like the frog who fell into a pail of milk keep continuously paddling till the milk turned to cream and then using that surface launch ourselves to take the big leap and discover opportunities galore.

Grasping the opportunities is more tricky mainly because no one wants to confront difficulties and most opportunities come disguised as difficulties. Take the case of someone wanting to improve his physically appearance and get a 6 pack. He has no choice but to follow a strict exercise and diet regime. The same holds true for someone wanting to lose weight. Are we really prepared for that strict regimentation? Human nature would ideally want life to be smooth sailing, fun filled and bereft of unhappiness or sadness so anything that disturbs that equilibrium is shunned, despised and consigned to the back burner. What we fail to realize is that even diamonds need to be polished and cut before they sparkle and gain value. It is not just hard work that is required but also persistence, self belief, risk taking ability, courage of conviction etc. that are put to the test, when we Grasp Rewarding Opportunities Wisely and attempt to frog leap ahead in life and GROW.

Try this:

1. Click on this link and observer the image carefully. http://tinyurl.com/23lmmj6. Can you see the two images in this picture of the young lady and the old woman. Our life is like that image…it GROWS the way we see it.  
2. Outline 3 areas of growth you plan for the coming year in the following dimensions of your life

•  knowledge
•  social service
•  personal potential
•  environmental awareness

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/

 

TALENT

This post comes at a the most opportune time when we are witness to one of the most talented personalities of world sports, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s extraordinary career graph and phenomenal achievements culminating in his scoring his 50^th  century recently. He epitomizes the crux of today’s post TALENT where he has demonstrated that True Ability Lets Efforts Naturally Triumph.

What is remarkable about his phenomenal success is the fact that he has no real family pedigree or background to boast of. He has carved his own niche by sheer hard work, consistency and self belief. Even more amazing is the fact that he started young but more remarkably seems to be at his peak when most cricketers his age have retired or are on the cusp of retiring. The message for all his fans and for those who hope to emulate him is simple; identify ones real talent, work on improving the raw talent and honing it to a level of expertise and have the self belief to let your natural abilities guide you to the peak of success. 

Each of us is actually blessed with some strength that doubles up as a talent when the energies are directed towards positive goals. Some have natural flair for number crunching and mathematics, others for the fine  arts like writing, painting, dramatics, still others the gift of listening and empathizing and they make wonderful counselors and friends and the list is endless. The difficulty is in recognizing it because most times our modesty prevents us from acknowledging it or our ego blinds us from accepting that we have no flair. The world is also full of talented people who never realized their potential simply because they were not prepared to hone their ability by hard work and persistence. It is vital that we take the effort to fine tune our abilities and master it and even then work on raising the bar. Hard work becomes harder when the going is tough, we hit a personal bad patch and if our confidence is lost and the critics are training their guns on us. That is when self belief will help us regain our confidence restore our pride and allow our abilities to flower and bear fruit.

In day to day life too we can leverage our TALENT in innovative ways be it merely doing our regular work in an extraordinary way or using our gifts to bring good cheer to others or by being simply useful and proactive in crisis situations. That is when we realize that our True Ability Lets Efforts Naturally Triumph.

Action Points:

1. Identify a role model for your self. Now enumerate the talents that the person possessed that you believe was instrumental in them achieving success. Do you know of incidents from the person’s life where he /she overcame many odds to achieve their success? What are the two qualities they posses that you believe would be very useful for you to cultivate?
2. Identify your strengths on the following parameters

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Academic skills
• Human Relations skills
• Creative ability
• Capacity to work

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/

HOPE

When things go wrong, quite often we panic, we get frustrated and we despair. The negative emotions add to our anxieties and worries and make it hard for us to see things in the correct perspective. The net result is that we end up being very cautious, very suspicious and find it hard to savor the good moments in life. However instead of getting flustered if we can redirect those emotions by some positive thoughts and energy we will be blessed with HOPE and we will be Holding On to Positive Expectations.

Many times we see an event as something dreadful and irreversible and then we find it hard to focus on the anything positive about the whole situation. Assume a close family member is diagnosed with cancer, our immediate reaction is to visualize the worst scenario where the cancer has spread and the days of the individual are numbered. On the other hand if calmed down and accepted the reality with equanimity, we would examine the matter logically, factually and optimistically looking out for signs of HOPE to which we can cling on to. Yes hope can be generated by taking a cool, calm and unhurried view of events as they unfold, even if they are fraught with colossal bad news. The secret lies in remaining calm and unruffled but being alert to the evolving happenings.

To understand what it means to be calm and unruffled and yet be alert, observe a duck paddling in the water. They glide gracefully on the surface but below the water their fins are furiously paddling. Take a leaf out of the ducks style and adapt it to our own life and presto we have got the hang of the basics of generating hope. When calm we can think more clearly, be more proactive and hang on optimistically. By merely being calm we will reduce our anxiety and possibly think clearly but it still won’t be enough to trigger hope. To trigger hope in us we need to anticipate possible favorable outcomes, discount bad news with some signs of positivity and squeeze out the tiniest ray of hope that may exist in the circumstance.

