It doesnt matter

if someone things you are a <negative characteristic> as long as you are absolutely convinced that you are not.

When you disturb order,

make sure you restore it.

Ad hoc work never helps.

Try to make a conscious long term change rather than a quick fix to solve the immediate problem. It will come back and haunt you. You have seen this being said so often in recent times.. and experienced it as well! Time to learn from it.

When you do something, do it well or dont do it! Even if you do a temporary patch in exceptional circumstances, keep a conscious note to come back and fix it! :)

Build effective feedback mechanisms..

.. and be willing to accept whatever feedback they provide.  

Life..

.. has this uncanny habit every once in a while of grabbing you firmly by the shoulders and giving you a good hard shake. And the message (in Batman style) is always the same. "Why so serious??" :)

Dont take life too seriously. Dont worry too much about the future. Dont brood over the past. Experience the current moment and enjoy it. The one thing to be carful about is to make sure the enjoyment is deep and not superficial! :)

Grow Up. :|

You cant get everything in life..

If you want home food, you have to come on time for lunch.

You are not the only entity around which the world revolves. Be sensitive to the needs of those around you :)

It is always better..

to promise less and deliver it rather than promise more and not deliver it.

DO NOT prmoise someone something to get rid of them for the moment. Better talk it out and sound stupid than give false hopes when you arent sure you can deliver. And always underestimate yourself. Yes, there are times when you stretch yourself.. but make that promise to yourself and try to beat it.

False promises are definitely worse than no promises.

When things are not going through...

STOP! Remember Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - DO NOT PANIC. And DO NOT try to stuff things through.. Frustration never helps.. It hasnt worked, isnt working, and wont work. And you know it. Calm down, take a deep breath and re-analyse. SLOW AND STEADY.

Do your breathing properly.. it helps. A couple of deep breaths at those crucial moments will help clear your mind. When you rush things, they create a much bigger problem. This is not a likelihood, its a certainty. The facts speak for themselves. And you know this.

So, when you just want to get something through, when that sense of frustration creeps in.. during that moment of weakness.. when your brain says, "AAARGH! JUST STUFF IT IN".. STOP. CLOSE YOUR EYES. AND TAKE A COUPLE OF DEEEEEP BREATHS. It will take 30 seconds at the max. And its worth it. :)

Consciously note down everytime you fail to do so. And consciously avoid failing to do so. It will save enormous amount of pain.

You cant get everything in life..

If you want fresh food, you have to come on time for lunch.

And remember that you are not the only entity around which the world revolves. Be sensitive to the needs of those around you. If you arent, well it will hit back at you. :)

When the best people screw up..

.. they take the learning and suggest or execute ways to fix it.

The rest say "sorry". (Taking a optimistic view of the world :) )

BEFORE you sit down to make a potion,

make sure you have all the ingredients. (It is supposed to be a very obvious thing btw)

Values are super important!

Look at Satyam! One selfish move to transfer personal liabilities to the company*, people lose faith. Values are fundamental principles. They must ALWAYS hold. Even a single exception will void it. Cultivate good values and uphold them with sanctity.

*In reference to the attempt of Satyam (an publicly listed IT company) CEO Rama Raju to let Satyam buy Maytas (an infrastructure company owned partially by his son). They reversed the deal after strong objection from the public

When something goes right..

.. Point outside the window.

When something goes wrong, look at the mirror :)

When things get heated up..

.. it is time to cool down. Yes it does seem pretty obvious when put that way, but many a times, we tend to inflame it further in the heat of the situation. Just like fire spreads. :)

So when things start getting hot, cool down. Consciously. Because a fire does not stop itself.

Saying the right things is one skill, saying the right things at the right time is quite another.

If you like something..

.. be sure to enjoy it to the fullest. If you don't like something, change it! Or change yourself. But NEVER complain.

It takes a great level of sophistication..

.. to be in control and yet not show power.

Meet new people..

.. get new perspectives. You will learn to appreciate the fact that everything is relative. Nothing is absolute. :)

The aim is to Explore..

..life! :)

You truly understand something..

.. when you can explain its essence to someone who has no clue what it is.

