Sachinism - one Nation one belief

On the context of India winning the semifinal match against Pakistan and Sachin getting the man of the match.

I want to share a few excerpts from an article published in 1998 describing "What makes SACHIN TENDULKAR a living legend?".

Here it goes...

What makes SACHIN TENDULKAR a living legend?

Belief in himself, the will to win, the fear and respect of the rivals--he has it all. India's star batsman is sheer genius. What makes him a living legend?

I don't think anything is impossible. Of course, I'm not always right. -- Sachin Tendulkar, after scoring 143 against Australia

This is the first thing about genius. Self-belief. Inside the stomach of some men smoulders a defiance that is abnormal, a will so powerful that no ordinary barometer can register it. We dream, Tendulkar does. On that day when the sandstorm blew in to stop play -- it was God announcing he had taken his seat -- Tendulkar told coach Anshuman Gaekwad in the dressing room: "Don't worry I'll be there in the end." Don't worry! With four of the topline batsmen out and 94 runs to get in 87 balls; Vinoo Mammen of MRF telling his wife, "Let's go to the hotel and cry", and hope generally abandoned by all. Except by one man. Later, a spectator says, "It's sad one billion people in India have to rely on one man." 

This is the second thing about genius. Desire. They could have turned off the lights in Sharjah, Tendulkar's shots would have illuminated the city, such is the sunlight of his batting. India has qualified for the final, but he paces the dressing room hissing, "I was not out." It was the rage of a man who believes he has no limits. He was not there to help India qualify, he was there to win the match. We dream small, Tendulkar lives bigger. Says Allan Border, Australian coach, a day later: "Hell, if he stayed, even at 11 an over he would have got it." 

This is the third thing about genius. Fear. From the Aussie dressing room bustling with hard men, all sorts of stories emerge. One strategy is "get the bugger to the other end"; another says, "We bowled short, on the off stump, nothing worked." Michael Kasprowicz is sort of speechless. In the first match, he hits Tendulkar on the pads, smirks, gets hit for two successive fours. This match it's two successive sixes. Now he swears, "Shit, I'm sick of this *$#%."

 This is the final thing about genius and that innings. Respect. Next day, by the pool side of the Princeton Hotel, WorldTel boss Mark Mascarenhas throws a party for Tendulkar. Friday, final day, is his birthday and it strikes you starkly that as he turns 25, he has more centuries (14 in one dayers, 16 in Tests) than he has years in front of his name. Meanwhile, in a corner the conversation goes something like this: 

Border: It's scary, where the hell do we bowl to him.

Ian Chappell: Yeah mate, but that's with all great players.

Border: Well yes, but imagine what he'll be like when he's 28. 

I'd like to see him go out and bat one day with a stump. I tell you he'd do okay." 

- Greg Chappell.

Finish the argument, close the conversation, end the discussion about Brian Lara. The Aussies insist. Mark Waugh says, "Sachin's better; Lara is more risky outside the off stump." Shane Warne adds, "Nothing affects Sachin, Brian lets things bother him." Steve Waugh then takes the debate to a higher plane with one statement, a grand canyon of a compliment actually: "In history Sachin will go down as second to Bradman." What he's saying is this: Tendulkar owns the present, and perhaps one day will surpass the past as well.

It is too early to go further, but this much can be said already. His average in Tests at 54.84 is already higher than those of Greg Chappell, Vivian Richards, Javed Miandad, Lara, or Sunil Gavaskar. But it's not just that, it's not either the awesome truth that in 61 Tests he has 16 centuries, while Richards got 24 in 121 Tests. No, statistics are not the scale to judge him by; it is in the stories that the bowlers tell, the men who stare at him down 22 yards. Listen to Warne: "You have to decide for yourself whether you're bowling well or not. He's going to hit you for fours and sixes anyway." Kasprowicz has a superior story. During the Bangalore Test, frustrated, he went to Dennis Lillee and asked, "Mate, do you see any weaknesses?" Lillee replied, "No Michael, as long as you walk off with your pride that's all you can do." 

There is no one thing to greatness. It is physical, alertness, technique, wisdom, humility, patience, vision, but more a confluence of these in one surging river of genius. Tendulkar, five centuries in his last 12 Test innings, but not yet arrived at his peak, is a river bursting its banks. What doesn't he have? 

He is short, a Maradona of a man at 5 ft 4 inch, and, like the footballer, blessed with a balance that all sport demands. He can see so well that as the ball leaves the bowler's hand, he has decided -- while lesser men are still deciding -- where to go, back or forward. He is never wrong. 

He is calm, the impulses from his brain bringing the message to the body never impeded by tension or indecision. When he does this, he gains something: time. Other men look rushed, he unhurried and able to play any shot he desires, arrogant hook or artful slide.