Sometimes the key to HOPE lies in associating with people who are stronger mentally, naturally optimistic by nature and those who can stand by you in any crisis. Finding such friends is a blessing and you can find them when you seek them out. Sometimes they may seem to be people who are carefree and happy go lucky; others may portray an air of invincibility and arrogance, and there could be others who seem timid and aloof but they have one thing in common; a strong heart and a calm head. It is best if we can emulate their silent trait when in a crisis or else hold on them when in deep trouble and you will miraculously experience HOPE when all seems lost and suddenly you will be Holding On to Positive Expectations.

Action Points:

1. Look back at a crisis situation you faced and recollect the pessimistic thoughts that went through your mind. Now look at how the crisis finally ended; did u panic in vain? Were you calm enough to tackle the crisis with fortitude and HOPE? What was the learning point from that episode?
2. Assume you are traveling abroad and you have been mugged and lost your passport and purse and all valuables. You wake up in a hospital with the cops questioning you. What will be the next 5 moves you will make? Whom will you call first? What will your message be ?

 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

MUSIC

Music must have always existed since the time of creation. The melodious chirping of the birds heralding the new dawn and the mating calls of the birds have always awakened romanticism in human beings and brought about a harmonious peace and tranquility to everyday living. We find music in the lashing of the waves on the sea shore, in the pecking of a wood pecker, the pitter patter of rain drops and the creaking of the bamboos in the wind. The MUSIC is felt because the Melody Uplifts Stimulates Inspires and Captivates us.

Over time, man has developed the musical notes and ever since music is an integral part of human existence. Perhaps our ability to appreciate music could be a key differentiator between our world and the animal kingdom. What is noteworthy is that like the seven colors of the rainbow there are seven notes in music irrespective of the style of music or its genre. The ambit covered by those seven notes is humongous and so divine that it has spanned generations, has opened up innumerable styles, brought into focus an array of musical instruments and has even us hope in every situation through Music Therapy. While the vast majority of us would be slightly tone deaf and musically challenged if asked to keep time or sing, all of us have that music inside of us which makes us sway and enjoy the melodies that we favor. Yet, we need to be aware that there is a vast repertoire of music which we have never been fortunate to hear nor enjoy.

Each of us may have our favorite styles of music, our personal choice of singers and songs, we may be partial to certain musicians and musical instruments and we may find it hard to appreciate other genres of music, more because of our perceived bias rather because of a first hand dislike. It therefore is important for us to attempt to listen to as many styles as possible. This takes time and effort but the end result will be well worth it. There is as much ecstasy in Western Classical music as in Indian classical music, in the rock and roll of old and the country music be it of the west or of the east or orient. There is divinity in the chamber music, the choral music, the sufi music, the qwallis, the gospel music and bhajjans that pay obeisance to the divine powers. There is mischief and brazenness in the lavanis, the mujras, the cabarets songs and the raunchy ballads of seafarers. This is juxtaposed by the heart rendering gazals and pathos filled love ballads. There is an alien rhapsody in the music of heavy metal, rap music, trance music and the current rage of remixes.

Every possible human emotion is captured by MUSIC and this should spur us to attempt to enjoy as many flavors as possible. Almost all of us are simply taken in by the deluge of Hindi film music and the regional film music apart from the Western album releases. Music in any form liberates the soul and clears the mind touches a chord in the most hardened person and softens the aches and pains of everyday life. The MUSIC is felt because the Melody Uplifts Stimulates Inspires and Captivates us.

Action Points:

1. Check out the local newspaper and identify the various music performances that you must make an attempt to attend. Currently in my home town of Pune, there is the 4 day Sawai Gandharva Classical Musical concerts featuring world renowned Indian classical musicians and singers. There is also the 3 day Western Band concert featuring 50 bands this week. In the coming week there are two different Christmas carols programs and every week end the Poona Music Society features a Classical performance often of international artistes performing Western Music. Make it a point to attend those styles of music that you really haven’t been exposed to so as to give it your undivided attention and perhaps you may discover a treasure trove. 
2. Make an attempt to get to know performing artistes from close quarters to understand their life style, motivation and above all the effort and practice that goes into each performance. You can also attempt to be part of a choir and may suddenly discover your own latent musical talents. If you can beg/ borrow/ buy a variety of music from friends and make it a point to try and appreciate it. If possible take the help of a knowledgeable person to get a better understanding of the nuances of the music.

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/

FUTURE

For many of us tomorrow seems a long long way off and obviously the future seems light years away. Most of us are happy simply enjoying the moment and possibly reminiscing about the past and would prefer to merely visualize the future as an unavoidable necessity but a welcome one if it has good tidings to bear. What we don’t really factor in, is the reality that the FUTURE is here and we would be better off if we can Foresee Unusual Trends Usually Rapidly Emerging.

