30 Major Causes of Failure...

Excerpt from the book "Think and Grow Rich" By Napolean Hill

[1] Unfavorable Hereditary Background
[2] Lack of a Well defined purpose in life
[3] Lack of ambition to Aim Above Mediocrity
[4] Insufficient Education
[5] Lack of Self Discipline
[6] Ill Health
[7] Unfavorable environmental influences during childhood
[8] Procrastination
[9] Lack of Persistence
[10] Negative Personality
[11] Lack of controlled urge
[12] Uncontrolled desire or "Something for Nothing"
[13] Lack of a well defined power of decision
[14] One or More of the basic six fears [poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of love of someone, old age, death]
[15] Wrong selection of a mate in marriage
[16] Over Caution
[17] Wrong selection of associates in business
[18] Superstition and Prejudice
[19] Wrong selection of a vocation
[20] Lack of Concentration of Effort
[21] The habit of indiscriminate spending
[22] Lack of enthusiasm
[23] Intolerance
[24] Intemperance
[25] Inability to cooperate with others
[26] Possession of power that was not acquired through self effort
[27] Intentional Dishonesty
[28] Egotism and Vanity
[29] Guessing instead of Thinking
[30] Lack of capital

Do you challenge yourself periodically?

Over the years I have realized that it is important to challenge yourself periodically…

Challenge yourself to experiment
Challenge yourself to try something new
Challenge yourself to taste a new cuisine
Challenge yourself to explore a new place
Challenge yourself to laugh for three hours
Challenge yourself to run an extra kilometer
Challenge yourself to do NOTHING for a day
Challenge yourself to live like a child for a day
Challenge yourself to think NOTHING for a day
Challenge yourself to NOT check mails for a day
Challenge yourself to wake up 30 minutes early
Challenge yourself to be silent for 1 day, 1 week
Challenge yourself to get out of the comfort zone
Challenge yourself to only think positive for a day
Challenge yourself to stay away from the news for a day
Challenge yourself to do something you would never do
Challenge yourself to do something you have never done in life
Challenge yourself to run, skip, jump and hop for thirty minutes
Challenge yourself to sleep through the day and stay up all night
Challenge yourself to keep away from Facebook, Twitter, Google for a day
Challenge yourself to NOT do what you usually do every day [at least for a day]
Challenge yourself to use your left hand only for a day [or right hand if you are a left-hander]

In the long run…
Self-imposed challenges
Make you grow
Make you evolve
Make you ponder
Make you change
And actually make you happy….

Also published @ http://www.studiothirtyplus.com/magazine/month/201111

Disappointments....

We all deal with disappointments at various stages and phases of life...

Disappointment with ourselves
Disappointment with others
Disappointment with outcomes
Disappointment with situations
Disappointment with events
Disappointment with the end
Disappointment with the process
Disappointment with the results
Disappointment with decisions
Disappointment with the current state
Disappointment with the economy
Disappointment with the political situation
Disappointment with our personal finances
Disappointment with our helplessness
Disappointment with our dependancies
Disappointment with our constraints

The underlying reason for all disappointments in life is expectations...

You expect something to happen - It does not - You are disappointed
You expect someone to do something - They don't - You are disappointed
You expect someone to say something - They don't - You are disappointed
You expect something of yourself - You don't do it - You are disappointed

Communicating a disappointing news is difficult
Dealing with disappointments is all the more difficult..
Especially if you had all your hopes on it...
Especially if you wanted it with all your heart...
Especially if it would mean the world to you...

 

Prayers come true through You

Got this in the mail today.. Liked it and hence posting on my blog

A young man had been to a weekend night class learning the power of spirituality and about listening to the inner voice and obeying to the GOD !

The young man couldn't help but wonder, 'Does God still speak to people through intuition?'
After Lessons, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message.. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways and that at the end you'll know it was God who has directed you.

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, 'God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.'

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, 'God is that you?' He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk came into his head. 'Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.'

It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, 'Turn Down that street.' This is crazy he thought, and drove past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street . At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, 'Okay, God, I will.'

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town.. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something, 'Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.' The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep.

He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. 'God, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.' Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.

Finally, he opened the door, 'Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here.' He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside.

