We need to learn to appreciate and understand different perspectives.

What a wonderful post. It changed my *perception on perception•
A teacher teaching Maths to a six-year-old asked him, “If I give you one apple and one apple & one apple, how many apples will you have?”
With a few seconds the boy replied confidently, “Four!”
The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three).
She was disappointed. “May be the child did not listen properly,” she thought.
She repeated, “pls listen carefully.
It is very simple. You will be able to do it right if you listen carefully.
If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”
The boy had seen the disappointment on his teacher’s face.
He calculated again on his fingers.
But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make his teacher happy.
This time hesitatingly he replied, “Four...”
The disappointment stayed on teacher’s face.
She remembered that the boy loves strawberries.
She thought maybe he doesn’t like apples and that is making him lose focus.
This time with exaggerated excitement & twinkling eyes she asked ...
“If I give you one strawberry & one strawberry & one strawberry, then how many will you have?”
Seeing the teacher happy, the young boy calculated on his fingers again.
There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher.
She wanted her new approach to succeed.
With a hesitating smile, the young boy replied, “Three?”
The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded.
She wanted to congratulate herself.
But one last thing remained.
Once again she asked him, “Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?”
Promptly the answer was “Four!”
The teacher was aghast.
“How.... tell me, How?” she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.
In a voice that was low and hesitating young boy replied, “Because I already have one apple in my bag.”
Lessons to Learn: When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you are expecting, it is not necessarily they are wrong.
There may be an angle that we may not have understood at all.
We need to learn to appreciate and understand different perspectives.
Quite often, we try and impose our perspectives on others and then wonder what went wrong.
The next time someone gives you a different perspective than yours, sit down and gently ask " can you please help me understand"?......

A young cheetah had just left home and was setting out to hunt for the first time. 
A hyena saw him and asked what he was doing. “I’m going hunting,” the cheetah said proudly. 
“What? You?” the hyena sneered, “You’re too small and inexperienced, you’ll never catch anything!” 
Demoralized, the young cheetah wandered around aimlessly for the rest of the day without success and went hungry. 
The next morning, the cheetah headed out to hunt again, hoping that he would be more successful this time. 
As he strolled around, a wise old baboon saw him and asked what he was doing. 
“I’m going hunting,” the cheetah said with a shrug of his shoulders. 
“Awesome!” said the baboon, “With your speed and strength, you should be successful in no time. Good luck.” 
Feeling encouraged and empowered by the words of the baboon, the young cheetah went out and managed to catch a young gazelle for his lunch. 
He wasn’t a better hunter on the second day, but the positive words gave him the confidence and clear mind required to act with boldness so that he could achieve his goal. 
The reality is, that just like for the cheetah, the voices that speak into our lives influence us. 
If you are constantly listening to negative voices telling you that you can’t do something, it will hamper your efforts. 
Conversely, if you are fortunate enough to have positive, encouraging people speaking into your life, it can spur you on to greater heights. 

So, watch out for who you are surrounded by and make sure that you have more than a few people in your life who believe in you and know what you are capable of and … make it a great week ahead!

There once was a farmer who realised that he had lost his watch in the barn.

It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.

After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside.

The children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch.

Just when the farmer was about to give up, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer agreed and sent the little boy back into the barn.

After a while the boy came out with the watch in his hand!

The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”

A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind.

Allowing a few minutes of silence daily, builds concentration and focus.

So let's stay calm and composed while handling any task and... make it a great week ahead!

Once, Buddha and his disciples stopped for rest near a lake.

Buddha asked one of his disciples to fetch him some water as he was thirsty.

The disciple went to the lake however, he saw that there were some people washing clothes in the lake, others were washing animals and one man was taking a bullock cart across the lake due to which the water had become muddy.

The disciple returned to Buddha saying that it was impossible to drink the water from the lake.

After sometime, Buddha sent the disciple once again to bring him water from the lake.

This time, the water was clear and looked clean. The disciple thus brought some water for Buddha.

Buddha asked the disciple, “What did you do to make the water clear?”

The disciple said, “Nothing, I just let the water undisturbed and it got cleared on its own”.

Similarly, we should never take any decision when our mind is in a disturbed state because it will settle down on its own when left alone, enabling us to take the precise decision.

Ponder over and make it a great week ahead........

Once, there was a bunch of tiny frogs who gathered to arrange a competition - to reach to the top of the highest mountain. As the date for the competition was announced, the news spread everywhere and crowd in large numbers gathered around the mountain to see this interesting competition and cheer the contestants. The crowd did not really believe that any of these little frogs were going to make it to the top of the mountain. Yet they were curious.