On a personal level, the future offers us hope because it offers us the time, the opportunities and the benefit of experience to better ourselves. We can leverage it only if we are aware of this tremendous boon offered by the future and we resolve to use this boon with conviction, confidence and composure. The first step we need to do is spend time thinking about what we want to do in the future. What are our long term goals, what are the intermediary steps to be taken towards attaining these goals and what changes have we to bring in ourselves in order to cope with the future are questions that beg serious answers from us. These questions presuppose the fact that we are optimistic about the future giving us very positive results. However if we take a pessimistic view point about the future, the chances are that we would be reluctant to even dwell on these important questions simply because we have lost hope and therefore fear the answers. E.g Someone with a debilitating illness can give up on the future or cling on to the miracles of science to give deliverance and hence prepares for it.

On a professional level, we need to anticipate the changes that will impact us because of the rapid pace of changes brought about by science and technology. If we are caught in a time wrap or we are unable to adjust to the demands of the changing world, be it in simple things like being tech savvy or more complicated matters as coping with complex investment products we would be completely overrun by the future. We cannot afford the luxury of ignoring the changing world for we are part of it nor can we brush it aside as being not relevant to us because the impact of the changes that come about affects each one of us. Often we ignore the changes in the mistaken belief that we are incapable of adjusting or adapting to it. The reality is that the changes that evolve in the future will suck each one into it and we either learn to accept it or we will perish.

It is the sociological changes of the future that will pose a bigger challenge for us to cope with, because these changes are more subtle, more potent and more unpredictable. The communication revolution be it the mobile phones or the internet have made social networking more popular online than in real life. The generation next has become more inward looking since they have the communication tools to experience the social needs without the hassle of having to socialize. Unfortunately, this has also made them more vulnerable to psychological problems of net addiction, depression, violence etc. There is also the social and cultural ethos that are slowly crumbling like the institution of marriage, the emergence of live in relationships, glorification of voodoo punks and heterosexuality. These changes too bring in opportunities and are also fraught with risks. That is why we need to accept that the FUTURE is here and we would be better off if we can Foresee Unusual Trends Usually Rapidly Emerging.

Action Points:

1. Outline 3 major changes that the mobile phone / net culture will bring about in your life. Do you think your own productivity has been hampered because of the mobile phone and the internet. How do you cope with the pressures of these unavoidable technological changes.
2. Assume that you have the power to make 3 major changes in your life. Outline the three changes that you would aim for and the resultant benefits you hope to derive from it. Now choose the first change you aspired for and list out the action points to actually attempt to make those changes starting now.

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/

PRESENT

The greatest gift we have is the PRESENT for it is a Prime Resource Emerging Silently Evolving Now Today. Today as your are reading this remember that you have not just this moment but the numerous moments that make up the day completely at your disposal to use in a manner that will bring you a sense of achievement, happiness and satisfaction. Each moment has so much of potential and it is available to us and freely and comes to us quietly with a million possibilities that keep changing moment to moment. At this moment a phone could divert your attention and you may move away from reading this post or a sudden thought of a pending job will lure you away from this post and thus does each present moment evolve.

The present is perhaps the most valuable resource that a person can be blessed with. It gives each one of us opportunity, hope and the possibilities of change which we can grab inured to evolve and grow. The present moment comes freely, reaches all and passes by silently neither drawing attention to itself nor holding back its bounty from anyone. These are the moments that one should grasp to make, enhance and mend relationships, utilize productively to grow mentally, emotionally, spiritually and materialistically and to bring about change within our selves, the environment around and positively influence the people who we come in contact with directly or indirectly.

To make the best use of the present, it is essential that one is aware of the tremendous power that each moment carries. This awareness will make us ponder, plan and put to use the moments as they charge in. When we ponder over how to use the present we can clarify to ourselves the priorities to be assigned to each moment and thereby evolves a plan. Many of us often ignore this step because it involves us making a systematic study and a firm commitment. We prefer to live moment to moment and therein lies the root cause of our many frustrations, failures and fears. By planning we have systematically put in place the perfect net to catch each moment lest they go waste. The moment caught is useless if we do not proactively utilize it for our own growth and the general good of the society and the environment at large.

Look at your watch or a clock ticking away now. Ask yourself if this is the present moment that had to be utilized in reading this post? If you think you had to do something else at the present moment, you would be feeling a touch guilty; else you would feel that it was the best use of the present that you have made. It is when we can see the PRESENT as a gift from the almighty, that we would value it more and take greater care of it, for it then dawns on us that it is a Prime Resource Emerging Silently Evolving Now Today.

Action Points:

1. Assuming that 8 hours is for sleeping, broadly outline the major constituents of your time usage for the remaining 16 hours in the day under the following categories

• Personal time
• Time at work
• Social Time
• Family Time

1. Procrastination (the habit of postponing things) is one of the major evils that rob us of the present. Right now, jot down at least three learning points from the above post that you would like to implement. Do not give any excuse for not jotting down points because the excuses are the cancer cells that spread the disease of procrastination. If possible also write down your action plan to implement the points jotted down by you. (Now experience the pleasure of having utilized the present very fruitfully)

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/