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Reasons why your time is an important resource

May 05, 2020

Time is one of our most precious resources

Staying at home has got more busier than ever. Housework can be so tedious, can't imagine how our domestic helps manage all this and then go back home to their families. 

They are like angels, A lot of times we fail to appreciate the simple things that life can bless us with.

Today I am going to share ideas and thoughts on one of such resources. This Resource is the most valuable. People think it is in abundance and they trade it like there is a lot of it. 

That resource is time. Only if all knew the amount of time we have allotted to us, life would be very different.

Time and Timing are really two powerful ideas. One is a resource and the other is a strategy. Time Management thus becomes important, But today I want to explore the 'Why'.

Exploring the 'Why' 

Our strategies would be incomplete if it is completely divorced from time.

 

I think wages for time and expertise is something most of us can relate to whether we are employed or employing others. 

A lot of our aspirations require time, For example if you want to lose your weight. It could take a lot of time. Starting a business completing or getting a degree also takes time.

Our concern with results requires us to make decisions in time. Thus our strategies in utilizing time is critical. Our strategies would be incomplete if it is completely divorced from time.

It would be lost to irrelevance. Time thus can said to be a very important resource. Often Leisure can get a bad name as it can be mistaken as an activity to misuse time. But Leisure in itself is harmless, it utilizes our spare time to bring a certain kind of refreshment and enjoyment to our lives. Like anything important and good it can also be misused.

But this is the way we master things by our hits and misses. So managing this important resource time becomes important. We can utilise it for earning a living, leisure or achieving a goal. But all of these ventures require fruitful utilization of our goals and this important resource called 'Time'.

Some ideas to consider

Prepared Mind
Prepared Mind with Useful actions

So we must not waste time they say, But how about wasting some of it to manage it more effectively. 

Like any thing that needs to be managed we must direct it a specific end or purpose.  We should able to detect when we are wasting it and when we are utilising it.

So Clarity in effective Time Management can start with knowing when we are wasting it and having some guidelines to effectively know when we are not using it properly. We could grade our tasks accordingly, in keeping our goals in mind.

Time management I believe besides being a system is an art that needs to be mastered.

Time makes your dreams* a reality


via GIPHY

I believe that when we use Time effectively we can help us lead a more fulfilling life. This is what I mean by Dreams i.e. Aspirations that take a form or reality in our lives.

Time utilised properly means doing tasks and paying attention to certain goals. Eventually they are achieved by going through a series of successes and failures. 

There is no magic here, but successful utilisation of a Powerful Resource. So in a sense Time is the only resource we must be thrifty about.

Time is Precious

I believe its a normal feeling to be reminiscing our childhood days. The fun we had in school. How simple life seemed when we were in school...But it would not be realistic to expect someone to turn back time.

This is how irreplaceable and precious time is. Instead of hoping and praying for the gift of bilocation, sensibly we can use Time Management. Doing one thing at a time properly and strategically to enjoy and achieve our goals successfully.

We must not think of Time Management as something we do alone, we hire and delegate others to help us achieve our goals. 

For example, If you want to a healthy diet. Consult a dietician and get a cook or recipe to have the necessary healthy meals required. Join a group of people who into weight loss and get the support required. 

Of course, This is just an example...But the thing is that Time Management doesn't need to be individualistic. 

Team up and be flexible. Being rigid in my experience has only made feel hopeless and eventually give up. Incorporating a bit of flexibility has helped a great deal.

Starting with Effective Time Management

I am sure there many good resources on Time Management, I plan to create a useful resource too (Would be available soon...Check this space soon!). But for now, I think we need to have good reasons for effectively implementing Time Management.

For starters, Time is a resource that we only have a limited quota of. For most of us we do not know how much. This is not that bad.

We must keep in mind that most of our goals and aspirations require time to achieve. Teaming up with people is an important aspect of being Effective Time Management.

Of course there are many other skills required. But I think focus on the right reasons are highly essential for effective Time Management.

One concrete way to start could be by Journaling your successes and failures to implement Time Management. 

Conclusion

So wrapping up, Reasons there are plenty, But focus on the important things can keep us grounded. I believe Time is too precious and each moment unique.

Right Thought and Effective Management always requires proper systems and structure, but focus on the reasons cannot be traded to be effective.

I would like to end this article with this powerful quote, 

Time is precious

I wish you the best of  health and fulfilling life. 

Please share and comment on this article with your valuable feedback.

