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We All Believe We Know Ourselves Very Well!

Do I know myself well?

I was walking around with blind spots, fully convinced that I was driving with perfect vision!

This was when I was in the corporate world.

I believed I knew myself very well.

And how wrong I was…

We all believe we know ourselves very well!

But we hardly do!

Only 10-15% of people are truly self-aware, despite 95% of people believing they possess this quality.

And this is according to organisational psychologist Tasha Eurich, who studied over 5,000 professionals.

Surprising…but this is the uncomfortable truth.

We do not know ourselves as well as we think we do.

Self-awareness is very critical!

I did little study on this. I aligned it with my corporate experience. I discovered that self-awareness and some emotional intelligence involve understanding the four critical dimensions. These dimensions greatly impact our professional journey, especially for leaders.

And these four dimensions are: –

  1. Your Triggers– what affects you and, in the process, derails your performance. This could be due to the spoken words of others, such as your colleagues or boss. It could also be their behavior or even when you are questioned or challenged. Let not these triggers hijack your ‘rational thinking’ and turn you into a reactive version of yourself!  

The objective is not to eliminate triggers as they are part of being human. The goal should be to recognise them quickly. This allows you to choose your response instead of being hijacked by it.

  • Your Patterns– The behaviour that you repeat without being conscious about it. These patterns are the behavioural loops that you used many times and have now become comfortable with. But these patterns might not serve you anymore…like slogging (overworking), being a perfectionist, being an individual operator (no delegation etc.).

Remember, what got you here will not get you there! – Marshal Goldsmith. Your patterns got you here, but now they might be the biggest obstacles to your future growth.

  1. Your blind spots – The gaps between how you see yourself and how others experience you. Blind spots are the aspects of your professional presence that are obvious to everyone except you! One example I can think of myself is when I thought I was adequately confident. However, my colleagues, and for that matter, my Bosses, perceived me as arrogant! You may believe you have strong relationships with your colleagues. They, however, might consider you an acquaintance at best!
  1. Your feedback loops – How you process information about your impact. Create a system for yourself to receive continuous feedback and ensure timely action on it. And when you receive feedback, do not become defensive by explaining, justifying, or rationalising every piece of critical feedback. And also, do not cherry-pick (only accepting feedback that confirms your existing self-image while dismissing anything that challenges it!).

Self-awareness is uncomfortable as it requires looking at parts of yourself that you would rather ignore.

Don’t ignore!

Cheers!

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Happiness is not in intensity, but in ease.

Happiness Unlimited!

Happiness need not be dramatic…always!

Some of the best moments in life…don’t pretend to be BIG.

In fact, some of the happiest moments in life look very ordinary.

A calm morning, a familiar voice, a day without urgency or a mind that’s not racing ahead.

We are conditioned to associate happiness with highs…like celebrations, achievements, or some big moments.

But over time, we realise that the most sustaining happiness looks ordinary.

And these ordinary happy moments come from… peaceful routines, conversations without an agenda, work that feels meaningful and not frantic, or some weekend evenings in the comfort of our home.

Nothing to prove nor to portray anything!

From the outside, it may not look very impressive.

But from within, it feels deeply right.

There is a quiet happiness in days that don’t ask much of you.

Cheers!!

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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!