Blog Link: Six Questions

I have been catching up on my emails and this particular article caught my attention.

It was a quick refresher on lessons you learned and motivating.

1. Do you have the capacity to be completely honest with yourself?

2. Acceptance of people, places and things as they are, not as you would have them, opens deeper understanding of how the world works

3. Script and build better character traits based on service to others instead of self enrichment.

and 3 more..

Read the full article here

Have a leadership plan

If you are working to develop your leadership skills, develop a plan.

Identify the following:

- Where do you have opportunities to display leadership?
- How will you be show leadership?
- What kind of legacy would you like to leave?
- How do you distinguish yourself?
- How do you avoid falling into a trap and become a bad leader?

Following is an example of how you can brain storm ideas and develop one for yourself.

Tip: Now or Never

For past few months I was planning to write a new tip on time management. Title of the  tip was meant to be ‘Now or Never’ and what I will be writing in this tip kept resonating in my mind but didn’t make it so far.

Hectic work schedules, information overload, lack of attention, numerous distractions have turned me (may be some of you) into a busy bee  and now I suffer from ‘Now or Never’ symptom.  What I need to do keeps coming back to me at various times, but before I get to it, something else comes to my mind.

I have abandoned paper based planner because I am equipped with mobile device like Blackberry. But I find myself re-writing goals on my computer/blackberry which I had in my paper based planner. This is good news because my goals have not changed.

How am I planning to deal with this ‘Now or Never’ problem?

- Focus on at least one Important tasks instead of only Urgent tasks everyday.
- Schedule specific backlog clearance effort during weekend
- Clear at least one item from backlog every day.
- If you can do it, DO IT NOW and ignore possible distractions at that time

One thing is for sure, I am going to post this note TODAY as soon as I have written it instead of planning to reword and send it another day (or NEVER?)  and I DID IT by successfully ignoring a new instant messages I was getting while posting this message.

Favorite Authors and Appealing Book Titles

I think we cannot rest till we have latest/unread book by our favorite authors (once you see them) in our hands. Over last one week I have acquired three books that I need to finish.

- Excused Begone by Wayne Dyer
- Foreign Body by Robin Cook
- When Everything Changes Change Everything by Neale Donald Walsch

I am sure I will enjoy them and hope I can share some words of wisdom I learn on this blog.

Meanwhile, I also wanted to share some book titles that tempt me a lot. It is because I believe in those action words and talk about them at work. I feel that I must read them.

Titles are

- Practice What you Preach
- Sense of Urgency
- Hit the ground Running
- Helping People win at work

I already have first two and completed reading them. I am hoping to get to other two after I finish what I already have waiting on my reading table.

Book Extract: Top Performance by Zig Ziglar

I recently finished reading up this book and wanted to share some items from this.

First is a summary of what differentiates Top Performers in different areas.

	Aggression	People	Patience	Quality
10	Direct	Enthusiastic	Predictable	Perfectionist
9	Daring	Persuasive	Relaxed	Accurate
8	Risk Taker	Emotional	Nondemonstrative	Systematic
7	Decisive	Trusting	Deliberate	Conscientious
6	Competitive	Sociable	Stable	High Standards
Midline
4	Calculated Risk Taking	Reflective	Outgoing	Opinionated
3	Self-critical	Factual	Eager	Persistent
2	Weighs +/-	Controlled	Fidgety	Independent
1	Peaceful	Self-Conscious	Restless	Rigid
0	Quiet	Suspicious	Active	Firm

Some Management Gems

Formula for Top Performance Management

1. Show honest and sincere appreciation at very opportunity – make the other person feel important.
2. Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.
3. Make your cause bigger than your ego
4. Work for progress, not perfection
5. Be solution conscious, not perfection
6. Invest time in the activity that brings the highest return on investment according to the priority list of responsibilities – effort alone doesn’t count; results are the reason for activity.
7. Fulfilling responsibility is a good reason for work; discipline is the method.
8. Recognize and accept your own weaknesses.
9. Make checklists and constantly refer to them
10. Always show the people in your life the humility of gratitude.

Six Action steps for Performance Oriented Managers

1. Give regular, specific and observable feedback on performance
2. Respect the lines of communication and authority
3. Make timely decisions
4. Be accessible
5. Encourage creative ideas
6. Provide personal support.

The Ten “Double Win” rules that lead to Top Team Performance

When dealing with others

1. Remember that a smile is the most powerful social tool we have at our disposal.
2. Listening is the most neglected skill in business (or home) today. The person who listens controls the final outcome of the discussion. Encourage others to talk, and then consciously remove any barriers to

your good listening skills.

1. Talk in terms of the other person’s interest. You will find a “uniqueness” and “specialness” in every individual you meet. Others are interesting when discovered; check out the other person’s point of view.
2. Ask questions you already know the answer to and you will get to see the other person’s perspective. Most ideas are more palatable if we “discover” them ourselves. People who truly care about others lead them down the discovery path
3. “What you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you say.” Remember to model the behavior and attitude you want the other person to have.
4. Give assignments that allow you to express faith and confidence that the other person can successfully in the task assigned.
5. Always make requests, never give orders.
6. Develop your ability to use the narrative story and the meaningful analogy – these are powerful teaching tools.
7. Always be respectful of others. Show your respect by being on time for meetings or letting others know why you must be late.
8. Return phone calls and letters immediately – there is no excuse for not doing so.