Further Reading

Things not to do when things get difficult

Preparing a Gratitude Journal


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Staying at Home and ideas to kill boredom and make the best of your time

March 18, 2020

Life beyond Boredom

I don't mind living like a hermit for a long time. Just stuck at home. But for a lot of us it can be a challenge 😂. So how do we deal with this predicament as it can be boring and challenging for some of us.

Besides praying for the safety of our loved ones and ourselves included, this can be a great time to reflect on the things that can enhance our lives

I thought of some ideas to kill boredom and do something interesting.

Here are some ideas you could use:


Practicing Resourcefulness



  • Create a Blog
  • Learn video editing
  • Create your first Vlog
  • Watch some interesting TED talk videos
  • Write a business plan
  • Do some free courses online
  • Try some of the D.I.Y. recipes you see on Facebook
  • Pick up some culinary skills
  • Review videos on YouTube and post them
  • Share my articles & like my Facebook Page
  • Give positive feedback to people who made a difference in your life
  • Stay at home and meditate
  • Read books on Investments and Entrepreneurship
  • Play Indoor Games
  • Doodle and post them on Instagram
  • Clean your cupboards and tidy up your room
  • Do Binge watching (YouTube & Netflix)
  • Catch up on some conspiracy theories
  • Yoga
  • Listen to Music
  • Explore Reddit


To sum it up live the moment and Enjoy the Now. 

Update: Please be safe and practice social distancing. 

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Startup Mindset is important to be Successful, 5 interesting points from an Educator

March 08, 2020

Startup Mindset is important to be Successful, 5 interesting points from an Educator


Is Startup just a Buzz word?

A Startup's mindset is not always about the profit motive


Entreprendre is the root word for Entrepreneurship. It is a French word that means to undertake. 'Startup' is more than a buzz word. It is something that is more than just doing business, it is creating solutions and enhancing our daily lives.

A Startup's mindset may not always have a profit motive driving it, but could be more than that. I have seen it as a way of creating something a great value. Value to customers and the market.

I don't think it is a millennial fad. It is actually applying what they have understood about their field and using business to enhance the effectiveness of their venture.

So today, Let's look at five interesting points that I believe are important to a Successful Entrepreneur.


1. Being Action-oriented

Massive Action



This is one interesting aspect of a Successful Entrepreneur. The ability to move beyond the ideating phase to actual execution.

A lot of times it is the overthinking that kills the project.

Moving to action is what is needed. I remember seeing one of my ideas years later becoming an actual product. (I had thought up something similar...Won't tell you what! :))

It made me interested in Entrepreneurship even more. Sometimes we need simple ideas to begin our journey as an Entrepreneur, not a complete roadmap.


2. Moving away from Perfectionism


Perfection can seem like a very noble task as a person. But sometimes it stifles any action.

Rather than getting stuck in Perfectionism, we can move away from it to something more achievable, namely Excellence. 

Now it is more about a journey and not a destination. 

We are now focused on the daily activities and processes that enhance or kill our dreams rather than an illusory event.

3. Always being ready


One thing in life that is constant is change ( I thought Buddha said it...maybe he did). I think it is true and like death all of us experience it.

So how do we prepare for it? We can build a process or a plan for change. A successful Entrepreneur builds processes and systems to deal with change.


4. The Compounding Effect

I found this idea on many books but in this podcast 'The Mindset Mentor'. It got me thinking about it again, but more in the context of Entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship is also about a compounding effect of various tasks and responsibilities carried out daily.

Small Steps that we take daily has the potential to add to our success or failure. It is something that we determine.

5. Uncovering the Reasons

Having a Strong Foundation


The reasons behind our actions or even the dream projects we undertake are important.

It should be something as firm as a rock. 

A Successful Entrepreneur understands the benefits he is proving stakeholders and himself by the projects he undertakes.




Conclusion

Entrepreneurs create value and opportunities for a lot of people including themselves. They bring about positive change (most of the time). But it is some important points that I just covered that make them more effective. 

There will surely be some points you find interesting in Successful Entrepreneurs that you see, please share them in the comments section.

If you have come this far, please consider subscribing to our Facebook Page. We share more ideas and content there, Click Here.

Further Reading



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Life goals and Leadership, John Maxwell's Simple and Powerful Solution to achieving your Dreams

March 02, 2020

Working on your dreams is important

Life, Leadership Coaches, and old Dreams

John Maxwell is one of my favorite leadership coaches. I was listening yesterday to one of his podcasts. It was on achieving your dreams.

