What’s your managerial style: like Lord Ram or Lord Krishna?

In Hindu mythology there are two great epics. One is called Ramayan and other is called Mahabharata. The centre story of both these books is around victory of good on evil. In one story Lord Ram leads his army to defeat Ravana in his land while in the second Lord Krishna oversees Pandavas defeat Kauravas in the battle at Kurushektra.

In Ramayan, Lord Ram is the best yodhaa of his side. He leads his army from the front. Strategies and directs different people to do things which will meet the objectives. His people are happy to follow orders and want to get all the appreciation for being the best executors. Lord Ram set direction and also tells people what to do during difficult times.

Ultimately they won the war and final outcome was achieved.

On the other hand Lord Krishna told Arjuna, I won’t fight the battle. I won’t pick up any weapon; I would only be there on your chariot as a charioteer. And he did what he said. He never picked up the weapon and he never fought.

Still, Pandavs won the war and final outcome was achieved.

So, what was different? It was their managerial style and it was also the type of people who were being lead. Lord Ram was leading an army of ‘MONKEYS’ who were not skilled fighters and they were looking for direction. While on other hand, Lord Krishna was leading Arjuna who was one of the best archer of his time. While Lord Ram’s role was to show it and lead from the front, Krishna played the role of a coach whose job was to remove cobwebs from his protégée’s mind. Krishna couldn't teach Arjuna archery but he could definitely help him see things from a very different perspective.

Here are some of the basic differences in two styles: Lord Ram- skilled warrior, lead monkeys, was emotional, gave precise roles and instructions, motivated the army to fight for his cause: Lord krishna- works with best professionals, provides strategic clarity, allows team members to take lead, fights for the cause of the team, did not depict true emotions

Look at your team/family and reflect what type of leader/parent you are, one who keeps answering/solving problems for people/kids or who asks relevant questions from their people/kids so that they can find their own solution. Are you someone who tells/direct all the time or someone who clarifies doubts and allows their people/kids to find their own ways. Are you someone who has monkeys in the team and the way you deal with it Or you have brightest experts in their area getting stuck with issues? 

Younger generation doesn't want you to tell or show how things are done, they want to know the meaning of their task and how it makes difference in this world. They are Arjuna’s who don’t necessarily seek more skill/knowledge but they need someone to clarify the cobwebs in their mind, if you still apply Lord Ram’s style on them, you are bound to fail as a manager on the other hand if there are people who aren't skilled enough but rely on your expertise to sail you through Lord Ram’s style is appropriate.

Isn't it good for us to reflect and think what managerial style will bring the best result for you and your team/family ?

Is it Lord Ram or Lord Krishna?

Life & Tree

I have this tree analogy when I think of people in my life, be it friends, family, acquaintances, employees, co-workers, whomever...
They­ are all placed inside what I call my tree test. 
It goes like this:

LEAF PEOPLE
Some people come into your life and they are like leaves on a tree. They are only there for a season. You can't depend on them or count on them because they are weak and only there to give you shade. Like leaves, they are there to take what they need and as soon as it gets cold or a wind blows in your life they are gone. You can't be angry at them, it's just who they are.

BRANCH PEOPLE
There are some people who come into your life and they are like branches on a tree. They are stronger than leaves, but you have to be careful with them. They will stick around through most seasons, but if you go through a storm or two in your life it's possible that you could lose them. 
Most times they break away when it's tough. Although they are stronger than leaves, you have to test them out before you run out there and put all your weight on them. In most cases they can't handle too much weight. But again, you can't be mad with them, it's just who they are.

ROOT PEOPLE
If you can find some people in your life who are like the roots of a tree then you have found something special. Like the roots of a tree, they are hard to find because they are not trying to be seen. Their only job is to hold you up and help you live a strong and healthy life. If you thrive, they are happy. They stay low key and don't let the world know that they are there. And if you go through an awful storm they will hold you up. Their job is to hold you up, come what may, and to nourish you, feed you and water you.

Just as a tree has many limbs and many leaves, there are few roots. 
Look at your own life. How many leaves, branches and roots do you have? 
What are you in other people's lives?

