Do I KNOW him / her?

There are some individuals who are a part of our lives for years – Be it friends, Be it family, Be it professional associations,… And even though they are a part of our lives for so many years, there comes a point when you can’t help but ask yourself  “Do I KNOW him / her”.. And this is not synonymous with understanding someone. But just knowing them – Their thoughts, feelings, perspectives, outlook, life experiences, future plans, priorities, decisions, struggles, joys…

Sometimes we know so little about some of the most important people in our day-to-day lives – Be it our parents, children, oldest friends, people who help us with our daily chores, people who work for us, with us and people whom we work for….

Possibly because
• We lacked the intent to know them
• We did not get any opportunity
• It was not a priority for us
• We did not take a minute to ask
• We did not listen when they shared
• We did not understand when they did share
• We knew them, but then they changed and then somewhere we did not bridge the gap

Well… Sometimes it is good to know… Just ask and hear what the other has to say! It might just be a pleasant surprise!!!

Obesity is a disease...

Obesity is a disease which imposes several limitations – physical limitations in what you can do, mental limitations in what you think you can do, professional limitations in what you can achieve, lifestyle limitations in what you and those around you can do on a daily basis, social limitations in what kind of activities you can be associated with and indulge.

There are many factors which contribute to one’s obesity, they main ones include lack of exercise / limited physical activity over a period of time, quality of food, emotional upheaval for an extended duration - stress / anxiety / worry, inadequate sleep, and the inner working of your body (which includes factors like metabolic rate, hormones, genetic make-up, etc.) . Some of these can be modified / controlled while some are beyond one’s control

Unless one is born obese, it usually is a slow but steady phenomenon. Any / Many of the above contributing factors typically take one to the obese stage…And slowly, one begins to accept obesity as a part and way of life. Acceptance of obesity a very important milestone because it then changes the way you view yourself, your expectations of self and your expectations of others. And then it becomes difficult to return to one’s natural (non-obese) state…

It is better to prevent obesity by doing the following:
• Exercise – Walk for about 30 minutes daily / Play a sport at least 4 times a week. Try and make it a habit, an integral part of your daily routine.. A way of life
• Learn yoga / pranayama – Practice regularly. Shows amazing results for overall wellness
• Get adequate rest / sleep
• Release stress / worries / anxieties – in any way you can. For e.g.: Could be spending time with friends, listening to music, reading, etc.
• Learn to laugh and make it a practice to laugh everyday
• Watch what you eat – and eat sensibly every day

If one is obese, do note:
• Try not to accept obesity as a part of life – Till the time you can put up a good fight, there is hope
• You do owe yourself a healthy body to lead a quality, rich and fulfilling life – Make this an important priority in your life and focus your energies positively

• Set a realistic and achievable target for yourself. Read my earlier post on Weight Loss Mantras @ http://nipmu.blogspot.com/2011/01/weight-loss-mantras.html

• Modify your diet as recommended by a doctor / dietician – And stick to it
• Drink lots of water everyday [At least 4 liters]. Start your day with a glass of water
• Walk for at least 30 minutes everyday
• Have an early dinner ; And ensure dinner is completed at least 3 hours before bed time
• Ensure a light dinner
• Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and salads
• Minimize fat / sugar / carbohydrates
• Watch what you snack on
• Do maintain a log of your net calorie intake. Track what you eat and how much you exercise

• And lastly, do remember that it has taken you months / years to become obese. So one cannot expect overnight weight loss miracles. Usually, it takes persistent efforts of 6 – 8 months to achieve desired results. So be honest to yourself, be objective, be disciplined and persevere

In conclusion - Listen to your body, Respect its needs and Treat it with care - It will reciprocate in all dimensions of your life…

Sirshasana

I have always been in awe of anyone who can effortlessly perform the Sirshasana [Refer http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/theheadstand.asp ]. And I know of individuals who practice this for about 5 - 10 minutes regularly.. [& wish I could someday do it for atleast 2 minutes]

But I recently met someone who practices this asana everyday for 1 hour 10 mins.. Completely admirable and blew my mind away.. Someone who practices yoga for at least 4 hours daily - 4 AM to 7 AM and 6 PM to 7 PM at the very least; and many times much more.. Someone who has been practicing for almost 20 years every day - Come rain, or shine or snow or .... whatever! Someone who is happy and peaceful, radiant and in control of life....

In my view, performing this asana requires complete control on one's mind, body and emotions - and this is not possible by most of us even for short periods of time .. So its great to see individuals perform this asana..

