Wake UP call - 12 best lessons from my mentor - Part 4

Lesson 10: Excite your work

 

No matter how many leaves we take from our college or office, ultimately we need to accept the truth of life that we need to work to earn our bread and butter. We need to work to earn our livelihood, we need to work to accomplish our dreams. Ultimately majority of our life is spent only on working because life is just the other name or work and vice versa. As we are aware that we need to work throughout our life, it's mandatory for us to make our work exciting. No one can come and make your work exciting. You've to innovate different ways of exciting your work all by yourself to enjoy doing it day and night.

Lesson 11: Every new skill matters

 

There is no other option but accepting the fact that there are a billion talents and skills existing in this world today. Every skill has its advantages. So no skill is small, no skill is big as long as you know as to when to use it and where to use it. No opportunity comes to us with a pre-invitation. We must be prepared to meet any opportunity whenever it strikes to achieve success. Developing new skills goes into the category of preparation. A new skill which you're interested in may or may not be useful currently in your work but there's no harm in developing it today because it might be of help tomorrow or sometime later. Hence I claim that every new skill matters.

Lesson 12: Surprise the world with something new frequently

 

The world around us and the people in it always like and love surprises. Monotony is ruling the lives of many in current times. People are trying to find solutions to breakthrough the doors of daily work schedule. Unfortunately some are bound by honesty while some others by salary. As a result, they work in spite of all the hard feelings at heart. What brings a fresh feeling in them is that of seeing someone who has broken the shackles of the world, broken some rules, taken some risks to boast of some achievements. When the audience is awaiting, the superstar has to arrive and he cannot repeat monotony. He has to bring something new for every show to entertain the audience . Likewise, each one of us will have to get something new often to surprise the world around us which is waiting for it.

Wake UP call - 12 best lessons from my mentor - Part 3

Lesson 7: Capture the collection on the way

 

How many photos have you taken of the street that you travel through everyday? How many photos have you taken separately with each of your friends? Probably the answers for both these questions is very less in number. We go through a lot of things but don't capture them as memories. Sometime, during the course of our journey when we need a collection of all such things we have no clue as to how to build it. Hence it's always advisable to take a photo at a new place where you are the first time on the way to your work. Like this you can have a huge collection of memories stored with you to refer back at any wanted time.

Lesson 8: Categorize your To-Do list

 

Writing down a to-do list is very important for our work to get distributed into a format such that not even one activity escapes our notice. However, putting all the work to be done under just one list gives no priority or consideration exclusivity for any single task. Each item on the to-do list is equivalent to the ten other tasks that exist there. It's just like training a lion and a chicken in the same training room with the same hunter which is totally irrational. Hence we must categorize the tasks on our to-do list so that we can prioritize accordingly and work.

Lesson 9: Targets are the most essential

 

No run can be scored if the crease is not marked at all in cricket; not even a single goal can be scored if the goal post is absent in the football field. Likewise in life nothing can be achieved if we don't have targets to achieve something. Target need not be only what we need to achieve, target should also be the time limit within which we need to achieve what we desire to achieve. Unless our target is time-bound, we will not be able to drive our energy at the highest peaks possible in order to exploit our complete efficiency. Associate your work with a target and enjoy the benefits.

Wake UP call - 12 best lessons from my mentor - Part 2

Lesson 4: Wake up, Take up, Dress up, Make up

 

If you've to go up in life, then you have to follow the 4 UPs of life. This was taught to my mentor by his mentor. Here are those 4 powerful UPs which can make us go up and grow up in life. Firstly, it's essential to wake up from our sleep early. Secondly, we must be ready to take up every responsibility that comes our way by seeing it as an opportunity. Thirdly, dressing up to be ready for work is the next UP. The world recognizes you by your dress first than your words. To err is human. So, it's very natural to find mistakes happening and we will have to respect the Murphy's law as well. Finally, we must be ready to make up for all the wrong decisions taken and unanticipated events that take away our intended results from us.