THANK GOD FOR THE ROOTS!

What's Inside?

A conversation between Wayne Dyer and his student...

What's Inside? 

"'If I were to squeeze this orange as hard as I could, what would come out?' I asked him.

He looked at me like I was a little crazy and said, 'Juice, of course.'

'Do you think apple juice could come out of it?'

'No!' he laughed.

'What about grapefruit juice?'

'No!'

'What would come out of it?'

'Orange juice, of course.'

'Why? Why when you squeeze an orange does orange juice come out?'

He may have been getting a little exasperated with me at this point.

'Well, it's an orange and that's what's inside."

I nodded.

'Let's assume that this orange isn't an orange, but it's you. And someone squeezes you, puts pressure on you, says something you don't like, offends you. And out of you comes anger, hatred, bitterness, fear. Why?

The answer, as our young friend has told us, is
" because that's what's inside. It's one of the great lessons of life. What comes out when life squeezes you? 
When someone hurts or offends you? 
If anger, pain and fear come out of you, it's because that's what's inside. 
It doesn't matter who does the squeezing: your mother, your brother, your children, your boss, the government. 
If someone says something about you that you don't like, what comes out of you is what's inside. And what's inside is up to you, it's your choice.
When someone puts the pressure on you and out of you comes anything other than love, it's because that's what you've allowed to be inside. 
Once you take away all those negative things you don't want in your life and replace them with love, you'll find yourself living a highly functioning life."...

~ Squeeze out Love and Compassion...
😊😊😊

Life - an interesting read

Now think
• A birth certificate shows that we were born.
• A death certificate shows that we died.
• Pictures show that we lived!


Have a seat .... Relax and read each line slowly...let the meaning sink in....it is powerful and worth the read...
- That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

- That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

- That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

- That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

- That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

- That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

- That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. You never know when it may be the last time you see them.

- That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

- That we are responsible for what we do (no matter how we feel).

- That either you control your attitude, or it controls you.

- That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

- That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

- That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

- That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

- That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

- That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

- That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

- That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

- Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

- That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

- That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

- That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

-- The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

- 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you'

Some advise

Having lived a reasonably contented life, I was musing over what a person should strive for to achieve happiness. Here is a list of a few essentials which is put forward for the readers' appraisal.

1. First and foremost is GOOD HEALTH. If you do not enjoy good health you can never be happy. Any ailment, however trivial, will deduct from your happiness.

2. Second, a HEALTHY BANK BALANCE. It need not run into crores but should be enough to provide for creature comforts and something to spare for recreation, like eating out, going to the pictures, travelling or going on holidays on the hills or by the sea. Shortage of money can be only demoralizing. Living on credit or borrowing is demeaning and lowers one in one's own eyes.

3. Third, a HOME OF YOUR OWN. Rented premises can never give you the snug feeling of a nest which is yours for keeps that a home provides: if it has a garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees and flowers, see them grow and blossom, cultivate a sense of kinship with them.

4. Fourth, an UNDERSTANDING COMPANION, be it your spouse or a friend. If there are too many misunderstandings, they will rob you of your peace of mind. It is better to be divorced than to bicker all the time.

5. Fifth, LACK OF ENVY towards those who have done better than you in life; risen higher, made more money, or earned more fame. Envy can be very corroding; avoid comparing yourself with others.

6. Sixth, DO NOT ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE to descend on you for gup-shup. By the time you get rid of them, you will feel exhausted and poisoned by their gossip-mongering.

7. Seventh, CULTIVATE SOME HOBBIES which can bring you a sense of fulfillment, such as gardening, reading, writing, painting, playing or listening to music. Going to clubs or parties to get free drinks or to meet celebrities is criminal waste of time.

8. Eighth, every morning and evening, devote 15 minutes to INTROSPECTION. In the morning, 10 minutes should be spent on stilling the mind and then five in listing things you have to do that day. In the evening, five minutes to still the mind again, and ten to go over what you had undertaken to do.

Why are North Indians so aggressive ?

