The Inspiring Storytelling  of Jim Thorpe...

Jim Thorpe, an American Indian from Oklahoma, was chosen to represent US in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, in the track and field event.

On the morning of the final competition, his shoes were stolen.

Fortunate that he was he found two shoes in the garbage bin, which were different from each other in every aspect of colour, size, spikes etc. He decided he will try them anyway.

He had one major problem that the shoe of the left leg was bigger. He chose to wear extra socks to fill that gap, and two extra filled it to fit his legs. Wearing them that day, he went on to win two gold medals.

That feat of Jim is a perfect reminder to all of us that we do not have to resign ourselves to the excuses that keep us holding back.

So what, if life hasn't been fair, or so we might believe.

Whatever feelings, thoughts or happenings, it was that we woke up in the morning with - stolen shoes, ill-health, headache, disappointing news, slip and fall or a broken relationship, let that not stop us from running our race for the day.

Let's remind ourselves when the sun is up and out, let's get on to our feet and go for our hunt.

We can experience more in life, if we can get over the excuses we give and get on with life.

Determination

"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." - Og Mandino

“A vow is fixed and unalterable determination to do a thing when such a determination is related to something noble which can only uplift the man who makes the resolve.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal—a commitment to excellence—that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”

- Mario Andretti

Asking Questions

In the words of Rudyard Kipling, "I kept six honest serving men near always, and it is they who taught me all I got to know, their names are : Why? What? Where? When? Who? and How?

To keep a healthy curiosity, we need to ask questions so that we understand things and people around us be they relatives, friends, peers colleagues, team mates, stakeholders, customers or whoever else.

It's not the quantity but, the quality and the value of the questions that is important.

Asking the right questions, at the right time, in the right place, to the right people, gets you the right answers to go places.

Good questions are a worthy investment always.

Do you believe in this?

Inspiring true story Originally Published in the Readers Digest.

ALWAYS GROWING

by Julie Liska, Seward, Nebraksa

Dad auctioned off his faithful red tractor, rented out the land, and retired from farming in 1982. He and Mom moved to town. But they reserved a small plot of land for a garden and returned each week of summer to tend it. Winter brought new challenges. Dad had his hips replaced, bypass and cataract surgeries, and a stroke. Yet each spring the garden was planted, watered, lovingly tended— the bounty shared with all. Now Dad is 93; his pale blue eyes dodge the sun as he gingerly plucks red tomatoes from the vine. “What will you remember about me?”

Dare

"Failures are made only by those who fail to dare, not by those who dare to fail." - Lester B. Pearson

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

"Dare to dream, but even more importantly, dare to put action behind your dreams." - Josh Hinds

It is time to wake up..

I walked into a mall early morning wanting to buy a pair of socks.

As I walked in I saw a sweater with a price of $3000 a pair of jeans $6000 and $8000 for a pair of socks.

It fused the daylight out of me as this seemed outrageous.

I went searching for a Salesman, and found one at last in the jewelry section. She was selling someone a Rolex for $7 and looking through the glass case I saw a 24 carat diamond with a price tag of $4. And this was a shock.

I asked her how could it be that something as expensive as the 24 carat diamond is so cheaply priced and that for a socks so ridiculously high. She said, someone snugged into the store last night and changed the price tags of everything. It's making all of us are confused, like having lost our senses and is driving us mental. They are all willing to pay enormous prices for utility and very little for those things that have great value. It's like they don't know what is the real value of valuable things and what's not.

I hope we will get the price tags back and right soon because it's going to be painful to see people pay far too little for expensive things and too much for things of little value.

(This is a story I read in the internet, and liked it).

Whoever wrote this was a super realist for imagining something like this.

May be life is a dream. May be life is showing us through scripts like this as to how lopsided things are now.

I was thinking about this and was hoping, how nice if someone snugged into us and changed the price tags in everything and show us the true value of things.

May be people have a marked up value of status, position, money, possessions, power, fame, popularity etc., and have put a huge discount on real values - truth, honesty, integrity, love, care, kindness, family and friends.

