Be the light

Be a light in someone's life. When you can. Even if it is negligible. Shine on them. #TalktoTiger #PositivePsychology

10 leadership lessons you can learn from Dr. Abdul Kalam!

Ten leadership lessons you can learn from Dr. Abdul Kalam!

1. He was an early riser: Staff at his office and Rastrapathi Bhavan later had to change their timings to match his schedule. As an early riser, he had extra hours for thinking, planning and relaxing.
   
2. He was meticulous: His planning was perfect. He was always ahead of his schedule and finished his tasks to perfection. He also had small breaks to ensure there is enough space if there needs to have overflow.
   
3. He was a leader: In thought, ideas, plans and execution. He was always ready to shoulder responsibility. It is rumored that Atalji wanted to speed up the nuclear programme that PV Narasimharao started and despite being low on resources, Kalam accepted it as a challenge and fulfilled it.
   
4. He could see ahead of his time: This was essential to set goals. Dr. Kalam could see much ahead of his time. While all the new world and Asian countries were looking to send satellites to the moon, Dr. Kalam looked beyond and set his eyes on Mars - Hence Mangalyaan.
   
5. He helped solve simple problems: While this is a famous story about Abdul Kalam and his team made lightweight crutches, he was ready to spend time in solving simple, everyday problems to common people. Being extremely busy with his work at the Nuclear research and working on rockets, he was able to take time and motivate his team to come up with a cost effective, easy, usable solution to many people.
   
6. He was a voracious reader: Tea and books were his companions till the end. He read a lot of books. I was told that he spent most of his free time at Rastrapathi Bhavan at the huge library or in the park reading and thinking. At 84 years of age, he was far more smarter and knowledgeable than many youngsters.
7. He loved youth: He was always thinking and working with young men and women to help them achieve their goals. Most of the people who spoke to him had the privilege to cherish his ideas and his thoughts all their life. He believed in coaching, motivating and setting goals and achieving them.
8. He was humble: One of the most important factors we could see about him was that he was very humble and down to earth. He always had simple tastes and choices and lived frugally. I was told that the first day at Rastrapathi Bhavan, he chided the people not to waste so much food and wait on him as he would love to have two idlies and one wada in the confines of his room. Simple man, simple choices, humble lifestyle and extraordinary vision.
   
9. He skipped protocol: Many a times, he broke protocol and mingled with children, youth and common people. He was more of a people's man than to follow the rules. He always had a jig in his step and was very spontaneous.
   
10. He was a great communicator: He conversed mostly in small sentences carefully worded with simple easily understood words. Though he has an amazing arsenal of languages, he was true to his diction of Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi and could quote many verses easily. He told so many stories and anecdotes in his speech that people would remember what he said clearly.
    
11. He was a great teacher: As his twitter handle says, he is a teacher forever. Once you learn something, make sure you teach that and add value to many people. He was a great man and could just relax in his retirement years. He chose to teach and as you saw, he was teaching even a second before his death.

May his soul rest in peace. No. May he make more shooting stars and send them to many unknown planets.

Pic is from here.

Human ego

 This beautiful little planet is home to numerous species who co-habit with us. Your small contribution is important to make it a better place and to ensure a safer, secure and sustainable future to your children.

As in the words of Garvit,

Will human ego sacrifice the world

To satiate its lust for pompous homes?

Will distant space look down on orb that’s bald.

I now can hear the mother say,

“I was once called Earth.

But now , bereft of mirth, I weep. 

That treeless orb’s no longer Earth”

To the Women of India

“To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?"

[To the Women of India (Young India, Oct. 4, 1930)]” 
― Mahatma Gandhi

Monday Blues: Be neat

In your work, in your dressing, behaviour, language and style. Show that you care. Show that you have spent time in designing and composing that mail you are sending out, in that response you give. Show that you know how to behave. Be neat. Not just today, every day.

#MondayBlues

All that I am...