It reminded me of one of the life-changing decisions I had to make to quit Theater and settle down. 

John Maxwell is one of my Favorite Leadership coaches


I do miss Theater and acting, but having a family is a thing of its own. Sometimes quitting is an art. 

But today's blog post as the blog title suggests is not on the art of quitting. It's on achieving your dreams.

Read this article


Our Childhood Dreams

Children are so hopeful and positive


Think about it, we all have had some fantasy or dream that we wanted to achieve. We wanted to see it become a reality. 

For some of us, it may hold true that our dream has come to the past. 

But for most of us why do we not see our dreams becoming true.

One Simple Solution

John Maxwell's simple solution can help you achieve your dream project. This simple formula will keep you grounded. 

When I heard the solution, it made me realize why people or even myself may have decided to give up on some of our dreams. 

What were the reasons or situations? Was it the difficulties that made us give up. I am sure each of us can know it for ourselves. 

According to John Maxwell, the reason that people leave is pretty simple. People do not have enough reasons to continue. 

We run out of enough reasons to hold on and fighting for what we believe we deserve or want. 

The path to achieving our goals is always faced with challenges or difficulties of its own.

Read this article


Enough Reasons to Pursue your Dreams


Reasons keep us grounded. They fix us on the path to achieving our goals.  

So an important aspect of achieving goals is having enough reasons. 

These reasons must be powerful and must be something that pulls us through our challenges.

So do you have goals? Do you have reasons that ground you? 

Goals that are worth pursuing that have challenges and of course good reasons.

This insight has been quite powerful to me. 

It has helped me realize that besides hard work and good planning in life. 

It is also important to have good reasons.

Putting it to the Test

So what do we do with this new information? Of course, we must use it. 

You could start by taking some time out of our schedule and focusing on some of the goals that you are pursuing.

Try listing down reasons that you find these goals worth pursuing.

Next Step, Evaluate the reasons that you have written and chosen. 

Choose Five reasons from the list.

Remember these reasons when you need some motivation. 



What are your reasons to hold on to your dreams?

Conclusion

Pursuing our dreams and goals gives our life the spice and flavor to it. It makes it more interesting. 

Doing them for the right reasons and the right way is highly essential to have a fulfilling and better life.

Please do join our FB community...Click Here!

Further Reading

John Maxwell Leadership Podcast

P.S. Note: Please note these are not Affiliate links. I am just sharing a resource I find very insightful and useful.


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Why preparing the context matters in Life and words?

January 30, 2020

Context and Backstory matter in communication and Life

Context and Backstory matter in communication and Life


In an argument, Have you had the feeling that you have been misunderstood?

Do you feel like you have been misrepresented? The reason is all about context and perspective (in most cases).

I would like to speak about context. A good communicator is the one who gets his message across effectively.

The effectiveness of good communication can be different for different people. But primarily it is about getting the message across.

When we are communicating and people misunderstand us it could be for many reasons, but setting the context is an important part of Effective Communication.

Context is important in Communication


So whether you are listening to someone or responding to someone, to understand them better we must get the context right.

So Besides being loud and clear in your speech and words, set the context right to communicate better.


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Ponder Point - The Reason why Life experiences are essential

December 12, 2019

Dogma cannot compensate for real-life experiences




Life and Dogma

I just came across this quote from Steve Jobs, " Don't be trapped by Dogma...". This got me thinking about Dogma from a Religious sphere and personal growth related sphere they were the same and different both at the same time. In the Religious sphere ( I am referring to Christianity, that is my belief system), it is based on God-given revelation, so logically it cannot be contradicted as God ( All perfect being is revealing it), but the dogmas that we carry about things in our lives or we may say related to personal growth are not revelation and therefore can be replaced. 


Your own experience matters

We may come up with better ideas and ways of looking at things. Sometimes we can get so caught up in other People's experiences that we can hold our selves back from experiencing it ourselves. So like in Religion we need to build our own reservoir of personal experience and learning to grow. We must build ourselves by daily succeeding or failing.


Being Guru or Sophist


Some days ago I was watching a video critiquing a major Internet guru. I won't name him, because I do respect him and I learned a lot of ideas from him. People say he is a scam because his courses are exorbitant and they do not produce the result as they imagined it. This kind of criticism really makes me think whether skills and growth are achieved only in a day, a year or a couple of months.

It is so easy to speak badly about people, but the fact is that Personal growth is a Personal Responsibility.