EINSTEIN was asked by his hostess at a social gathering to explain his theory of relativity. Said the great mathematician,
"Madam, I was once walking in the country on a hot day with a blind friend, and said that I would like a drink of milk."
"Milk?" said my friend, "Drink I know; but what is milk?"
"A white liquid," I replied.
"Liquid I know; but what is white?"
"The colour of a swan's feathers."
"Feathers I know; what is a swan?"
"A bird with a crooked neck."
"Neck I know; but what is this crooked?"
"Thereupon I lost patience. I seized his arm and straightened it. "That's straight," I said; and then I bent it at the elbow. "That's crooked."
"Ah!" said the blind man, "Now I know what you mean by milk!"

:) Pure Genius.

One thing at a time.

What is the next level of doing one thing at a time? Thinking one thing a time! First structure what you do. Then structure your mind.

As Sherlock Holmes says,
"I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones."

While I feel it is not possible to maintain such an attic simply because you are not sure of the tools you would be using, his emphasis on structure is very relevant.

When you do something right..

COPY the damn thing when you do it again! Technology exists to make life simpler. Use it!

The easiest way to break the ice..

.. is to ask for help. The best way probably is to offer help.

Whenever you are angry..

.. look out for the learning. There is always one. :)

There is little use..

in attaching significance to what the other person thinks of you. Different people have different views and it is impossible to please all of them. Happiness is a state of mind and it comes from within (yes it can be influenced by external factors but that is not lasting). So there is no point mulling over what the other person thinks of you and trying to change it. The opinions keep changing anyways. And there is no right or wrong.

What is much more important is that you are proud of who you are. Now, that perception counts. And only you can change it. :)

The most wonderful things in the world..

.. are natural. And they are free. :)

If someone asks for advice..

Ask them to do something first :-)

The key to getting work done..

is having incentives. And disincentives. The toughest part is in finding the right incentives.

Sleep well..

:-) Its as important as anything else.

Plan..

It helps. Before you embark on something new, plan it out. It might take a lot of time which might seem wasted, but it will definitely save even more time and a lot of headache later on. If you are not convinced, atleast try it next time :)

Which brings us to the next learning.

If you are not convinced of something, see if you can prove it wrong. If its just you "not being sure", it might be well worth trying it out. You will learn a lot from it even if you dump this "something" later on.

The process is ALWAYS more important than the result. :)

In desperate times..

Laugh at the situation. Make as much fun of it as you can.

Just like getting rid of a boggart :)

Purpose...

If you have a purpose in life which you feel strongly about, you can do anything!

It is a natural human tendency..

..to want to help. It makes a person feel good. It makes you feel wanted.

This means that you may actually be doing the other person a favour when you ask them for help once in a while! :)

What it also means is that one of the simplest ways to feel good is to help someone! :)

So you got hit by a lorry...

It happens.. Accept it. Accept the blame too. Dont blame it on the driver.. you were the one standing in the middle of the road thinking noone would hit you. Assess the damage objectively. You lost an arm? Well.. it could have been worse.. But the point is, that its a great lesson! Learn from it.

Think of Stephen Hawking... and you are complaining about a lost arm??? Stop insulting your intelligence and MOVE ON. You can still do great things! And remember not to stand in the middle of the road next time. :)

Dont..

underestimate anyone.

Pipelining..

..applies to the real world as well. There is a very good reason why so much effort is put into it.

The first step in getting out a hole..

is to realise that you are in a hole!

Good music..

Natural music.. unadulterated music.. makes you feel pure. Nature makes you feel pure. Stay as close to nature as possible! :) :) :)

Read news daily..

less for information, more for perspective :)

Same goes for books!

Spend 10 minutes everyday..

..thinking about nothing. Well, if thats too hard, just concentrate on your breath. Only your breath. Nothing else. 10 minutes. All the best! :-)

The benefits of this simple exercise are immense!

There is considerable difference between doing someting you love, and doing something you love with a bigger purpose which fascinates you in mind.. :)

You need to put in considerable thought to realise the latter.. And such opportunities do not come easily... they need to be created. But they give you true satisfaction. It doesnt matter what the purpose is, as long as it seems impossible, truly fascinates you, and will make you feel proud!

