Chill bro!

Once in a while, relax. Don't be a perfectionist. I do not want you to be that strict, uncompromising, cleanliness freak that you are and relax.

Not everyone carries your energy levels and cannot compete being at your level all the time. You need to understand that you carry a higher level of energy and are okay with it, but when you have a team, family, colleagues, support staff who don't always be on that level. So it is good for you to calm down a bit today.

Give some leeway. Let it be, just for today. It is okay. Say it loud. Yes, you say it loud. It is okay. Thank you.

So, skip being an autocratic person and be a normal one today. It is okay. Have a great Monday.

#TalkToTiger #PositivePsychologist #motivationalpost

Stop your excuse and get going!

One afternoon in October 1931 Amy Carmichael (1861-1951) fell and broke a leg and dislocated an ankle. Despite suffering from neuralgia which, added to her thirty-six years of unbroken service in India, left her an invalid for the rest of her life.

Yet from her bed — often lying completely flat — she continued her ministry of rescuing temple girls in Dohnavur, South India. She kept in touch with the outside world through her correspondence and, with help, wrote thousands of letters.

Already the author of many books, she wrote a further thirteen books during this period, as well as revising her other titles and producing more poetry.

What is your excuse? Get going.

#TalkToTiger #PositivePsychologist #motivationalpost

Monday Blues: Be Patient

Easy said than done. 

Choose Nature's Kingdom

Have you noticed the changes happening around you? What do you see? 

Let me state the obvious facts which we have been ignoring for a long time. According to the study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science, (1973-2014), Bengaluru city has noticed a loss of 78% of its vegetation and around 79% depletion of water bodies. 

Once called the city of lakes is now having a hard time keeping its lakes from contamination. The rapid decrease in the green cover of the city is alarming too. 

Where, there should be 8 trees per person, in Bengaluru there is only one tree for 7 people. The number of trees left in the city are not being able to handle the carbon dioxide, giving way to air borne disease. 

One of the reasons, for the rise in the CO2 level, is rise in the production of vehicles. Bengaluru city is also known for its bad traffic management. Almost 80% of the people we surveyed had complaints against the increase in the traffic in the city. 

While filling the form they remembered the old days where there was way less traffic and a safe pathway for pedestrians. 

This article is not about pointing fingers but coming up with solutions for the betterment of the city, for the betterment of our home. 

Bengaluru is the city that we all love and by living in the city despite its flaws is a big-enough reason to be more passionate, more conscious and sometimes a little aggressive when it comes to maintaining, freeing it from the pollution infection. 

This is where Nature's Kingdom comes in place. It’s a project planned with ‘being sustainable’ in mind. One of the main aims of this community is to provide conscious, sustainable and a happy living. It is designed is a way to tackle, if not all but some, major issues faced by Bengaluru in today’s time. It is guaranteed that people of any generations can come and link themselves in this way of living. 

The roads in Nature's Kingdom are planned and constructed in such a way that it helps in conserving water by collecting the rain water.  

This community promotes the art of biophilic living, which means there would be a good number of trees and vegetation all around to provide good quality of air. All the amenities are at a walkable distance to promote a healthy life and a sustainable one too.   

Want to know more? Connect with our team today connect@estate.one

What is your style?

For ages most of the general population have followed and worn dresses from what a select few have chosen every year. These fashion designers, masters, tailors, gurus have always looked at finding out what trends are catching up and how they can guess it before it hits the market. Some even went of elaborate plans to make a particular fashion a hit. In India Karan Johar is known to have introduced GAP hoodies and tees to the teenage audience through the film Dil Wale Dulhania Le Jayenge so much that everyone from the fruit and vegetable vendor to the guy on a Yamaha bike were wearing counterfeit tees without knowing that the original brand GAP was non-existent in India at that time!

Trends come and trends go. You stay the same! The fashion police look down upon and sneer about the choices that many people think are cool and have glorified horrible looking selection as well. I have always, reiterating the word - always, had my own fashion and have been comfortable in being so. Very few times, I liked what was being thrust on to me as a fashion trend we cannot miss and hence the style has become the same almost all these years. I am glad I did stick to a particular style that remained with me so much as I have always been photographed or seen on the same trend - my trend. 

My choice of fashion has two main reasons:

1. Is it comfortable?
2. Is it made from good material?

Simple huh? Well! not for many people. Some people have closets that are much bigger than the one in Chronicles of Narnia! And yet have always wondered what they should be wearing. I have heard and read a lot of people talking about the body shapes and stuff but don't you think it is too much to think of? While I always want you to be fit and healthy so you would live longer (Isn't that the idea?), I would recommend you take the trends off your chest for a while and look at life more easily and make things less complicated. Wear whatever your heart tells you to. Make sure YOU are comfortable. Don't bother about what others think. What they would say. Worry about you being presentable and being nice and don't give everything else a damn! You look best when you are happy and comfortable. Just make sure you have a smile on your face when you step out. You are mint new!

