Success is always around us

‘Success’ is a mystical thing. All of us want to be successful. Yet most of us want a free ride to success. Even though the intent is there within us to succeed, most of all aren’t willing to do what’s needed to become successful.

My weekend started off with a working Saturday by the end, I was quite tired & exhausted. In such cases, Sunday becomes a treasured day. But as I woke up in the morning, I was feeling quite lazy and completely purposeless. Though, I had few things which needed my attention, I wasn’t at all inspired to do anything on that. My mind was occupied with something which was wondering about something which left me powerless. All I did was switch on the TV, had food, lie on bed & pass time. The day passed like seconds. 

In the evening, when I was conversing with a friend, I realized that how much we take life for granted. There are so many things which inspire us, motivate us to do something, yet we end up choosing to pass time, wondering about things we don’t have & get stuck on issues, be it with people, our worries, problems etc. In the process, we exhaust the most precious resource which is NOW, instead of being at our best and when we are at our best, success becomes an outcome.

That’s when I thought I was stuck in the same trap. Few things which I had been planning to do, like writing a blog, reading a book, planning few things all were put on hold, just because I was waiting for something to happen and since that didn’t materialize, other things got inadvertently impacted. But the moment I realized that, I chose to work on. I did some exercise which usually makes me feel good in the end, switched on my fav music which usually inspires me & then got down to work on the things which mattered and which I wanted to accomplish. Here, Iam penning an article for my blog which I had been planning on for more than 3 weeks.

It is said that amidst the busyness of life, the simple things get side tracked. Most often the simple things are the most important as well. In the daily rush of our life, we make the simple things complicated. What’s needed to simplify our life is just to take a step back and look at what we have. Usually, the stuff which are required for us to be happy & be successful is just around  us. Be it caring parents, friends, resources to utilize, all is just with us. We just need to recognize and then choose to act on that.

I didn’t intend to pen a gyaan type post, yet for me it was a big realization on how daily moments just slip pass by while we keep waiting for things to happen, hoping for things to happen & wonder if things will happen. I took a step in doing something productive & break myself out from the quicksand of ‘waiting & wondering’ which goes on & on.

What we have with us for sure is NOW, and if we can choose to look at the things which we have with us & act, then in due time, things will surely happen.

Success is always around us, isn’t? 

Is it impossible for another Steve Jobs to be born in this world?

Iam currently reading ‘Steve Jobs’ by Walter Isaacson, and completely glued to it. There are many incidents which spark a chain of (positive) thoughts in different directions. Anyways, don’t worry. I won’t be elucidating the nitty-gritty of the book in this article. Nor Iam going to speak about Steve Jobs and his legendary work. I leave it up-to you to get a hold of the book and see it for yourself. The main reason why I got inspired to write this post was to raise a simple question.  “What does it takes to become a legend like Steve”

In one of the chapters in the book, Steve Jobs after addressing Stanford University students makes an observation that “the new generation of kids has become more materialistic & careerist than his generation.  He says that there was a wave of practical purposefulness which was present but now students aren’t thinking in idealistic terms or nowhere near it.”  Now, how is this statement related to the title of this article?

It’s my personal belief that to do great things in life, one has to be great himself; in the sense, great in terms of thought, attitude and value system. And why do I say that? Steve Jobs life has many instances where his actions were guided by certain maxims, by his belief systems, strive for perfection and his passion for creating WOW products. There were few situations where in he did it just to get an experience and in the process somehow connected the dots and made use of the opportunity which presented before him. 

Unfortunately, many of today’s youngsters are motivated by job titles, compensation, perks etc rather than the most important thing which is required at-least a Passion for the work being done. Iam not saying that everyone has such mindset. Some of my good friends are passionate about what they do, and that’s why they do what they do. And it mighty feels good to see them working on their passion. But my concern is the vast majority of the student population who are getting into jobs just to make a living. 