May be we are all in deep sleep and are dreaming.

I hope we wake up.

Hope

"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." - Desmond Tutu

"We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life." - Emil Brunner

The Best Shine from Within

There's an old Aesop's Fable of  The Man, The Wind and The Sun.

On a certain day, the wind and the sun were in a friendly conversation talking a whole lot of things and landed on the topic strengths, which became hot, and in that heat the wind challenged the sun saying let's see who among us is strong. The sun laughed, but the wind looking down saw a man walking with an overcoat on said, "Let's see who among us can get the man to remove the coat.

The sun said, "Go ahead," so the wind began to blow and blow fiercely too. The more it blew the tighter the man hugged to his coat."

It was now the turn of the sun. It shone, shone brightly and it started becoming warmer and warmer. The man began unbuttoning his overcoat and in a little while more he took off his coat and went under a tree, to rest." The wind furious by now, asked the sun, "How did you make the man remove his coat without any force whatsoever?"

The sun replied, "I did it through brightness and gently."

It may on the surface seem this being just another fable, but, this fable has a lot to do with good people - they may be professionals, leaders or just ordinary ones.

Such people operate like the Sun.

- They shine when they help others weather the storm.

-They shine when they respect the others, whatever their status.

-  They shine best when they encourage. -They shine when they show they care.

-They shine when they listen intently to show their interest for the others. -They shine when they acknowledge others.

When the sun is shining warmly on us we feel we can accomplish almost anything - no mountain is too high, no ocean is too deep, no wind is too strong, no obstacle is difficult to surmount.

The best people have the same effect - they shine from within, they're gentle, kind, warm and accessible always.

Fulfilment

"Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfilment." - Tony Robbins

“If you devote yourself entirely to a noble pursuit, there is no way you cannot find beauty and fulfilment.” - Daniel Gillies

“True happiness is a state of fulfilment.”- Ashish Sophat

Humility

A trait everyone has, but, just that only a few display it continuously. Humility is the hallmark of wise people, great people and inspirational leaders.

It takes a great deal for anyone not to get blinded by their position and accomplishments and to walk into the dark alleys of arrogance.

Being "humble" being "firm," are not contradictory, as much as being "humble," and being "confident" aren't contradictory."

However, being "humble," and being "respected," are not complimentary.'

Being "humble," doesn't mean

-  Being Weak

-  Being less Assertive

-  Being less Ambitious

-  Being less Passionate

Humble people

-  bring out the best out of those who work for them.

-  make it easy for having difficult conversations with them, at ease, by empowering them to share their feelings, thoughts, ideas, without any reservations, without interrupting and without being judgemental.

-  they minimise whatever gaps that might exist.

Keys To Remain Humble.

Respect others by Admiring Diversity.

Being at ease with Self by not competing with anyone, but self Focussing in Excelling through self awareness, self exploration, and confronting insecurities addressing vulnerabilities, of self.

Reflect, learn, unlearn, relearn continuously and evolving every moment. Let's all be as humble, as we can and make our lives together better and better.

Gratitude

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” - Henri Frederic Amiel

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”- Gilbert K. Chesterton “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” - Zig Ziglar

Strive - be the best

There's hardly anyone

I know who doesn't want to be the best.

Those who want to, try their very best always.

Even if one tried hard it's sometimes not always possible to be on the top, but, surely would be close to it.

On the other hand, if one thinks that he/she can't do it, that he/she doesn't have the capabilities, then he/she will never accomplish anything.

Of course whatever one does is important, but, it is not as important as how one goes about it.

Ones attitude should be one of becoming the best on whatever one is doing.

Whether one was to be a businessman or business woman, an artist, scholar, sports person or an engineer, doctor, lawyer, management professional or whatever one has to strive hard to be on the top and to be the best.

Try and try your best continuously and you'll be rewarded.

Just sit down for a while to list out what you are good at and go out to do everything that's possible to become the best, of course with a time line.

When you get there the others will acknowledge you, that's when you know you are the best.

Wishing you all the best to become the very best.

Inspiring true story Originally Published in the Readers Digest.