All that I am, all that I have 

I lay them down before you, oh Lord 

All my regrets, all my acclaims 

The joy and the pain, I'm making them yours 

(Chorus) 

Lord, I offer my life to you 

Everything I've been through 

Use it for your glory 

Lord I offer my days to you 

Lifting my praise to you 

As a pleasing sacrifice 

Lord I offer you my life 

Monday Blues: Explore, dream, discover

Toda, explore, try and discover.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.

–Mark Twain


All pics displayed here can be downloaded and used for free. Just give a link here. You can find more pics here: t3i photography.

Aim, Lock, Shoot

Admitting it here that aiming a heavy rifle and hitting a target is not at all easy. Doing it alone in a personal arena, when there was no one rushing me and a very good friend helping me handle the equipment and practice at my own pace was a dream come true. Though the pellets were small, they reached incredible speeds and blasted through the bull eye.

Shooter Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win gold at Paralympics and that too carrying the hopes of the entire nation on her tender shoulder. Wait! Did I say tender? Not at all. She is a strong woman who breezed through with a score of 249.6!

What a glorious day this is when we have our contingent win multiple medals. I am super proud. Thank you, winners.

What is our takeaway from Avani and others on the Indian contingent? When things don't go your way, when you are physically hurt, mentally drained and cannot see hope, these superheroes have shown us that with determination and commitment, nothing is impossible.

Let us take that from them.

About my score that day? Let us say, it was pretty decent. Tiger is good when hunting.

#TalkToTiger #PositivePsychologist #Motivation

About me

Hi... Thanks for visiting. I am Dr. Vamshi. I am currently the Director, Global Sales and Growth at 5C Network. At 5C Network, we are building the best AI Driven Digital Diagnostic Platform in the world.

I am a Sales Leader with a passion to build communities, expert in content and communication and have been involved in many startup brands, products. I run a series of posts on positive psychology and self help that has been a hit. I have an active audience of close to 1 lakh people who follow my content and thoughts.

I won many awards including Rising Star Marketer of the year @ National Business and Service Leaders Summit 2015 and the Social Media Leader of the Year 2015 at the National Awards for Excellence in Digital Marketing & Social Media 2015.

College saw me graduate with a Post Graduate Program in Marketing Management from Alliance Business School, Bangalore,  Masters of Arts in English Literature, Master of Arts in History, Master of Arts in Sociology. Thanks to these, I am listed in the Limca Book of Records for having the highest number of Post Graduate degrees at the youngest age in India. I completed 3 Ph. Ds in Christianity (Leadership lessons for the marketplace)have done another Masters in Business Economics, Masters in Theology, Masters in Divinity (religious studies) and I am presently working on a doctoral thesis in counselling.

My biography is listed in the prestigious ‘Marquis Who is Who in the World twice in 2010 and 2012 editions. I am also the recipient of the prestigious 'Prathiba Award' by State Government (AP, India) & 'Meritorious Student award' by Board of Higher Education (AP, India) among several other accolades.

I walked the streets as a salesman, interacted widely from fan followers to irate customers(turning the later to the former), distributors to resellers, manufacturers to CEOs, sold a variety of products & services... software to insurance, credit cards to sexual supplements. The diversity in my knowledge and experience makes growth my passion. In my career spanning one and a half decades, I cofounded a pro-tech firm - Estate.One and was associated with brands like Samskruti Builders, Herbz International, The Indian Partner, Don't Bite Me patch, Pukka Herbs, Solepads, Sparklehearts,  DHL, ICICI Bank and Veekay Computers. In each of these roles, I led various team including sales, strategy, marketing and growth.

I can sit and do anything I like for hours without getting bored. I love traveling, reading books, mags, old literature, writing articles (both here and research articles), poems, listening to music and photography (Yes, multitasking is in my blood). All this only when I am not sleeping or trying to play Dad to my little angels.

Reach me @

•  +91 9742 234567
•  Mail: write2tiger@gmail.com
•  LinkedIn: Vamshi
•  Follow me on Twitter: Vamshiavk
• Instagram: TalktoTiger
• Facebook: Vamshiavk

If you like what I post, please comment & TELL others.

Get it done

"Sorry your work cannot be done! 