Importance of Trying

I believe like anything it requires constant learning, application and course correction to achieve positive results.

Imagine if you are learning acting professionally and expect to become a thorough actor overnight it is senseless. Of course, there are prodigies, but the rule for the rest of us is to constantly work at ourselves and learn more so that we can move further down the road to self-development.


The relevance of Healthy criticism

I would like to say that criticism is essential but also healthy appreciation can go a long way. There are a lot of wolves in sheep's clothing ( Fake gurus or Charlatans ) and we must practice critical thinking, but not applying what you learn and not keeping healthy expectations is not healthy and not realistic as well.


In Short

Be Real, Keep Learning and Try it out, If it works for you try to get better at it.

Keep checking this space for more articles. Do join our community on Facebook and share this insight with a friend.

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Sharpening the axe...The benefit of taking short breaks and how it helped blog better

October 23, 2019

Even taking small breaks can be a small step towards your goals


It's been little above a year for this blog. I would like to thank you for your constant support. I started this blog to explore my blogging side. It seems to be growing and I have been appreciating the joy of writing and more importantly expressing ideas freely. I have got a good amount of feedback and I try to constantly learn and improve my posts.


Read about my previous post, the cost of being too nice


So What have I been up to?


I blog only when I have something I think it's important to share. I know it may not be the best or the most lucrative strategy for a successful blog. But I choose to share ideas and information to help people. Topics related to Life skills and management have really fascinated me. The people who know me personally know that I share a huge passion for theology, comparative religions and debunking conspiracy theories ( Though sometimes I slip into believing some of them...Lol). But I want to keep that for another website and another series of blog posts.


In the background, when there are no articles I read about different topics and I also try to learn a few things about other blogging platforms. There is a lot to learn and its fun. I would encourage you to start a blog of your own. You could even share a guest article on this blog. Of course, I would review it before posting it. 


Taking a break

I have been using these past two months to narrow the focus on the topics I have been sharing and would love to share in the future. As an Educator and Soft Skills Trainer, I naturally would love to share topics that I am training or researching on. After much pondering, I realized that it made more sense to write about these topics and share some personal opinions and reflections. So I would be constantly exploring strategies related to life, marketing and adding value to the marketplace aka Entrepreneurship. I will be writing some posts or even creating useful content on the same.


Check this article on How to motivate people with good presentations?

Sharpening the axe and learning more

Been learning a lot about the mistakes I make on this blog. Articles from Neil Patel and Shoutmeloud by Harsh Agrawal have really helped me. These websites are a great resource for any new blogger. Recently a friend had asked me about me my blog and how to begin one of his own. I would say, there a lot of great blogging platforms online. Blogging platforms like Medium and Blogger are also great and pretty simple to start. Please do comment and share your feedback, It will really help me grow and blog better.


Some benefits of taking breaks

Taking this mini-vacation from blogging has helped me realize the importance of a whole range of things. I would like to share one related to blogging, I realized that focus is very important not just as a strategy but also help make things more structured and easy. So when blogging, It would be important to soul search a bit and understand the 'Why' behind the decision to blog or to start any project.


The other thing I realized is that it is important to not focus on the wrong things. Sometimes it is easy to confuse goals with outcomes. For example, Writing a great series of blog posts on Life skills can be a goal. But thinking that I will make $ X from it is an outcome and not a goal. Now making this outcome the sole focus is wrong and poor judgement. May be people may disagree with me. But I am okay with that. I think its more important to focus on goals and have a good metric to evaluate its success. Outcomes are important, but they are not the primary focus.


So Wrapping it all up

Take your well-deserved break. Focus on the goal of your choice and don't confuse outcomes with the goals you set. Achieving your goals needs strategy and structure too. I wish you a Happy Learning Day!

Further Reading

The importance of Taking Daily Steps towards your goals

Some beautiful and inspirational quotes on Gratitude

Short Reflection on Preparedness and how it brings closer to success

Do Comment, Share & Like this Post!




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3 ways to Start your dream project and Achieve it. This 1 Superb Mantra.

August 29, 2019
Starting out and Achieving our goals always start with the First Step

Achieving goals by this one great step

So Let me ask you this question, What is the best way to start any project?...


I believe it's by just doing this one thing. This one thing keeps a lot of people back. It is taking the first step, So what keeps us from doing this. It could be this fantasizing of perfection and perfect situations that could be the culprit. 


Way No.1: 90% Planning and the Rest is execution


via GIPHY          Are you over planning?

