harmony

A precision watch only works when all of the small parts work together. When one part falters or goes in another direction, the result is not accurate. Similarly in life, when we have goals, plans, dreams, it’s important that everything works together for it. You cannot keep dreaming on one end and do things are contradictary on the other; the motivation should be forceful enough to make everything work in harmony. Like a choire, or like a flock of birds migrating; it’s only beautiful if all of em stay together and do the things theyre supposed to do.
But why is it so difficult to maintain harmony in life? Distractions? or old habits? I guess a bit of both. One way is to go into minute detail and try to fix the old habits by replacing them with new habits, and try to stay focused by doing things that help you go in the right direction. Another way is to motivate yourself by thinking of the big picture, the big dream. If that’s not enough for motivation, then I guess you need to slow down and ask yourself if the goal is really what you want.

Some things I have experienced that help maintain the balance is making hard attempts to do things you enjoy. Things that help you think in the direction of your goals. Talking about your goals doesn’t really help in my experience. Talking just makes you blurt everything out and you end up getting distracted. It’s better to keep your goals to yourself and use it as a motivational tool from within.

That’s it for now, I have a lot more to write but will continue tomorrow or maybe later this week!

Fear of rejection!

You must want to succeed more than you want acceptance of other people.

The difference between the middle class and the ones who make it is that the middle class puts too much importance on the acceptance of others. We must be able to get over the fear, the thought, the shame of being rejected. If you really desire success more than being accepted in a crowd; you will do what it takes even if some people don’t like it.

There is a phrase that one third of the people will never like you, one third will, and the remaining won’t care. If you truly understand this, you will identify the people who do like you and take opportunities accordingly. Running after the group which doesn’t like you will waste time, and resources.

Similarly, the fear of loss; the thought of losing everything even if the probability is 0.01%. This attitude is what keeps middle class where it is. Successful people develop a habit of taking risks, of knowing that loss can be minimized and that acceptance of others comes after success, not before. There needs to be a focus, a straight path with no distractions, and the only thing surrounding that path should be the people who like you and support you. Everything else needs to be shut down and thrown away, to put it crudely.

Don’t be afraid of rejection or loss; just take calculated risks; learn about what you are getting yourself into; and if there is still a loss deal with it and move on. Millionairs don’t sit and cry over past; they vision and dream about the future.

Intuition

From understanding how interest rates affect bond prices to making an investment decision, it all comes down to your intuition, the “gut” feeling. How does one develop this feeling? Does it come automatically, or do you have to search for it? Few months ago I met a very senior guy working at a distinguished financial institution. He said that all this training, education, and work experiences are to work on your intuition; because in the end when you have millions of dollars at stake and there are many uncertainties, your intuition will guide you.

There are a few ways to develop the gut feeling or intuition. First is education. I think a formal training or education is very important to shape the thinking of our minds. Education really allows us to think beyond our initial capability. It’s a saying that once knowledge is acquired, it expands the mind permanently. It like your tool box you need to get the job done; without it all the potential can go to waste. Of course there are constraints; mostly financial constraints which limit out ability to acquire further training, but within those constraints one should take every opportunity to expand the mind. There are some people who are happy with a bachelors and a masters degree and think that their education is over; and there are others who know that education continues till death, in one way or another. These second types are successful leaders, entrepreneurs, and the people who make a difference in this world.

Second it is important to get diverse experiences. Working in various industries and sectors, meeting different types of people and living in various conditions will broaden your thinking. Again, we live in a world of limited resources. Most of us live within a budget, with a job, and certain responsibilities. I think the best time to really go out and do this is at a young age, right after university or after a few years of work. Most people are happy where they are and how they are living; but there a few people who want more out of life, more adventure and more learning. If you are that kind, start thinking about your next trip to China, or Kenya.

Next, meet people who are experienced. Talking to them and learning about how they got where they are will help you vision your life 10 years down the road. I found this exercise very interesting, and a very good learning experience. Of course this never ends. There are always people who are more experienced than you are, so go out and talk to them. One thing to remember is that it is useless to go to these people with intentions of them getting you a job or them helping you with something. When someone is experienced enough they can tell your intentions. So go with a clean heart, simply to learn and that’s it. There are people who think they know enough people, and there are others who are always seeking to meet and talk to people from various backgrounds and regions; think of the last person you met who was really different from your usual crowd.

Lastly, give yourself time, nothing happens over night or within a few months. Intuition comes with time, and with the richness of experiences one has. Stay hungry and stay foolish.

Who gets promoted?

