Motivation

Take Time to Read

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0908 readingReading a book is one of the best ways of feeding your mind with information, inspiration and ideas. If we can find time to feed our body 3-5 times a day, we can surely find time to feed our mind at least once a day. If you want to keep yourself at maximum creative capacity, you have to make sure you are taking in new ideas and thoughts. If you are a professional, you need to stay up to date with the latest. If you are a parent, you need to set an example for your kids so they also develop a habit of reading and a love of learning. Few tips:

  1. Set aside a time. It doesn’t have to be much but even a 10-minute commitment to yourself can make a difference. For me, it’s the commute, on flights and at night before going to sleep.
  2. Keep a list. I recently read somewhere how keeping a list of what you have read and what you want to read can be so useful, and I have just started doing that. Continue reading →

The Power of ‘Thank You’ – two magic words!

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In this deceptively simple 3-minute talk, Dr. Laura Trice muses on the power of the magic words “thank you” — to deepen a friendship, to repair a bond, to make sure another person knows what they mean to you. Try it.

4 Tips on Dealing with Negative People

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0909 negative thinkingDuring the last few days, I heard a lot of negative stuff about a variety of things:

  • About the city and the government – traffic is bad; roads are dirty; power failures don’t stop; the government is corrupt; business is down; inflation is up…
  • About people – she is disorganized; he is slow; they are not ambitious; she doesn’t get it; he doesn’t listen; how can people be so insensitive…
  • About future predictions – this country won’t make any progress; weather is only going to get worse; business will get tougher; you won’t understand…

It’s strange how some people have a mission in life – to spread gloom and pessimism. And how discussing any of this would help anyone. I wondered if there’s such a things as ‘brain mask’ that can protect you from the affects of negativity – like a face mask that protects you from catching germs. Here’s my strategy to deal with negative people, depending on the person and the situation: Continue reading →

The Power of Breathing

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0909 breathe

Breathe. Breathing can transform your life.

If you feel stressed out and overwhelmed, breathe. It will calm you and release the tensions.

If you are worried about something coming up, or caught up in something that already happened, breathe. It will bring you back to the present.

If you are discouraged and have forgotten your purpose in life, breathe. It will remind you about how precious life is, and that each breath in this life is a gift you need to appreciate. Make the most of this gift.

If you have too many tasks to do, or are scattered during your workday, breathe. It will help bring you into focus, to concentrate on the most important task you need to be focusing on right now. Continue reading →

Favorite Quotes by Leo Buscaglia

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Change is the end result of all true learning.

Don’t brood. Get on with living and loving. You don’t have forever.

It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.

Life lived for tomorrow will always be just a day away from being realized.

The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don’t let them put you in that position.

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.

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.

Watch one of his short videos: Only You Can Make the Difference

Ray Zahab Makes the Impossible Possible!

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In January 2009, Ray Zahab broke the record for fastest unsupported trek across Antarctica, to raise awareness and money for kids’ environmental education. In 2006, he ran across the Sahara to raise awareness of water shortages. Here’s the best part: He only started running 5 years ago. Read more about him and his Impossible2Possible team here.

8 Keys to Success by Richard St. John

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Why do people succeed? Is it because they’re smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success:

What Do You Expect?

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When the pilot announced, “…and the ground temperature is 38 degrees centigrade”, I was excited. Because I was expecting 40-45 degrees. After all, it was Delhi and the month was June. During the next 24 hours, I heard many people complaining of the heat – taxi drivers, colleagues, friends etc. And I asked everyone the same questions: What do you expect? And I realized the power of these four magic words like never before. They seemed to diffuse the anger, put things in perspective, and even reduce the temperature a little bit!

The next time traffic bothers you, ask yourself these four magic words. What do you expect? Did you expect everyone else to stay at home today? Or did you expect everyone else to walk to work today? Or did you expect new roads and flyovers to come up during the night? Or did you expect everyone to move to the side and let your car or bus pass?

Have you noticed how parents expect their kids to behave like mature grown-ups – tidy room, homework on time, healthy eating habits and all. Teachers expect all students to be intelligent and interested in the subject. Salespeople expect an order on every presentation. Managers expect everyone to be competent and committed all the time. And the result is… anger, frustration, disappointment.

I know this seems to go against the philosophy of ‘expect the best’, ‘you get what you think of’ and ‘the secret: our thoughts become things’. But not really. Positive thinking is not about unrealistic expectations. I expect most people to be nice, but not all. I expect myself to be healthy, active and energetic most of the time – so it’s not hard for me to accept illness when it comes once in a while.

So, what do you expect? And do you always get what you expect?

Weekly Recommendations

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First off, my apologies for missing out on the weekly posts past couple of weeks. Exams/work/partying got the best of me.

Here are my top picks for the week ending Sunday, 21/06:

Enjoy.

A Better Runner

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0906 runnerThe single most important piece of advice I’ve ever gotten on running came from my high school sports/fitness instructor. By running I don’t mean sprints, I’m referring to slightly longer distance runs – anything that takes you over half an hour. This is what he told me:

“Run the first part with your legs, the middle with your mind, and the final with your heart”.

So next time you go on a challenging run, split it into three parts. For the first part just use your legs, focus on the physical movement, the muscles, the blood flow, your feet hitting the floor. For the second part shift the hard work to the mind; affirmations, positive thoughts, visualizing the outcome, self talk. For the final part, run from the bottom of your heart. Pure, unadulterated passion and belief. Completely detaching yourself from the physical movement and complete ignorance of any pain or tiredness you may be feeling, with the awareness that the pain is only temporary and that there is not a force in the world that’s going to stand in your way of completing the run.

