Author Archives: Atul Kailash

Leading & Leadership

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Atul Kailash

What gives a man or woman the right to lead?

It certainly isn’t gained by election or by appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn’t qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn’t come automatically from age or experience, either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.

 

The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow

The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:

  1. Let go of your ego.
  2. Become a good follower first.
  3. Build positive relationships.

Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.

  1. Work with excellence.

Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do.

  1. Rely on discipline, not emotion.

Leadership is often easy during the good times. It’s when everything seems to be against you – when you’re out of energy, and you don’t want to lead – that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.

  1. Make adding value your goal.
  2. Give your power away.

One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You’re meant to be a river, not a reservoir.

Find courage, Display character.
People will recognize these admirable qualities and will follow you.
Remember that it takes time to become worthy of followers.

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The 100 Day Challenge

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Atul Kailash

We all began this year at GO, and all roads lead to a final rendezvous; the difference is what we’ve done en route. Goals set, actions taken, and results realized determine if you get to call this year a success or not.

September 23rd is an important date as it marks the 100 day countdown for each year.

With that in mind, I have put together a number of questions for you to consider as you progress toward the finish line and bring this year to an end:

  1. What specific results have you achieved so far this year?
  2. Are you healthier, wealthier, and wiser?
  3. Are you winning, losing or just holding ground?
  4. What results are you committed to achieve by the end of the year?
  5. How have you grown and what have you learned this year?
  6. Is there any unfinished business that needs to be tended to in your life?
  7. Are you actively pursuing what’s most important on a daily basis?
  8. What habits do you need to change to ensure better results?
  9. What is the key issue that inhibits your ability to perform at your best?

You must live to answer and honor these questions, because when it comes to the last 100 days of the year, every day and everything you do counts.

One thing we all have in common is that we all love a challenge. For some it could be a goal that puts you to the test, an obstacle that says you can’t beat me, a belief system that is begging for a breakthrough, or even a mountain that just dares you to climb it.

Whatever it is, your attitude should be BRING IT ON, as there’s nothing quite like a good old fashioned challenge to see what you’re made of, to push the boundaries and tests your limits as it is ONLY when we overcome these trials that we get to reap the sweetest rewards.

“You have to believe in yourself, challenge yourself, and push yourself until the very end; that’s the only way you’ll succeed.” ~ G-Dragon

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How to Study in Six Simple Steps

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Atul Kailash

Study skills are approaches applied for effective learning. They are critical to success in school, considered essential for acquiring good grades, and useful for learning throughout one’s life. It is known that, most students fail in examinations simply because they lack study skills. Now, any skill which boosts a person’s ability to study can be termed a study skill, and this could include time management and motivational techniques. Ideally, study skills should tackle the process of organizing, accepting and recalling information – in a structured manner. Most often, studying strategies are left to the students and their support network, although a number of books and websites are available. Effective studying is dependent in good measure on one’s ability to concentrate and for this we can create a conducive environment. We must consider study skills in its broadest term – distinct from strategies that are specific to a particular field of study e.g. music or technology, and from abilities inherent in the student, such as aspects of intelligence or learning styles.

How to Study in Six Simple Steps

Space

Make room, mentally and physically, for studying. Usually you’re studying for something specific, such as an exam. This can seem daunting, like a mountain to climb. If this sounds familiar, take a deep breath and pause for a moment before you start.

Think of how you make yourself comfortable when you do something you really enjoy, like watching a favorite television program. How do you settle in for the show? Do you sprawl or curl up? Do you have favourite relaxing clothes? Do you choose a particular drink or something to chew? Borrow any of these favourite things to make your studying a better experience. If you’re in a good space physically, you can improve your mental space.

 

Place
Create your own personal work zone. It doesn’t have to look like a work-space — that’s what many students find off-putting. Building on what you did in the previous paragraph, make the place your own and somewhere you enjoy.

 

Pace
Find the right pace for your work. Sprinters work hard and fast in a burst of energy while marathon runners spread the load and build slowly towards the climax. There’s no right or wrong way to pace your studying, except what works for you. Notice the way you like to work, and adjust your pace accordingly. (Just remember, if you study at a slow pace, you’ll need to set aside more time for the task.)

Whether you have bags of time or a brief study period, remember that breaks are just as important as active study (10 minutes off for every 30 minutes of study works for many people), and use those breaks to reward yourself with a small treat.

 

Memory
It helps to know how your memory works. Here is the key to memory: in any sequence, people remember the first and last things best. Whatever you try to remember, you’ll find yourself recalling the beginning and the end, with less clear memories of the middle. You can’t change this — it’s wired in, it’s how our brains work — so don’t fight it. Instead, use this fact to your advantage by organizing your study so the most important bits are at the beginning and end of your sessions.