It said that a lot of people have really great ideas and plans, but lack of action is what stops them from moving ahead. It's not still the end of the year, so there is always a chance for a new beginning. We must use this as an opportunity to start on our plans. As an IT student, I had learned that success to most projects is 90% planning and the rest is execution. But many of us are just stuck in the first phase and seldom thinking of moving to the next.

(Read here, how I started out blogging, Click Here) Blogging was something that I always wanted to do and now doing it is, of course, a learning experience and a journey by itself. I think more than writing skills, it is being vulnerable that can stop us. A small step to open ourselves to others can take us a long way.


Way No.2: Failing is okay


 A Poem on Failing

What is keeping us back? I am sure there are many good reasons. But I think one of them could be the fear of failing and looking bad. Failing is okay, but not trying to work on your goals can be a source of major regret. I once heard this from a motivational speaker and this idea really caught my imagination. He said that imagine you are on your death bed and you start thinking of all the things you could have done to achieve those goals and dreams. 

Imagine all the possibilities of how things could have been. Imagine all those possibilities haunting you and crying to you for concretizing or work on them. Now think that you are going to die with all these regrets someday. (Chriseducator.com)


Is it all worth it or is it worth it to work on those goals or dreams you aspire. I think one must sit down and think about it.


Way no.3: Determined Action


via GIPHY             Take action

So is it any kind of action that helps us be effective and achieve our goals, of course, No! It's determined action. It's something that is needed, something you are passionate about, Something you would spend your life or day doing it. Something that grips you.

So, Don't let your dreams, just be another dream. Make it something that changes your life and the life of others. 


Powerful Quote from Tony Robbins

I would like to leave you with this quote from Tony Robbins. He is a great motivational speaker and he has changed many peoples lives. This is what he has to say about being successful.


Tony Robbins: Take Action


Concluding thoughts:


First steps are difficult and so is the beginning of any new project. But with proper planning and deliberation, we can find our way ahead. Our focus should be on excellence and not just perfection. A right attitude can be a real game-changer.

I think this mantra sums it all up for us.


"Audacious Goals + Massive ( Determined ) Action"

So I wish you a great day filled with Action and a lot of acting on your goals. It's the only way to achieve your goals. "Starting out and taking action".

Ciao!

Further Reading:

The Overthinker’s Guide for Taking Action: A Complete Guide
https://startupbros.com/overthinkers-guide-taking-action-complete-guide/

How to Take Action: 12 Habits that Turn Dreams into Reality
https://www.positivityblog.com/how-to-take-action/

Why Is It Important To Take Action?
https://www.seeken.org/important-take-action/


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3 Powerful ways to help you Create your daily miracles: Life's simplest things

August 20, 2019
Simple things in Life and the miracles they bring


 Being Pensive


When I get pensive and thinking about the good and bad times it's the simplest things that amaze me. Let me share, for example watching our children grow so fast and see them share their views on things can be so insightful. Life moves ahead so fast.


via GIPHY        Being Pensive: Mellow Moments

Today, I shall try to include share some ideas on Life's simplest things. How to cherish small things and how to create your small miracles of Happiness? But before I start speaking about it, Here is my favorite quote on the simple things in life. I believe it captures the beauty of simple living.

It is the simplest things in life that hold the most wonder; the color of the sea, the sand between your toes, the laughter of a child.- Goldie Hawn

Searching for the Extraordinary

I think sometimes we think doing extraordinary things can make us happy. Now I see the great wonder in simple things. All this started with the idea of choosing to be happy. When we are at our lowest we only recollect the negative and we get into a pithy party. But just shifting your attention to simple things can bring so much joy. I believe when we choose to be happy, we try to seek joy. Focusing on simple things can be a source of great joy. It's like God's hidden miracles that bring us back to our childlike wonder. It makes us smile or cry (whatever).


I once missed drowning while on a vacation. Post that experience, I realized the beauty in just being safe. The joy to interact with people and dream about possibilities. Being dead in that pool would take a lot of things away. So let's consider some ideas that can move us in that direction, towards more simple living.

3 Points can be quite an enabler to simple living:

  • Being Intentional: Intentional would mean being deliberate. So can one spend a day intentionally, Start by planning your day. Have a script for your whole day. Keep a planner or a set of tasks to plan your day. I use Google Keep or Tasks for this. It's a really great tool. Start rethinking the effectiveness of your attitudes and workstyles. Take time to pause and reflect on what tasks have you completed during the day. Reflect on how your actions have helped you grow physically, spiritually and financially. Have you been effective to your immediate friend circle or community? These could be some questions to help you focus your actions and tasks.

