It's a whole new feeling...

This past week has been different. Quite different from the others I have experienced all my life. I had a heart to heart talk with the woman I adore the most. I don't know how I managed to do it, but I did it. I opened my heart and soul to her and she was kind and understanding, enough to let me be myself when I expressed my thoughts. I feel great. I am not excited for what happened to me, but rather I am excited about someone loving me. Someone whom I never knew before, has some love for me. It feels incredible!!!
I say to people, that love should have no rules. Love should be unconditional. If you love someone, love them with all your heart.

Decisions!!!

A beautiful day in Dallas, TX. Temperature hovering at 30 F, chilly winds and no sunshine. It appears like a romantic climate to me. Was glancing through my patio and realised that there are some decisions to be taken in my life. Decisions!!! This has become a cliche. People talk about decisions taken in the right spirit, decisions that went wrong, decisions that should not have been taken etc. Where does the buck stop?
When I was in India, I used to wonder why things never happened. Things such as laying out roads properly, building the necessary infrastructure for every day life and so on. I realised that people responsible for making those decisions where not responsible enough. They took such a long time to take a decision, by the time they take it, the need is outgrown or outrun by time. Then it becomes a poor decision anyway.
Decisions are meant to be taken promptly and with an educated guess. We will never know if a decision taken is right or wrong only if we fail to take it. Otherwise, it is as good as not thinking about it at all. This is the reason I hate elderly politicians. They have loads of experience, but they never exercise their experience at the right time. They are so stupid. The same applies to people in other career levels too.
The bottomline, decisions are meant to be taken when necessary.

Your time will come.

I was on the road today to drop off my friend at an auto shop. I needed to take a turn to reach the auto shop and was wondering, if I would ever get to cut through the traffic and make the turn. But after a few moments, the traffic eased and I was able to take the turn. On my way back, I was startled when I realised that it was a fact I ignored all together. Your time will come.
Many of us do not have the patience to wait for right time. I know it is hard to predict the right time, but your instincts and gut feeling will tell you when the time arrives. It will happen when there is a deep desire for something you need. I do believe in fate and destiny. But I will also advocate that you should not be content with what you have, but strive to better yourself.
There is an adage which says 'Every dog has it's day". There is a time for everyone, if they realize themselves, they will shine like none other. So wake up to the realization that you will shine and perform everyday. There is a time for everyone!!!

Compliments...

After a tiring day's work, I went to sip some coffee with my friend. Was having a discussion on complimenting people. I was of the opinion that more the compliments I give, less valued it will be. The reason behind my theory was that people will take it for granted that I will compliment them anyway. When I said this to my friend, I was amazed at the perspective that was thrown back.
According to that perspective, the more you compliment, the more you encourage people. The more you encourage, the better they become. But there is a disclaimer here. Never overdo it. It was interesting to get a different line of thought and I believe I will take that route from here on.

A reality check

Starting off my day with a post about something which made me take a deep breath and think. Last evening I and my colleague were engrossed in finding a solution to a problem. We figured that it didn't work in my colleague's machine and decided to try it on mine. But to my surprise, it didn't work on my machine as well. I got frustrated, because I wanted to help my colleague so that we could go home happy. Then I remarked, "If this is not solved, then I won't be able to sleep tonight". Pat came the reply, "If you can't take it, then you shouldn't be here".
I was initially stunned by the remark. I felt a bit ridiculed to be honest. More than the issue not being resolved, I left with the feeling that someone told me something which I didn't like. Later that night, I was in my bed wondering about it. Then I realized, it is the truth. Truth is always bitter!!! So I tried to find out what was it that I could improve upon. I found the answer. Simple, take it easy. I took the problem to my heart and it didn't help. So I need to ease off and take a breath and get back at solving the problem in hand.
It was a reality check for me. I never thought that someone would say that to me. But I am glad that my colleague and my good friend did. I would like to thank and appreciate my friend for being honest and forthcoming in those remarks. I wish I hear from you all the time!!!

Felt my oldself today

Today was the kind of day that you might call perfect. In many ways I enjoyed the day, even though I was stressed. I enjoyed it because I was able to help my colleagues with something they wanted. This is exactly what I want to do at work and in my personal life too. I want to be remembered as someone who inspired people. I may not be here forever, but I want my name to reverberate for as long as it can.
There was something else that became apparent to me. Over the past few days, I was feeling troubled. Troubled because I was unable to find a solution to a problem and that was hovering over my head even after I left the workplace. Thankfully the issue got resolved and all of us were happy. All is well when it ends well. But the point to drive home is that I got to realize that your true character is vivid when you are tested. Your true nature comes out when your back is against the wall. So, I knew from that experience, I wasn't strong enough as I would've liked. Got to improve!!!