The competition began, the frogs quickly started to ascend and the crowd cheered! As a few moments passed, someone from the crowd shouted, "Not a chance that they will succeed! The mountain is too high!" Another spectator said, "Yes, they will never make it to the top. It's too difficult!" As the competition continued, some of the tiny frogs began collapsing one by one. But the race continued as those who still had the fight left, passionately continued to climb higher and higher. In excitement and anxiety, the crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult. No one will make it!"

Most of the tiny frogs got tired and gave up except only one little frog who continued to climb higher and higher. This tiny frog, after a big effort was the only one who reached the top!

Naturally, everybody wanted to know how this tiny frog had found the strength to reach the goal while everyone else thought it was impossible. And after inquiry it was found that the winner was deaf.

Be deaf when people tell you that you cannot fulfill your dreams and goals. Focus on your goal and march in confidence. Do not pay any attention to them.

And make it a great week ahead…

One day while walking in the woods, a king was stuck with a query - What is the routine job of the creator?

He then immediately called the minister and asked him the same question.

The minster too didn’t get the answer.

The king got angry and told him that if he did not get the solution by next day, his head would be cut apart.

The minister was worried and while he was returning home, he met a farmer who was gardening.

The farmer looked at the worried face of the minister and asked him, “What happened?”

The minister explained him the scenario, the farmer laughed at the minister and asked to take him to the king.

The next morning both went to the king.

The king was sitting on the seven stepped golden throne with pride, he laughed at the farmer and said, “We scholars are unable to answer this question and you being an illiterate, how can you solve this query?’’.

The farmer humbly asked the king to get down from the throne, climbed all the steps slowly, sat on the throne and replied, “This is what the creator does, pulls down the people who become blind with pride and uplifts the humble”.

So, always be humble…

…Make it a great week ahead !

4 Ways to Motivate Employees That Will Actually Work

Motivating employees to do their best has been a struggle for organizations since the beginning of time. The most common solution has been extrinsic rewards, such as more money, more time off or an award.
Those techniques are great, but they generally only increase a person’s extrinsic motivation, i.e. the motivation to do something to reach a desired outcome. And while extrinsic motivators are critical – few of us would come to work if we didn’t get paid – they often are overused, and put too much emphasis on the outcomes themselves.
Compare that to intrinsic motivation, which is motivation driven by enjoyment of the work itself. If you can improve a person’s intrinsic motivation, you’ll cause them to take more pride in their craft and bring out their best work.
So how do you increase an employee’s intrinsic motivation? (https://www.linkedin...), LinkedIn Learning Instructor and Leadership Guru Todd Dewett explained four techniques any organization can adopt to make that happen.
They are:

1. Make your organization a purpose-driven one. A mere 30 percent of employees consider themselves purpose driven. And yet, employees who fall in that category experience 64 percent higher levels of fulfillment with their jobs and are 47 percent more likely to be promoters of their company.
The point? Purpose-driven employees are intrinsically driven and care more about the work they do, as opposed to how much they are paid for it. Therefore, one way to motivate your employees is for your organization to have a clearly defined purpose and to explain how its actions fit within it.
For example, LinkedIn itself is a purpose-driven company, with the goal of creating economic opportunity for all of the world’s professionals. And whenever a new product is released – for example, LinkedIn Learning – it’s to further that mission (in LinkedIn Learning’s case, by giving people the skills they need to reach that opportunity).
It’s far more intrinsically motivating to work on a project that furthers a mission, as opposed to one seeking to merely increase the bottom line. 

2. Make positions as autonomous as possible, so employees have a sense of ownership.In a previous article, we outlined Dewett’s solution (https://learning.linkedin...) on how to manage without micromanaging. That’s critical, because people who feel like they have a true sense of autonomy at their jobs generally have a higher sense of ownership over their work and greater intrinsic motivation.
For example, if you tell someone exactly what to do and exactly how to do it, they’ll likely be focused purely on just getting the job done to get the reward that comes with it. However, if you tell someone what needs to be done and give them the freedom to do it how they want, they’ll care far more about the final product.

3. Give employees a feeling of competence through positive reinforcement.Imagine every time you performed karaoke, the crowd would either be obviously disinterested or outright boo you. How many times would you perform karaoke?
Probably twice, tops. Nobody wants to do something they think they’re terrible at.
Conversely, imagine that whenever you performed karaoke, the crowd went wild. Chances are, you’d be planning karaoke trips every weekend, just hoping someone would “drag” you on stage.
The point is people want to do something they feel they’re good at. Hence, managers providing sincere gratitude to their employees for a job well done goes a long way to increasing their intrinsic motivation.