The need of the hour is people recognize that there is innate potential waiting to be tapped in them and it’s better to do what they like doing. If 5-10 people passionate people can make a difference, imagine the difference 5K-10K people can make?

I would say the following 3 traits is required to create and do great things. [Of course, other traits like hard working, perseverance, patience, humility, visionary etc else is needed. But the below highlights the few MUST criteria’s to be able to succeed]

       a)  Open attitude to experience

       b) WHY & not WHAT

       c)  Strive for perfection

One with an open attitude to embrace life in its fullest will experience uncertainty & risk. While it brings a whole set of good and bad things in to your life, understanding and learning from the up’s and down moments will help us wade through uncertain times & succeed later.

Many times in our life, we are motivated by ‘WHAT’. What will I get if I do this? What’s in it for me etc etc. but we forgot that to become truly successful in anything we do, what matter is not the WHAT but WHY. ‘Why should I do it’, Instead of asking ‘What is in it for me’ ask – “Why is this for me”. If you can come up with a good answer for that, there will be no doubt about the outcome of your work.

Man’s search for perfection lends a meaning to his life. Otherwise, routine life brings with it routine job which is just ROUTINE. Strive for perfection in any work you do. That’s what Martin  Luther King Jr famously said “Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.”

 

To sum up, the tenet on which I raised the question ‘Is it impossible for another Steve Jobs to be born in this world?’  is based on the state of mindset of current generation on pursuing materialistic things which are transient.  But if we realize that and start exploring things, begin doings thing we love or love what we do (which holds true either way) & a focus on doing things perfectly as much as possible, all the traits which were one of the prime reason for Steve Jobs to be an iconic legend, will be applicable for others too. I firmly believe that each of us can make a dent in the universe too.

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish :)

Transcript of the speech delivered by Larry Ellison, CEO of ORACLE at the Yale University to the graduating class of 2000

Thought of sharing an article which i came across.




"Graduates of Yale University, I apologize if you have endured this type of prologue before, but I want you to do something for me. Please, take a good look around you. Look at the classmate on your left. Look at the classmate on your right. Now, consider this: five years from now, 10 years from now, even 30 thirty years from now, odds are the person on your left is going to be a loser.

The person on your right, meanwhile, will also be a loser. And you, in the middle? What can you expect? Loser. Loserhood. Loser Cum Laude.

"In fact, as I look out before me today, I don't see a thousand hopes for a bright tomorrow. I don't see a thousand future leaders in a thousand industries. I see a thousand losers. "You're upset. That's understandable. After all, how can I, Lawrence 'Larry' Ellison, college dropout, have the audacity to spout such heresy to the graduating class of one of the nation's most prestigious institutions? I'll tell you why. Because I, Lawrence "Larry" Ellison, second richest man on the planet, am a college dropout, and you are not.

"Because Bill Gates, richest man on the planet -- for now, anyway -- is a college dropout, and you are not. "Because Paul Allen, the third richest man on the planet, dropped out of college, and you did not. "And for good measure, because Michael Dell, No. 9 on the list and moving up fast, is a college dropout, and you, yet again, are not. "Hmm... you're very upset. That's understandable. So let me stroke your egos for a moment by pointing out, quite sincerely, that your diplomas were not attained in vain. Most of you, I imagine, have spent four to five years here, and in many ways what you've learned and endured will serve you well in the years ahead. You've established good work habits. You've established a network of people that will help you down the road. And you've established what will be lifelong relationships with the word 'therapy.' All that of is good. For in truth, you will need that network. You will need those strong work habits. You will need that therapy.

"You will need them because you didn't drop out, and so you will never be among the richest people in the world. Oh sure, you may, perhaps, work your way up to No. 10 or No. 11, like Steve Ballmer. But then, I don't have to tell you who he really works for, do I? And for the record, he dropped out of grad school. Bit of a late bloomer.