Staying on the ground

Got inspired by what I read today. A friend of mine sent me an email which detailed a story about a U.S. Navy fighter pilot. This fighter pilot had flown many successful missions, but was shot down during an operation. He bailed out of the aircraft and landed in an enemy territory. He was tortured, brutalised and finally released to return to his homeland. One day he met a person at a restaurant who had saved his life during that tragic accident. It was none other than the person who folded his parachute before he left for the mission that eventful day. If that parachute hadn't opened, he would've been dead by now. But he realised a fact that most of us ignore. He may have walked by the the person who folded his parachute many times, but he never took a moment to wish him.
I've seen many people at the workplace do the same. We never say "Hello" to someone, simply because either we don't know them or we think they are less in calibre. The truth is, as the story stated above, the person who we never greet could be someone who is doing something important for us. Remember, you can be the most important person around at your workplace, but when you step outside, you are as normal a human being as anyone else. There are no CEO's or CFO's in the world outside.
Be an inspiration to someone. Show the way to people who need to be shown a path.

Thank you...Robin Sharma

I thank Robin Sharma (http://www.robinsharma.com) for making be think differently. I got inspired by what he had to say about life in general and leadership in particular. I have definitely taken a cue from him. To look at things that happen around me and get inspired. Get inspired and translate that inspiration into something useful. Doing something useful by sharing my thoughts with friends, who are around me and with other people over the internet through my blog.
Thank you Robin!!!

Reaching out...

I was at the salon yesterday to rearrange my hair :-). Had to wait for some time, so I picked up the magazine of U.S. News & Reports. While flipping through the pages, I came across an article on the California wildfires. It talked about the measures taken by the Governor of California to reach out to people. The Governor was talking about the importance of "hands on" approach in an emergency situation. He wanted to be there in the time of need, he wanted to reach out and people that he understands the pain.
If I can take this a step further, I would say that "reaching out" should be a constant act. It should be a process. "Prevention is better than cure". Cure is always expensive and a bitter pill to swallow. The same holds true in our work environment too. A good leader should be in constant touch with this people. If there is a good vibe between the leader and his colleagues, a problem can be spotted even before it appears and measures can be taken to extinguish it.

Letting it go.

I wanted to post my thoughts on this for quite some time. Just couldn't muster enough energy to pen it down. Most of us are possessive in a way. I am possessive. I like to hold on to things I like. Things as inconsequential as my pen, my pillow etc. I just wouldn't share them with anyone. Mind you, I'm not talking about possessiveness in a negative sense here. It's just the feeling you have towards things you like.
One fine day I realized, what am I going to take when I leave this material world. None!!! Not even the dress that I wear will accompany me. I felt bad about it. We work hard and save money. But we do not enjoy the simple pleasures of life. These pleasures may be as simple as making a person happy or helping someone in need. Inspite of knowing this, why wouldn't we let it go.
I always believe in helping people. Help them to help themselves is my mantra. Hence I wanted to give the gift of education to someone in need. I found that there are organizations such as "Ashanet", who help people to achieve their goals through education. All they needed was people who can donate money which in turn can be used to provide education to children. It could be as low as $20 a month. I wanted to do it, but here I am, yet to get started. This is what I meant by letting it go.
I have some money today, but I need to share it with people who can't even think about having half a meal tomorrow. I need to adjust my mindset to tell myself to share what I have with other people in need. It is difficult, but not impossible.
You don't own yourself, what else can you own in this world.

Something about love...

When I think about Love, the first question that pops up in my head, "Does true love exist?". My guess is that it partially is and partially isn't. Why do I think so? True love does exist in a few hearts. The hearts are those of our parents. Especially our moms. From the moment a child is born, the child is the sole object of concern to a mom. Everything else is secondary. So true is the love, it alone can nourish you all your life. By no means do I say that fathers love their children less. But the love of a mother cannot be expressed in words, even by herself.
Then there is love between a man and a woman. A very complex feeling to describe. No one ever knows what transpires between a man and a woman to bring them close enough to love each other. One of the reason could be attraction. Most of the time people get attracted to each other because of curiosity. When you don't know or understand something, you want to have it even more. That's human nature. But once curiosity wades, neglect creeps in. This is what I find really strange.
For instance, people fall in love for reasons best known to them. Initially they talk a lot and then they lose interest in each other when they know all about them. Not a good sign for the future. The reason that this happens is because there is a lack of understanding about each other. Always the positive side is shown and once the negative aspects are revealed, they distance themselves.
So for love to succeed, there needs to be understanding at many different levels before committing to a relationship. You should be able to forgive each other. You should be able to look at the other persons face and still see the same joy ten years from now. Ask yourself this question. "Will I be able to look at his/her eyes and say, I love you, for as long as he/she lives?. If so, then you are on the right track.