We are all in this game to advance, to succeed. In one way or the other, we work for a purpose, a purpose to go to the next level; something more challenging, and rewarding at the same time. Who gets promoted and who doesn’t? We will find out.

Alex has just joined a marketing firm as a junior creative officer. He is passionate about his work, and does things on time. He regularly discusses new ideas, and contributes to the meetings held every week. After one year of hard work, and after completing many projects, the time came for the yearly review. His reviews were positive, mostly 4 out of 5, but he wasn’t promoted. Instead Caitlin, a girl who joined a few months before Alex was promoted. Usually calm Alex, was a bit furious and went to his boss.

Alex: “Good morning Jake, do you have a minute?”

Jake: “Sure Alex, I only have a few minutes before I have to go to a marketing presentation for a very important client”

Alex: “Well, I was a bit confused about the recent promotion announcement. I believe I performed above expectations in most of my projects, and clients were very happy with my work. Was there anything I was missing?”

Jake: “Alex, I am glad you came to talk about this. After a lot of thought and discussion, the management could only afford to promote either you or Caitlin. I voted for you, but rest of the management seemed to know Caitlin very well; maybe because she volunteered to moderate the Annual company conference last month”

Alex: “But what does that have to do with being promoted?”

Jake: “Good question Alex. I see where you are coming from, but besides doing your work, it’s equally important to know the influential people in the company.”

This was a point when Alex realized that just doing the job well isn’t enough. There is a lot more needed to win the promotion. Managing office politics, always being ready to take on any kind of job, being noticed in front of the management, and many more subtle things are necessary for the recipe of promotion. Hard work is like the meat, but garnishing and flavoring is equally important.

Social intelligence and Emotional intelligence are taking pace; and at times they matter more than the convential meaning of intelligence. Working with a star performer helps you get noticed. Being ready to volunteer whenever necessary makes you get noticed. And having excellent writing and communication skills helps you get noticed. Who would’ve thought that these things matter as much, if not more than the actual work?

The first rule about office politics is, “don’t spread rumours”. Believe it or not, they always come back and haunt you. At first it might seem obvious; who wants to spread rumours, but we do it without knowing. Second, work with a star performer, someone who is the rainmaker. You will learn more and you will have a greater chance of taking his seat when he is promoted. Plus, when the star shines, a bit of shine will definitely fall onto you.

Samir is a very competent young man who just graduated and joined an Accounting firm. After 2 months on the job; he was told that he has to go since the company cannot support his salary. Being young and aggressive, Samir was angry! He had left a lot of opportunities for this job; and was very disappointed. He went to his boss:

Samir: “Good Afternoon George, do you have a minute?”

George: “Sure Samir, what can I do for you?”

Samir: “Well, George, I am a bit disappointed with the termination notice I got today. I wanted to know why did the company not anticipate such changes in the market; and why is the lowest paid worker being laid off? How much of a difference will it make?”

George: “Samir it is not my decision. The HR and the senior management made it, and I had no say in it. I wish you best of luck, I have to go to a meeting now.”

Samir: “Ok.. Thanks George.”

The lesson to learn in this story is that Samir should have seen this coming, and he should have taken the necessary measures to stop it. He made a mistake thinking that his boss will support him. Everyone is always worried about themselves.

What samir should have done above, is what Mary has done very well in the example below.

Mary, a recent graduate was just hired by a consulting firm. She is very lively, and makes friends fast. As soon as she joined the firm, she went and introduced herself to rest of the division, and made it a point to talk to everyone atleast once a week. Within a month of her joining she was a part of the company’s volleyball team, where she played with the CEO, and also a lead volunteer at the charity walk hosted by the company. Along with all this, she did her job well and clients liked dealing with her.

A few months later, when the markets got a bit tighter, the management decided to lay off 10% of the workforce. Mary was only one of the few juniors who had recently joined, so she was worried about her job. After hearing the news about lay offs during a volleyball match, Mary went straight to the CEO:

Mary: “Good Morning Bob, may I come in?”

Bob: “Oh Hi Mary, yes come on in. What can I do for you?”

Mary: “Well Bob, I am a bit worried about the recent news of the lay offs, I know I have just joined and I am liking it here. If I am laid off, it will be a big blow to my career.”

Bob: “Mary things are still under process, no decision has been made yet. But rest assured, the company wouldn’t want to lose a person like you.”

Mary: “Thanks Bob, I will see you at the Volleyball match tonight.”

Bob: “Absolutely, I am looking forward to it.”
As expected, Mary wasn’t laid off, instead another junior was laid off.