A man's voice yelled out, 'Who is it? What do you want?' Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man of the house was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. 'What is it?'

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, 'Here, I brought this to you.' The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, 'We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.'

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, 'I ask him to send an Angel with some milk. Are you an Angel?'

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still answers prayers.

Not all of us will have a story so very instruction led by God, but I am sure we would have come across a situation where our inner voice has instructed us.. “Do This” – You will not believe the good that you do will make a world of difference to someone who may be living only on that single Hope.

The Creation of Mother

I got this post in the mail today... Really liked it & hence posting on my blog....

By the time the Lord made mothers, He was into the sixth day working overtime. An Angel appeared and said “Why are you spending so much time on this one Lord?”

Lord answered, “Have you read the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, flexible, elastic; have 200 movable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands.”

The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. “Six pairs of hands! No way!” said the Angel.

The Lord replied, “Oh, it’s not the hands that are the problem. It’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!”

“And that’s on the standard model?” the Angel asked.

The Lord nodded in agreement, “Yep, one pair of eyes are to see through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head are to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair are here in the front of her head. They are for looking at an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word.”

The Angel tried to stop the Lord “This is too much work, is it even possible to make such a human? Should you not think through and work on it on feasibility again tomorrow?”

“But I can’t!” The Lord responded, “I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She heals herself (self-healing) when she is sick and can feed a family of six on a pound of bread and can get a seven year old to stand in the shower.”

The Angel moved closer and touched the woman, “But you have made her so soft, Lord.”

“She is soft,” the Lord agreed, “but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.”

“Will she be able to think?” asked the Angel.

The Lord replied, “Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason, and negotiate.”

The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman’s cheek. “Oops, it looks like You have a leak with this model. I told You that You were trying to put too much into this one.”

“That’s not a leak.” the Lord objected. “That’s a tear!”

“What’s the tear for?” the Angel asked.

The Lord said, “The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride.”

The Angel was impressed. “You are a genius Lord. You thought of everything for this one!”

“God could not be everywhere and therefore He made mothers.” -Jewish Proverb !

10 Reasons why you should write?

1) Writing makes you think – The single most important benefit of writing is that it makes you think. And thoughts are vital in the journey of life. Simply because to think you need to observe, you need to listen, you need to smell, you need to feel, you need to analyze, you need to reason, you need to question, you need to rationalize, you need to appreciate, you need to process, you need to internalize, you need to conclude.

2) Writing brings clarity – One of the most important pre-requisite for writing is clarity - Clarity in data & facts, clarity in reasoning, clarity in views, clarity in opinions. At the outset, you may not necessarily have the clarity to write, but before you finish you should have the required clarity else you will not be able to complete a piece of writing to your own satisfaction.

3) Writing facilitates learning – One of the perks of writing is that it facilitates learning. Because when you write – you tend to ask questions – both to yourself and others, you tend to read, you tend to notice, you tend to reflect – And all these contribute towards your learning.

4) Writing enables growth – As long as you learn, you grow. And growth can be in one / many dimensions of life like intellectual growth, professional growth, personal growth, emotional growth, spiritual growth… And growth is a key contributing factor for progress in life.

5) Writing improves your literary skills – If you take the time to write, you will definitely improve your literary skills over a period of time. Not only will you learn new words and improve on the P’s and Q’s of writing, but can also learn and develop alternate literary forms – from prose to poetry. And the only way to improve in anything in life is to continuously work on it.

6) Writing opens new doors – From new friends, to new ideas, to new possibilities, to new ways to constructively utilize your time, to new ways to earn money, to new professions, to new experiences, to new considerations, to new contemplations, to new harbingers...

7) Writing makes you disciplined – One of the best effects of writing is that it makes you disciplined. In your thoughts, in your daily routine.. And once you experience the benefits of writing and begin to enjoy it, it becomes a habit.. A compulsion.. A fascination..

8) Writing gives you ME time – Writing gives you time to be with yourself… To connect within in your own way, at your own pace…

9) Writing makes you view writers and books in a new light – Only when you write do you appreciate the process of writing. [ Refer my earlier post "Writing is a creative process" @ http://nipmu.blogspot.com/2011/02/writing-is-creative-process.html ]. And only then do you acknowledge and value the work of other writers and all the books you read in life..

