Leadership lessons from Cricket Captains, by Kazim Abidi

kazimabidi Motivation , , ,

Kazim Abidi is an entrepreneur, sportsman and a good friend who has just started contributing to this blog.

When we talk of cricket we talk of those big strides a fast bowler takes, the graceful stroke play of a batsman, the horizontal dive of a fielder, wizardry of a spinner and numerous other things that take place on the field. To a cricket lover it is poetry-in-motion. Close matches bring about the excitement, which is so unique because it’s a game with lots of gaps that allows you to think, ponder, discuss strategies, make changes etc. In this excitement we often forget the role a captain plays.

I think about my team HKU where I play my Saturday league cricket. It’s quite a mixture of English, Australian, Pakistani and Indian players. We didn’t do well for two seasons until we got Phil Glenwright, a player who has passed his prime, as our captain. The internal politics disappeared, the level of commitment from each individual soared. The team became a cohesive unit where an average player performed at parity with the stars. The captain’s confidence in each one of us and his appreciation for trivial things meant the world to us. We finished second in the league last year and are playing in the finals for the title this year. Continue reading →

Bahrain World Trade Center generates 675kW of wind energy!

Mush Uncategorized , , ,

0904-bahrain-wtcI had a beautiful panoramic view from my room in Ramada Hotel Bahrain – sunset over the city, a busy soccer ground and the Twin Towers that I had never heard about! I was intrigued by the three turbines mounted over the bridges connecting the two towers. So I Googled and found the story:

Each of the three turbines hold a capacity of 225kW, totalling to 675kW of wind energy production. These turbines, each measuring 29 m (32 yd) in diameter, face north, which is the direction from which air from the Persian Gulf blows in. The sail-shaped buildings on either side are designed to funnel wind through the gap to provide the maximum amount of wind passing through the turbines. This was confirmed by wind tunnel tests, which showed that the buildings create an ‘S’-shaped flow, ensuring that any wind coming within a 45° angle to either side of the central axis will create a wind stream that remains perpendicular to the turbines. This significantly increases their potential to generate electricity. The wind turbines are expected to provide 11% to 15% of the towers’ total power consumption. This is equivalent to providing the lighting for about 300 homes annually. The three turbines were turned on for the first time on 8 April 2008! The building has won many awards for sustainability.

Swine Flu – expert advice

Mush Health ,

Here’s some advice from an expert I trust:

“All this media attention to swine flu is a little bit confusing. True it is a new strain and appears to have a higher mortality rate than existing strains, but annual deaths from existing influenza worldwide are estimated to be around 500,000. In the US alone about 36,000 people die every year from influenza; mostly the young, the sick and the elderly.

The best advice to prevent infection is common sense. Have a flu shot, eat a balanced diet, get plenty of sleep, avoid extremes of weather and temperature and, as much as possible, avoid places where there are crowds of people in confined spaces (airplanes!!!). Frequent washing of hands is always a good idea to minimize the risk of contamination.

It is also expected that a swine flu vaccine will be available in a few months, and when it does become available be early in the line.”

The Power of a Dream – true story of faith and courage!

Mush Life, Motivation, Relationships , , , ,

I received this essay through a friend of this family:

On 21st January, 1991, my parents were overjoyed on the arrival of their first baby, my elder brother. But the happiness was short-lived as within a few hours of delivery my mother noticed that his eyes were prominently protruding and were dull grey in colour. The doctor gave the terrible news that my brother was suffering from Congenital Glaucoma. This disease is incurable and with each passing day he would lose his sight if the eye pressure was not under control. My mother was totally shattered but she had to accept Naqi’s problem as a challenge. My mother had a dream that Naqi should go to normal school and never pity himself nor be pitied by others. So from that day she took up this challenge to accomplish her dream.