Why? The rules won't agree!"

You must have heard/said this many times. Most of the meetings, plans, proposals and daily activities often hit a dead end as some stupid stubborn rule exists. Why is it there? Who put it there? How to overcome it? 

No one knows or wants to. 

Defeatist people close their eyes and let the rulebook rule and ruin. 

Winners make/move things Sometimes its not the rule book is not the only problem, people in positions are. They strictly follow the clock, time table, rules and regulations and come across as the most sincere person on the planet. 

 What are they actually doing? Creating a block, hurdle in the smooth functioning of the process. If you need to get things done think what the customer wants, smile and accept the application and check up with people who can do something about it. 

Empower your employees to think and use discretion in cases which can help your business. Plan, think and work in a way that encourages people not to walk but run, win and complete the unfinished tasks, dead plans, relieve the painful customer and get the process going. 

 Let me relate a story my Dad told me once. All the MPs in the Indian Parliament were postponing a particular bill for many days and kept on discussing for long. 

Lal Bahadur Shastri was the PM then. One day he came to office with a pair of old stinking socks in his coat pocket. No one knew where the dirty stench was coming from. After a long search and discussion Shastri revealed and put them on the table to much disgust of the MPs, especially ones around him. One of them asked him, "PM sir! You are supposed to dispose of the old socks and not carry them around as if they are something important!" "Exactly!" replied Shastri, "but I wanted to see how long can we carry dead weight as we are doing with this bill!" 

Needless to say the bill was passed before lunch. Move the dead weight over. 

Either finish it or cancel it. Read my earlier post on why sometimes it is better to kick the rule book. So what are you going to complete today?

Monday Blues: Be A Giver

 

Most of us reading this blog has been born into fortunate families where we are blessed to have a lot of things. Still, we find it easy to complain. Maybe we should not think so much about what else we can have and rather see how we can contribute to someone less privileged.

As a human, our biggest happiness would be when you are given a chance to experience gratitude. Explore those chances and build those memories. Donating blood is one such activity. So is sharing a couple of bread slices with someone who cannot pay you back. Saying thank you to someone who helps you and having an overall better attitude is always welcome. Be someone who gives more than you receive.

Be a blessing. Other things will fall in place. The last pandemic wave saw many heroes work silently to help others. Here is a salute to those heroes. Thank you. You are one of the reasons we are safe and sound as a community.

#TalktoTiger #positivepsychologist #mondayBlues

Pause

 Pause.

Rest.

Recharge.

Reset.

Restart.

Run.

Chase.

Win.

Pause.

#Talktotiger #motivation #mondayblues #Positivepsychologist

Monday Blues - Leap of faith

 How is your day treating you? Today, I am a bit early with my Monday Blues post to catch you off guard. I want to push you to take a leap of faith today. 

You will have many moments in life when your decisions are going to change your future. How will you know that? When I am in such a situation I can feel a ball forming in my gut and I can hear the beat of my heart in my throat. It is then that you either decide to go ahead or take a step back. 

I will share an experience in my life a few years back. I happened to be in Mauritius for a seminar and I had the opportunity to dive into the ocean (with all the safety gear). But here I am, scared of water! I didn't know how to swim. And this tour guide who facilitated my dive in the Indian ocean tells me to not worry and just jump as everything will be fine. Fine? What do you even mean I will be fine! I was hesitant. Here I was about 2 miles away from the shore, waiting for my ocean of doubt to clear and find mental peace that would help me decide. After a few moments, I took the plunge. 

Heck! I didn't know where I was for almost 30 seconds as things were going too fast or that is what I felt. I was breathing too fast, searching for air, to see something. After taking two minutes to calm down, I started to enjoy the dive and kept at it for 40 mins more. As I write this, I can still see the rays of the sun coming down through the waters and illuminate the world below as I bobbed up and down like a leaf in the currents of the mighty Indian Ocean. I was transported to the James Cameroon world, live! What an experience it was! Once in a lifetime opportunity and a memory forever.

