H.O.P.E

Ken Robinson - "Not far from where I live is a place called Death Valley. Death Valley is the hottest, driest place in America, and nothing grows there. Nothing grows there because it doesn't rain. Hence, Death Valley. In the winter of 2004, it rained in Death Valley. Seven inches of rain fell over a very short period. And in the spring of 2005, there was a phenomenon. The whole floor of Death Valley was carpeted in flowers for a while. What it proved is this: that Death Valley isn't dead. It's dormant. Right beneath the surface are these seeds of possibility waiting for the right conditions to come about, and with organic systems, if the conditions are right, life is inevitable. It happens all the time." via TED

Lovely Poem by Roosevelt

It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs and comes short again and again;
who knows great enthusiasms,
the great devotions;
who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly
so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
                                 ---Theodore Roosevelt

Tidbits

Tidbits:

“An odd thing, life. You never know where you are with it, do you?” #Wodehouse

For a perfect relationship: It takes a lot of practice, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of love, a lot of pain, a lot of regrets, a lot of honesty and truth... but most of all - a lot of respect. - Pravsworld

Remember what King Julien says: You must take the music inside of you, swish it around and spit it out of your tail. - Madagascar 

RT @Gauravonomics: When we become mindful of impermanence & interdependence, cause & consequence, it becomes difficult to get angry & stay angry at others

Self-quote:

Accelerated growth causes chaos because its origin = Greed + Desire to prove supremacy in speed + Unsorted disharmony of stakeholders (because such a disharmony can never be resolved in a short period of time) #Business

Words to remember - To cope with a multitasking, random, chaotic life-style. Slow. Conscious. Deliberate. Deep. Silence. Focus. Refocus.  #Peace

Sometimes, every single cell in your body might want to protest and scream out "Do you think I have traded my brain with a reptile?" but you must grit your teeth, take a deep breath, summon your better senses and muster all the energy within to smile and say something that you'd say to a gurgling baby. #People

In some imaginary worlds there is only one, solitary, unchangeable, fixed, immovable and obvious answer to every question. I'd hate to be a part of such a world. #People

In a large organization, the only way to be truly happy at work and make profound progress every year is to find a Mentor who is committed to help you succeed. Only way. #Organization #Success 

For a family to be happy, healthy and enthusiastic, it, arguably, needs a minimum of one humorist, one nutritionist and more than 50% optimists. #Family #People 

When a strong belief is not inter-spaced with the right amount of introspection, honesty, humility and respect for others' freedom and right to learn through experimentation, we have seemingly intelligent jerks..... #People 

The Secret

Ok. I think I've found the ultimate secret of life. Please don't get me wrong, dear Kung Fu Panda. If you're able to muster every ounce of the ambidexterity within you to apply perfectly equal control on the two extreme and opposite forces that manifest themselves in each of the million odd dimensions of life, then you're unconquerable. There. Now that you know, just go do it. You're welcome.

Google Images

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Think Buddha. "Stay in the middle path".

Fluttering Within

Fluttering Within

Act 1: Square one

Unknown purpose, a random & empty life, uncertainty was the king

The bird knew not what the next day would bring

Nothing unique or special to hum, tweet or sing

Nothing to hang on to and yet happy not to cling

Stuck in a bare cage, she almost had no idea she had wings 

Act 2: Change of scene

Wonderful dreams of many soothing colours

Soft and fluffy clouds that beckoned the bird to rest 

Rows and rows of bright and happy flowers

Everything seemed to be safe and right in its nest 

The bird had been finally let out of her dreaded cage

She flew with her wings stretched in freedom and joy

Only to suddenly find herself being chased back in a rage

Destiny had worn a deceptive mask and dropped it as if only a toy   

There came a sudden storm that swept everything away 

And left nothing but destruction, dust and dirt for miles 

The clouds had turned dark and night had replaced day

The sky had lost its splendid colours and twinkling smiles  

Act 3: Back to Square one

The bird crawled back into the cage in sheer disbelief

The dream had been so cruelly tempting and painfully brief 

It was all short-lived, the so-called freedom and relief

It would forever be a confusing memory tinged with grief

But the bird shook herself yet again, mustered strength and turned a new leaf 

Google Images.

The Bird Shall Fly Again

Thought Patterns

This is a must-read. 
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/04/the_thought-patterns_of_succes.html  


Author: Elizabeth Grace Saunders


Extracts I'd like to revisit often.