Reflect on how your actions have helped you grow physically, spiritually and financially. 

  • Start with Average and move ahead with excellence: Focus and perspective can really shape a lot of projects, sometimes our drive towards achieving perfection and perfect situations can cripple us. They can take away our control. To change that, Start with average, meaning average results. If you have not been able to change that habit or go on that diet 100%, no problem. Just start out and constantly improve your rate of success. Do not give up on your goals and yourself. This can be a great way to move towards achieving our goals. 

Do not give up on your goals and yourself. 

  • Learn to use the Pause button: Responding and not reacting can be useful, a great way to start being responsive could be to learn to take time to stop and think. Just using the pause button can help us rethink our approaches and attitude to difficult situations or even to learn new ideas and rejuvenate ourselves. It can be used to create those small moments to generate great ideas or even just to relax.

Responding and not reacting can be useful

Now there is another way to enjoy life's small miracles. It could be by being grateful.

Here is my list of things I am grateful for:

10 Things I grateful for ( Increase list to 10 things )

What's your Gratefulness list?

Here are some of them:
  1. Having the choice to be happy
  2. Ability to learn from difficulties
  3. The joy of having a naughty baby girl
  4. Friends and Friendships (that I cherish)
  5. Parents
  6. God
  7. Taking short vacations
  8. Shopping
  9. Ability to help someone
  10. Having a wonderful life partner

How to list simple things that touch your heart?

Now that was my list, What is your list? I have some articles on Gratitude, Check it Here. I have also written about how to create gratitude journals. I believe this is a really powerful habit as it forces us to focus and teaches us to appreciate life's simplest things.

Focusing on the simple things and uncovering its hidden joys can be a real transformative experience. I would like to share this video that shares the joy of simple living.

Interesting Video:

Here is a video that helps us understand the beauty of simple things in our life. Alain de Botton explains really well, why the simple and normal pleasures are beautiful and important.


 So let's create those small miracles and enjoy the life we have.

Concluding Thoughts

It can be so empowering to have the ability to create happiness and enjoy the wonders of the life we have been gifted. Sometimes life situations can be challenging but by hard work and using our tact and intentional living we can improve our lives and our experiences.

Please do comment, share and give your valuable feedback. Thank you. Ciao!

Further Reading

Friends and Friendship

Understanding the 'Why' behind Gratefulness
Five Easy Ways To Facilitate Gratitude Journal Styles

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Ponder Points - Cost of doing Nothing

July 20, 2019

Cost of Doing Nothing

I have been a subscriber to Tropical MBA for quite some time. It's an e-commerce company that focuses on Location-independent Entrepreneurship. I want to share this quote from their newsletter (do subscribe to it) Click Here!.
 “The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing.” - Seth Godin
Do comment on How hesitation can be a deterrent to achieving our goals.

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Is Positive thinking always helpful? 5 Pitfalls you never knew to having a positive attitude

July 17, 2019
5 Pitfalls of positive thinking
What are the limitations of Positive thinking? Learn the Pros and Cons


Just be a bit more positive and things will change for you. You will achieve the stars and the moon in the sky. That's what it can be made to be by some people. Well, for some it is a better approach to approaching issues. I am talking about Positivity and Positive thinking. But one thing I learned from years of studying and learning, a lot of ideas have its limitations. In this article, I shall be exploring these negatives of Positivity,i.e. Positive Thinking. One of the best books I was asked to read was The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. (I think for a lot of us thinking negative was like normal.) I must confess it has helped me. I was recommended by a friend's mother. The book has a lot of good ideas on how to be more positive.

But here are some ideas I believe could be limitations to Positive thinking.

List of Negatives of Positive Thinking

Ignoring the obvious

I think positive thinking can be really good, it is solution-oriented. It believes in seeing opportunities where others tend to see lack or no options. But there are limitations, one must not supplant rational thinking for make-belief (it mostly doesn't help) and can be harmful to oneself and others. So putting on a critical hat on should help us be more realistic and show us the inherent risk. I know it exposes us to a kind of uncertainty and ambiguity, but that thread of uncertainty called risk is present in any decision we make. So if positive thinking sees the cup half full, it won't magically produce the other half.