He has vision or what Chappell calls "peripheral awareness", a man who without looking already has a map of the field logged into his brain. 

He has technique, says Ravi Shastri, meeting the ball under the chin and the eyebrow where timing comes sweetest. It is so outrageous these gifts, to play with the abandon of a street thug and yet with the finesse of Michelangelo, that some men find it unreasonable. Master technician Geoffrey Boycott, so goes one story, actually called to argue when Gavaskar recently said that Tendulkar's technique was the best. 

He has ... is there anything left? Yes, he has strength, in wrist, in thigh. The heavy bat helps. Still, says Warne, he has enormous power. "It's a bit discouraging. In India he ran down the pitch and hit me off the toe of the bat. It should have gone to mid-on but it went for a six." On that day in Sharjah, it was in evidence again. Gaekwad was stunned, for Tendulkar was running singles like a demon -- four 3s, fifteen 2s, thirty-five 1s -- yet hitting sixes (five of them) in between. "The running tires you, yet he was never out of position for a shot." 

"In an over I can bowl six different balls. But then Sachin looks at me with a sort of gentle arrogance down the pitch as if to say 'Can you bowl me another one?'" 

-- Adam Hollioke to a friend.

So what is it Tendulkar, what's the motivation, what moves you? Records? No. He just says, flatly, "It's the challenge that drives me." 

There is an understanding, a never articulated awareness among the abnormally gifted that records will arrive anyway. It is the situation to be mastered, the opponent to be numbed that pushes such men. It is elevating not oneself but an entire sport, it is stretching the envelope of possibility, it is all this desire that lurks within Michael Jordan and John McEnroe and Sachin Tendulkar. Eleven versus one on the cricket field is the Tendulkar fantasy. Says Shastri: "I have never seen such arrogance, such contempt for bowlers since Richards." 

Yet it takes work, talent bolstered by industry. Tendulkar will sweat at the nets on a line that troubles him. He would, prior to tours of the West Indies, get net bowlers to fire away at him from 18 yards. When he was told that like the Sri Lankans who discomforted him by bowling down the legside, Warne might aggravate him similarly, he went to the nets in Mumbai, snuffed the pitch where he expected the ball to land and asked the bowlers to bowl there. When Warne arrived, the greatest batsmen in the world awaited him. Ready. 

Now the search begins, in all earnestness, for the chink of daylight in his stance, the edge of weakness in his method. Tendulkar himself sees none. "I don't think I need to improve in any specific area, just generally." The Aussies are as unhelpful. Steve Waugh feels -- and check this for a weakness -- "his only danger is seeing the ball too well and going for his shot too early". Warne says bowl dot balls to frustrate him. Kasprowicz says, "Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours."

They know, Tendulkar knows there is no fragility apparent. As with all such men, it is only themselves who can prove to be the enemy; Tendulkar may nurture his genius or spurn it, the responsibility of greatness lies with him. It seems he understands that. He is surer now than before, less driven to petulant strokes or rakish indiscretion. That innings was just a reminder, a page from a book, that this is a batsman who was conceived under God's full attention. Imagine, what greater deeds remain, the other pages of that book are yet to be turned. 

Of that night some final stories remain. Chappell saying, "What would I want of his batting? Everything." And then finally, Ajay Jadeja, echoing us all: "I can't dream of an innings like that. He exists where we can't."

Eat cricket Sleep cricket Dream cricket

India-Pakistan cricket encounter in the World Cup semi-final to be played at the Punjab Cricket Association grounds in Mohali on today has reached crescendo with ticket prices touching as high as Rs one lakh. 

Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh showing his intention to watch the match and Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani accepting the invitation of his Indian counterpart to visit India to see the much-awaited Indo-Pak clash, there is unprecedented pressure from VIPs to garner tickets. A number of chief ministers, union ministers, senior bureaucrats and influential businessmen have approached deputy chief minister, Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Punjab Government, Shiv Raj Patil to arrange for seats.Congress MP, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra and Robert Vadra, avid cricket buffs too are arriving to watch the encounter. No hotels or guest houses are available in the tri-city due to rush of guests from across the country and Pakistan. In fact, the Punjab Government, PCA Mohali and tri-city could never had a better platform to market Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. 

All this has led to an astounding rise in ticket prices with black marketeers making the most of a mad rush. In some cases wards of VIPs and even cops are seen selling tickets at a high premium. In one case, a school student, son of a senior bureaucrat had sold tickets priced Rs 1000 each for Rs 30,000 each. Black market price of a ticket priced Rs 16,000 is quoted at above Rs one lakh. Alongside, there are reports of bookies betting on the match and Abohar, Ganganagar belt very active on betting. Reports suggest that favourites are India for the bookies. The PCA stadium at Mohali has a seating capacity of 27,500. Some people managed to get tickets from the counter on March 21-22. However, most of the tickets were pocketed by black marketers. Meanwhile on the diplomatic front, the two countries have found this as an opportunity to renew ties. The match will come a day after the Home Secretary-level talks between the two countries on March 28-29. It is expected that both prime ministers will also discuss cricket diplomacy to improve the Indo-Pak bilateral relations. India and Pakistan have not played in any bilateral series since the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008. The Pakistan cricketers have also not played in the Indian Premier League since its first edition in early 2008.