 

Method
It’s always good to have a plan. However big or complex your task may look at first sight, with a feasible plan you can always find a way to manage it. When studying, break your biggest goal into smaller chunks or tasks. It’s best if each of these chunks consists of a single topic. Often, you’ll discover one or two key elements that stand out and get fixed in your mind. You can then use those as building blocks.

Classic tricks used by memory professionals include ‘the house of memory’ where you place everything you want to remember in unique locations in the house. It’s also useful to use humor — play with your key-words and make them funny or outrageous. You’ll be surprised at how much easier they are to memorize.

 

Mind Maps
A mind map is rough diagram that you can make to visually outline information. You can create a mind map by starting with the primary word or phrase of a topic in the center, with related, lesser categories branching out from it. Subcategories of these are on smaller branches, still. Your categories can consist of anything you think is important; they can be important terms, ideas, or tasks to complete — whatever you need to help you study or organize the information.

Mind maps are easy to master if you don’t use them already, and you’ll discover they help you remember masses of information much more efficiently than conventional lists. If you’re not satisfied with your current note-taking skills, try building a mind map during your next class or lecture and see if you find it more helpful.

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A Healthy Mind

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Atul Kailash

A healthy mind is as essential as a healthy body to make a healthy ‘you’. So while it is nutritious food and regular exercise for the body, it is meditation for the mind. The only drawback with meditation is that the enthusiasm seen in the beginning gets lost midway. However, with a few simple tips you might be able to enjoy a more fulfilling practice. First and foremost is to choose an exclusive meditation space, either a corner in your home that you love or a nearby garden/park. Once the space is finalized, settle on a particular time in the day. Early mornings are the best for practice. Set a routine in your mind for regularity without being hard on yourself . The more you try to silence the mind purposefully, the harder meditation becomes. There is no right or wrong technique. So don’t worry, rather enjoy the practice alone in your hideout everyday.

1. Breathing connects us to the present moment.
Mindfulness is a term we often hear, but what does it mean? It’s as simple as breathing. The problem for many of us is that we aren’t aware of our breath. Being aware of our breath connects us to the present moment. In this present moment we are connected to our dreams and desires. When we’re stuck in the past, we can feel depressed or hopeless. And when we lose hope, we cannot heal. When we’re worried about the future, it fuels anxiety. By consciously breathing, we take the peace we foster in our meditation practices into our daily lives.

2. Conscious control of breathing reduces stress.
Anxiety, depression and insomnia are examples of stress-based illnesses that are rooted in the mind’s perception of external stress. By consciously controlling our inhalations and exhalations, we start to shift our autonomic nervous system from a flight-or-fight response to one of the relaxation response. When the brain switches to the relaxation response, the heart rate and blood pressure will decrease, and the brain will regain focus and mental clarity. In this state of breathing and meditation, we also retrain our brains to change our perception of stress, thus reducing our propensity to feel anxious or depressed.

3. Breath connects you to your life purpose.
Career burnout arises when our external world is not in alignment with our internal soul compass. The way we find our life purpose is being aligned with our internal soul compass. Our internal soul compass is the place within us where all the answers reside; some call it intuition, gut instinct, or internal wisdom. It was during the mindful practices of pranayama, yoga, and meditation that I learned to focus on my breath, and then clues to my life purpose started to surface.

Meditation isn’t a marathon! Go at your own pace and don’t be too hard on yourself if you didn’t stick to the schedule you originally had in mind. Take a breath in. Exhale. There you go. You just took a big first step onto your true path.
“Dedicating some time to meditation is a meaningful expression of caring for yourself that can help you move through the mire of feeling unworthy of recovery. As your mind grows quieter and more spacious, you can begin to see self-defeating thought patterns for what they are, and open up to other, more positive options.” – Sharon Salzberg
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As ye sow, So shall ye reap

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Atul Kailash

George Bernard Shaw said, “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, they make them.”

Well, it’s pretty apparent, isn’t it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about. Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn’t know where he’s going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety and worry – his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing… he becomes nothing.

How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I’ll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.

Suppose a farmer has some land, and it’s good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn’t care. It’s up to the farmer to make the decision.

We’re comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn’t care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn’t care what you plant.

Now, let’s say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand – one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds-one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land…and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.

So it is written in the Bible, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

Remember the land doesn’t care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the two plants – one corn, one poison.

The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn’t care what we plant…success…or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal…or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety and so on. But what we plant must return to us.

You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams.

It will return anything we want to plant.