Ignoring risk can be quite risky most of the times. Calculated risks can prevent unwanted situations. I would recommend a great book to help you think clearly by Rolf Dobelli. The book is called The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli. This book introduces powerful concepts in a beautiful manner. Very Interesting and helpful book. So, Clear thinking and being open to ideas must accompany positivity.

Magical Thinking

Positive thinking should not be used as some kind of force or energy. It would be wrong to think that just being positive can change the course of things. I don't think most proponents claim that positive thinking changes reality. So pretending it attracts things etc., that it would be inherently wrong, at least a practical and rational level.

Our thinking must be tempered with either evidence or experience, If not both. Please check this article on Psychology today that explores Magical Thinking in more depth, click here. Magical thinking can push towards bad choices and couple with Positive thinking, it could result in self-deception.

Self Deception

Self-deception is another negative of being overly positive. Rather than a negative its mostly stretching positive thinking beyond the purpose, it was intended for. Positive thinking has really helped me and benefitted me a lot, So using it for the right purpose is very important.

Self-deception may be beneficial, but there are surely disadvantages. That is important to be aware of, it could result in ignoring important issues and can also result in self-harm ( in case there are any health issues involved). So care and temperance are vitally important. For more reading on this topic do check this book on deception for an in-depth view, Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception by Daniel Goleman. For more reading, check this article on Self Deception.

A wrong view of Reality

I think the most important thing is not having the right evaluation of reality. Some episodes in our lives can be really difficult and coping may be important. But it is important to live up to the right view of things. (that's my personal take...I know it can be painful) Critical thinking can really help.

Check this tutorial on critical thinking by Tutorialspoint, click here. Here is the wiki on Critical thinking, click here. I believe that a lack of critical thinking can create a lot of problems and thinking errors. I am not saying that all of us should go and become philosophers, but just learning a bit more can be interesting and fun. 

Some side effects you must consider...

Bad Thinking Habits:

It's my personal opinion that bad habit leads to bad consequences. Right thinking is an essential component of better living. So also over positivity, It should be tempered with critical thinking and some amount of realistic thinking too. All this is quite a mental exercise, but that's a good way to a better life.

Pointers to help on Practice Effective positivity:

Some quick pointers to Practice Effective positivity. Firstly eliminate magical thinking and false expectations. Secondly, understand that thinking is a choice and you are in control of your thoughts. It would be wrong to just be lead. Lastly, Be positive but do not mistake it for a silver bullet.

Conclusion

Positive thinking is a great approach to enhancing ourselves and our lives. Like many good ideas, it can be misused and should not be. Healthy rationalism and critical thinking can help us make better decisions.

I hope you liked this article. Please comment and share it, thank you.

Further Reading:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/creativity-and-personal-mastery/201004/why-positive-thinking-is-bad-you

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/O-zone/the-negatives-of-positive-thinking/

https://greatist.com/happiness/positive-thinking-negative-benefits

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950

https://greatist.com/happiness/positive-thinking-negative-benefits

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Friends and Friendship

July 15, 2019

Friends and Friendship


 Friends are like companions that journey with you till they reach their destinations. It would be unimaginable to live without them. I used to have little to few friends, A lot of great books and ideas helped me along the way.

Developing yourself is a life long process and I think friendships can really play a key role in it. The positive side of social networking is the power to connect quite easily, of course, there are many articles on the side effects of it. But we must not forget the benefits too.
It's great having friends.


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Daily Steps

July 14, 2019

Powerful quotes on Gratitude

July 08, 2019
Powerful Quotes on Gratitude
Some interesting ideas and quotes that help understand Gratitude


Practicing Gratitude can really make a difference in Personal growth and here are some encouraging words to help you

Check my posts on Gratitude and reasons behind practicing gratefulness. Click here and here.

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough

     - Oprah Winfrey

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.

        -Eckhart Tolle

The Struggle ends when gratitude begins.

         -Neal Donald Walsh

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation.

        - Dalai Lama

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

         - G. K. Chesterton

When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude.

          -Elie Weisel

Remember the past with gratitude, live the present with Enthusiasm, look forward to the future with Confidence.

          -St. John Paul II

Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a successful & fulfilled life.

          -Jack Canfield

Do let me know in the comment section if you find these quotes interesting.

More Quotes on Gratitude:

https://www.success.com/15-thoughtful-quotes-about-gratitude/

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/gratitude

https://www.inc.com/jeremy-goldman/17-inspiring-quotes-about-gratitude.html

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Master Guide to Resourcefulness...The What, the Why and The How. Two Stories and Four Mantras to being Resourceful

June 22, 2019
Master Guide to Resourcefulness...The What, The Why and The How. Two Stories and Four Mantras
Master Guide to Resourcefulness: Learn Four Mantras to be Resourceful


What does it mean to be resourceful?