Am often asked this ...and often I witness a conversation where it is implied that North Indians are loud, aggressive , protective, opulent , not very polite & helpful to strangers and so on.....plus they lack interest is some finer things in life like music & literature like the culturally evolved people from other parts of the nation.

Am not a History buff, but let's just try.

North India...Largely the Punjab & Rajathan area and what is Pakistan now , faced innumerable attacks. All attacks on India happened from there if my memory serves me right.

So for the last 500 or 1000 our ancestors were busy protecting their land & family. Busy with wars and reconstruction. These folks were so busy with wars and dealing with invaders , that all else did not matter. So the DNA became aggressive and distrusting.  While other communities living in a more peaceful circumstances developed interest in arts, music, poetry & so on.

Think about it....

Our Attitude Defines Life

Life is Best for those who want to Live it,
Life is Difficult for those who want to Analyze it,
Life is worst for those who want to Criticize it,
Our Attitude Defines Life...

Enjoy Your Life,
Laugh so Hard That even Sorrow Smiles at You,
Live Life so Well That even Death Loves to see you Alive,
Fight so Hard That even Fate accepts its Defeat..

Parenting again!

Parenthood has taught me a lot. One of the biggest lessons presented itself not very long after my son was born:

-The importance of letting go:

-I've had to learn to let go and let him sleep in his own room;
-let go and let him cross the street to play;
-let go and let him walk to school;
-let go and let him choose his clothes, his wife, his own path.

It's a life long process and I still have times I have to remind myself, hey, this is not about me, is it?

It's easy to worry, feel disappointed, be irritated or get annoyed by someone's actions or choices because they aren't what we want or expect or what we think we know is right.

It's easy to see others and operate more from our own perspective or agenda rather than what is needed or important or best for the other person.

And sometimes, when we do get what we want, we discover it wasn't the best of all possibilities after all.

Expectations are like icebergs. Whether it's the actions we expect co-workers to take, the recognition we think we deserve, or the careers we want our children to choose, we rarely see the depth of possibilities that exist just beneath the surface.

When we attach ourselves to one outcome, we can't see all that might eventually emerge if we just let it go.

We can save a tremendous amount of energy when we accept that people will not always act as expected or in ways that suit us.

This doesn't mean losing control; it means acknowledging that in most cases we're not in control and don't need to be for things to turn out okay.

Accept the unpredictable nature of life.

Let go of expectations and view the world around you from a new and more spontaneous perspective.

Be more flexible and ready to adapt and respond to whatever may come your way with more intelligence, more creativity and more balance. Expect only the unexpected!

Mum's Test

A mum was out walking with her 4-year-old daughter. She picked up something off of the ground and started to put it in her mouth.
She took the item away from her and she asked her not to do that.
'Why?' my daughter asked.
'Because it's been on the ground; you don't know where it's been, it's dirty,
And probably has germs,' she replied.
At this point, my daughter looked at mum with total admiration and asked,
'Mum, how do you know all this stuff? You are so smart.'
Mum was thinking quickly and replied, 'All mums know this stuff. It's on the Mum Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Mum.'
We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information.
'Oh.....I get it!' she beamed, 'So if you don't pass the test you have to be the dad.'
'Exactly,' I replied with a big smile on my face.

Ten Commandments

Someone has written these beautiful lines. Must read and try to understand the deep meaning of it. They are like Ten Commandments to follow in the life all the time.

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble,
But it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout

2] Do you know why a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rearview Mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as your FUTURE. Look Ahead and Move on

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well enjoys it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don’t worry, they can't last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities;
When GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8] A blind person asked Swami Vivekananda: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?"
He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes,
When you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrows' TROUBLES; it takes away today’s PEACE

I believe

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born...
A Death Certificate shows that we died...
Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat, Relax, And read this slowly.....! !


I Believe....
That just because two people argue, that doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue, that doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.



I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.



I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe....
That my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.

I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what you've learned from them...and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.





I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, if a friend cries out to you...you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon..

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; They just make the best of everything.

Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life...


God Bless You!