As far as security arrangements are concerned, over 3,000 policemen have been lined up, 100 CCTV cameras installed, quick reaction teams, bomb disposal squads and commando forces are on alert -- intense security defines the state of affairs in Chandigarh and Mohali, where the electrifying semi-final clash between arch rivals India and Pakistan is scheduled. The PCA now bears a fortress-like look with hundreds of security personnel deployed both inside and outside the stadium. Traffic restrictions have also been imposed near the stadium. According to SSP, Mohali, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, police forces have been requisitioned from various districts of Punjab. There would be a three-tier security arrangement at the PCA. A team of SPG, QRTs (Quick Reaction Teams), bomb disposal squads, ambulances and commando force will be there all the time for the floodlit match. Besides, unprecedented security arrangements have been made at the Taj Hotel in Chandigarh, where both the teams have been put up. Nearly 1,000 cops have been stationed at the hotel and for the first time, jammer-installed vehicles are being used to escort the team buses.

In fact these days, it is only cricket and people say that they drink cricket, eat cricket and sleep cricket with all roads leading to Mohali.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, ended his commencement speech to the graduates of Stanford University in 2005 with the following words, "Stay hungry. Stay Foolish." It would be fair to say that most of the hundred of thousands who have heard or read the speech probably have forgot everything about that allocution except these memorable words, "Stay hungry. Stay foolish."

These four words represent an entire philosophy for a successful life. They mean that, if we want a successful, rewarding and interesting life, we should be in the parade and not watching the parade go by.

The only constant in life is change. Nothing stands still. Life is dynamic and not static. Yet there are those of us who, through an exercise in futility, will seek to find security in an inexistent status quo. 

The, don't make waves, don't try anything and keep a low profile attitude is a recipe for boredom in the best-case scenario and for disaster in the worst cases. Trying to stand still in life is an impossibility and can only result in frustration, regression and ultimate failure.

It is a proven fact that a ship that remains in port will rust and wear out faster than one who travels the high sea. The expression of life is action and action is the generator of life. That's a lesson that was not lost by the happiest and most successful among us.

If we read the biographies of great men and women, we soon find out that they were creature of action. They were involved, they were engaged, they had causes, objectives, projects and goals. They were determined. They found meaningfulness, satisfaction and validation in their work and accomplishments. 

Successful living, in its true sense of the word, means implication and dedication to a cause, an ideal or an objective. In order to accomplish that, uncharted roads must be traveled, dragons have to be slain and calculated chances must be taken. 

As someone so wisely said, "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming... Dang, What a ride."  

Now, that could be exaggerating a little but it does express the essence of the concept. Successful living is not about watching the parade go by. It's not even about joining the parade. Successful living is about leading the parade.

That's what Steve Jobs was taking about in front of those newly graduates. He wanted to give these young minds the best possible advice that he could so that they would, not only commence their adult life on the right foot, but also stay on the right path for the rest of their life. 

To do that, he left those students with four unforgettable words, "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." Nothing else was needed. The message was concise, clear and unforgettable. A giant had spoken. Who could forget, Stay hungry. Stay foolish?

Goodbye Stress!

By Rene Godefroy  

1) Don’t Just Sit There. Move! According to many psychologists,motion creates emotion. You might notice that when you are idle, it’s easier to become depressed. Your heart rate slows down, less oxygen travels to your brain, and you are slumped somewhere in a chair blocking air from reaching your lungs.I challenge you right now, regardless of how you are feeling, to get up and walk around at a fast tempo. Maybe you might want to go to an empty room and jump up and down a little bit. It may sound silly but the results speak for themselves. Try it now for a few minutes. By now you should begin to feel more energetic and in a better mood. It works like magic.

2) Smell The Roses. Like my friend Jan Toles says, “Stop and smell the roses.” (Jan, I listened to your advice and went to the flower section in Kroger and literally smelled every rose. That’s what you get for not being clear to foreigners!) How do you smell the roses? How about investing some money to go on that one trip you’ve been dreaming about? Would Paris do? There you will find lots of exotic places to jolt your imagination and spur your creativity. You can also visit the Caribbean and learn how to scuba dive. Can you imagine swimming deep under the beautiful blue water alongside some of the most beautiful creatures you have ever seen? When my friend Lumenise Gilot described that experience to me, I thought to myself, “What an exceptional way to smell the roses!”