In Pakistan there were very few facilities for visually impaired children and I saw mother struggle since the beginning even though in the early years I was too young to understand the circumstances. My mother’s family is in India which meant that she had no support and it seemed to be very difficult to cope with Naqi’s problem. My mother went to all good schools but they refused to admit Naqi as he had a great difficulty in facing light or recognizing colors. She was determined and fortunately went to one of the best schools in Pakistan, Springfield where they offered her a job plus admitted Naqi on a trial basis. Continue reading →

Eat Slowly; Get Slimmer!

Mush Health , ,

0910 saladThe risks of speed eating were recently published in the British Medical Journal:

“Japanese researchers queried nearly 3,300 people about eating habits and discovered that those who reported eating quickly until they felt full were three times as likely to be overweight as slow eaters who stopped before they were full.”

I find it interesting that this study was done in Japan, because in Okinawa, a place known for its healthy and long-lived populace, there is a saying – hara hachi bu – which loosely translates “Eat until 80% full.” If you have a tough time slowing your pace of eating, do what the Okinawans do. There’s no guarantee, but you have nothing to lose but weight.

LIFE by Paulo Coelho (Selected Quotations)

Mush Happiness, Life , , ,

lifeA book full of selected quotes from Paulo Coelho’s many top selling books, including The Alchemist, The Zahir, Brida and Manual of the Warrior of Light. Some of the quotes from the chapter, The Path:

  • In order to have faith in his own path, a warrior does not need to prove that someone else’s path is wrong.
  • In order to arrive you must follow the signs. God inscribed on the world the path that each man must follow. It is just a matter of reading the inscriptions he wrote for you.
  • When we postpone the harvest, the fruit rots, but when we postpone our problems, they keep on growing.
  • In order to live fully, it is necessary to be in constant movement, only then can each day be different from the last.
  • There are moments in life when we need to trust blindly in intuition.

Health, Simplicity, Procrastination and Goals

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It wasn’t easy compiling this week’s list of links/posts as there were way too many awesome articles swirling around the blogosphere to choose from, but here are the shortlisted six that are a must-read.

For the week ending Sunday, 26/04:

Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo – plug in!

Mush Work, Business , , , ,

Most business travelers carry a notebook computer, mobile phone and a digital camera amongst many other things. Then why is it that most hotels, including five stars and top brands, can’t provide 3-4 power outlets near the writing desk. There are usually only two power outlets hidden under the table and one of them is connected to the table lamp. So I often end up charging my phone and camera by unplugging the TV or the fridge or the standing lamp if I am lucky enough to be able to move them and find the hidden power outlets!

Taj Samudra in Colombo is one of the very few hotels that understand their customers’ needs. When I checked in tonight, not only there was a power extension fitted right above the desk with four outlets, it could take different power plugs! WOW!

10 Reasons for not Exercising

Mush Health , ,

Let’s take Trevor’s idea one step further, let’s find out the reasons why people don’t exercise. Please tell us your reasons through this poll – full confidentiality guaranteed:

You can still participate in the What Makes You Happy? poll.

Health – Hard Talk, by Trevor Lunn

Mush Health , , , , ,

Trevor Lunn has been one of my best friends, mentors and inspiration for almost two decades. At 60+ he is healthier and fitter than most people half his age. He recently left his long-term publishing career to pursue his dream of getting a degree in Health Sciences. Now he is a full-time university student in Melbourne, majoring in exercise science, psychology and nutrition. He has agreed to share his knowledge and wisdom about health and fitness through this blog. Here’s the first one:

Welcome to Health – Hard Talk. Here will not be found “handy hints and tips” or the latest headlines about “health research” reported in the media, or the supposed quick fixes or mystical herbal or alternative remedies. Here there are no easy, comforting words intended to lull you into the belief that there is little that you can do to improve your own health status; that it’s all in your genes or your circumstances make it unavoidable.

What you will find is ideas and recommendations drawn from high quality scientific literature. They will not be my ideas. They will come mainly from epidemiological studies conducted by the World Health Organization and governments and from scientific research published in peer-reviewed, reputable journals. For now references will not be provided though they can always be requested.