When such opportunities come by, it is probably worth dropping everything for them as they have the potential to take you very far...

Keep things simple..

But remember that many things are not as simple as they might appear at first. It is an opportunity for you to simplify them! :D

Money

Money, you can be a blessing and a curs at the same time. You turn friends into enemies and enemies into friends. You free us from our worries and you return other worries to us at the same time.

Money - what are your thoughts?
I am the seal of the heart - a heart sealed by me will love me exclusively.

Money - what will become of the one who loves you when you leave him?
I print a mark on my lover's heart which will remain a wound forever.

Money - what do you love most?
To change hands.

Money where is your place of abode?
In the heart of the one who adores me.

Money - whom do you seek?
The one who seeks me.

Money - whom do you obey?
To the one who has elevated himself above me, I shall become his slave and lie like dust at his feet.

Inayat Khan

“The purpose of industry was to serve the public by creating services and goods to meet its needs. It was not to make profits. Profits were necessary conditions but not its purpose.” - The Archbishop of Canterbury.

"The really great and long-term successful entrepre­neurs I have met or know of, have first had a vision, then went about its realisation. "

Reproduced from a very deep article on Money by Hans Frick! Thanks for the birthday gift pa! :)

I totally agree. The reason why financial markets are collapsing today is because the banks went after money. Dont go after money. It will come to you when you dont have a need for it. Have a vison, then go try to realise it. Money will come... You will have enough.. if you dont need it.

Hmm..

You did not post a learning on your birthday.

So many people have wished you, yet you dont wish myself.

So here is to the fantastic 20 years that have been your life...
"Happy Birthday!! May the joy and the learnings continue.. :)"

And a big thank you to everyone for making it so fantastic! :D

Decide...

and dont look back. Decide strongly. Either you want it or you dont want it. Most of the time it doesnt matter what you choose as long as you choose strongly.

Life can branch into more paths than you can comprehend.. And the turns are not always predictable. The only way to make the most of the path you are taking is to enjoy it. And this happens only when you dont look back at the paths you COULD have taken.

As they say, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.." So, if you keep looking at the other side, you keep switching sides. Look at your side. There is so much green in it. Enjoy this greenery. You can only do this if you stop looking at the other side :)

Thoughts on why we do what we do...

Makes sense..

If you DO take something seriously..

It will take you seriously.

Be clear when you do something.. Either take it seriously or dont. And if you dont, dont expect anything out of it. :)

Fake it..

Till you make it. And you will definitely make it if you fake it well! :)

It doesnt matter how much you know about something...

There will always be surprises. :)

The electron itself has no clue where it is or where it is going. Why do you think YOU can predict what will happen? You can try hard, but dont expect to be successful!

This universe is indeterministic. Let's face it :)

Keep your stomach happy..

your mind will be happy too! :)

Finshing..

Yet again.. a last minute submission. And you are only 30% done for your submission tomorrow.

Focus on getting a version done from the beginning and then working on making it better, rather than trying for the best possible version. Do it like an exam.. finish it first. Then working on finishing it well. It might perhaps still take till the last minute.. or you may again not get a version you are happy with, but atleast you are done.It eases pressure. :)

Only when there are constraints, do ideas flow. A creative brain is creative. Whatever the constraints are, as long as they are well defined. Maybe you ll get better ideas if the constraints had been different, but it will definitely be better than no constraints. The constraints can always be relaxed at a later stage if necessary..

If you dont take something seriously..

It wont take you seriously either :)

Thoughts...

Why dont I seem to have the intensity I had on Friday? Is it possible only when I am rushing to meet a deadline? Or do I work better when there is a group of people working on the same thing?

Yes, what had to be done on Friday required less brainwork and more hardwork. Is that the reason? Is it the environment? I should try working in SoC then.. Or maybe the current relaxed, half focussed way is the ideal way to do something.. Relaxed yes.. but half focussed? No cannot be. So why is it that I am not able to focus on the task at hand for a stretch and finish it off? Why does the focus come only in bursts? Even when I am very much interested in the task at hand? 