10) Writing gives you a chance to leave a legacy – Irrespective of your age, you will always cherish personal writings – Be it from your parents, your grandparents, your uncles, aunts, nephews / niece, your children, your special friends, your past lovers, your soul mate, your role models, your teachers, your mentors, your students, your boss, your customer….
And so in the same light, if you do write a note, a blog, a tweet, a poem, a story, an article, a point of view, a citation, a commendation – It sure has the potential to be of value to someone somewhere… either today or 50 years from now… And that will be your legacy.. Provided you start writing.... today....

What is the greatest power in this world?

“What is the greatest power in this world?” 

Is it physical / muscle power?
Is it financial power?
Is it nuclear power?
Is it political power?
Is the power of youth?
Is it the power of beauty?
Is it the power of collective?
Is it the power of mind?
Is it the power of knowledge?
Is it the power of emotions – Love OR Hate?

Hmmm… Well all the above are definite powers – which have the potential to impact, influence and bring about change… Changes at many levels in the lives of individuals, in the lives of the world at large..

In my view… The Power of the Mind and The Power of Emotions – Love OR Hate are the two greatest ones…

Because they have the potential to yield transformations …
Transformation in thoughts – Of self and others
Transformation in emotions – Of self and others
Transformation in spirit – Of self and others
Transformation in wealth – Of self and others
Transformation in health – Of self and others
Transformation in lives – Of self and others

I am undecided about which one is the greater power because I have seen individuals do magnificent things in their lives by using one / both of these powers..

And nothing like one who is blessed with both these powers –
1) Strong mind which one has complete control over
2) Strong emotions which one channelizes in a positive and constructive manner

What’s your view??? Leave a Comment

To Stay Back or Move On

There comes a time in life when you can’t help but ask yourself whether you want to “Stay Back or Move On”… It could be in your job, with your friends, with your parents, with your children, in your marriage, with your team, with your company, in your house, in the place you reside, for a special someone, for a noble cause….

It all depends on your assessment of the relative pros and cons in the long run …
If it is good and positive to stay back in comparison to moving on, then you should stay
If it is good and positive to move on in comparison to staying back, then you should move on
If both options are good and have a positive impact, then you should assess the relativity in terms of impact and choose the one which is beneficial for you
If both options are bad, then you should assess the relativity in terms of potential negative impact and choose the one which is least unfavorable for you..

Sometimes the decision is tough and complicated due to the past, number of variables, priorities, expectations of others, expectations of self, lack of clarity of your priorities and an uncertain future…

Sometimes the decision is really easy…  Simply because you are clean in your mind and heart about what you want and will do whatever it takes to achieve what you want

If you are meant to stay, you will
If you are meant to move on, you will
And you will understand Why?
Probably only several years later
When you sit under the sky on a starry night
In a quiet moment
And try to connect the dots of your life..

A Daily Dose of Inspiration...

Over the years,  I have realized that we all need a daily dose of inspiration...

Irrespective of your age - 10, 20, 30..... 100
Irrespective of your gender - girl, boy......
Irrespective of your phase of life - student, professional, retired...
Irrespective of your current status - single, committed, married, parents, grandparents...
Irrespective of your nationality - Indian, American, Brit...
Irrespective of your current location - North, South, East, West...

We all need a daily dose of inspiration
To keep us alive
To give that zest for life
To keep us going through the day

For some it could be a song
For some it could be a call
For some it could be a moview
For some it could be a book
For some it could be a prayer
For some it could be a thought
For some it could be a dance
For some it could be a quote
For some it could be a memory
For some it could be a dream
For some it could be a hope
For some it could be a poem
For some it could be a painting
For some it could be a ..................

And nothing like getting the daily dose of inspiration at the start of the day
It does wonders to how your day begins
It does wonders to how your day progresses
It does wonders to how your day ends

So, Did you get your daily dose of inspiration today?

In our Professional Lives... There are all kinds of People….