3) Get Some Company. If you’re like me, you have many acquaintances, but you only have a few true friends. This isn’t because I’m introverted. It is because I’m very selective about who I let enter my territory. I have worked too hard to build my house—my dream—and I won’t let anyone destroy it for me in the blink of an eye. When you’re feeling down, call your true friends and share what it is that you’re going through. Ask for their advice or input. While their advice or suggestions may be helpful, often you’ll find that simply verbalizing your problems will help you feel better.

4) Help Others Cope With Their Problems. It is very therapeutic when you engross yourself in helping others. You will be surprised how many people’s problems are worse than those you may be facing. You can offer others assistance in countless ways. Don’t curl up in your bed and let depression and stress take hold of you. Get out and help somebody. There are many charitable organizations that can use your help right now. My dear cousin Barbara reads to the blind. What about that? Call the National Federation of the Blind so that they can tell you how to get involved.

5) Laugh A Little. By now you’ve heard that laughter is a good internal medicine. It relieves tension and loosens the muscles. It causes blood to flow to the heart and brain. More importantly, laughter releases a chemical that rids the body of pains. Yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Every day, researchers discover new benefits of laughter. Let me ask you this question: “Can you use a good dose of belly-shaking laughter every now and then?” Of course you can.

6) Visit Third World Countries. Nothing is more humbling than to visit a poor country and see first hand what other human beings go through just to survive. Most people who have taken such trips come back with a deep and profound sense of gratitude and appreciation. They realize how much they’ve taken for granted without ever realizing it. I encourage you to travel whenever you can afford to do so. You’re not too busy. Do it for you. Your life will never be the same.

7) Wear Your Knees Out. If there were one sustainable remedy I could offer you when the going gets tough, it would be prayer. Many people, depending on their faith, might call it meditation. It doesn’t matter to me what you call it, as long as you have a place to run to. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Religions are crossroads converging upon the point.” Well, I don’t often discuss religion, and I don’t know what works for you. However, I am sensitive enough to respect your faith. My whole point is that when everything else fails, prayer works!

Overcome your weakness

In your journey to success you will encounter weaknesses in your life that, if you don't deal with them, will hinder or stop you altogether from reaching success. Having weaknesses isn't really the big deal because we all have them. However, if you don't overcome those weaknesses, that's where you are in trouble. Here are 3 keys you can use to overcome your weaknesses.

1. Learn how to improve it.

Some of the weaknesses that you have you are just going to have to make yourself improve them. This takes time and a lot of effort but it's what you have to do if you want to succeed. Some things will be harder than others but just make it a point to overcome it.

2. Surround yourself with people's strength.

At times, it not really necessary to turn your weakness into a strength. Sometime the best thing to do is use someone else's strength. For instance, if you are a bad administrator, don't try to become good at it. Instead, have someone else that is great at administration do all that work. If you try to do it yourself you will just get frustrated and slow down the process of success.

3. Learn from others.

There will be times when you don't have any idea how to overcome a weakness. This is when you need to seek the advice from someone you trust. This could be a mentor or a coach. Learning from other people is one of the best ways to overcome any weakness that you may have.

Manage Your Time

1. Make a random list of tasks.

2. Assign realistic priorities to each task.

• Priority 1: due today or tomorrow
• Priority 2: due in one week
• Priority 3: due in one month
• Priority 4: due next year

3. Balance your effort. Work on small portions every day.

• Do the daily tasks. Concentrate on what is at hand, then move on to the next daily task. Once daily tasks are completed, proceed to the next step, if desired.
• Do the weekly tasks. Once weekly tasks are completed, proceed to the next step, if desired.
• Do the monthly tasks. Once monthly tasks are completed, proceed to the next step, if desired.
• Do the yearly tasks.
• Small portions of the future tasks will have been done ahead of time.

4. Decide upon the time of day. Some people are more productive in the morning than the evening.

5. Manage time in increments. Play a game with yourself by competing against time.

• Work in fifteen minute, half hour or hour intervals.
• Give yourself a time limit to complete a portion of a task or the entire task.

6. Take a break. Clear your mind and refresh yourself to refocus.

• Decide beforehand on a 5, 10 or 15 minute break and stick to that decision.
• During your break, reassess to develop a new perspective.
• Breaks provide incentive by giving you something to look forward to.

7. Keep track of your progress.

• Cross things off the list as they are completed.
• You'll feel more relieved and relaxed just by getting through the daily tasks.
• This will give you a sense of accomplishment and spur motivation.

8. Reassess the list.

• Rewrite and re-prioritize your list as needed.
• Add new tasks to the list.
• Eliminate certain tasks.
• Delegate tasks to others.
• Use technology to complete tasks more quickly, efficiently or accurately.