What is in a name?

Well Shakespear's famous quote comes to my mind...Call the rose by any other name and it shall smell just as sweet.

Then am reminded that when one dies, we address it as "body" and not with the name.....

And any time our name is called we give it attention...whether in praise or otherwise....

We feel a strange joy about namesakes ...

So whats in a name?

Each time our name is mentioned we pay attention....well so does God....so each time we think of him, read about the Divine or talk or sing for the Lord, we attract attention.

And does God/Lord/The Divine/The Supreme....have a name???

Now lets dwell on the formless & nameless being given a form & a name for the convenience of mankind.

Think about it

Value of time!

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby..

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident

To realize
The value of one tenth of a second:
Ask a person
Who has lost the Olympic Gold

Time waits for no one..

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:

Ask someone who has lost one.


Remember....

Hold on tight to the ones you love!

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else –The small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ He continued,
there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So…

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

‘Take care of the golf balls first –
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.
‘I’m glad you asked’.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

Please share this with other “Golf Balls”

A story with a message - Lightening

A bus full of passengers was traveling while suddenly the weather changed and there was a huge downpour and lightning all around.

They could see that the lightning would appear to come towards the bus and then go elsewhere.

After 2 or 3 horrible instances of being saved from lightning, the driver stopped the bus about fifty feet away from a tree and said -

"We have somebody in the bus whose death is a certainty today."

Because of that person everybody else will also get killed today.

Now listen carefully what I am saying ..

I want each person to come out of bus one by one and touch the tree trunk and come back.

Whom so ever death is certain will get caught up by the lightning and will die & everybody else will be saved".

They had to force the 1st person to go and touch the tree and come back.

He reluctantly got down from the bus and went and touched the tree.

His heart leaped with joy when nothing happened and he was still alive.

This continued for rest of the passengers who were all relieved when they touched the tree and nothing happened.

When the last passenger's turn came, everybody looked at him with accusing eyes.

That passenger was very afraid and reluctant since he was the only one left.

Everybody forced him to get down and go and touch the tree.

With a 100% fear of death in mind, the last passenger walked to the tree and touched it.

There was a huge sound of thunder and the lightning came down and hit the bus - yes the lightning hit the bus, and killed each and every passenger inside the bus.

It was because of the presence of this last passenger that, earlier, the entire bus was safe and the lightning could not strike the bus.

LIFE LEARNING from this..

At times, we try to take credit for our present achievements, but this could also be because of a person right next to us.

Look around you - Probably someone is there around you, in the form of Your Parents, Your Spouse, Your Children, Your Siblings, Your friends, etc, who are saving you from harm..!

Think About it..

You will surely find that Person..!!

Food for thought:

A group of  children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other  disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the  rest on the  operational track.

The train is coming, and you are just beside the  track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track  and save most of the kids.

However, that would also mean the lone child playing  by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go  its way?    

Let's take a pause to think what kind of  decision we could make................

Most  people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one  child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way  initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child  was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally.

But, have  you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in  fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he  had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the  danger was.

This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office,  community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the RIGHT is  often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or  ignorant the majority are, and how far-sighted and knowledgeable the wise  are.

The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track  was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for  him.

The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would  not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids  playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was  still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's  sirens.

If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because  he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track  was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to  the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in  your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up  sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all  aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be  made, we may  not realize that hasty decision may not always be the right one.

Law of the Garbage Truck

This has to be one of the best messages I have received because  when you sit and think about it.... It is so true!  

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took  off for the airport. We were driving in the  right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in  front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded  and missed the other car by just  inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started  yelling at us.  My taxi driver just smiled and waved at  the guy. I mean, he was really friendly. 

So I asked, 'Why did you just do  that? This guy could almost ruin your car  and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'Law of the Garbage  Truck'   

He explained that many people are like  garbage trucks. They run around full of  garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointments. As and when  their  garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move  on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to  other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their  day.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, So ... Love the people who treat you  right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is 10  %  what you make it.

AND

90 %  how you take it!

Have a garbage-free Life !!👍😊