Lesson 5: Be time conscious

 

Time is eternal and immortal but humans are not the same. Hence, everything that's associated with us has a limited quantity. Likewise even time is a limited resource that God has gifted us of which we must make a wise choice of while using. A penny spent can be earned back but a minute lost can never be regained. That's why it's important for us to keep a check on where our time is being invested in and be totally time conscious.

Lesson 6: Feel the superstar in YOU

 

No matter how much ever one tries, one cannot be exactly like someone else is. Each human being on this planet is unique in himself/herself. Being so, everyone has unique capabilities and the skill levels to excel at them. It's completely up to us to decide how far we want to reach in life. Everyone dreams of being a superstar by mastering certain skillsets. While you dream of becoming a superstar you should feel the superstar in you. You will have to behave as if you've become the best in what you do and that influence itself shall make you a real superstar someday in the eyes of the people around.

Wake UP call - 12 best lessons from my mentor - Part 1

27th July was yet another remarkable day when I went to my mentor, Sujit Lalwani sir with a problem seeking for a solution only to learn that the problem was not the problem at all but there was something beyond that. The discussion started with just a request of one minute to discuss about the plan on work timings but it took an entirely different course as the real reasons for the confusion started unfolding. A one minute intended clarification went on for more than two hours of discussion and some of the best lessons were shared by my mentor. There is no point keeping these 12 powerful lessons with me alone. They've helped me a lot and I wish to share them with my dear readers so that whoever wants to uplift their lives can use them.

 

Lesson 1: Feel your dream

 
All of us have dreams but not all people feel their dreams. The reason you will find people with dreams but no destinations is because they don't cherish the feeling of accomplishment of their dreams even before dreams come true. Only when you can feel the thriving effect while imagining the dream coming true only then will you be able to accomplish the dream with the drive it gives you. Hence it's very important to feel your dreams while working to achieve them.
 

Lesson 2: Reignite your dreams

 
I am sure that you can go back to your past and recollect a lot of dreams that you had in your childhood. As we grow up we tend to forget the dreams and start building new ones. The same process repeats and old dreams are forgotten while new ones are built. There is no point in forgetting a dream once dreamt. Hence it's very essential to reignite our dreams time and again only to not allow them from dying away. There is no point in allowing your dreams to die away because we are alive to realize our dreams in reality.
 

Lesson 3: Even you're a human

 
While working towards multiple accomplishments in life, we tend to get pressurized by the number of tasks on our to-do list/s. Too much of competition from all directions bog us down. At one point, the frustration reaches its peaks and we might even decide to just get away with all the work at hand and not do anything just to attain some bliss in solitude. At such times, it doesn't mean that you're one of those who run away fearing work; it's just a temporary feeling which is very much natural for a human to feel.

In the lap of nature

Few days back when I was chatting with my cousin, he started sharing a lot of information and his personal experience on trekking. Probably one of the off times when I kept listening than talking! He went on to share the difficulties that one might face during trekking, the water scarcity, the heights and lot of other things. I was almost scared to go for one such adventure. At the end he just mentioned that all the struggle is worth whilst surviving through the top of the hill when you are just in the lap of nature.

I have just got the excerpts from the experience of the person who has been there thousands of feet above the sea level and who has enjoyed the real bliss of nature devoid of traffic jams, horns, barking people noises. All that you hear at that altitude is just the sound breeze of the cool air across your face, the jazzy ruffling of leaves and the birds singing and dancing to their own tunes. It is as if one has left all his problems and tensions in the below earth and has now completely moved into a different world surrendering oneself in the arms of nature to take him forward in life. In spite of 50 other people who have also climbed the same hill top being around not even a single person is either wanting or willing to talk to another human being. Each one wants to just talk to the nature which seems like God right in front of them. Each one wants to introspect and analyse all their past and discuss it with the nature to make better postulates for life thenceforth.