After long, I was completely inspired by someone for their - 

* Self Discipline
* Self Motivation
* Humility
* In-depth knowledge on the subject
* Good understanding of the subject
* Genuineness
* Kindness

* Willingness to impart the body of knowledge he had acquired over the years from formal education and practice

Post is dedicated to Dr G G

Ear Piercing for a Baby

Piercing a baby’s ear is a milestone. While there are many views on the right time and age when this should be done, bear in mind the following:
• Get the Doctor’s Approval – A quick nod from the doctor is an important pre-requisite before a baby’s ear piercing
• Go to a Professional - Hire an expert / qualified person for the job. This could be a doctor or a jeweler. Nevertheless, take some effort to do a background check on the credentials. Also, do speak to others to get any feedback on live experiences with their babies
• Get the marking’s right – The most important aspect is to ensure that the ear piercing is at the center of the ear – Not too low, Not too left, Not too right. And to achieve this it is important to get the marking’s right when the baby is asleep / still. One does not want an error in the position as this is one thing which will stay with you for life – Unless one decides to repeat the exercise
• Hold the baby still – At the time of piercing, hold the baby still. Else, there is a high probability that the piercing will be inaccurate – And this could have lifelong implications
• Baby’s will cry – So just console them after the piercing is completed
• Post piercing Care – Wash and keep the area clean. Be observant of any bleeding or rashes or infection at the site of the piercing. A range of medicines or home-made remedies can be applied to ensure rapid healing and minimize the risk of infection. Also, gently rotate the ear-ring periodically
• Change the ear-ring – As recommended by the jeweler / doctor
• Avoid fancy stuff  - Especially the hanging varieties as there is a very high probability that the baby will pull them and injure themselves
• Don’t change the ear ring too frequently – Let the piercing settle down before you get too experimental

To Be a Good Reviewer, One Needs

* To be knowledgeable on a subject
* To have mixed bag of experiences on the subject
* To be neutral in perspective
* To wear the following hats during review - Black Hat [Negative], White Hat [Information], Yellow Hat [Positive] & Blue Hat [Process]
* To be open minded
* To be free of biases
* To be objective in assessment
* To be fair in judgment
* To ask the right questions
* To be perceptive
* And lastly, to be able to communicate effectively

Success of a Blog…

 “How do you assess the success of a blog?” is a question lingering in my mind for a while now. And I am not talking about private or restricted blogs – But the public ones…Many bloggers claim to run very successful blogs, but there is no universal definition of success…

Some of the typical yardsticks which many bloggers use are:

• How many views did a post get?
• How many reactions / comments did a post get?
• How many times was a post shared / tweeted / forwarded?
• How many followers does a blog have?
• How many readers / blog addicts actually await your posts?
• How many people respond in some alternate way to your posts? For e.g: Sent you feedback over an e-mail, Called to express their agreement / disagreement, etc.
• What kind of real impact do the blogs elicit in other’s lives? For e.g.: Did it get others to reflect? Did it initiate a positive change? Did it influence a key decision?
• The blogs are accessed by default by others if they are looking for specific information

In reality, all the above yardsticks are definite indicators of measuring blog popularity, which in turn is indicative of success. However, there are no baseline numbers for measurement. For e.g.: Is a post popular if it has X (X can be 100, 1000 or 10000) page-views in a day OR is a post popular if it has Y (Y can be 100, 1000 or 10000) all time page-views is a point of debate..

In my view, a lot of blog popularity and success depends on the following parameters:

1) The focus of the blog, i.e. what you are writing about? For e.g.: Is it a travel blog? Is it a technology blog? The target audience that would be interested in these subjects would vary a great deal. Some topics / subjects have universal appeal, while some are aligned for select readership and hence would have different criteria for popularity and success

2) Why one is writing? For e.g.: If you start a cookery blog, then you are probably writing to share all that you know about cooking & also get others to share view / tips / links on recipes. If you start a BPM [Business Process Management] blog, then you are probably writing to share your knowledge, experiences, point of view on the subject, to network with fellow SME’s [Subject Matter Experts]  and to create a brand for yourself. If you start a photo blog, then you probably are looking at showcasing your talent, connect with people with similar interests and also acquire business prospects

3) How vibrant the blog is? Specifically in terms of the topics of the blog & if they are aligned with the interests and sensibilities of your target readers and frequency of updates

4) How well the blog is marketed? This in the most differentiating factor in determining the long term success of a blog. How well marketed your blog is makes an ocean of a difference in the success of a blog. Multiple channels can be leveraged to reach your target audience from personal e-mails, to twitter posts, to LinkedIn updates, to Facebook status updates, Cross linkages from other popular blogs / web-sites, etc.

All the above directly impact the long term success of a blog. And if not periodically updated & marketed, they run the risk of a slow but certain fatality.

Published @ http://www.paulwriter.com/blogs/item/390-success-of-a-blog

Do you assume more than you should?

Most of us usually tend to assume more than we should. Be it family, friends, colleagues, managers, children… We have this habit to assume for others - primarily due of familiarity / past experiences / long association, sometimes just because it’s in our nature or sometimes out of good-will..