Keeping your eyes and ears open is very important to anticipate changes in the company. No one will come and invite you to prepare for such changes, it is upto you to do it, or get axed.

Calculated Risks!

What is the right time to start taking risks? What do you do if you are accused of being a risk averse person? How much risk is enough?

I ran into these questions a few days ago during a discussion with a friend. Taking risks is not something new. It has been there since centuries, but has been evolving. The risk of failing to find new land has changed to the risk of counter-party default in a CDO.

The inherent characteristics of risk remain the same, but the attitude towards risk has changed. I think our generation has moved towards the risk seeking attitude. Our awareness of risk has increased tremendously. More people are risk-educated.

Successful people are not afraid to take risks. That’s not to say that they don’t have fears to deal with. I think the way you handle the fear determines your success in life. Overcoming the fear is something common amongst the most successful people.

So how does one begin to take risks? Through education. Understanding probabilities is the single most important skill of a risk manager. Not to say that all risk managers are successful, but all successful people definitely are good risk managers. If you can live with the worst possible scenario, but you believe that the desired outcome is likely, the decision should be made.

I think a lot of people who have failed to achieve their objectives have done so because of not taking the first step. We as humans have a habit of underestimating our potential. When it’s the time to take the first step, we start thinking of what it would happen if we failed. What will people think of us when we fail? The moment you start going that road, you have failed.

The desire to be successful should be greater than the desire to be accepted by others. Failures say “I Should” and successful people say “I did”, what do you say?

Giving in!

Successful people know the right time to give in to the circumstances. When to bend over in the direction of the wind, and when to stand and fight it.

Giving in can be as simple as selling a falling stock, or as complicated as letting go of your dream career for a more practical one. Fighting on the other hand is much more motivating and a natural reaction to adverse events. Struggle is the meaning of life, but knowing when to give in is living a smarter life, than one that goes on struggling forever without achieving the goals.

Let me call it smart struggle. Attempting to take on a task which you cannot do, just so you struggle doing it is irrational. Smart struggle is identifying your potential, improving your potential, and taking tasks that help you improve your potential, but at the same time are doable. But, how can one know if something is possible or not? That requires some self-evaluation and an understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses. Before taking on any project this exercise is a must.

Let me say this again, struggle is not taking on tasks which are beyond your capacity, which require a different mindset, a different personality. If you take them, you will definitely struggle, but you will end up unhappy and dissatisfied with yourself. Before getting into anything you really want to do, you should plan; by look at all the ways to get it, and picking the most efficient path. That’s a method which needs to be applied. If the task is not within your capacity, quit wasting time and move onto another task that is doable. Giving in early is a smart thing to do than wasting time and giving in later.

Selling that falling stock early, and buying it before the Bull Run is a smart thing to do. Changing your career temporarily just to ride the recession is a smart thing to do. Acquiring extra skills before they are needed is a smart thing to do. Making contacts in countries you want to go to way before you actually go is a smart thing to do. Successful people know this and they apply it.

Think!

“The attitude of mind necessarily depends upon what we think. Therefore, the secret of all power, all achievement and all possession depends upon our method of thinking”

“Mind is creative, and conditions, environments and all experiences in life are the result of our habitual or predominant mental attitude”
We are what we think. Day in and day out, our actions are determined by our thoughts. If you can learn to control your thoughts that is by far the greatest power one can have. But why is it so difficult to control our thoughts?

I think it’s because of our habits, the way we were brought up, our experiences so far, all have conditioned our thinking to what it is. A lot of it is because of the past, but a big part of it depends on us, on our “will” to change.

I want to connect this point to the habit of staying in touch with your creator, or your soul. Being conscious of your existence, relative to the whole universe will help you understand your role in it. Let’s try something. Go in a room, turn off the lights, and just sit. Notice the thoughts that come into your mind, try to control them. Try to think about your goals, your ambitions, and so on. As you start controlling your thoughts, your day to day activities will start reflecting what you think. It is not something you will achieve in one day or one week, but you will see the difference immediately.

“Harmony in the world within means the ability to control our thoughts, and to determine for ourselves how any experience is to affect us.”

We all have bad experiences, with customers, with our bosses, with spouses, with children; the list can go on and on. Most of us let these experiences affect our minds, by getting upset, depressed, and frustrated, and so on. This only means we are letting an external force affect us, and we are giving away the control.

I think a good start to this whole charade will be to sit in a quiet comfortable space and noticing your thoughts. After repeating this exercise, I think you will see the difference.

It is very important to be conscious, of your existence, emotions, temper, and so on. This high level of consciousness will come from the ability to control your thoughts.