The final experience of hill-top introspection is what that attracted most of my interest despite all the hurdles while climbing to the top. But I could understand one thing and that was everyone wants to reach the top despite the hurdles on the way only to rise above all human misconceptions and offer oneself in the lap of God to evaluate all their past actions and surrender to ever-lasting happiness. Your feedback is welcome on is.mohanbn@gmail.com

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Not interested but compulsory

I have met a lot of people who say that they are not interested in doing certain things but are forced by their parents, relatives or society to do the same. Especially coming to students, some of them don't like to study. Some employees don't like to do the work and follow the rules of the company. Lack of interest coupled with forced implementation is just lengthening the gap between the work and the people. I am damn sure that each of us are committed to something that we have no interest to do. So how do we deal with this?

Let's accept that the world doesn't run on our words. There is a structure that has been established by many civilizations through decades of decades where all of us have landed up in. I haven't heard of any person who has proclaimed that he is very interested and passionate about brushing his teeth and taking bath everyday. Still we do these 2 activities no matter how difficult or boring they are. {I really pity those people who surround the specimens who don't perform even these 2 basic essentials}. Coming back to the point of interest in the work that we do, let me not inhibit from claiming that not every work is interesting. It's upto the person who is entrusted with the work to perform the work with complete interest in it. When certain work is compulsory and you can't escape from it then it's good to do it. Even more better is to generate and vest some interest in it and doing it.

If you like sweets you can't keep eating them daily because very soon you will get bored of it. There should be other spicy and sour food that you must taste in between so that you completely rejoice the sweet once again. Same case with the work. Complete the work that's compulsory and once you have done it you will be filled with double the interest to work on your passion. Completion of any form of work is what that gives the ultimate satisfaction to human life. I have completed my work of blogging, can you complete your work of writing a feedback how much ever disinterested you are about that on is.mohanbn@gmail.com

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Standards! Do they affect you?

In one of my conversations with a friend last night, she asked me whether her poems and proverbs were good enough to be published. Immediately I replied back saying that it doesn't matter whether they are good or bad as long as you want to publish them. Friends! let me reassure you that even garbage sells. Why do we have so many doubts against our own creations? It's all because of the set standards for anything we do that block us from surpassing them.

People have assumed certain standards for anything and everything that they are involved in. There is a certain set standard to wear clothes to a party or office or social gathering. There are standards for eating as well, in fact even to hold a fork. There are different standards of speaking english language for that matter. There is a specific way to convene a board meeting. People have a built-in perception that something really big, best and famous should be in the exact form that they imagine and if anyone else is doing the same level of impact but in a different form, it's difficult for people to accept. Friends! please get rid of all such unwritten rules that clog your mind from conveying our thoughts and ideas.

Right at the beginning of evolution of homo-sapiens species everyone of us were mere monkeys. Man evolved over the years and started following certain norms that eventually became standards for others to follow as they were more convenient and acceptable by a large number. If you can perform anything that you like to perform in the best way that it doesn't hurt the feelings of others and is neat in presentation that large number of people can view and validate it right then that's the best standard. No doubt that 'To err is human', you are bound to make mistakes. Just get rid of the fear of making mistakes and failing in front of the people's eyes. Be ready to learn from them and move on with your journey. All standards will get fulfilled in due course or perhaps you might be the next standard-setter. I am willing to read your feedback on is.mohanbn@gmail.com

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God has lots to offer

Oftentimes in our day to day life its really hard to find people who are completely satisfied in life. Everyone keeps blaming one or the other for the lack of something in his/her life. In most of these cases the target is God only because no one can question Him to find out the real truth. Some blame it on fate which indirectly refers to God. "Man proposes but God disposes" is a famous one-liner among us humans but just believe friends that God always has a better plan than yours.