Before you know it you’ll be running distances you never thought you were ever capable of. The three part method. Works like a charm.

John Wooden on True Success

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John Wooden, affectionately known as Coach, led UCLA to record wins that are still unmatched in the world of basketball. Today, he continues to share the values and life lessons he passed to his players, emphasizing success that’s about much more than winning. In this inspiring talk he shares the advice he gave his players at UCLA, quotes poetry and remembers his father’s wisdom.

Great Advice for Unemployed Graduates

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0906 unemployed graduatesA very interesting post in Seth Godin’s blog:

Fewer college grads have jobs than at any other time in recent memory—a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers annual student survey said that 20 percent of 2009 college graduates who applied for a job actually have one.  So, what should the unfortunate 80% do?

How about a post-graduate year doing some combination of the following (not just one, how about all):

  • Spend twenty hours a week running a project for a non-profit.
  • Teach yourself Java, HTML, Flash, PHP and SQL. Not a little, but mastery. [I used the word mastery to distinguish it from ‘familiarity’ which is what you get from one of those Dummies type books. I would hope you could write code that solves problems, works and is reasonably clear.]
  • Volunteer to coach or assistant coach a kids sports team.
  • Start, run and grow an online community.
  • Give a speech a week to local organizations.
  • Write a regular newsletter or blog about an industry you care about.
  • Learn a foreign language fluently.
  • Write three detailed business plans for projects in the industry you care about.
  • Self-publish a book.
  • Run a marathon.

Beats law school.

If you wake up every morning at 6, give up TV and treat this list like a job, you’ll have no trouble accomplishing everything on it. Everything! When you do, what happens to your job prospects?

Favorite Quotes: Paulo Coelho on Dreams

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“When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you realize your desire.” (The Alchemist – published in 1988)

“Each day’s magic moment helps us to change and sends us off in search of our dreams.” (By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept)

“Dreams nourish the soul just as food nourishes the body. The pleasure of the search and of adventure feed our dreams.” (The Pilgrimage)

“If you have a past with which you feel dissatisfied, then forget it, now. Imagine a new story for your life and believe in it. Focus only on the moments when you achieved what you desired, and that strength will help you to get what you want.” (The Fifth Mountain)

“Only one thing makes a dream impossible: the fear of failure” (The Alchemist)

“Open your heart and listen to what it is telling you. Follow your dreams, because only a man who is unashamed of himself can manifest the glory of God.” (The Valkyries)

[Photo of a painting in New Zealand Museum, Wellington] See Mush’s Page on Facebook.

One Moment in Time – Whitney Houston

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An inspiring song with equally uplifting video footage:

Maria Amelia Lopez – 97 years old blogger!

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0906 Maria Amelia LopezMaria Amelia Lopez was the oldest blogger when she died on May 20, at the age of 97. She started posting on a blog that his grandson created for her as a birthday gift two years ago. Her online journal, amis95.blogspot.com (roughly translates to ‘my 95 years’) soon became a worldwide sensation, reaching more than 1.5 million readers from the comfort of her seaside home in Spain!

Maria set an example for all those who think they are too old to use computers, Internet or blogging. She showed that the Web is not just for the young but for anyone who is interested in interacting with the world. ‘Communicating with others wakes up the brain‘, Maria wrote in one of her last entries on the blog. Read her interview here.

5 Most Popular Posts

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Following are links to the five most popular/favorite posts on this blog so far – considering the number of views, forwards and comments:

  1. How to improve the quality of life, one day at a time: Have a great day!
  2. The top three excuses for not exercising, and how to handle these: What’s your excuse?
  3. Lesson in patience, persistence and positive attitude from a uni student: Must read if you are in sales!
  4. A book recommendation with an excerpt: Make Today Count!
  5. Too much to do and too little time? Then this one’s for you: Do less, get more done!

I’ll look forward to your comments.

Make Your Day!

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One of the easiest ways to make your day is to make someone else’s day. It’s not possible to make someone else happy and not feel great about it yourself. And it doesn’t take much to make someone happy, especially strangers. Try a genuine compliment or a thank-you e.g.

  • Wow, very clean taxi!
  • You guys are really good; the queue is moving so fast! (Check-in counters at the airport)
  • Good job. Thank you! (Try that with a toilet cleaning staff and see what happens)
  • The food was nice, service was great and prices were OK too! (Ever asked to see the manager at the end of a great dining experience?)
  • Thank you so much; I really appreciate that!

Most people haven’t been complimented (or even talked to by a customer) in a long time, so it would mean the world to them. And how would you feel seeing that you have had such a positive impact on someone’s day/life? Of course, there will be some people with such low self-image that they won’t believe you or think you are being funny.

If you are fortunate enough to be in love with someone, remember the power of the three magic words. I love you! can help switch negative emotions to positive ones in a heartbeat.

Try it today. And tell us about your experience with compliments – both giving and receiving.

Man with no limbs – very inspiring video!

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If Nick can be happy, anyone can…

Don’t Quit!

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Don’t watch this if you are feeling on top of the world:

John Francis’ 22 Years of Walking and 17 Years of Silence!

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Take out 20 minutes of quiet time and watch this: