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Revitalize Your Career: Tips for Success

How are you doing on your career’s treadmill?

You started on a high speed. You were chasing targets and deadlines. You initiated new projects and realigned people and processes. Then it so happened that the treadmill seemed to slow down. Your enthusiasm started slowly fading away. Your routine became monotonous and your chase appeared futile! And then complacency slowly crept in…

Are you experiencing this in your daily routine?

If you are, then it is time to get your momentum back and rekindle your motivation once again!

How do you do that?

First and foremost, realize the rut that you have got into! Take a break, reflect on your feelings towards your work, and identify the signs of disinterest, procrastination, and maybe fatigue.

Revisit the purpose and the passion that you began with. I am sure you will find your sense of direction again! Break the monotony by setting new goals that will ignite your sense of accomplishment and purpose.

Invest in upskilling and learning new things. Encourage yourself to explore new ideas. Adapt to the changes that are taking place around you.

Rebuild your relationships with your peers, seniors, and mentors. Get involved with your subordinates to explore new challenges.

Take stock of your wellness. Mental health is as important as physical health. Incorporate changes in your lifestyle that you think are necessary for your overall well-being.

And lastly, challenge your comfort zones. Embrace discomfort by accepting challenges that will stimulate you and make your routine much more exciting!

Remember, complacency will lead you to stagnation. Recognize and address it proactively. This way, you can steer your ship back on course. You will be cruising towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

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Life is Not All About Achievements… It is About Surviving the Odds!

We live in a fast-paced world, one that is obsessed with metrics, checklists, and milestones. Every day, we are bombarded with stories of success—tales of those who have scaled summits, shattered records, and surpassed their peers. But in the race to be the best, we often forget the importance of the journey itself and the challenges that come with it. Life, after all, is not just about achievements; it is about surviving the odds.

Success is not a linear progression!

Set a goal, work hard, achieve, and repeat!

No!!

Ask anyone who has faced the real life world and they will tell you it is rarely the case. Life throws unexpected challenges…all the time! It is not the achievements but the resilience to continue despite the challenges that define your character.

And by the way, surviving the odds does not mean merely living through tough times; it means emerging stronger, wiser, and more compassionate.

The ‘last mile’ in any journey is often the hardest. When you’re close to your goal, but the energy is running out, and the finish line seems just out of reach, that’s when the survival attitude kicks in!

And you can do that by embracing uncertainty, celebrating small wins, seeking support, and practicing self-compassion (be kind to yourself!).

Behind every success, there is a story of struggle! The best example that comes to mind is J.K. Rowling! After numerous rejections, Harry Potter happened!

It’s time to redefine success. Don’t measure it by the trophies on your shelf but measure it by the number of times you have picked up yourself and moved on!

Remember, it’s your survival attitude that will take you through the last mile!

Cheers!

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What’s in a Name?

“What is the meaning of your name?”

He asked me in front of the whole class.

“I don’t know”.

“When you go home today, ask your father and let me know tomorrow.”

This was the conversation I had with my Hindi teacher, Mr. Cyril Sunny when I was in seventh standard at St. Paul’s, Udaipur.

I asked my father the meaning of my name when he returned home in the evening after work. He told me the meaning in short and enquired why am I asking this question. I told him about what happened in the school that day. He smiled and then said ‘Wait, let me explain you in a better way then.’

He reached out to the bookshelf and pulled out a huge thick hard-cover book with brown coloured pages. He told me it was a ‘Sanskrit-to-English’ dictionary. And then, reading from it, he explained the meaning in detail. He told me the word is ‘Nirvana’ which in Noun means ‘enlightenment’. And in the adjective, it means ‘not glowing’. So, Anirvan means in noun ‘one who doesn’t need enlightenment, say someone like ‘Gautam Buddha’. And in the adjective, Anirvan would mean ‘Glowing’.

I went to school the next day and Sunny sir asked me the meaning again during the Hindi period. I explained to him what my father taught me. He smiled and wrote the word ‘Nirvana’ on the blackboard. He then addressed the whole class for the next fifteen minutes explaining the meaning on similar lines as what my father explained to me.

To this day, I remember this incident!

I was fortunate to have teachers like Sunny sir who had such passion for their subject and students alike.

On this teacher’s day, I bow to all my teachers and convey my gratitude for not only teaching us what was required as per the textbooks but for also teaching us about life and how to lead it meaningfully.  

Cheers!

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Office Meetings…How to make them meaningful!

Once upon a time, in a bustling office, there was a weekly meeting that everyone dreaded. It was notorious for its long duration and seemingly endless discussions.

One day, the office manager decided to spice things up. He entered the meeting room with a huge jar filled with colourful marbles. He announced, “Today, we’re going to make this meeting more interactive. For every unnecessary tangent or off-topic discussion, I’m going to drop a marble into this jar.”

As the meeting progressed, the marbles started piling up surprisingly quickly. It did not take long for the jar to become a colourful tower of marbles, resembling a modern art sculpture.

With each “ping” of a marble hitting the jar, people could not help but suppress laughter. It became a challenge to keep the marbles from overflowing. Even the most verbose contributors started self-regulating their comments, trying to avoid being the cause of another “marble moment.”

By the end of the meeting, the jar of marbles had become the meeting’s unofficial mascot. It served as a quirky reminder that time was precious and that staying on topic was a collective effort.

From then on, the meetings were known as the “Marble Meetings,” and they became more efficient and engaging. People realized that humour could be a powerful tool to remind them to stay focused and make the most of their time together.

And so, amid marbles and laughter, the team learned that a little fun could go a long way in making even the most dreaded meetings a bit more enjoyable.

Cheers!

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Make Your Life Meaningful!

Often we forget the reason of our living!

We get so busy in the rat race that it becomes a ‘habitual living’ rather than a ‘meaningful living’!

Pause and reflect!

You can definitely make your life more beautiful when you focus on the following:

Purpose: Having a sense of purpose in life can provide direction and motivation. It can be anything from pursuing a career that aligns with your passions, making a difference in your community, or raising a family.

Relationships: Building and nurturing relationships with others can bring joy, love, and support. It’s important to cultivate meaningful connections with family, friends, colleagues, and others in your community.

Personal Growth: Learning and growing as an individual can help you develop new skills, gain knowledge, and expand your perspectives. It can be achieved through reading, attending courses, trying new things, or traveling.

Health and Wellness: Taking care of your physical and mental health can improve your overall well-being, giving you the energy and vitality to pursue your goals and enjoy life.

Contribution: Contributing to the greater good and making a positive impact in the world can give you a sense of fulfillment and purpose. This can be achieved by volunteering, donating to charity, or supporting causes you care about.

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Building Meaningful Relationships!

“Please leave your ‘home issues’ at home. Don’t bring them to the office”.

I told bluntly my young manager who recently became a father and was struggling to support his wife, who herself was struggling with the newborn baby as the couple was staying all alone far away from their family. This was many years before.

Years later, I realized how wrong I was in managing that young manager.

The ‘Empathy’ factor was missing in my interaction with him…more so, as a Boss who should have wholeheartedly supported him in his struggle.

Empathy is a critical factor especially, when you are leading a team. As a leader, you need to understand and share the feelings of your team members.

It is important to acknowledge the emotions of others, though many times you might not agree with them. But you need to recognize and respect their emotions.

Listen to others with all your attention and try to understand their perspective. Most of the time, we are prejudiced and prejudge others. 

Your team members need to realize that you are bothered about their well-being. You need to show genuine concern towards them and support them when required.

Empathy is not a ‘soft skill’, it is an important leadership trait! And it is critical for effective leadership.

So, the next time when you are faced with a difficult situation as a leader, remember the power of empathy and compassion, and let it guide your actions and decisions!

Remember, empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.

Cheers!