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Clear Goals & Objectives

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Atul Kailash

Clear goals and objectives are essential to the success of any business, and this is no less true of building your own career. If you don’t take the time to get really clear about exactly what it is you’re trying to accomplish, then you’re forever doomed to spend your life achieving the goals of those who do. In the absence of a clear direction for your life, you will either meander aimlessly or you will build a career that you don’t feel good about. You may make some money, and you may do some interesting work, but the end result will not resemble anything you ever made a conscious decision to build, and ultimately you will be left with the sinking feeling that maybe you took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. Do you ever look at your career and think to yourself, “How on earth did I get here?”

If setting goals is so critically important, then why is it that so few people take the time to define exactly where they want to go? Part of the reason is a lack of knowledge about how to set clear goals. You can go through years of schooling and never receive any instruction on goal setting at all. A failure to understand the immense importance of establishing clear goals is also common. But those who truly know what they want often outperform everyone else by an enormous degree.

A frequent deterrent to goal setting is the fear of making a mistake. Teddy Roosevelt once said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Setting virtually any goal at all is better than drifting aimlessly with no clear direction. The best way I know to guarantee failure is to avoid making clear, committed decisions. Every day is already a mistake if you don’t know where you’re going. You’re probably spending most of your time working to achieve other people’s goals. The local fast food restaurant, TV advertisers, and the stockholders of the businesses you patronize are all very happy for that. If you don’t decide what you really want, then you’ve decided to hand your future over to the whims of others, and that’s always a mistake. By taking hold of the reins yourself and deciding where you’d like to go, you gain a tremendous sense of control that most people never experience in their entire lives.

Many people assume that because they have a direction, they must therefore have goals, but this is not the case and merely creates the illusion of progress. “Making more money” and “building a business” are not goals. A goal is a specific, clearly defined, measurable state. An example of the difference between a direction and a goal is the difference between the compass direction of northeast and the top of the Eiffel Tower in France. One is merely a direction; the other is a definite location.

“First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end.” –Aristotle

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The Seed : Honesty is the best policy

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Atul Kailash

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

“It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO,” he said. “I have decided to choose one of you.”

The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today – a very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by – still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed. A few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back.

“My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,” said the CEO.  “Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”  And then, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front.

Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!” When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Here is your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!”

Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said?

Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. “When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!”

 

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

 

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.”

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Gratitude

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Atul Kailash

Last week, in India we celebrated the Birthday of Lord Ganesh, the elephant God. This particular deity has always been very special for me for various reasons, primarily because of his looks, He is the wise one, whose head is that of an elephant and the rest of his body is that of a human. As a child He was an object of curiosity and wonderment. Just like me He is the favorite of everyone, especially the little children.

Lord Ganesh is invoked ( prayed to ) prior to all auspicious activities. He is the source of confidence and strength, it is said that invoking Lord Ganesh takes care of all the obstacles in the path of any desired course of action.

The most important and beautiful part of this invocation is expressing gratefulness for existence. That is why, in India, everything has become a deity -the Sun, the Stars, the Wealth and the Wisdom, all essential components of life are worshiped as deities. The reason being that one must always be grateful for ‘what is’ and for ‘what you have’, and my short note today revolves around this topic.

The essentiality of ‘being grateful’.

In these times when the speed of our achievements can only be matched by the frequency of our desires, when wants are churned out at faster RPM’s and when goals increase with every gigabyte we add, I think gratitude has become the most under used and under rated attitude.

It is alright to have goals for the future and work the present towards it, but I think it is equally important to take some time to love, appreciate and feel grateful for what you have now.

It is often seen, that when we are chasing a goal we get caught up in worrying about little things that really do not matter anymore, some things from the past or probably some past failures or setbacks. This is when remembering to be thankful for what we have in the present and feeling good about it can make a lot of difference. For this reason invoking the deity in India has been an essential practice as it allows the person to refocus and realign him/herself to the qualities desired for that occasion or challenge in life.

Life is full of simple and beautiful things, if and only if we take time to look around with open eyes. Sometimes joy lies in places we take for granted. An attitude of feeling grateful and being appreciative allows us to focus on the many good things that occur in our day to day life. Just give it a chance, the flowers will speak to you, the birds will smile at you, the water you drink will feel pure, the taste of the food will be relished more, it’s all there in those little things right in front of you, just look with eyes of gratefulness.

New research is showing that practicing gratitude may be the fastest single pathway to happiness, health, long life, and prosperity. In a remarkable study performed by Dr. Robert Emmons, people who kept a gratitude journal for just 3 weeks measured 25% higher on life satisfaction afterward. They exercised more, drank alcohol less, their families and friends noticed that they were nicer to be around and they slept well. Isn’t that great, probably that is why in some cultures the children are taught to recite gratitude prayers just before going to bed. Just being thankful for the bed we sleep on and for the roof upon our head can make us sleep better. Further studies have also shown how sense of gratitude helps recover from past traumas quickly and even if the past memories surface the feeling is less intense. A sense of gratitude and reflection helps make sense of negative events, these events can be looked at with a different perspective and lessons can be learned from them.