However, we all change with time based on our life experiences. And over a period of time, our thoughts, preferences, priorities, reactions towards many things alter, & this is reflected in our day-to-day life. And when people who’ve known you for a while assume things, you wonder at your own transformation…

In general,
• Occasionally, it’s probably worthwhile to ask yourself “Am I assuming too much for him / her?”
• It’s good to ask others [once in a while] for their opinion, views and preferences – rather than assuming you know everything  - and many times their answers will surprise you, sometimes also turn out better than you could have ever assumed :)
• If someone is assuming too much for you for too long a time, it’s good to politely express your point of view – to indicate that you have probably changed beyond what the other person has observed and accepted. Silence may not be a viable option for too long.

The Forbidden Fruit

What is it about the forbidden fruit that makes it more alluring?

Be it Eve and the apple or
A small baby and an instruction to stay away from dirt and mud or
A school kid and the video game or
A college kid and the TV or
A diabetic patient and a sweet or

Hmmm..

If it’s forbidden, it’s worth a try
If it’s forbidden, it’s almost magical
If it’s forbidden, it’s just so inviting
If it is forbidden, it’s more appealing
If it’s forbidden, it’s just-so-attractive
If it’s forbidden, it’s definitely interesting
If it’s forbidden, it’s all the more charming
If it’s forbidden, it’s exciting to break the rule

And if it is permissible, then the same object loses its appeal..

I wonder why?

Do you value your resources?

Let me start by narrating a personal example – I have a domestic help at home who manages my day-to-day operations effectively. She’s been with me for a while now.. She understands the lifestyle we lead.. She is sensitive to the many individuals living at home and their diverse requirements, expectations, moods, whims and fancies, She is always cheerful in spite of her many woes [And trust me! That’s a really long list…], She is always willing to lend an extra hand, She is focused about her work, She performs best when given freedom and independence [Does not like micromanagement or too many instructions].. She efficient, She’s a quick learner, She’s trust-worthy [& that’s a real virtue]….

In my heart, I know that she’s good in her work and is a valuable resource. And everything was going fine till she hinted that she was considering quitting.. I wondered what had gone wrong that she had to quit? When I engaged in meaningful dialog with her, here’s what I learnt - Of course, she wanted a hike [but that was not the important dimension to her resignation]. More discussions with her and I realized that I had probably been oblivious to her point of view on many things…

Be it in personal or professional life, we all have resources who are valuable.. And once in a way, it’s good to ask yourself…
1) Do you acknowledge enough all that they do?
2) Do you appreciate enough all that they do?
3) Are you sensitive to their needs, requirements and priorities?
4) Do you look at things from their perspective?
5) Are you considerate in what you give to them
6) Are you reasonable and realistic in your expectations from them?
7) Are you fair in your interactions with them?
8) Are you willing to go an extra mile to do things that are valuable to them?
9) Do you show that you care about them in ways that really make a difference to them? – And trust me! That makes a lot of difference in the long run..

The FOP Mantra for Life...

The FOP Mantra for Life:
Be Futuristic in Perspective
Be Objective in Decision Making
Be Positive in Thought

Be Futuristic in Perspective: While the past is instrumental in making us what we are, and the present moment is all that we have, it is essential to be futuristic in perspective. It is important to learn from our past mistakes and try to avoid them, be cognizant of all our accomplishments and try to repeat them, acknowledge our limitations and try to overcome them & appreciate our strengths and try to build on them. And most importantly, focus all available energies towards the future

Be Objective in Decision Making:  It is important to be objective in key life’s decisions. While many of us rely on our feelings, instincts and intuition for many decisions, it is important to be objective when you take the final call. The most important thing to remember is that you have to live your decision. You cannot disown or run away from it. And while emotions sometimes last a few minutes, the impact of the decision lasts forever

Be Positive in Thought: If one is positive in thoughts, it is possible to surpass any challenges, hurdles, trials and problems that come your way. Given two people who face the same crisis in life, everything else being similar what eventually decides how their life turns out is directly dependant on their thoughts. If you think positive, the cosmos has a way to bring back positivity in your life.

Dosas...

There’s nothing like a good dosa anytime of the day…The sheer range of dosas one can make is very varied… And you can bring additional diversity based on the accompaniment you serve with a dosa… The many types of dosas include:
• Rice dosa [Normal / Paper / Set, etc.]
• Rava dosa
• Adi dosa
• Ragi dosa
• Atuku dosa
• Pesarettu / Green Moong dosa
• Yellow moong dosa
• Oothapam [with a range of vegetables]…………………

Dosas can be accompanied with
• Coconut chutney
• Onion chutney
• Tomato chutney
• Onion Tomato chutney
• Chutney powder with ghee
• Corriander chutney
• Pudina chutney
• Pickles
• Potato curry
• Kurma / Sagu
• Sugar / Jaggery
• Sauce…………………………………..

And then of course, there's nothing like a home-made dosa... especially if it is your mom's..