When you are faced with situations you cannot fathom, and you are trying something new to change your attitude about life, learning a new trick, course, I am sure you would feel like I felt on that boat on that December afternoon. You can easily walk out, take a step back to let the status quo remain so. Do not let the fear of failure keep you away. Go for it (with all the safety precautions) and you will come back with an experience. 

I urge you today to take the next step up! 

Learn something new. 

Take up the challenge you have been postponing. 

Finish the assignment you stopped after finishing the half. 

Make that sales call you have been postponing. 

Reopen the negotiation. 

Call those cold leads and start a conversation. 

Take up writing, painting, music, reading, cooking, cleaning, recycling - whatever you wanted to do. 

We have one life - to learn, make memories. Take that up. Even if it is just one leap - take it.

Share your experience when you took a difficult decision and how it worked out.

#Taketheplunge #TrysomethingNew #Learnforlife #TalktoTiger #PositivePsychologistBangalore

Why were you born?

"May you live long enough to know why you were conceived." - Cherokee Birth Blessing 

 What is the one reason for your life on Earth? Don't you actually ask this question? I do. 

 I regularly can't help thinking about what may be a definitive objective of my existence on this delightful blue planet. Simply envision the way in which we are born, in light of the fact that we are conceived and born as a mathematical delight! What are the chances! 

I trust God has made every one of us with enormous potential to develop into superb people equipped for doing extraordinary things for us, for other people, and for the whole of humanity. We come to this world with one mission - to make an extraordinary dent with our existence on humanity. We don't have to be incredible entertainers, writers, researchers, and the kind to have an impact. We can do that slowly and carefully. I, for one, work every day to understand the consumer psyche and use it to help people out to connect to their better selves. So, here are some simple things we can do.

•  Be kind - the easiest way to make a small change to people around you is to be kind. Be compassionate to friends, family, strangers, animals... 
• Be helpful - whenever you can help out to anyone in need. Be the grace, blessing you are meant to be, one small step at a time 
• Be a great listener - The world needs more people who talk less and listen more. If only we are better listeners, we can be better human beings 
• Be empathetic - Understand what the other person's view is. Listen to the other version of the story. Try and be empathetic to their situation, their struggle, and their misery. 

The entire world would be a better place if we are more compassionate, kind, and loving. Live out the vision God has for you - to be a great neighbor and friend. That will make you fulfill your destiny. Just think about it. 

Have an impactful Monday.

#PositivePsychology #TalktoTiger #ConsumerPsyche 

Prayer changes things

Prayer is not to tell God what He knows not. It is to verbalise our feelings to a Father as a child. Simple prayers are sublime. A father knows the child's needs; but he is delighted when the child asks him. That enlivens the relationship. The mother knows when to feed her baby, but her maternal instincts are stimulated when it cries for milk.

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed,

The  of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the simplest form of speech that infant lips can try;
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach the Majesty on High!                                       (James Montgomery, 1771-1854)

Keep praying, interceding and working.

Listen, thou shall not spout!

Once in a while it is important to listen. However smart we are, we may not know everything. Instead of being an overbearing irritant, you can be smart by being silent and lending an ear to see what the issue might be, what the other person is sharing and how it can help you resolve the critter at hand.

Listening also allows you to exhaust the speaker, to complete their flow of thought and express what they want to say. So this month, before we spout all our thoughts and opinions, let us learn to listen.

#positivePsychologist #TalktoTiger

Making honey, one experience at a time

Lessons from the honey bee

I am always amazed by the way honey bees react and lead their life in an orderly fashion. Did you know that you can change the flavour of honey you get from a particular hive when you restrict the access of the honey bees to particular flowers? For instance, if the bees have access only to Jasmine flowers for collecting the nectar, the honey produced also is flavoured with Jasmine. If the bees have access to a coffee plantation, then invariably the flavour of honey is that of coffee. They take a piece of the source flower and add it to their own and make them better. That sounds amazing, right?