The Dictionary defines resourcefulness as the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties. I am sure we all have experienced situations that make us feel the same, All our dreams, plans and work on whether on a pet project or something major, things turn out differently. We all have been there. I think this is the most common thing to our human experience, things turning out different than we expected. This is where being resourceful becomes the only resort and sometimes can be a gamechanger.

Issues or Problem...doing it the donkey's way

Issue or problems can come to us in different forms and can smack us, bring us down. I read this interesting story in an article in the Des Moines Register by Harvey Mackay. It's on the story of a donkey who is narrating to his grandson an incident when he was stuck in a ditch. The donkey mentions a moment when he had fallen into a ditch. After a long wait, a farmer notices the donkey. He later waits until the next morning to tell other villagers. Instead of saving the donkey, they decide to bury the donkey. They start throwing mud at the donkey. The donkey had a choice to panic and die or use what he had. So the donkey decided to use the mud thrown at him. He would climb up the pile of mud and at last, the donkey saved itself. Sometimes life can be like this, it can take such twists that land us in difficult situations. (Read the entire story at the link mentioned above) Imagine if that donkey had not been resourceful, he would have been dead. Sometimes making a difference requires us to use whatever we have, but also to persevere and see the opportunity in difficult circumstances.

Fighting a painful situation

This next story will tell you how. This is the experience of a close friend. He had been through a painful breakup, he had two choices whine about it or just move on. So he moved on, it was quite difficult for him. He concentrated his energy on his studies. It made a huge difference and got him into a good college with a scholarship. He had used his painful situation to help him change his life and help him achieve his goals. He had been resilient and resourceful too.

Resourcefulness can work wonders. But the question is how does one be resourceful. Is there any way or method to help us. I believe there are ideas that help us be resourceful. These ideas I can say have been tested and tried from my experience, I can say it works.

Here are some of them, Check it out:


Stick to your goals

I think the most important thing to be resourceful is not to forget your goals. But sticking to goals would mean also sticking to them when there doesn't seem any way forward. I think this would be really productive in finding healthy solutions. Although going off tangents can sometimes be good, it could lead to good ideas and also great discoveries. But sticking to your goals gives you a focus and helps you to deal with the 'why' behind what we want to achieve.

Think alternatives

Yes, thinking alternatives is important to be resourceful. This could mean start with understanding the position of our current situation and what are some solutions. One could start with brainstorming ideas and then jotting them down. The feasibility of each idea should be considered.

Lose the war, Win the battle

It's okay to fail at the beginning, cause ultimately lack of resources and bad ideas should not stop us from trying and pursuing our quest to achieve our goals ( but the feasibility should help you decide that. Small failures are fine and they give feedback ( It's like healthy to course correct). Ultimately, It's about the vision and goals that one has in minded.

Attitude Matters

 Being open-minded and confident I think is important to be resourceful. I think these two qualities are important. Being open-minded can help you be creative and Confidence can bring in the faith and hardworking required to achieve success. Lack of confidence brings in scrupulousness (that is good), but also self-doubt that can make people not give their best and ultimately force people to give up.

Bonus One


What to do when there are no alternatives

1) Delay
2) Don't choose when you are in difficult situations
3) Confidence doesn't mean being stupid: Learn when to quit

The first one can seem counter-intuitive (I know), but sometimes it's important to not make bad choices thinking they are good and then repenting about it. It is important to have some space to make choices. (That's my take, do let me know in the comment section if you disagree). Being confident is important and learning when to quit is even more important. But this is for another article.:)

Additional Ideas

I think an important key to being resourceful is to build a person's emotional and spiritual quotient. This helps a person to succeed and effective.

Some Interesting Ideas

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/8-pathways-why-resourcefulness-matters-marilyn-price-mitchell

https://in.pinterest.com/erin_wing/teaching-resourcefulness/

For Teams

https://www.resourcefulmanager.com/team-building/

NLP Exercise to be Resourceful

http://www.oakdust.com/Resourceful_states.htm

Summary

I think this is one of the most important skill to develop as there is an abundance of problems and assumed scarcity of resources. Wish you better learning and do visit and connect with us on Social media.

Napolean Hill on Being Resourceful
Napolean Hill on being Resourceful

Further Read

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