Croak....croak....croak.....R.O.A.R

Time for some inspiration

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you‘re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit— 

Rest if you must, but don‘t you quit.

Life is odd with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a person turns about

When they might have won had they stuck it out.

Don ‘t give up though the pace seems slow— 

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor's cup;

And he learned too late when the night came down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—

So stick to the fight when you‘re hardest hit,— 

It's when things seem worst that you mustn‘t quit.


Note: Source: Internet. No idea who wrote this poem.

Courage

From Google Images...

She runs towards the place where the light streams from,
She hopes it will get brighter with every step forward.
Meanwhile the clock ticks with its usual freedom,
But its rhythm is not musical only to the poor coward.

It will be pitch dark before it is bright again,
Even if she moves ahead in the same direction.
Come night or day, she has to be sane,
For courage and dignity lie in the journey's completion. 

Rabbits and Carrots

Super! Nothing left to say... :-)

A Single Story?

If there's only one thing you plan to do this entire week, then please watch this video. :-)


http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html

Same Choice, Same Results

A quote I'll always remember, though not verbatim, is Paulo Coelho's quote on how if we experience the same challenges and problems again and again in life, it means that we have not learnt our lesson.

Check out this excellent article from Daily OM: http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2012/32081.html 

Repeated bouts of adversity are an unavoidable aspect of human existence. We battle against our inner struggles or outer world forces, and in many cases, we emerge on the opposite side of struggle stronger and better equipped to cope with the challenges yet to come. However, we can occasionally encounter trials that seem utterly hopeless. We strike at them with all of our creativity and perseverance, hoping desperately to bring about change, only to meet with the same results as always. Our first instinct in such situations is often to push harder against the seemingly immovable obstruction before us, assuming that this time we will be met with a different outcome. But staying power and stamina net us little when the same choices consistently garner the same results. A change in perspective, behavior, or response can do so much more to help us move past points where no amount of effort seems sufficient to overcome the difficulties before us. 

Whether our intention is to change ourselves or some element of the world around us, we cannot simply wish for transformation or hope that our lives will be altered through circumstance. If our patterns of thought and behavior remain unchanged, our lives will continue to unfold much as they have previously. Patterns in which fruitless efforts prevail can be overcome with self examination and courage. It is our bravery that allows us to question the choices we have made thus far and to channel our effort into innovation. Asking questions and making small adjustments to your thought processes and behaviors will help you discover what works, so you can leave that which does not work behind you. To break free from those unconscious patterns that have long held sway over your actions and reactions, you will likely have to challenge your assumptions on a most basic level. You must accept once and for all that your beliefs with regard to cause and effect may no longer be in accordance with your needs. 

Stagnation is often a sign that great changes are on the horizon. Courting the change you wish to see in yourself and in the world around you is a matter of acknowledging that only change begets change. The results you so ardently want to realize are well within the realm of possibility, and you need only step away from the well-worn circular path to explore the untried paths that lie beyond it. 

Our long vacation in the Troposphere: A perspective

Our long vacation in the Troposphere: A perspective


To be one with nature, to be friends with a four-legged creature, to read the best of literature, 


To connect with The Creative Power, to seek wisdom and humor, 


To tune into the divinity of music, to do that which makes us feel good and tick. 

The Poem of the Phoenix

There are two ways to look at poetry. There are two ways to look at life. It must be a lie because the 'poet' *makes* it rhyme. It can't be anything but the truth because the rhyme somehow falls in place.


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Life is at the peak of confusion
Not when 'up' is followed by a 'down'
But when it blows both hot and cold
When one feels weak as well as bold


When nectar and poison are one
When soft and rough spoil the fun
When the child is both patted and hit
When the lamp is blown out immediately after being lit


When one reaches the mountain peak
And yet there are no traces of what one seeks
When the fire of life is doused out of sight
Just as it begins to burn bright


The words to repeat as always 
are Trust in God and hope of a divine blaze
The picture of a rising phoenix 
Shows silent strength and wipes off the jinx 

Happy New Year - 2012!

Mixed

Some inspiration that I thought I would share:


Two great quotes that I came across today:


"Nothing is interesting if you're not interested." ~ Helen MacInness


Brilliant! Not something that many people understand or agree with, however true it is. I wish I'd known this quote a year ago. Could have probably used it to my advantage :-)


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This was in one of the responses, in Quora, to a question on God's invisibility: Read the full set of answers here, in case you're interested. 

The worst kind of leader is one who is despised and defied. 