9. Make sure to leave time for fun, it doesn't have to be a lot of time but make sure that you do!

10. Sleep for 6-8 hours every night. If you don't sleep for the proper amount of time, you'll probably suffer from lack of concentration and focus and that won't allow you to function well.

Laugh your stress away

Humor is a terrific stress-reducer and antidote to all manner of upsets. It has been clinically proven to be effective in combating the worst of stress.

Experts know that a good laugh relaxes tense muscles, sends more oxygen into your system, quicker and lowers your blood pressure.

So next time you feel yourself start to tense up, tune into your favorite comedy on television. Read a funny book. Call up a good friend and laugh heartily for a few good minutes. It doesn’t even hurt to just force a good laugh now and then. You'll find your stress melting away with each breath!

Americans were attracted to humor while reading the stories of Norman Cousins. This man successfully overcame cancer by watching his favorite comedy shows on television.

These days, you can attend an organized humor meeting and even in places such as England where laughing in a public place is frowned upon.

Dr. Lee Berk, along with fellow researcher Dr. Stanley Tan at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, has taken up carefully controlled studies that show the experience of laughter lowers serum cortisol levels, increases the amount of activated T lymphocytes, increases the number and activity of natural killer cells, and increases the number of T cells that have helper/ suppresser receptors.

This is powerful evidence that laughter stimulates the immune system and this off-sets the immunosuppressive effects of stress. Laughter is powerful medicine!

Research has proven that laughter can lower cortisol levels and thereby protects our immune system.

The emotions and moods that we are all subject to directly effects our immune system. It makes perfect sense, then, that when we cultivate a mood of humor this allows us to perceive and appreciate the everyday nuances of life through experiences of joy and delight.

Such positive states of mood and emotion creates neurochemical changes that act to buffer the immunosuppressive effects of stress.

Stress research pioneer, Selye, noted that a person's interpretation of stress is not dependent only on an external event; it also depends on the perception of the event and the meaning given to it.

This points to the fact that we can learn to control our reaction to stress. How we look at a situation, then, determines if we will respond to it as a threat or as a challenge.

Humor gives us an entirely different perspective on our problems. If we can perceive it in a lighter frame, it is no longer a threat to us. We have already discounted its effect by lightening it. With such an attitude we serve to self-protect and so control our environment.

**Bill Cosby coined an important phrase when he said, "If you can laugh at it, you can survive it."

It's certainly very difficult to force a laugh while in a stressful situation. However, that's precisely the time when you need to laugh the most. Remember, the trick is to take control over your environment or situation. That way you are more apt to feel challenged and less threatened.

Any way you can slice it – lighten up and feel less stress. Calm over chaos is the phrase of the day. Begin by trying to find humor in the worst of situations. If you must, blow the situation way out of proportion, just to make yourself laugh. Make the serious look ridiculous. When you reach the point of absurdity, you can then begin to melt and calm. Practice makes perfect!

Managing and Motivating people - Five Ingredients

-shared by Ashwin

Thousands of employees were interviewed about what they considered to be a 'great place to work.' The answers they gave were different from what the managers expected.

First Ingredient

The first ingredient of a good job was 'challenging, interesting work. This is work that kept the employee busy and involved all day long.

Second Ingredient

The second ingredient was a feeling of being 'in the know.' A good job was defined as one where the employee felt that he or she was fully informed on what was happening in the company. The employee felt like an insider, like an important part of a larger group.

Third Ingredient

The third ingredient of a great place to work was a 'high trust'environment. This was defined as a job where a person could feel free to do his or her best and to make mistakes, without being criticized or fired. When employees felt that they were free to make mistakes with no punishment or hostility, they enjoyed their work much more, became more creative, and worked more effectively with other people.

Fourth Ingredient

The fourth ingredient in a good job was a caring boss and friendly co-workers. Often, the human environment was more important than anything else. People like to work in a place where they get along well with everyone. The happier they felt their work relationships, the better they worked, the lower the level of absenteeism was, and the more productive they were.

Fifth Ingredient

The fifth ingredient for a good job turned out to be good pay and opportunities for promotion and advancement. To the surprise of many managers, the issue, of pay was number five among factors that constituted a good job or a great place to work. Psychologists have found that a certain level of pay is essential for people to feel comfortable with their jobs, but above that level, it does not have much motivational impact. It is only when pay is sub-standard or below what would normally be expected for such a job that it becomes a de-motivating influence.

Action Exercise

Take the time to study your workplace, pay special attention to see if you have all five ingredients of managing and motivating in your workplace.

Tips on Discovering Your Passion

Even before the first tip, you simply must get out a notebook, journal, piece of paper, napkin...SOMETHING to write on to save your discoveries! These tips will only help if you pursue them, so please either take a moment to find writing tools NOW or print this out and promise yourself to complete this exercise later. It may take you some thinking time to get it done......and now....here are your tips..... 