EXCESS BAGGAGE

by Eileen Dougharty, Chicago, Illinois

“Ticket is $287. But all of that is a problem.” She’s referring to my luggage cart, stacked with suitcases, boxes, and a bag full of shoes. “One bag is free. Everything else is $100 each.” I tell her I packed my Volkswagen after discovering my boyfriend was cheating. Fried the engine. Hitchhiked to the airport in flip-flops. She left her cheating husband recently, hardest decision she ever made. She checks it all, charges me nothing. As I leave, I don’t feel the crush of having no plan, only the weightlessness of being free.

The Way You Ask, Changes Perspective.

Yes, I mean it, the way you ask the question changes the perspective completely.

Let's see how :

- Why isn't it working for me?

This question shifts focus on to searching for a solution.

- Facing challenges in your workplace, your start-up or new venture?

Don't ask, "What will it not work for me? (Problem Centric).

Ask, "Why isn't it working for me?"

(Solution Centric).

- Started as a free lancer, not getting clients?"

Don't ask, "Why am I not getting clients?" (Problem Centric)

Ask, "Why isn't it working fore?"

(Solution Centric).

- Not able to change a bad habit?"

Don't ask, "Why am I not able to break the bad habit?"

(Problem Centric).

Ask, "Why isn't it working for me?"

(Solution Centric).

- Not growing in the career, having a difficulty learning new skills?"

Don't as "Why am I not growing?"

(Problem Centric).

Instead ask, "Why isn't it working for me?"

Problem Centric,

-  You imagine, you are very good or not so very good. Hence your focus is on you.

Solution Centric

The focus is on the challenge, and what is the obstacle you wish to overcome the issue.

It is just one question always, Why isn't it working?"

Ask the right question, in a solution seeking mould.

Subtraction Too Adds Value

You may be wondering what am I saying.

Yes, you heard it right, subtraction, too can add value.

When we are innovating a product or iterating a service, we look to add value by introducing features and benefits.

Sometimes improvement and progress can be made by removing things that people wouldn't miss.

-  It could be an age old process..

-  It could be a reporting pattern..

-  It could be a structure..

It could be anything.

Just sit down and think it over. See what could you subtraction or stop doing to improve your product, service or anything..

Inspiring true story Originally Published in the Readers Digest.

SHATTERED

by Pat Guthrie, Pulaski, Virginia

My elderly sister decided for the first time to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve in New York City to watch the ball drop. The next morning, she reported that she was disappointed. When I asked her why, she said that on the news the day before, the reporters had talked about the crystals inside the ball and what a piece would be worth if someone got a hold of one. But then the ball descended very slowly. She’d expected it to crash and that people would scramble for the pieces. She’d wanted to see that!

Outstanding

"Outstanding people have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission." - Zig Ziglar

"Human beings are infinitely worth studying, especially the peculiarities that often go along with outstanding gifts." - Paul Johnson

"The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results." - Tony Robbins

More Listening

Have you ever considered how bad it is to talk over someone?

We do it.

We all do it at some time or the other.

May be it is our habit!

May be it is our excitement, we feel we know something more about something being discussed.

Ever cut off someone mid-sentence with...

"I don't mean to interrupt, but..."

"Sorry to interrupt..."

"Wait..."

Ever skip the lead-in and finish someone's sentence with your own "paragraph?"

May be it is because of poor listening, may be it is because you are trying to show off, or may be because of your ego too (Let me show you what I know, instead of learning from what you don't know!), or may be it is plain outright rudeness, too.

Here's a way to set that right...

Commit yourself to dropping a small gap of silence between what someone

says...

and your response...

just an extra heart beat or two.

You'll be amazed at what else you learn and also the number of more

interesting connections you add to your network.

If/When you catch yourself forgetting not to interrupt...stop and apologize...

"I'm sorry. I cut you off. What were you saying?" See and enjoy how it

reinforces your future self-awareness.

MORE LISTENING. A LEADING SIMPLY HABIT, WORTH ACQUIRING.

Listen

"We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak." - Epictetus

"Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply."