Future steps:

Try working at SoC alone

Observe yourself while doing today's project... see if its the group factor.

Will yourself to focus.. Dont think of anything but the focus.

The Daffodil Principle :)

The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, 'How can I put this to use today?'

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching. :D

A very nice story to help understand what that means...

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, 'Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over.'

I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from my house.
'I will come next Tuesday', I promised a little reluctantly on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. But, as I had promised I left for her home reluctantly. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house, I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.
'Perhaps we can give the daffodils a go-by, Carolyn? The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!'
My daughter smiled and said, ' It is okay mom. I can drive in this.'
We all went and my daughter was driving. The weather was sure bad. I was concerned. I suggested to Carolyn that we turned back.
My daughter persisted. 'It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.'
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read,! 'Daffodil Garden.' We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me, lay the most glorious sight.
It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
'Who did this?' I asked Carolyn.
'Just one woman,' Carolyn answered. 'She lives on the property. That's her home.' Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.
On the patio, we saw a poster. 'Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking', was the headline.
The first answer was- '50,000 bulbs,' it read.
The second answer was, 'One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain.'
The third answer was, 'Began in 1958.'
For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. And she created not for others, but for herself, for the nature, for her surroundings.
That is, learning to move toward implementing our vision and dreams - one step at a time, often just one baby-step at a time and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things.
'It makes me sad in a way,' I admitted to Carolyn. ' What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one! bulb at a time' through all those years? 'Just think what I might have been able to achieve!'
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. 'Start tomorrow,' she said.
She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, 'How can I put this to use today?'
Use the Daffodil Principle.
Stop waiting.....
Until our car or home is paid off
Until we get a new car or home
Until our children are married
Until we go back to school
Until we finish school
Until we move to new residence
Until we get married
Until we get a divorce
Until we have kids
Until the kids go to school
Until we retire
Until summer
Until New year
Until the festival

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching...

Courtesy Appa

Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day! :)

End of Round 1

It might be extremely thrilling to finish something in the 11th hour but try not to make it a habit. If you are doing something big enough, there is a very good chance it will blow up in your face. When that happens it might not be so much fun picking up the pieces. :)

Next time, plan your food properly, start eating heavier meals or keep a good reservoir of food. It is evident that your productivity is much higher when you dont have a growling stomach distracting you. Your body doesnt deserve to be abused in this manner.

Get ready for round 2!

you dont appreciate things fully..

till you see the other side of the coin.

Dont give up...

You are not giving your 100% when you are thinking of giving up or compromising.

But that doesnt mean you blindly walk jump into the hole. You must convince yourself that it is perfectly possible. There is not question about it. Now, with that as the invariant, come up with a better plan... where there is a will, there is a way :)

True focus

Is about submerging yourself completely in activity 1 and not getting out till its done. If you reach a point where you wish get out, make sure you get out completely and submerge yourself in activity 2. Do not think of activity 1 at this point. The satisfaction is much greater.

In simpler words, do one thing at a time. The trick sometimes is simply picking the right thing at the right time. :)

Teaching...

is not about trying to somehow dump all your knowledge on the student. Eager as you may be to share knowledge, it cannot be received like that.

Teaching involves picking the right level of information to share and packaging it such that it facilitates learning. 3 steps you could work on would be to lay down the framework, spark interest and show direction.

Take it slow.

And do one thing at a time.

And its not a very good idea to become a robot. Leave space for creativity...

Enjoy..

the means. The end will then not matter. You gain more from the means anyway.. :)

Simple productivity formula

Break things apart. And when are doing part1, think only of part1.

And it is truly amazing how difficult it is to achieve that true focus, and I am sure it will be even more amazing to see what I can achieve when that level focus is actually reached. I can already see glimpses of it.

"Nothing is impossible if you try hard enough" - What a stupid statement! Lets try and disprove it. And the process is great fun! And you will never cease to amaze yourself. :)

When the going gets tough,

The tough get going...

Drive

your own agenda when it is necessary.