I loved this method of infusing flavour in honey, as this applies to us as well. When we have access to things around us, we are definitely affected by them one way or the other. We can take what we need and add that to our contribution. The flavour of your conversation, your thoughts, and what you do might be dependent on what you are feeding on. Most often we might not realize but what we are exposed to! If you're feeding on the positive, then your conversations and your behaviour will be positive. But if you are feeding on the negativity then and the flavour changes accordingly. As parents who are responsible for their families, leaders who are responsible for their colleagues, as friends who are responsible for your friends, we need to ask ourselves this question - What are we feeding on? Are we being exposed to enough positivity and compassion? Are you being the positive point of a confluence to your peers, family, and friends? If not, how can you expect good things to pop up from them? Ask yourself how you can be a positive influence on our work and behaviour. 

If you have a child in a family that you can help or be a part of their growth, please ensure that you are feeding them enough positivism, hope, courage, confidence and winning attitude that whatever they do in their lives, they'll always carry this flavour and move forward. I encourage you to feed on what would improve your belief rather than what would take you down. Have a great day. 

PS: What would happen if the bees are exposed to something bitter? Will the honey be bitter then? Or will it be called something else? I believe it will be like coffee.

Here are some posts on the positivism that might you might like.

Do what your heart cherishes!

Do what your heart cherishes! For what reason accomplishes something different? 

Trust me when I say this - It is your quintessential obligation to think about #selfcare first. As parents, administrators, pioneers, we are frequently in the battle to be there for everything and everybody. Particularly when you have a close-knit group, bigger duties or as a parent, or as a partner. In other cases, perhaps you are accepting a bigger obligation as you are the most ideally the best (wo)man for the job. Not that we all can be as cool as Dhoni. In some cases, we got the opportunity to pick self-care. At the point when you are giving more than you have, your cup gets empty. Enjoy a break and top off your cup. This applies to your life in all zones. Regardless of whether it is work, love, relationships, finances, a similar principle applies. 

Deal with things you have been putting away. Go for that new hairstyle, rest and catch up on sleep, watch a film, read a book, clean your home, work area, PC, or figure out how to make and eat that dish. Enough of delaying. We don't have the foggiest idea of whether we would get an opportunity to do them once more. Give #selflove significance. Just when your cup is full and overflowing, you can give. Top off, at that point give. In this perishing world, it is significant that you organize your time, endeavors, and discover harmony, bliss, and joy. Include more love, zest it up, and have mental peace. 

Comment and tag that person who you think needs to hear this. Tell me what you think?

#TalktoTiger #PositivepsychologistBangalore #selflovejourney #MondayBlues#Covidblues

Becoming ‘Pausitive’ to Being Positive – A Heartful Journey

We have a guest post from my friend Roopa today and it is about heartfulness. Here is a video you might like too.

Dear Friends,

Undeniably Covid pandemic is bombarding each and every one of us with -“concerns that are not in our control”, “heightened social responsibilities”, “safety - security issues” and “a highly volatile future”.

And it is Now, more than ever before, I am finding great meaning in the below quote:

“Between Stimulus and Response, there is a space.

In that space lies our power to choose our response.

In our response lies our growth and freedom.”

-        Dr. Viktor Frankl in “Man’s search for meaning”

Our action to stimulus:

-        without space is - Reaction (based on our fears, prejudices, conditioning).
-        with space i.e. by taking a pause is – Response.

The “space” in the above quote is - nothing but the pause - the act of doing Nothing – the act of Waiting - the act of Resting our mind -- there we choose rightly - there lies our growth, our freedom to choose – our Power!!

HOW COME THE PAUSE IS SO POWERFUL, THAT OUR FREEDOM LIES THERE?

It is in these pauses

-        we access our heart’s intuitive intelligence - we discriminate and join the dots.
-        Our chords are stricken, our truths are revealed, our decisions are made, and our actions are determined.

Remember, it is in these pauses we,

-        harnessed the courage to say the truth – to follow our gut,

-        had our Eureka moments –in solving our relationship and work issues!!

Bathing, dreaming,exercising, nature watching gave us our truths - not the actual thinking, but the resting of our mind did the trick. Newton’s Law of gravitation and Archimedes principle are the results of pauses!! [see references below]

While pauses should not be mistaken as inaction, taking them at periodic intervals amidst our genuine efforts can produce fruitful outcomes.