Having said that, I have had my share of suits and boots and have rocked them too. Sometimes mom wanted me to look so (on my graduation), sometimes the occasion demanded so (my wedding being one such occasion). But just can't have then every day.

So choose your fashion choices wisely and go with what you like. Choose your style. Make one that is your own, personal and close to your heart. Something you would be comfortable in and can pull off. I myself like a black tee, blue jeans and sport shoes any day, every day.

Get more fashion advice and tips from here.

“I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.”

For God's sake, Just do it!

 

I have seen many people and myself sometimes stay at one point where we are waiting for the best idea to emerge, best design to come up while we sit there and wait till the last minute and then rush into doing things that we are not proud of. You know what I mean, don't you?

Most of the work is tiresome and non-interesting but we got to get through that to get to the interesting stuff. So it is better to start off early and finish the mundane tasks that make our routine and then have time for the creative, productive stuff.

Plan your day and make good use of the plan. Have complete attention in the time you can. Like, have an hour of your best time, morning coffee time in my case, to answer your emails and set out the tasks for the day. In that one hour, don't have anything open on your laptop, have your phone on emergency calls only and focus on completing the task.

I also would encourage you to pick up the toughest task you have for the day and handle it as the first thing you would do for today. Answering that query, completing the presentation, replying to the client or making that report.

Whatever you usually put off till the last minute, handle that first. Once you do that, you take up the strongest enemy on the table and then you are practically blazing through the rest of the day.

Having a coffee break or a simple stroll during the day also helps. Try it for a week and see how easy your day becomes. So don't keep it pending till the nth hour. Just do it and finish it off.

#TalktoTiger

#PositivePsychologist

#ConsumerPsyche

#marketingtalk 
#procastinator

Open doors

 

Open doors, opportunities. Give chances, make choices, help others improve. Be a change agent, a positive one.

Bring the light in.

#talktotiger #PositivePsychologist #mondayBlues

Monday Blues: A forest to reap

                        

This Monday, I want to encourage you to dig deep into your core competency, your best skills and use that to build your brand. When things don't seem to go in your favour or, when everything you know looks like it is dead, when you can't see further, have hope on the Lord and he will help you to reap a forest. This happens when the spirit is poured on you from the high. You need to sow your faith, do your work, dig in deep and confess. Move forward, move ahead, keep running. Don't give up yet. You have a forest to reap.

Isaiah 32:15 - Till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.  

#TalktoTiger #PositivePsychologist
#Sownow #BuildtheBase #BuildyourBrand
#MondayBlues

Hello, 2022!

One of the most interesting things that happens with us is how we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and things like the new year.

While we must be thankful that we are given yet another chance to be on this planet, we must also recommit ourselves to follow the resolutions we kept pending. Time waits for none.

As we step into the new year and are back to the grind, here is what I feel we can be doing.

Pick the top 3 things from the resolution list you made last year and go at them with double force.

Here are the ones I picked -

• Spend time with God - The Holy Bible, prayer
• Spend meaningful time with family
• Eat healthy - Hmmm
• Walk more - can I touch 500 kms?
• Write more - 150 blog posts, 2 books at least
• Read more - Close all pending books on my shelf
• Be kind - Every time
• Control my anger - shift to assertive mode

What are yours?

If they are similar, tag me and we will journey together, compare notes and learn.

#talktotiger #PositivePsychologist #newyear #resolutions

Time Is Running Out

Our days on this planet are numbered. What are you going to do today? How about tomorrow? Are you sure you can do that?

What legacy are you going to leave? Work towards that today.

As humans, we have the greatest opportunity to create a history, a legacy that will stand the test of time. Start working. Build your legacy.

Comment if you agree.

#TalktoTiger
#PositivePsychologist
#ConsumerPsyche
#MondayBlues

Take time to unwind

Unwind on the weekend: Make sickening plans to enjoy your weekend. This is to ensure all your pressure weans off once you finish your weekend and come back recharged when you come back to work.

Maybe it means you are just sleeping or reading a book. Maybe it means you are cleaning your entire house. Maybe you are washing your clothes while watching a movie.

Come back with passion.

Do it well and plan to beat Monday Blues with a bang.

What is your plan for this weekend? Mention in the comments. The best 3 would be pinned!

#TalktoTiger
#PositivePsychologist
#WeekendPlans
#MondayBlues

Why weekend is loved so much!

 

Isn't it is an amazing cycle?

You struggle, strive, keep running, and then comes Saturday.
What are you doing this weekend?

Relax, rejuvenate and rebound. Sometimes rest is needed. Ignore everything around you and try to catch some sleep and connect with your inner self, family, friends, and food :)

Tell me what you are doing this weekend?

For entrepreneurs, where does the sky end? Where does the sea begin?

This pic was taken somewhere over the Indian Ocean.
#talktotiger #PositivePsychologist #Weekendplans

What's our communication strategy?

For all my friends who are starting out their ventures, marketing professionals handling a brand here is an interesting thought. 

As a professional or a brand, what is the expectation you are setting? Can you afford to have an expectation that signals that you are not trustworthy? Can you repair it now? Can you start monitoring your communication? 