1. Find Your Joy Factor Look at the whole of your life history. When did you experience the most sustained period of Joy? What were you doing then? Where were you? Who were you with? How did it feel? 

2. What Are Your 3 Most Favorite things to do? If you had a free day with NO commitments, where would you be found? What would you be doing with whom? 

3. In what area do you excel? (NO MODESTY ALLOWED HERE!)Truly, what are you complimented on a lot? This could be ANYTHING. 

4. What do you most want to be remembered for? If you were designing your epitaph, what would you want it to say? (NOT what your Mom wants, or your SPOUSE wants or your third cousin twice removed, but what do YOU want your headstone to say?) 

5. If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your life TODAY? How would it look compared to how it looks now? Which aspects of your life ARE changeable, both short term and long term? 

6. How does your Joy factor overlap with your favorite things and the areas in which you excel? Do the areas in which you excel bring YOU joy, or are they really for someone else.....do you see which are obvious matches, and which do not fit? Those that overlap, that bring YOU the most Joy, are most likely the things that would bring you into Passionate Living. 

7. What is the first even teeny tiny step you can take to living out your Passion as you have defined in #6? Take some time to really think this one through... concentrate and focus, and then you will be able to start the next step...BUILDING YOUR ROADMAP.

Blend Life With Positive Energy

You have always heard people around being positive, their positivism are shown on their faces, a typical look that says they have world on their feet. It’s like "They care for every thing around and worry for nothing". This is a contagious thinking which spreads fast as fire.

But are they really ‘Positive’? Positive energy can attract all your creamy desires in life, it will help you to achieve your goals.

How does positive energy affect life? The law of attraction states that we transmit positive and negative energy constantly in the nature. Natures pick up on positive energy and gravitate towards us or pick up on negative energy and are repelled by us.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is the most recent incarnation of the Law of Attraction - recently described on the Oprah Winfrey show - which states that “Like Attracts Like.” Positive energy can help you achieve your goals.

How do you know if you're emitting positive energy? The best and easiest way to know is by looking at the people in your life. Are they encouraging and uplifting or are they draining away your energy?.

Here are 6 ways to create Positivism around you.

1. Early to Bed, Early to Rise – Sleep deprivation is the one which increases your concentration power to a larger level. You’ll be most rejuvenated if you go to bed early and don’t sleep more than 8 hours. Waking up early gives you more productive hours and maximizes your mental acuity all day.

2. Exercise – I used to think that I’d learn more by not exercising and using the time to play with my pet instead. But I realized that using your body clears your head and creates a wave of energy. Afterwards, you feel tremendously invigorated and can concentrate more easily.

3. Say no to television box – Here comes the difficulty. We all love vegetating in front of the television. The problem here arrives is watching television doesn’t allow your brain to follow their normal function and interrupts in their recharge capacity.

Don’t you feel drained after a couple hours of TV? Your eyes are sore and tired from being focused on the light box for so long. You don’t even have the energy for other activities.

4. ‘Books’ our true friends – Books Books Books ! They change our Life. Start reading books that suits your personality that clicks you, which will gradually capture your interest in it. Then move on to other genre of books, style and then look your world has already widened!!

5. Energizing Music: Listening to music that not only has a soothing melody, but an Energizing message, can be great for developing positive self-talk. Music changes one’s state of mind and changes our prior thinking for longer time. It just takes us in completely different world.

6. Positive People: Positive companies around plays a vital role of generating positive energy within you. Check your friends and people, you often be around with. Are they positive for you? Do they uplift you? Or they pull you down? If you often be around positive people then their will be drastic growth in your personality and thinking, so now do check it for your self??

Conclusion – These are some ways through which you can positive ness to enter you Life. Live Positive Live Happy.

Putting Dreams into Action

By Nisandeh Neta

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." 

His dream was manifested a year later when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act (1964), which abolished racial segregation and guaranteed blacks the right to vote. 

In that same year, at age 35, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 

We all have a dream. Or more accurately, we all had a dream. 

I remember myself dreaming of being the best brain surgeon in the world, saving people - making a difference.

As children we are not preoccupied with what is possible, sensible or logical. We all dream of BIG things—becoming a world leader or an astronaut or a rock star. Saving the environment, achieving world peace and finding a cure for AIDS all seem possible in youthful eyes and hearts.

So what happens to those big dreams? We get bombarded with negative media and jaded adult advice: the problems are too great for one person to take on and “you can't fight city hall”. We are told that our dreams are too idealistic and that we should just “grow up”.

We start to believe that we can't make a difference. We begin to think it is easier to live a compromised, mediocre life, hoping that someone else makes a difference, while we sit on our ass and read about it. 