 

WHY ARE WE NOT ABLE TO REAP THE BENEFITS OF PAUSES?

               Unfortunately,we are hard wired to REACT than to RESPOND – we know that our autonomous nervous system bypasses our central nervous system – the famous Amygdala Hijack.

Overridden by our fears and prejudices, this conditioned automated subconscious mind takes over the conscious thinking mind. Hence, we are bound and not free anymore!!! This is more true in our current VUCA world!!!

 

HOW DO WE TAKE A PAUSE - UTILIZE OUR POWER AND FREEDOM?IF WE ARE BOUND AND NOT FREE TO CHOOSE?

-        Rewire the mind to take pauses - How?

-        Create the habit of taking pauses consciously, every time – What then happens?

-        Pausing becomes automated in our minds. – How to achieve this?

-        By doing Nothing 😊–by resting our mind – and now that’s called, Meditation.

Meditation is effortless single pointed focus, effortless resting of mind on one thing.Mind needs something to rest upon – a book, a song, a game, a TV show. “Listening to music is meditation”– here we are resting our mind on music.

To use the power rightly and in transforming ourselves into Positive Beings,

should we not rest our mind on the best thing?

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ON WHICH WE CAN REST OUR MIND? – IS IT NOT THE HEART?

That which feels and sympathizes, which shows compassion and kindness, which gives signals and direction, that which is our gut feeling and conscience, that which forgives and purifies?

-        that which is life itself and the seat of the soul,

-        that which is love itself and the dwelling of the God!!! – THE HEART!!!

What to do(choice)? – Heart should say. How to do?  – Mind should say.

This discrimination when applied in life situations, is called Viveka or Wisdom. Right combination of Heart and Mind – Mind following the Heart culminates in Positive Living – Heartful Living.

“Heartfulness Meditation practice” results in clearly listening our inner voice and in garnering the courage to follow the guidance from the heart.  https://heartfulness.org/in/

Anyone can try this simple and effective practice and see the results for himself/herself. You are the experimenter, the experiment and the result.

Heartfulness Meditation practice encompasses a set of unique practical techniques:

1.      Heartfulness Relaxation – To de-stress ourselves

2.      Heartfulness Meditation through yogic transmission – For single pointed focus on heart.

3.      Heartfulness Rejuvenation or cleaning – To remove the fears, conditioning of our minds.

4.      Connecting to our Higher Self by auto suggestions, also called as prayer.

You can access them here.

There are no charges for this practice, now or in the future.

I for one, am reaping the benefits of this practice,for over 15 years now.

I welcome you all to take this Heartful Journey!!

Affectionately,
Roopa

Author is a Heartfulness Meditation practitioner/trainer, Design Thinking practitioner,CAMSS Leadand an accomplished IT specialist @ IBM.

Resources and References:

• https://heartfulness.org/in/connect-with-us/
• http://heartspots.heartfulness.org/  - connect with a trainer – All trainers are volunteers.
• Eureka Effect and Aha moments
• The Heart's Code: Tapping the Wisdom and Power of Our Heart Energy
• Designing Destiny
• The Power of Pause: Becoming More by Doing Less
• The Power of Your Subconscious Mind

Be better, marketer!

 

How to be a better marketer?

Do you know how you can be a great marketer? Be a good listener. If you care to listen to people, to their soul, you will comprehend more than what they say. When you understand what they are saying without words, you are not telling a story or trying to market, but voicing their beliefs.

And listening is not an easy art. You need to learn to catch the nuances and be extremely observant. Improve it every day, hone the skill and you would connect better. Ignore the din, chaos, narcissism, popular notions, what is selling. Listen to what the other person wants - solutions to their problems and help them achieve that. It is their win, not you selling. That is what makes story-tellers great.

You can help people more than you know, more than sales, more than targets. You can help change someone's life and that is the best feeling in the world! As a marketer, don't just sell, transform the other person's life by helping them overcome their problems.