If you are a brand, sit with your communication/social media team now and set the course for the next 3 months and see how you can create a better narrative. Trust me, you cannot afford to not have a communication strategy. 

The best thing that can happen to you as a brand or as a person is that you are clear about what you want to communicate. You address the challenges you are going to face - seen and unseen. You pick which battles you are going to fight and what you are going to let go of. The worst thing that can happen is that you are clueless and are doing everything impromptu. What a bad state to be in!

With growing cacophonous clamor fighting space in your consumer's mind, it is eternally difficult to occupy a meaningful space to convey your message. It becomes even more difficult if you don't have a plan in place. 

Here are a few things you can talk to your audience in the last leg of this year to make a positive dent in their consumer psyche.

1. What are you going to do in the next few months - product, service, research...
2. What you are planning for the next year
3. Exciting upcoming things for your audience to look forward to
4. Reasons why they should work with you & how can you help them - could be financial, technical...
5. What is your brand promise? Why should your audience move down the sales funnel to engage with you?
6. Are you fun to work with, to engage, to problem-solve? Tell them that.

Set up your communication strategy to address these and more. If you want to talk/question/debate, write to me or comment here.

#TalktoTiger #PositivePsychologist #BrandingTiger #ConsumerPsyche 

Make A List

Every second, every hour, every day we are running. Running; From responsibilities, running from work, running from deadlines, running from people, running from goals, running from ourselves. And we keep running because we do not have reason to stay committed. Like I was running from my blog. I can give you enough reasons, but there is frankly none. So here I am back, on track.

Do you run away from your responsibilities and your goals and work? What about relationships? You must look up once in a while from your busy schedule and see if you are busy and if yes, are they for the right reasons. If you are busy, for the right reasons, nothing like it. If not, time to take a break and re-evaluate and make a priority list. Yes, make a list.

When you wake up from the rush, make a list of your priorities, make sure you have your family, your loved ones and caring ones with you on that list. Because you can earn as much as you want yet you can't eat three biryanis.

Life is what you make it, but the choice should make that happen. When you wake up in the morning to head to work, it should be with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

If not, you are not doing it right. So, go brew a great cup of coffee, make that list and then press play!

First, on my list - lose the tummy.

This is a series of #MondayBlues posts.
#TalktoTiger #positivePsychologist

Everyday is a Sunday!

I am very practical about reviews. I need time to actually check the product, use it and feel good about it to write one. This is one product that I have used for almost a month before I put my pen to paper and here is the review of my pillow!

I found these amazing ads about the Sunday pillows and mattresses and wanted to check out their pillows. We are a family that loves pillows and there are hordes of them at home. When I say hordes, I mean pillows. Even after spending a decent amount on each pillow, I see that the fluffiness comes down within a couple of weeks and then there is nothing left but a small clumpy sheet that was the remnant of the pillow, like a zombie version. Not with Sunday. I am happy till date with the comfort it is offering me and it is a special favorite with the kids too. 

The USP of the Sunday pillow is that it consists of 0.7 Denier microfiber,which is the finest fiber available with 50% more filling than of a standard pillow. This ensures that the pillow is soft (because of usage of finest microfiber) but at the same time prevents the pillow from flattening out. Sunday Delight Pillow (Costing around Rs 2000) is labelled as Outrageously comfy pillows designed with Super micro fiber filling, and has 50% more filling. It has hypo allergenic 220 GSM microfiber fabric Super soft filling for extra comfort.  The royal blue piping makes it look classy. The packaging is good too. It comes in a sling bag that is reusable and has neat branding and a story built around it. 

In the words of founder Alphonse Reddy, says,"Ideally, a mattress has to be paired with the right pillow. However, pillows are sold as an afterthought and in most cases or cheaper pillows are given as freebies in the market. There was a gap here that we have tried to bridge.” 

Is the price tag of 2000 Rs expensive? I don't think so. You spend thousands of rupees on coffee, diesel for your car or other things that get over in a couple of days and are thinking about getting a good pillow? Well, rethink. We all need good sleep and good rest. When your body rests properly and you get to sleep well and wake up refreshed, every day is a Sunday.

Check out their website: www.sundayrest.com and next time you are searching for a gifting option, gift a Sunday to them!

Learn Teach Learn

 Once you learn something, make sure you teach that and add value to many people.

And keep learning. Teaching gives me joy. Learning keeps the fire alive. Keep learning and teaching.

#ConsumeMore #PositivePsychologist #TalkToTiger #LearnTeachLearn

Talk to me

Regardless of how you feel and believe, the amount of communication, verbal and written has come down drastically, thanks to the modern tech facilitators. Look what I found online.

The time spent on sharing a few things with the people you love to care about is more worth than the time spent in messaging, texting and drafting emails. No communication, nothing can replace the joy in listening to someone's voice and take off the pain, burden, double the excitement in happiness than when you do it personally.

Here is a chance to test it yourself. Today, call someone you know and have been communicating via the electronic mode and speak to them and see how it feels. Especially the family.

The same applies to your customer.

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