Adventure

I wrote these lines on adventure for my daughter's speech contest in the school. Somehow, I felt the lines were apt hence sharing it with a wider audience:

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing

Hellen Keller

The word evokes images of doing something that thrills us.  Normally, adventure involves an element of risk that makes adrenaline rush through our system.  Still, adventure is not necessarily a physical activity like river rafting, mountaineering. In a broader term, adventure allows us to challenge our comfort zone. People who have moved big in their lives have always taken a path less tread. And in the words of Frost, That has made all the difference.

Yes, the desire for adventure allows people to do extraordinary things. The fire of adventure motivates people to step out of their comfort zones and take risky roads. If Gates and Jobs wouldn’t have embraced adventure, we wouldn’t have Windows or Apple in our hands. The thirst of adventure keeps the fire to do big things alive in our heart. It gives the spring in our steps to chase impossible dreams and make them a reality. The live example is our prime minister.

Allow adventure to unfurl its wings in your heart. It will make the difference between an ordinary and extraordinary existence.    

My experiences with prayer

Prayer is not an alien concept for me. I have been raised in a house, where God and daily prayers were a norm. In all difficult circumstances, we prayed hard and reiterated our wish to the God. To be honest, I was raised as a God-fearing person. However, as I grew, my notion of prayer altered. I could never figure out why blood was shed on the name of religion. How people communicate with God can come between people who are alive? Then, I never got used to the idea of an all-pervasive God who was nothing more than a Peeping Tom. Someone whom one should be afraid of.

I always prayed to my maker with the feelings of love. I loved him. Rather than praises, the God also wants affection and love. I stopped praying to the God to fulfil my wishes. What I will get in life is governed by destiny? God shouldn't be prayed for trivial details like a child's admission, a traffic light clearance. Still, we need His intervention in all things small or big.

How my thoughts and relationship will metamorphose in the coming years is unknown to me? Currently, I am in love with my maker and will have no hesitation in meeting him, even now. I see His expression in plants that bloom, in birds that chirp, in people around. He has created an awesome world. Thank you

Management Lessons from Ram Charit Manas

Recently, I decided to read Ram Charit Manas, the holy book of Hindus. It always adorned my house sitting pretty in the place earmarked for worship in a segment of guest bedroom. However, I had never read it. And then, like lightening, it struck me that I should not spend my life without reading it. Not, that I have renounced the world, but it was driven more from the urge to tick off an item in the to-do-list of a journey called life. Well, getting back to the title, below-mentioned are my takeaways. But, before I jot them I seek with folded hands forgiveness of Goswami Tulsidas for my interpretation.

1. Mutual Admiration Society: Strive to form a mutual admiration society. Well, co-operation is better than conflict between departments. And all good managers want to ignite conflict, because ruling becomes simple when seeds of division are sowed. However, the point to note is that normally, mutually admiration groups exist at the top, because it's easier at the top.

2. Good cop. Bad cop: A successful manager needs to perfect the art. In any situation, there should be two approaches. A stricter approach to deal with the scenario, the ideal case of a bad cop, and then a more kinder and easier approach, after the arm twisting has been done. The classic good cop. This enables an efficient manager to extract maximum outcome from the reportees.

3. Charan padukas are critical for power. It's hard to reach to the top in your place of work or at home, until you have support of someone at the top. Gaining support is critical for success and once you acquire that, your energy should be invested in furthering the cause of the benefactor.

4. When carrots fail, sticks prevail. Fear is more important in maintaining order and discipline. Positive reinforcements have limited role, but fear goes a long way.

5. Everything is fair in love and war. When it comes to conquering market shares or climbing high on the corporate ladder, it's more critical to know the weaknesses of the competitors. Once the weakness is discovered, spare no effort to destroy the person.
 

Most importantly, sharing war-spoils prior to war helps in long term allegiance of the members of the adversary team.