This journey is intended to help you understand where you are with your health compared to the population, what risks you expose yourself to and, hopefully, how you can address these risks and move towards a healthier life. Join me and see where the journey takes you.

Here’s a starting and perhaps startling thought. The leading modifiable risk factor for all-cause mortality world-wide is cigarette smoking. The second is physical inactivity. Putting that into simple language, cigarette smoking kills more people than any other risky behavior and physical inactivity kills more than any of the rest.

If you are in the majority, you do not exercise enough. What’s enough? We’ll get into the detail of that later, but the quick answer is 30 minutes of moderately vigorous activity at least five days a week. Why don’t you do it? Here’s a useful exercise to try. It’s called a Decisional Balance by psychologists. Draw a simple table with two columns side by side. Head one “pros” and the other “cons” Now write down under the “pros” heading all the positive outcomes you think would result from exercising and in the “cons” column all the possible negative outcomes.

Post your answers and we’ll start our journey.

What makes you happy? Preliminary results!

Mush Happiness, Health, Relationships , , , , , ,

Here’s what it looks like, so far:

poll-resultsBut that’s just based on 81 votes! Do you think the results would change much if we had 800 votes instead? Please help get some more votes, and let’s find out.

A respected friend of mine asked me the purpose of this survey, and whether I guarantee confidentiality. Yes, absolutely. I can only see this chart – no names or anything else. And the purposes of the survey are a) personal curiosity and b) obtain interesting statistics to share with my readers. Fair enough?

Six things for happiness!

Mush Happiness, Health, Life, Relationships , , , , , ,

What do you think really makes people happy? I have wondered this question for years. Is it money that allows you to buy the things and do the things that you like? Or is it strong relationships – people you love, and people who love you? Or is it success in your chosen career and the recognition that comes with it? Or optimum health, fitness and energy to enjoy life to the fullest? Or a religion that connects you to a higher being and guides you to do right? Or does it come from contribution to community or society or mankind or other life or our planet earth?

What makes you happy? Please take this poll and tell us. Please limit to three of the six choices. Get your friends to take this poll too. The more participants, the clearer the answer.

Jill Bolte Taylor studied her own stroke!

Mush Health, Motivation , , ,

Learn about the human brain, the miracle of life and how we are all connected to each other and the universe. Watch this presentation by brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor who studied her own stroke as it happened!

It was one of the ten most popular presentations since TED opened the talks to public two years ago. Watch it here.

Leadership, Uncluttering, and Your Worst Enemy…

balanceiskey Happiness, Motivation, Productivity , , , , , , , , , , ,

Another week has gone by, and with another week comes another interesting list of posts that you should check out in your spare time.

Here are 5 articles worth reading for the week ending Sunday, 19/04.

Enjoy.

Leo Buscaglia’s quotes

Mush Happiness, Life, Motivation, Relationships , , ,

Early in my sales career, I had watched an inspiring video by Leo Buscaglia called The Politics of Love. His powerful presentation had a lasting impression on my heart and mind. Later, I read one of his books – Living, Learning and Loving – which was also one of the best books I’ve ever read. Today, I was searching for more of Leo’s work on the Internet and found lots of really inspiring stuff – books, quotes, audios, videos, sites! Some quotes:

  • Don’t hold to anger, hurt or pain. They steal your energy and keep you from love.
  • Don’t spend your precious time asking “Why isn’t the world a better place?” It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is “How can I make it better?” To that there is an answer.
  • Our talents are the gift that God gives to us… What we make of our talents is our gift back to God.
  • Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Watch one of his popular Born for Love lectures here.

Coffee with David

Mush Life, Motivation , ,

I shared a table with an old wise man while having coffee today. After telling me a lot about himself, he asked me the two questions that I think every Chinese asks every non-Chinese in Hong Kong: How long have you lived in Hong Kong? And do you speak Cantonese? My answers are: More than 10 years, and no. David went on to ask the dreaded question: Why not? I explained why it’s never been my priority. He then offered the most profound advise: Just learn two new words every day!