But what would our world be like right now if no one ever chose to strive for their dreams and make a difference, against all odds and obstacles? People like Martin Luther King, Albert Einstein, Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa... 

You may look at these names and feel intimidated. You may think you have nothing in common with these “great” figures. They are “larger than life”.

Well, guess what? All of these people were (are) regular flesh and blood human beings who faced the same obstacles or much greater ones than you and I ever will.

What makes these people different from everyone else is COMMITMENT. Each one was committed to their dreams and visions; each was committed to themselves and to others.

American artist and illustrator Bernie Fuchs said “Commitment is a line you must cross…it is the difference between dreaming and doing.”

Now is the time to cross the line. It is time for action!

Find your dream again. Bring it out of the closet. Shake off the dust.

Think about when you first formed the dream. Feel the energy, excitement, enthusiasm and passion spilling out of you, calling you to action. 

It doesn't have to be an overwhelming task. You don't have to save the world today or tomorrow! But you can make a beginning by helping one person, even if it is yourself.

Making a difference challenges you to think and act differently. At the age of 15, I became a vegetarian, determined not to kill anymore. Dare to be different!

Even if you start off on your own, you will soon have company. Making a difference is like throwing a pebble in a pool. The ripples spread from the centre to larger and larger circles of influence. But someone must drop the pebble. Why not you?

If you're still not convinced why you should make a difference, here are some good reasons:

• you will be challenged to fulfill your potential
• you will have new meaning to your life
• you will encourage others with their dreams so that they can make a difference too
• you will feel great about yourself!

If we all embrace our dreams and make just one small difference, this planet is bound to become a better place

Living In The Moment

-Tony Haynes 

Life happens moment-by-moment
In a kiss, in a smile, in a tear
The moments after add up
In a day, in a month, in a year


We seek to capture a moment
Somewhere between dusk & dawn
If we don't act in the moment
Then when the moment is gone


We'll look back on this moment in time
Filled with regret and dismay
That unfortunately we let
The moment slip away


In that moment we'll grasp
What moments are meant to give
And we'll begin living in the moment
Every moment we live 

21 Ways Leaders Can Energize Themselves for Work

by David Zinger

The leader as pilot light. Energized and engaged leaders are essential in effective employee engagement approaches within organizations. To be an effective model of employee engagement leaders must monitor, develop, enhance, and ignite their own engagement and energy. In employee engagement endeavours, leaders often function as organizational pilot lights – ready to ignite others as needed. Continue on with this article to read 21 ways leaders can energize themselves.

Depleted leadership energy. Dr. Theresa Welbourne, one of the leading employee engagement researchers and writers, wrote the following statement in her blog post Energize Leaders:

There is a lot of focus today on employee engagement, but what about leader energy and engagement? Everywhere you look there are signs that leaders are not doing very well. Leader turnover is an all-time high; confidence is down, engagement scores are down, and leaders are being asked to answer the phone 24×7, track email nonstop, be on call for questions from employees and peers, firm performance is lower than expected for many organizations, and the list goes on. I continue to find that leader energy is lower than they want it to be, and their confidence in themselves and their support systems is low and declining. 

Here are 21 invitations I extend to leaders to energize themselves:

1. Be mindful. Be mindful of what you are doing and your impact on others – don’t get caught up in the flurry of mindless activities. Take a moment to be in the moment as we only have moments to live.

2. Don’t “Watch the watch.” Don’t become hypnotized by the constant repetitive tasks of the day that lead to energy depletion with you becoming too tired to even connect with the staff you lead. Set your watch to beep every hour and take 10 seconds to tune into your energy, give it a number between 1 and 10 (with 1 being extremely low and 10 being fully energized). If your numbers start decreasing determine what you can do right now to raise your number. Even with 10 seconds every hour this will take less than 3 minutes a day yet you will have taken a giant leap to having a focused approach to your personal energy management.

3. Nourish yourself. Avoiding becoming scrambled, fried, poached, or hard boiled with your staff because you failed to start the day off with physical nourishment. Remember what mom said, Eat your breakfast.

4.Engage in bedtime reading. Energize yourself by reading leadership books. Read for 10 minutes before going to sleep and let writers like Margaret Wheatley or Peter Block rejuvenate your neurons. Of course if you have children you can learn a lot about life and leadership by reading Winnie-the-Pooh or other classic stories to your children while thinking about the applications for work. Watch out for Woozles!

5. Give, take and waste? Donald Graves in the book the Energy to Teach asked this quintessential energy question: “Tell me what gives you energy, takes it away, and what for you is a waste of time.” Don’t just read this question. Stop right now and answer the question. And ensure your answers become stimulants to energizing actions.