As a part of our professional lives, we interact with all kinds of people…

People you like, people you don't like and all those in-between;
People you like to avoid, people who like to avoid you and all those in-between;
People you really like to work with, people who really like to work with you and all those in-between;
People who motive, people who de-motivate and all those in-between;
People whom you admire, people who admire you and all those in-between;
People who mentor you, people whom you mentor and all those in-between;
People you learn from, people from whom you don’t want to learn and all those in-between;
People who are opinionated on everything, people who don’t have an opinion on anything and all those in-between;
People who are knowledgeable on everything under the sun, people whom you wonder what knowledge they really have and all those in-between;
People who have very strong values, people whose values you can never understand, and all those in-between;
People who are great leaders, people who can barely lead and all those in-between;
People who are smart, people who are dumb and all those in-between;
People who work hard, people who barely work and all those in-between;
People who are aggressive, people who are assertive, people who are submissive and all those in-between;
People who always say Yes, People who always say No, People who always say Maybe and all those in-between;
People who are arrogant, people who are humble and all those in-between;
People who are excellent communicators, people who are poor in communication and all those in-between;
People who always help, people who never help and all those in-between;
People who always speak, people who never speak and all those in-between;
People who always have ideas, people who never have ideas and all those in-between;
People who always smile, people who never smile and all those in-between;
People who are always ready for a challenge, people who are never ready for any challenge and all those in-between;
People who are always positive, people who are always negative and all those in-between;
People whose calls you love to answer, people whose calls you wish you never have to answer, people whose calls you always ignore and all those in-between;
People who you can work really well with, people you can never work well with (no matter how hard you try) and all those in-between;
People who grow rapidly in the corporate ladder, people who never seem to grow in the corporate ladder and all those in-between;
People who take responsibility, people who never take responsibility and all those in-between;
People who are great thinkers, people who never really think and all those in-between;
People who are adaptable, people who are rigid and all those in-between;
People who are great collaborators, people who can never really collaborate and all those in-between;
People who are innovators, people who rarely innovate and all those in-between;
People who learn every day, people who never really learn and all those in-between;
People who always meet and exceed their objectives, people who never meet their objectives and all those in-between;

There are just all kinds of people…
And with time and experience,
You have to learn to work with them, for them
And to make then work with you, for you…

Closures...

We all deal with closures in life – Be it closures of relationships, closures in thoughts, closures in experiences, closures in emotions, closures in events, closures in tasks, closures at work, closures in fears, closures of the past, closures of projects, closures of bank accounts, closures of deals, closures …………

And over the years, I have realized that

Closures are definite – Everything that has begun will end. And some may have a permanent end, some may be a temporary end... But the end will manifest itself at sometime...

Closures are vital – As they aid and facilitate both a physical closure and a closure in the mind, in thoughts.. And many times, the mental closure take much longer than the physical one's becuase we find it hard to let-go..

Closures are catalysts - For growth and progress. Simply because many of us do not open new doors until we close the open ones. And opening new doors means new possibilities, new opportunities, new ideas, new perspectives, new views, new relationships, new experiences, new thoughts, new emotions, new learnings...

Closures are symbolic of the end.. And many times, symbols are what we need…

There is something about Words...

There is something about words
Which makes one laugh
Which makes one learn
Which makes one cry
Which makes one listen
Which makes one notice
Which makes one happy
Which makes one pine
Which makes one motivated
Which makes one de-motivated
Which makes one hurt
Which makes one decide
Which makes one think
Which makes one judge
Which makes one argue
Which makes one agree
Which makes one disagree
Which makes one tense
Which makes one stressed
Which makes one peaceful
Which makes one serene
Which makes one complete

And the thing about words is…
What is said?
Who said it?
Why it is said?
How it is said?
When it is said?
Makes an ocean of difference...
And once said, it cannot be unsaid..

So choose your words wisely
And choose how, when and to whom you say these words

Water...

There is a ethereal quality about water which makes any experience with / in / around water truly unique...

Be it drinking water or
Swimming in water or
Listening to the sound of rain or
Listening to the sounds of water on the beach
Looking at fishes swimming in water or
Looking at a downpour of rain or
The fresh smell of rain on sand or
Walking on the beach with water on your feet or
Getting wet in the rain or
Getting wet on the beach in the sea....