Its beautiful and helpful to have an attitude of gratitude, it helps the body and mind, and helps us to stay in the positive zone, when we are busy appreciating what we have and feeling good there’s less time to think anything negative, right ?

Here are some simple methods of generating gratitude and reminding to be grateful as much as we can,

  • Take five slow deep breaths when you remember.
  • Remind yourself to be present in the present.
  • Appreciate the beauty of some things in your environment.
  • Give events only the time they deserve.
  • Maintain a gratitude journal everyday for 10 minutes write down the good things that happened to you that day.
  • Make a gratitude list, quickly without much thought make a list of things you are thankful for, you will be surprised.

Just before you go to bed thank the body that you live in, that the mind that makes you think and thank you for being YOU.

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Clarity Is A Choice

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Atul Kailash

Career just meandering along ? Life following a course of it’s own ?

Maybe your focus needs to be clearer. If it is all just waking up each morning and seeing what happens, then it is absolutely crucial that you take the time to decide and write down exactly where it is you want to go. How much longer will you continue to climb the ladder of success, only to realize too late that it was leaning against the wrong building? Just pick a point in the future, whether it’s six months from now or five years from now, and spend a few hours writing out a clear description of where you want to be at that time. I know many people who aren’t sure where they want to go, so they avoid committing anything to writing in order to “keep their options open.” What would happen if you pursued that attitude to its logical conclusion? If you always kept your options open and never made any firm commitments, then you’d never get promoted, start your own business, get married, have a family, move to that new home, etc. except to the degree that someone else made that decision for you.

I used to have a friend like this, who still hasn’t decided what he wants to do with his life. He yields control of his life to others without even realizing it, simply because he’s unwilling to take the time to define a vision for his own life out of fear of making the wrong choice. His life is ruled by others who push their goals onto him, which he accepts by default. Ask yourself if you’re in the same boat. If a friend of yours became totally committed to getting you to change something in your life at random — your career, your living situation, your relationship, etc. — could s/he do it just by being absolutely certain and committed that it’s the right thing for you? Could a business associate come along and radically alter your plans for the week without you ever deciding consciously that such a change is consistent with your goals? We all suffer from problems like these to the degree that we fail to set clear goals for ourselves. There is a big difference between recognizing and acting on a true opportunity and being knocked off course without making a conscious decision to shift gears.

Waiting for something to inspire you and hoping that the perfect outcome will just fall into your lap is nothing but a fantasy. Clear decision-making won’t happen passively; you actually have to physically put in the time to make it happen. If you don’t have clear goals simply because you don’t know what you want, then sit down and actively decide what you want. That sense of knowing what you want isn’t going to just come to you in a form of divine inspiration. Clarity is a choice, not an accident or a gift. Clarity doesn’t come to you — you have to go to it. Not setting goals is the same thing as deciding to be a slave to the goals of others.

“The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.” – Conan O’Brien

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Donation – Hold No Reservations

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Atul Kailash

Once Krishna and Arjuna were walking towards a village. Arjuna was pestering Krishna, asking him why Karna should be considered a role model for all ‘danas’ (donations) and not himself. Krishna, wanting to teach him a lesson snapped his fingers. The mountains beside the path they were walking on turned into gold. Krishna said “Arjuna, distribute these two mountains of gold among the villagers, but you must donate every last bit of gold”. Arjuna went into the village, and proclaimed he was going to donate gold to every villager, and asked them to gather near the mountain. The villagers sang his praises and Arjuna walked towards the mountain with a huffed up chest. For two days and two continuous nights Arjuna shovelled gold from the mountain and donated to each villager. The mountains did not diminish in their slightest.

Most villagers came back and stood in queue within minutes. After a while, Arjuna, started feeling exhausted, but not ready to let go of his ego just yet, told Krishna he couldn’t go on any longer without rest. Krishna called Karna. “You must donate every last bit of this mountain, Karna” he told him. Karna called two villagers. “You see those two mountains?” Karna asked, “those two mountains of gold are yours to do with as you please” he said,  and walked away.

Arjuna sat dumbfounded. Why hadn’t this thought occurred to him? Krishna smiled mischievously and told him, “Arjuna, subconsciously you yourself were attracted to the gold, you regretfully gave it away to each villager, giving them what you thought was a generous amount. Thus the size of your donation to each villager depended only on your imagination. Karna holds no such reservations. Look at him walking away after giving away a fortune, he doesn’t expect people to sing his praises, he doesn’t even care if people talk good or bad about him behind his back. That is the sign of a man already on the path of enlightenment”.

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