4. Employees need a sense of progress.This means two things. First off, often employees work on projects that can take months to complete, and goals can seem far away. Managers should highlight their progress and express confidence that the project will reach its goals.
Same goes for an employee’s individual progress, as people want to know they are getting better. If a manager calls out how an employees has improved, it’ll serve as powerful positive reinforcement that they are becoming better professionals and closer to reaching their career goals.

Tying it all together: There’s an expression that says if someone comes to you for the money, they’ll leave for the money. There’s some truth to that, and if you focus solely on extrinsic motivators, your organization will never breed the type of loyalty and rigor it needs to be great.
Instead, by utilizing the four tactics Dewett mentioned, you emphasis the work itself, instead of what that work can get an employee. And that makes for more motivated people who care far more about the work they produce.

Source : LinkedIn
Author: Todd Dewett

Diwali: The festival of Light and knowledge...

Diwali, the festival of lights, celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Lamps not only decorate homes, but also communicate a profound truth about life - when the darkness within is dispelled through the light of wisdom; the good in us wins over the evil. 

Diwali is a reflection of our ancient knowledge which explain; तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय (Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya) that means lead us from darkness to light.


Diwali, in essence, is celebrated to kindle the light of wisdom in every heart, the light of life in every home, and bring a smile on every face. Diwali is the shortened form of Deepavali, which literally means rows of lamps. Life has many facets and stages to it. It is important that we throw light on all of them, for if one aspect of our life is in darkness, we cannot express life in its totality. The rows of lamps lit on Diwali remind us that every aspect of life needs our attention.

Though Diwali celebrations have undergone a significant amount of change over the years with a great degree of modernism and commercialisation entering the festival, the underlying message remains the same. 

Let’s have a glimpse on symbolism and deep learning from this great festival.

Symbolism of Lamps:
Every lamp that we light is symbol of a good quality. There are good qualities in every human being. Some have forbearance, some have love, strength, generosity; others have the ability to unite people. When all these qualities are lit, awakened, that is Diwali. Don't be satisfied with lighting one lamp; light a thousand! If you have the value of service in you, don't be satisfied only with that. Light the lamp of wisdom in yourself and acquire knowledge. Awaken all the facets of your being.

Symbolism of fireworks:
Another profound symbolism of Diwali is in lighting firecrackers. In life, you often become like a firecracker, waiting to explode with your pent-up emotions, frustration and anger. When you keep suppressing your emotions, cravings and aversions are bound to reach a point where they explode. Bursting crackers is a psychological exercise from ancient times to release bottled-up emotions. When you see an explosion outside, you feel similar sensations within as well. Along with the explosion, there is a lot of light as well. When you let go of these suppressed emotions, the light of knowledge dawns.

Symbolism of sweets and gifts:
Diwali means to be in the present - dropping the regrets of the past, the worries of the future, and living in the moment. The sweets and exchange of gifts symbolise forgetting the bickering and negativity of the past, and renewal of friendship for the times to come. A true celebration means dissolving all differences. Happiness and wisdom have to spread in society, and that can happen when all come together and celebrate. Even if one member of the family is shrouded in darkness, you cannot be happy. You need to kindle wisdom in every member of your family. Extend it to every member of society, every person on the planet.

Symbolism of New Year:
Diwali is a time when you throw light on the wisdom you have gained and welcome a new beginning. When true wisdom dawns, it gives rise to celebration. Celebration is the nature of the spirit and every excuse to celebrate is good. Any celebration is incomplete without the spirit of service. Whatever we have received from the Divine we should share it with others, because by visualisation of giving, we are actually receiving more. That is true celebration of New Year.

Symbolism of vows:
For the one who is not in knowledge, Diwali comes only once a year, but for the wise, Diwali is every moment and every day. The Diwali, celebrate with knowledge and take a sankalpa (vow) to serve humanity. Light the lamp of love in your heart; the lamp of abundance in your home; the lamp of compassion to serve others; the lamp of Knowledge to dispel the darkness of ignorance and the lamp of gratitude for the abundance that the almighty has bestowed on us.