Watching movies on YouTube

It is interesting on how internet is opening up opportunities every day. Content is everywhere and for everyone. I am suprised to note that even full length movies are available on youtube.

I watched Hindi movie Hulchul. This is a remake of telugu movie Peddarikam. I watched this movie when I was in college.  Telugu movie was a surprising entertainer as we didn’t know what to expect. A good mix of comedy and action.

http://www.youtube.com/movies?p=None&s=None&b=9

Ten Year anniversary

Today, I was looking at my blog and realized that one of my first post dates back to May 1999.  The content has been hosted in different forms over the years

• First I started with a website on rediff.com homepage. (1999-2000)
• Later I moved to my own website.  (2001-2004)
• Then it was a blog hosted on blogspot (2005-2007)
• Now on wordpress.com (2008 – current)

Whatever may the forum, I found a way to share, express my ideas.  I have received emails over years which either helped a momemt of inspiration in their life or relate to their personal life and reflect on it.

For this reason, my blog is named to inspire everyone to reflect on something deep in their life at the moment they read some content.  You come here by a keyword search and find content that makes the moment count and move on.

Update: Education with Dignity

During September 2008, I posted a note about Education with Dignity. Last week, I was happy to receive a note from our partner in this effort in Rajahmundry (Rotary Club of Rivercity) that the project has been completed.

A note which like below, made our day and I immediately shared with everyone who provided support.

our toilet project successfully completed and dedicated to the students of Luther High school  on 30-05-09 in the presence of M.P. Vundavalli Arunakumar, M.L.A. Routhu Surayaprakasha & M.L.C. Kandula Durgash and convined a public meeting, they appreciated the project and recognised the funding  of  Team India and rotary.

I am hoping we will be able to continue similar work in future.

Book Extract: Happier than God

Happier than God

Recently finished reading this book. Following are my notes as reference to self. You may find this useful

• Bring an end to Separation Theology: We are not separate from God
• Stay in touch with who you are:
• Give others every experience you seek: Give people back to themselves
• Be clear that nothing you see is real:
• Decide that you are not your ’story’: Your story is all the data that you have collected about what has happened to you in your life, and the reality that you have manufactured about the kind of person you and other people are and how you all got to be that way. You will have to drop your story.
• Have only preferences: You can always tell whether you are addicted to something, as opposed to merely preferring something, by looking to see if the absence of it causes you to abandon your happiness. The idea in life is to change your addictions into preferences.
• See the perfection: See everything for what it is: the perfect event perfectly timed to provide you with the perfect opportunity to express in the perfect way that which is Perfection Itself.
• Bypass the drama: Remember that nothing has any meaning save the meaning you give it.
• Understand sadness: Your sadness does not have to make you unhappy.
• Stop arguing with life: So much of the lack of happiness that we feel in our lives emerges from our judgments. We tend to judge everything. The people around us, the circumstances they present, the events of the moment, and, of course ourselves.
• Drop all expectations: Forget about much you think things “should” be. There is no such thing as “should” in the universe. Trust that God knows what God is doing. Know that life is always conspiring in your favor. Understand that expectation is just your idea about something, and that this idea does not and cannot take into account the complex interweaving of life journeys undertaken by all of us, sequentially and simultaneously.
• Have compassion for yourself: Don’t make yourself “wrong” for any negative experience with which you may now be confronted (even if you feel “deserve” it, or that you “brought it on yourself” – in fact, especially if you feel that way), but have compassion for yourself, and know that God has gifted you with the power inside of you to change yourself, your motives, your behaviors, your exterior conditions, and you life itself, in the instant after this.
• Speak your truth as soon as you know it: Do not hide your personal truth, your authentic feelings, you’re here-and-now experience from anyone – least of all from your dearest loved ones or your beloved other.
• Watch the energies, catch the vibe: Pay attention to life’s energies. At all times, you are receiving them and you are sending them. Try to absorb everything that is happening in your space. Then, see if there is a match. And slip out of the space if there is a mismatch.
• Smile:
• Sing:
• Know what to do when things are really bad: Things just are what they are. Bless all the people and events that are disappointing you, that are besetting you, that are assailing you like so many arrows from afar. Accept and receive the energy, because only then you can heal it. Don’t resist. What you resist persists.

Making a difference, really?

Something to be remember: from Higher Awareness newsletter

Many of us feel deeply that we want to make a difference — we want our lives to mean something in the bigger scheme of life. While this is a noble motive, we might want to explore what lies at its root.

Does the drive to make a difference arise from ego’s need to feel worthy? If my ego is not convinced that I matter, I may want visible proof that I do by making some kind of impact on life.

Soul doesn’t need proof that it’s worthy. Soul thrives in being awake and connected. Perhaps if we let go of the pressure we feel from our ego’s need to be recognized, we will be more open and able to simply live soulfully. And by doing that, we WILL make a difference!