Achieving big goals through small steps has long been established as a success principle. Imagine what could happen if every day we

  • exercised for just half an hour
  • replaced just one unhealthy snack with a healthy one
  • walked down the stairs instead of taking the elevators just once
  • spent just 15 minutes to breathe, or think, or unplug, or pray
  • noticed just five good things in our day/life
  • complimented just one person, or said one thank-you, or one I-love-you
  • saved just x$ for that special something or that special someone
  • read one useful piece of information or inspiration
  • took one small step towards one of our goals

It all starts with one small step! What will be yours?

A Confession!

Mush Health , , ,

mdI had breakfast from McDonald’s! An Egg McMuffin and a Hash Brown. Later during the day, I checked the amount of damage done at “McDonald’s nutrition facts” site:

  • Calories: 450
  • Calories from fat: 190
  • Total fat: 21 grams
  • Cholesterol: 260 mg

To put the 450 calories in perspective: I’d need to jog for 30 minutes, or swim for 45 minutes, or walk for an hour and a half to burn that many calories! And the fat and cholesterol will still keep me guilty forever. But this confession has made me feel much better 🙂

Best Kept Secret To Time Management – The Pareto Principle

balanceiskey Productivity , , ,

Often in life, regardless of your profession, you will struggle to find the balance between all your responsibilities/obligations/interests/hobbies. Too much to do. Too little time.

As a university student, here are things I see all too often. Some study too hard, so their social life takes a hit. Some work long hours at their part-time jobs to earn money, so their academic life takes a hit. Some spend way too much time with friends, so their finances/academics both get screwed over. You get the picture.

I have often found myself in situations where everyone around me would be studying for hours on end for an exam whereas I would be doing something entirely different. I would spend half the time on revision, yet still come out with similar results, was I smarter than the others? No. I was on to something. As I was flicking through some of my management textbooks earlier today, it turns out that there is a name for that “something”:

The Pareto Principle.

This principle put simply, states that for many events roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In other words, most of the results you achieve are due to a small minority of your actions. Here are some real world applications of the Pareto principle that I’ve come across after some research:

  • 80% of your knowledge for an exam is likely to be gained from 20% of your total time spent on revision
  • 80% of your improvement in a sport will likely be achieved from 20% of your time practicing/training
  • 80% of your weight loss/muscle gain will be achieved by 20% of the time of you spend in the gym
  • 20% of your clients may give you 80% of your revenue
  • 20% of product defects/computer bugs cause 80% of the problems
  • 20% of your employees are likely to be the cause of 80% of the company’s total results/profitability

The rule can be applied to almost anything in life. The key is to identify, and really focus, on that 20% and ditch the rest to make space for other things in life. If something isn’t going to get done, something on your to-do list must slip, make sure it’s not part of that 20 percent. Work smart, not hard.

Pacific Coffee also gets it!

Mush Work, Business , , , , ,

One more company that uses their customers’ date of birth to enhance their service is Pacific Coffee!

When I touched my Pacific Coffee debit card on their scanner to pay for my coffee, the barista immediately said, “Happy Birthday, today we can upgrade your tall coffee to grande.” WOW! I responded by changing my order to short coffee and getting it upgraded to tall. It was just a $5 saving for me, but surely a WOW customer service!

Read my last post about brithdays in case you missed it.

The Weekly Round-Up: An Introduction

balanceiskey Happiness, Health, Life, Motivation, Productivity , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

First post by our new contributor, Hamza:

How’s it going readers? Starting from today, I’ll be putting up a couple of links from around the blogosphere of articles that are either a must-read, extremely useful, or just plain interesting. These will of course be sticking to the themes of healthy living, productivity, business, personal finance, inspiration and life in general.

Without further ado, here are 8 interesting articles for the week ending Sunday, 12/04.

Stay tuned for the next weekly round-up!