With this message wishing you all Happy Diwali :)

A rare conversation between Ramkrishna Paramahansa & Swami Vivekananda

Read it loud to family, it's one of the best message I have come across... 
1. Swami Vivekanand:- I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic. Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you free. 2. Swami Vivekanand:- Why has life become complicated now? Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Stop analyzing life... It makes it complicated. Just live it. 
3. Swami Vivekanand:- Why are we then constantly unhappy? Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Worrying has become your habit. That’s why you are not happy.
4. Swami Vivekanand:- Why do good people always suffer? Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don’t suffer. With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter. 
5. Swami Vivekanand:- You mean to say such experience is useful? Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons later. 6. Swami Vivekanand:- Because of so many problems, we don’t know where we are heading… Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides the way. 
7. Swami Vivekanand:- Does failure hurt more than moving in the right direction? Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. 
8. Swami Vivekanand:- In tough times, how do you stay motivated? Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing. 
9. Swami Vivekanand:- What surprises you about people? Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- When they suffer they ask, "why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "Why me?" 
10. Swami Vivekanand:- How can I get the best out of life? Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. 
11. Swami Vivekanand:- One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered. Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- There are no unanswered prayers. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live. 

Stay Happy Always!

Six Attitude Stories

1. Once all the villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. → That's FAITH 

2. When you throw a baby in the air, she laughs because she knows you will catch her. → That's TRUST 

3. Every night we go to bed, without any assurance of being alive the next morning but still we set the alarms to wake up. → That's HOPE 

4. We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. → That's CONFIDENCE 

5. We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children. → That's LOVE 

6. On an old man's shirt was written a sentence 'I am not 80 years old....I am sweet 16 with 64 years experience' → That's ATTITUDE

“What charms you? Moon? Or, moonlit night?” – A personal viewpoint

Last MMT… “What charms you? Moon? Or moonlit night?” invoked an indifferent response. Partly probably because readers felt that the debate was between ‘moon’ and ‘moonlight’. But the intent was different. It was supposed to be a debate between ‘moon’ and moonlit ‘night’.

Moon is same for everybody, but the moonlit night can be different from person to person depending on the effect it invokes on every individual; you participate in an ecosystem that has moon also as a participant contributing moonlight...

Unlike daylight, moonlit nights are special. With limited illumination they entice you to live in the present, focus just on the person or object next to you. As Peter Lambert mentioned in his comment, it creates a level playing field for everyone. So it all boils down to you. You don’t feel the urge to be outbound, invoke your inner strength instead and make the best of your surroundings which most importantly includes you as well. Moon is the same for everybody, but its effect is not the same on everyone. Simply because it is you who make it different!

Another angle to introspect from. What would moon mean to a person who is blind? Not much really! But a moonlit night can mean a lot to him/her. Simply because the ecosystem he/she belongs to would derive all the positive effects of moon and present a warmth that would feel so welcoming. The person would not remember the moon, but would surely cherish the night for a long time!

What more? Moon may have black spot, but under its subtle influence the moonlit night would only allow you see all positive aspects, cynicism would not find a place for itself...

Who won?...

Two neighbouring kings of Greece had a dispute and wanted to solve it through war.

A wise Greek scholar met the two kings and advised them to resolve their vice in the Olympian way.

It was decided to conduct a marathon between the two kings and who ever completes the round first would be the winner.

It was arranged, the ground was prepared and both kings took their position on the starting line.

An arrow was fired as a signal to start the race and both kings began to run putting all their might.

One of the kings completed the round and reached the starting line before the other king.

The other king completed the round after a little while.

Now the scholar stood before the kings and asked, 'Who won?'

The kings looked confused at the question.

The scholar continued, 'Both of you have come back to where you have started. Now, who won?

The kings realized their mistake in meaningless conflicts and became good friends. Both kingdoms prospered without war.

Good Morning all!!!! Happy Reading!!!!

Source - Whats app

Legacy Of Love

From an infant to a toddler,
The way you bring us, you caress, to name a few,
Mom for everything that you do..

You are the source of life on earth,
Making God's presence everywhere from heart to toe,
Mom for everything that you do..

Imparting knowledge and lessons from your experience,
And all the good deeds that you make us go through,
Mom for everything that you do..

At our tender age you stood by us as a friend,
Sharing life's nostalgic secret with us which we never knew,
Mom for everything that you do..

Whenever we are in the havoc of life,
You bid away the enemies and tell them shoo,
Mom for everything that you do..

Mom for everything that you do, this one comes to thank you,
For making life so much fun & for all that you have done..

A person once went for an interview in a very reputed company.
While entering the room, he slipped and fell on the ground. Humiliated, one might think.
Documents scattered all over the place.
The man picked himself up
And with a smile on his face he spoke out loud, "Finally, I have fallen into right place!".
He was hired the very next moment.

source : Qoura

JUST READ IT - 3..!!