- Stephen Covey

"There is only one role for being a good talker—learn to listen." - Christopher Morley

2 Cases 2 Lessons

Case 1 - BLACKBERRY

About a decade ago, the apple of the corporate eyes as the safest securely mobile device.

Why did it fall so precipitously?

-  Sense of invincibility (Like the fable Hare & The Tortoise)

-  Inability to move forward

-  Inward group-think (sycophancy) and arrogance

-  Failing to anticipate changing preferences for look and feel of iPhones and Androids

-  Taking customer for granted

Result :

Chasing the market with sub-par versions of competitors models.

The fall of KODAK, NOKIA etc., are similar.

Lesson 1

Making change as much as a part of your life as breathing, starting zero each day, carrying everyone with you.

Case 2 - JW Marriott

It is said Bill Marriott feet didn't touch the ground.

He never was at his desk. He was busy visiting properties, listening to guests, managers, chefs, waiters... learning what was or wasn't working, and changing all the time.

His was a culture of change, owned, run and driven forward by trusted,

empowered employees.

Result :

JWM continuing to be the world's premier luxury hotel chain in 35 years.

The case of several traditional companies like Tata, Birla, Amalgamations Group, Murgugappa Group, TVS, Kasturi & Sons etc., are similar..

Lesson 2

Being on the spot, feeling the pulse of the market (with a peripheral vision), and the people working for the organization, being next to them, seeing the future and riding on it all the way to the top.

This was inspired by a friend Soumya Kanti Roy and improvised. Trust it was a nice read.

Success Is An Iceberg

When we succeed, what people see is success and the result of it.

What nobody gets to see, or what no one will know or bother to find out is what goes into succeeding.

The strong will of dedication.

Several hours of hard work burring the mid-night oil and the amount of sweat.

The strict discipline of following a process continuously.

The amount of disappointments one has to face and deal with.

The selfless sacrifices one makes in the journey - discomfort, distance from family, friends, time for self, money, food sleep. What not?

The number of failures and the persistence, to keep going on despite the set back by rising again after a fall.

People are used to analysing failures only. Best advise would be analyse successes too and examine what more can be done to improve the process to ensure we succeed again and again, until some other new challenge makes us re-examine our process. This is what the best champion sportsmen and women do.

Be assured, you are no less than a champ yourself.

Inspiring true story Originally Published in the Readers Digest.

DARK WATERS

by Daryl Eigen, Portland, Oregon

Night wreck diving in Micronesia is scary. One hundred feet down, the water is the blackest. Two of us dived toward a sunken ship that soon loomed large in the dark water. We felt the ghosts of the Japanese sailors who had died with this WWII freighter. Swimming deeper into the ship’s bowels, my buddy suddenly hit a layer of reflective silt, blinding us. Together we groped through the ship, breaking through the uninterrupted, silent blackness of the sea. Watching our bubbles, we rose to the surface, where I ripped off my mask to breathe the tropical air.

Focus

Chess Masters don't evaluate all the possible moves.

They know how to discard 98% of the moves they can possibly make, but, then they FOCUS, on the potential 2% of the remaining.

That's exactly the way experience and excellent expertise, works in every other area, professionally and personally too.

2% suggests

Expect less ... Prepare more...

- Avoid disappointments.

Judge less...

Respect more...

- Build relationships, connections and  network

Accept less...

Reject more...

- Maintain quality standards.

Criticize less...

Appreciate more...

Earn more friends.

Complain less...

Thank more...

Be grateful.

Regret less...

Cheer more...

Be happy..

Inspiring true story Originally Published in the Readers Digest.

MONSTER PATROL

Aaron Hampton, Seattle, Washington

As a child, I had awful night terrors—at one point, I stopped sleeping. Then my dad’s younger brother lost his job and had to move in with us. Uncle Dave slept in the room next to mine. From then on, he was there to comfort me, sometimes even sleeping on the floor beside my bed “to keep the monsters away.” 
After he landed a job, he could have moved into a nice apartment, but I begged him not to go. When my parents asked why he was staying, he smiled and replied, “Monsters.”