6. Take a breather and inspire yourself. Take conscious breaths through out the day and let your in breath physically, emotionally, and spiritually inspire yourself. You could pair this exercise with your 10 second energy monitoring every hour. As you inhale determine your energy number and as you exhale determine if you need to do something about it.

7. Read a blog once a day. Read one of the dozens of exceptional leadership bloggers. It doesn’t take you much time to read a short blog post and you will often find an idea that ignites your energy for a new project or way of working. Click here for a list of 200 to 300 blogs I follow. Find one that fits for you and latch onto it.

8. Pan for Gold in Goldsmith. Energize your career by reading Marshall Goldsmith’s books or website. Marshall has great ideas and a free online library packed with resources ranging from applying feedforward to being energized through interaction with a positive accountability partner.

9. Write on. Write a blog. Yes, it does take time to write but you will find writing a private or a public blog will do wonders in sharpening your thinking. Experience the energy of instant publication leading to enriching conversations. If you need to build confidence, you can always start by having a private blog, just for yourself or a few selected readers. You can specify how private or public you want your blog to be and it is absolutley free.

10. Hug. Hug your children, your wife, or maybe even a tree. You don’t have to go touchy-feely but whatever you do, don’t lose touch.

11. Be strong. Know your strengths, apply your strengths, and leverage your strengths in the service of others. As you use your strengths you will find yourself getting stronger and more energized. Take a strength test. Minimize or work around your weaknesses. Engage in a strength based discussion.

12. Stop feeling crazy busy. When someone asks how are you, do you ever reply, “busy” or “crazybusy.” Stop it. Read CrazyBusy by Ned Hallowell and monitor your screen sucking – stay connected with what matters and who matters the most to you. Click here to visit the Crazybusy website and find more tips on how to remove the crazy from busy.

13. Avoid energy suckers. Be vigilant of energy suckers and do what you can so they don’t stick to you, draining away precious reserves of energy with their energy draining approach to life, work, and relationships. Marshall Goldsmith estimates the average worker either complains about their boss or listens to someone else complain about their boss about 10 hours a month and about 30% of people spend up to 20 hours a month on this. There are much better ways to spend your energy: change your boss, change your work, or change yourself.

14. Nourish interactions. Jane Dutton calls these moments between people high quality interactions and Tom Rath calls them bucket fillers. These small interactions where you really show up and notice others can create energy not only for you but for your organization. You have about 20,000 opportunities a day…how many are you seizing to create high quality interactions to energize the other person, yourself, and the organization.

15. Unite the trio of strength, love, and contribution. Apply your strengths to what you love to do while making a contribution to others. I like to visualize each of these 3 elements (strength, love, contribution) residing inside individual circles. Energy is enhanced when the circles unite, and ideally there would be little or no separation between your strengths, passion, and service. When strength, love, and contribution are completely fused, we experience authentic wholeness and feel fully energized and engaged.

16. Push through the energy paradox. It takes energy to get energy. We can often feel too tired to do something that would energize us. Yet, we often know the hardest part is to get started. Jump start your efforts with an energy buddy or a simple ritual to engage in relationships, reading, or recreation that returns more energy to you than it takes.

17. Get some sleep. Perhaps wait until you finish this article to get some sleep but we need rest to rejuvenate our energy. Intentional disengagement and rest fuels us for engaged and energetic leadership.

18. Live a limited engagement. Just because you can order Starbucks beverages in 89,000 different combinations don’t think you can have it all. Prune away the energy wasters while also taking time to smell the coffee and find some wisdom, even if it is printed on the side of your coffee cup.

19. Make inertia your “ex” with exercise. Of course exercise is the greatest human stimulant so step out of the rat race – train for a 10K race – take a walk at a brisk pace – run to first base.

20. Reject any tyranny of tips (including the ones listed here). If you read this list as tips you must follow and you don’t act on them, you may feel the energy drain of guilt. Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are. Experience the energy of full acceptance without it withering into resigned passivity. This is a list of invitations not impositions. You are free to accept the invitations that fit and decline the ones that do not fit. Just don’t go into a “fit” thinking, “oh no another 21 things I have to do in an already overloaded day!” As the Buddha reminded us: Be a lamp unto yourself. Become an engaged, energized and enlightened leader by discovering, uncovering, or recovering the energy answers that work for you.

21. Laugh to last. If you laugh, you last. Energized leaders fuse playfulness with “workfulness.” I often recite the modified serenity prayer written by Jane. N: God grant me the laughter to see the past with perspective, face the future with hope, and celebrate today without taking myself too seriously.

Let energy lead the way to leadership in employee engagement. Let these invitations open the door to high levels of energized and engaged leadership that resides within you and is sparked by your authentic connections with others.

Go ahead, accept some of these invitations. Even better, create your own energy grid. Say yes to energy gains and no to energy drains. As Peter Block so aptly stated, “the answer to how is yes.”