Next is the one who is feared and obeyed.

Then the one loved and praised.

But the best kind of leader is the one whose existence is doubted,

who accomplishes all things, and the people say, "I have done it myself."

-- Tao Te Ching


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Moving on to less philosophical things, here's a nice set of slides on Social Media Strategy by @zaana. She has done a great job of collating data and ideas on the topic, with some cool pictures too


http://www.slideshare.net/zaana/strategically-social-plan-engage-act 


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Finally, I loved this article on the two flavors of passion for work - harmonious passion and obsessive passion. Via @gautamghosh


http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/08/why_your_passion_for_work_coul.html


In other words, I think it is all boils down to the philosophy of being engaged in work for inner happiness and yet being detached enough to pay attention to other dimensions of life. 

Think Different Advt - Steve Jobs

Independence

Great article on Daily OM -  http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2011/30292.html
Because an idea or way of doing things is popular doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone.

Just because an idea or way of doing things is popular doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. However, part of the way that something becomes popular is that many of us don’t take the time to determine what’s right for us; we simply do what most of the people we know are doing. In this way, our decisions about life are made by default, which means they aren’t what we call conscious decisions. There may be many other options available, but we don’t always take the time to explore them. This may be the result of feeling overwhelmed or pressured by family, peers, and humanity at large, to do things their way, the way things have always been done. Regardless of the cause, it is important that, as often as we can, we decide for ourselves what to do with our lives rather than just drift along on the current of popular opinion.

It is not always easy to make decisions that go against the grain. Many people feel threatened when those close to them make choices divergent from the ones they are making. Parents and grandparents may be confused and defensive when we choose to raise our children differently from the way they raised us. Friends may feel abandoned if we decide to change our habits or behavior. Meanwhile, on our side of the fence, it’s easy to feel frustrated and defensive when we feel unsupported and misunderstood simply because we are thinking for ourselves. It can be exhausting to have to explain and re-explain our points of view and our reasons.

This is where gentleness, openness, and tolerance come into play. It helps if we are calmly persistent, consistent, and clear as we communicate to those around us why we are making the choices we are making. At the same time, we have the right to say that we are tired of talking about it and simply need our choices to be respected. Our lives belong to us and so do our decisions. Those who truly love us will stand by us and support our choices, never mind what’s popular. 

Misfits - Umair Haque

http://blogs.hbr.org/haque/2011/08/what_kind_of_misfit_are_you.html


Inspiring article from one of my current favorite writers, Umair Haque. 


Extracts:

It's not that every misfit accomplishes something fundamentally unexpectedly awesome (for example, yours truly). And it certainly is the case that misfits have also been some of history's greatest villains. But it's also probable that most things unexpected, radical, and breathtakingly awesome take just a little bit of nonconformity; just a little bit of dissatisfaction with "the way things are.


Hence, I'd say: the biggest and most unforgivable crime industrial age institutions commit againstour humanity is to deny us the freedom of our own singular humanity. They stifle us at every turn, fitting us into neat boxes, relentlessly and brutally pressuring us — when they're not pulverizing us — to conform, obey, fit in, toe the party line.


 If we had more freedom of individualism in organization, we'd have less politics, bureaucracy, jargon, time-wasting, wheel-spinning, and an almost embarrassing level of hubris that would have put Icarus to shame — and veritable monsoons more humility, imagination, creativity, empathy, trust, respect, wisdom.


We need those free thinkers. In fact, in a world where perma-crisis seems to be the status quo, by which our so called leaders seem paralyzed and hopelessly confused, we've never needed the misfits more.

The sum of divinity

The serenity of Buddha's face. The compassion & forgiveness in Jesus's arms.  The wisdom in Krishna's words.  The sum of divinity. 

Thoughtful Moments

A few of my own thoughtful twitter moments today 


How can love & forgiveness exist where there is a tendency to constantly observe, analyze, assume & judge?


Sharing is the Mother and Curiosity the Father of Serendipity. #inspired_moment


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An inspiring post by Sudhir Krishnan that I came across this morning (and this post happens to be somewhat related to my first thought)

Inspirations by Sudhir Krishnan

However noble your thoughts and actions, there will be some people who will not be pleased. Even Jesus and Buddha faced opposition. While one needs to take care not to deliberately hurt others, there is always the possibility of falling short of some people's expectations. As long as you have given your best, move on and do not blame yourself. Detach yourself from what is essentially the other person's karma.