There lived a carpenter who was ready to retire. He told his employer his plans to leave the house building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife. Now, he would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. The employer was sorry to see his good worker leaving and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed and started working on the last project of his life. Since it was his last project, he worked half heartedly. He said "Goodbye" to overtime. He did not consider to find the best cement mixture. He did not consider having a swimming pool in this project. He did not use quality wood for doors. The furniture was not of good quality. 

The employer called the carpenter to his office and gave the keys of this newly built house to the carpenter saying "This is my gift to you for your commendable service for over 15 years". 

The carpenter was shocked. What a shame. If he had only known that he is building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So, it is with us. We build our lives a "DAY" at a time often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently. But understand, we cannot go back. 

YOU ARE THE CARPENTER OF YOUR LIFE AND EVERYDAY YOU HAMMER A NAIL, PLACES A BOARD OR ERECT A WALL.

Life is a project with yourself. Your attitude and choices that you make today help you to build the house you live in tomorrow.

BUILD IT WISELY.

Love you all...!!

Source : Heard in a speech from youtube..

Keep Walking ...

Swami Vivekananda was having a long trek in the Himalayas when he found an old man extremely exhausted standing hopelessly at the foot of an upward slope. The man said to Swamiji in frustration, 

‘Oh, Sir, how to cross it; I cannot walk any more; my chest will break.' 

Swamiji listened to the old man patiently and then said, 

' Look down at your feet. The road that is under your feet is the road that you have passed over and is the same road that you see before you; it will soon be under your feet.' 

These words emboldened the old man to resume his onward trek.

Rejoice that you have done so much. When you feel gloomy, think what has been done within the last year. How, rising from nothing, we have the eyes of the world fixed upon us now — Swami Vivekananda

A  small  story  which  beautifully  illustrates that  what  you  sow,  you  reap.

" Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  small time  business  man  from  a  small  village who  used  to  sell butter  in  the  nearby town.  A  big  shop  owner  in  the  town  was his  regular  customer.

The  villager  used  to  deliver  every  month the  shop  owner  the  required  butter  in  1 Kg.  Blocks  and  in turn  he  used  to  get grocery  items  like  sugar,  pulses  etc  from the  big  shop  owner.

Once  the  shop  owner  decided  to  weigh the  butter  and  to  his  surprise  every  block of  butter weighed  900  gms.  instead  of  1kg.

Next  month  when  the  villager  came  to supply   Butter,  the  shop  owner  was  very angry  at  him  and told  to  leave  the  shop, to  this  the  villager  replied  him  courteously " Sir,  I  am  a  very  poor  villager,

 I  don't  have  enough  money  to  even  buy the  required  weights  for  weighing  the butter,  I  usually  put the  1Kg  sugar  you give  me  on  one  side  of  Weighing  scale and  weigh  butter  on  another  side"

This beautifully  illustrates that  what  we  give  to  others  comes  back to  us.

Ponder over and make it a great week ahead...

Anything Or Nothing...?

Once a student asked his Zen Master, 'Master, Zen has a mention that 'anything is nothing'. Can you please explain'

The Mater took a sheet of paper and showed the student and asked, 'What is this ?'

'A blank sheet of paper, Master', replied the student.

Now the Master started writing something on the paper and then showed it to student and asked, 'Is this writing real or unreal?'

The student replied, 'Real in the context of the paper, Master. But without that it is unreal'

To this the Master replied, 'Yes, in the sameway, anything you see is real in the context of nothing, that is, anything requires nothing for it to exist as we exist in space. Else it is unreal. So, only nothing prevails'.

The student bowed to the Master in reverence.

Good Evening all!!!! Happy Reading!!!!

What do WE get?

A Clean Spoon.

I love drinking coffee at work. 
The vending machine is placed at a very convenient distance and is frequented by a lot of our people.

To mix sugar (which I know many coffee lovers don't like), there used to be one or two spoons kept in a glass of water.
One would come, mix coffee and put the spoon back in the glass.

So if someone who's a lil conscious of hygiene went for coffee, they'd wash the spoon and use it.
And then? Put it back in the glass?

I wondered if it was possible to drive this simple point home. So I did a lil experiment.

Every time I went to have coffee, I'd mix my sugar, wash the spoon, wash the glass, fill it up with fresh hot water and place it back.
This went on for a few weeks. And now, whenever I go, the spoon is always clean. 

There was hardly any sacrifice. 
All we had to do was, show them clean spoons.

When you see a clean spoon, would you have it in you to dirty it and keep it back?
But when you see a dirty spoon, you'll only wash it for yourself and leave it dirty for the next person.