However coming to the point of what can we expect from God or how much can God shower upon us is completely in the hands of the humans. God can only respond to what you ask and you work for more importantly. I remember this famous example of a person who once asked God to help him win a lottery for one crore rupees. He did severe penances asking for the same for many years but his wish never fructified. Finally one day he died and went to heaven. He was very furious with God that He hadn't responded to the man's penances. This soul of the human went and shouted at God as to why his wish wasn't fulfilled. The God gave him a tight slap and asked him whether he had bought a lottery ticket at the first place. The poor soul got disappointed as he had never bought a lottery ticket and shut his mouth. Proabably this was a very funny example but it has loads to teach us if we are ready to learn. Only if the person had bought the lottery ticket probably his years of penance would have got saved and he could have enjoyed the money in his life. He forgot to do his primary duty and wasted his entire life. Similarly, most of us crave for something but work for something else. Someone wants to become rich and keeps praying God to shower on him loads of fortune but never works for the same. There is no system in the unvierse which runs on zero input. Only if you input some work can God amplify it to give you big amounts of output.

Just observe yourself on a daily basis on what are the things that you complain about, what are those desires that you are wishing would get fulfilled by God. Note them down and ask yourself honestly whether you have even started a single action in any of those directions. If not better begin else sacrifice the thought of it. If you have already started working on what you're asking for then you would have definitely found out the future of it because God definitely sends signals. Folks! stop worrying for what you haven't got, start giving your action inputs on what you want and God will for sure bless upon you the rewards that you deserve. Rememeber, God has lots to offer, only if we make sure to give inputs and also remember that only actions speak not words.

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The birth of Talent

It has been a question on mind right from childhood as to why different people have different talents and varied skill levels in those respective talents. Everyone of us are born as babies emptyhanded. A poet is not born with a pen in his hand, a cricketer is not born with a bat in his hand, a painter is not born with a brush in his hand, a singer is not born with a mike in her hand. Still we see that some excel in sports, some in arts, some in science. I keep wondering sometimes as to how a child develops a talent of his/her own in the process of growing. Today while I was teaching my younger brother about painting, probably I saw the birth of the talent of painting in him which I want to share in this blog of mine.

As everyone of us know that be it any talent, no one is a master of it right at the beginning. Only he becomes a master of the talent who works as a slave of his persistent interest and commiment to the talent. At the beginning stage, any person develops an interest towards a talent due to various reasons. May be an inspiration from a role model in the same field or a chance to try out the talent accidentally or a force by parents or teachers to work on the talent for the sake of grades. Whatever the reason might be the amateur gets in touch with the talent. The talent is not born even at that time. It is just getting ready to take a part of life of the amateur. The moment the fresher to the talent starts enjoying the refreshening feeling that the talent generates in his heart is the time the talent is born. The talent is born inside the man himself. The young boy matures into a man to safeguard and develop this talent of his. This scenario is quite similar to the situation wherein a gorgeous girl impresses the teenage boy and the wink of her eyelashes blossoms the love in the heart of the lover. As this love fills the life of the lover so does the talent starts to encompass the artist.

Thus the talent starts evolving with every practice in the mind and body of the human. More the interest, more the passion, more the commitment, more the practice, more the talent growth happens just like how a child grows into a beautiful lady with great care and nourishment. Every man gets a chance to try out his hand at different talents but he chooses to give birth to which he is attracted more. Perhaps only God can explain the reason for this attraction and why different people are attracted towards different talents. I just feel its similar to how different people are attracted towards different people of the opposite gender. At the end of the day all that counts is how well one takes care of the talent that is born inside. I request my dear reader to recognise the talent that is born within and nourish it well to present it as a gift to this world.

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Learn yet not Learn

My first attempt at poetry :

You learn from sun
How to shine!
You learn from moon
How to smile!
You learn from human
You are just a human
Neither the sun nor the moon!!

You learn from flower
How to blossom!
You learn from river
How to flow!
You learn from human
You are just a human
Neither a flower nor a river!!

You learn from wind
How to blow!
You learn from bird
How to fly!
You learn from human
You are just a human
Neither the wind nor a bird!!

You learn from sky
How to keep growing!
You learn from earth
How to withstand burden!
You learn from human
You are just a human
Neither the sky nor the earth!!

- Mohan.B.N.

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