Crises

Crises are the spice of life. When you are heading towards one, take it on with full force. Dont let it get away. And enjoy every moment of the fight. :)

Sleep

Beyond a point, your mind needs rest. You wont be able to do more just by spending more time if you mind is not in a position to cooperate. :)

Keep passing the buck..

Prioritize tasks where you are holding everyone up. And if it will take time for you to get such a work done, figure out a way to distribute/redirect this such that you are not a bottleneck. :)

You will definitely make mistakes..

But keep clapping! (In this case, marching)
And keep trying to do it better! :D

Look around and enjoy the scenery

Continue marching. Strive to march even in your sleep. And look around. There are so many things to see.. to hear.. to feel.. waiting for you to enjoy them. And as you march, you see newer and better things. And the rhythm of the marching helps you enjoy them better. Enjoy them. And strive to march better! Remember the boy with the teaspoon learning :)

A good thaniavardhanam makes sense only when you understand the thaalam. And when you do, its simply amazing :D

When things are not the way you want them to be..

Just grin. :D It is very simple to do. You just will your mind to curve your lips upwards.. further up. Great! It makes you feel much better :D

Keep grinning. March with a grin! Be happy. Don't stop. And don't even think of walking. :D

One thing at a time.

Your task list should remember everything else for you. So forget about everything else, focus on the task at hand. Set a time when it is due and try to finish it by then. Deadlines are another way to structure your mind and force it to march.

Ideally, all you should care about is the task in hand (and ofcourse make sure everything else is on the task list). Once you achieve this, time will take care of itself. Everything else will take care of itself. Its all about focus! Structured focus! :)

Keep marching...

Dont stop. Dont walk.

Focus!

It is really stupid if you cant find time to do 20 minutes of breathing everyday! Stop walking and start marching!!! Keep marching and maintain the structure till it becomes a part of you.

On October 12th 2008, someone learned that

"Structure is essential. Your mind likes freedom, but it works but better if that freedom is bound by a structure. Just like music. Just like Shakespearean sonnets.

That structure is provided by regularity. It sets a rhythm on which you can ride. Without the rhythm, what you do is meaningless. Make sure you maintain that rhythm. A simple way to enforce this rhythm is to do a good thing regularly. Every day without fail. Learnings. Kriya. Readings. Whatever it might me."

Looks like he did not learn it too well :-)

When in doubt,

Confirm. Then reconfirm. And then confirm once again to be sure. Never trust the word of a single person. Always check and make sure. And then check again.

The number of things you do dont matter...

What matters is the the number of things you do well. Pay attention to details. If you feel you cannot do something whole-heartedly, dont do it! But once you are in, you HAVE to do it well. Else it doesnt count.

Be very careful..

When you recommend people. Especially when your recommendation counts.

Task list

Nothing is too trivial to put on your task list.

Life

is not only about you.. that would be too simple and too unsatisfying! :)

The total time available in a day..

is directly proportional to the amount of work you do. :)

Apples with salt..

Helps fight any kind of headache. - Courtesy Mom

Must try this one. :)

You can always find a solution...

If you look hard enough and know what the question is. :)

Your processor speed

is actually adjusted to the temperature of your computer using a thermostat. If your comp is slow, it maybe because it is too hot! :)

Question

yourself constantly. And strive to provide answers to everyone else. :)

Structure..

is essential. Your mind likes freedom, but it works but better if that freedom is bound by a structure. Just like music. Just like Shakespearean sonnets.

That structure is provided by regularity. It sets a rhythm on which you can ride. Without the rhythm, what you do is meaningless. Make sure you maintain that rhythm. A simple way to enforce this rhythm is to do a good thing regularly. Every day without fail. Learnings. Kriya. Readings. Whatever it might me.

Systems systems systems!

It is extremely important to create systems. Solves a hell lot of trouble in the long run. Create systems for anything and everything as soon as it becomes more complex than dead simple. Dont procrastinate. It will save you a lot of time in the future.

Excessive Coding..

Spoils your eyes. Remember to take breaks. You health is much more important.

If you want to be happy...

Be. :) There is so so much to be happy about. Even on your worst day. The only thing stopping you from being happy, is yourself.