"Finally, I realize that many of you, and hopefully by now most of you, are wondering, 'Is there anything I can do? Is there any hope for me at all?' Actually, no. It's too late. You've absorbed too much, think you know too much. You're not 19 anymore. You have a built-in cap, and I'm not referring to the mortar boards on your heads. "Hmm... you're really very upset. That's understandable.

So perhaps this would be a good time to bring up the silver lining. Not for you, Class of '00. You are a write-off, so I'll let youslink off to your pathetic $200,000-a-year jobs, where your checks will be signed by former classmates who dropped out two years ago.

"Instead, I want to give hope to any underclassmen here today. I say to you, and I can't stress this enough: leave. Pack your things and your ideas and don't come back. Drop out. Start up. "For I can tell you that a cap and gown will keep you down just as surely as these security guards dragging me off this stage are keeping me down..."

Popularity Vs Personality

I was reading a book by Alfred John in which the author was talking about the differences between Popularity and Personality.It does sound pleasing to ears, isnt ?? I had a few thoughts twirling in my mind on these.So i thought to put it up in a place where plenty of erudite minds will give their opinion and share their own thoughts.

Popularity and Personality - an average person yearns for at-least one of these in his life,with more emphasis being on the "Popularity" part ! Its a known fact that Man is a social animal and one of his inherent urge is "to get recognition" from his peers and since Popularity ensures more recognition, people want to have popularity. Popularity comes as a consequence of a person's talents/abilities and his ability to show them to others. One might be a singer possessing a melodious voice or a entertainer with amazing acting skills or a superb sportsmen. hence depending on the success of the person,they become popular figures. For those who think they don't have the talent to be popular, they try to find someone who has it and live their lives basking in other's popularity.



A strong validation for this is the popularity which the film stars and the sportsmen have in their life.One thing to be noted here is that the Popularity of a person is directly proportional to his success. Popularity can have different levels. One may be popular in his group, or in his class, or in his school, town,state-wise or in his nation. People throng behind such figures because of the apparent image which they project outside. In real, they might be of any type, their real type known only to the close people whom they are in contact. But often, people are carried away from the apparent outside image which is projected... My inherent idea of writing this post is to emphasize the real significance of "Personality".

I would say that Personality has been grossly under-rated when compared with Popularity. From an early child hood, parents raise their kids saying that you must become a famous doctor,famous this, rich this, etc. Its like we are programmed to worship these and will do anything to get it. Its only a few percentage of parents who raise their children embedding them the benefits of a good personality.And believe me, I strongly believe that those children will grow up to become a Well groomed and a Dynamic person. So what is all this Personality about. Personality is a set of characters which define you as a person.




What do you believe in, what will you stand for, what defines you and to what extent you are in harmony with yourself... A person with a strong personality will be at ease always and will retain his composure always, no matter what the circumstances might be. He may not have the popularity , but people will flock to him in times of distress or when they need some solution, because they find him a person who has a solution to anything. One of the important characteristics of a person with a Strong Personality is the fact that one knows themselves. As they say in Matrix, 'Know thyself', a person who knows about himself inside out will be more empowered to take decisions in a wise and logical manner. While Popularity may give one fame,money , Personality will give you the inner peace.

I know there is a lot more to this and that the process of self-learning/realization goes on till eternity, yet i strongly believe that if we start emphasizing more on achieving a good Personality rather than a good Popularity, there will be no limits to unlocking our potential and living a life way beyond our dreams.

GodSpeed everyone !! :)

Are you ready to be SUCCESSFUL !!

Iam sure you must have heard about Robin Sharma, the author of the book "The Monk who sold his Ferrari". He is an amazing person who has made a huge difference in the people's life. I had recently read a thought from his articles. It went on like this:

Successful people achieve what they want because they are ready to put in the amount required to be successful.

Give it some thought. Everyone is born with same physiology. And everyone gets the same 24 hour-1440 minutes everyday. But then the outcomes of the so-called successful person and the normal person is vastly different. More often we focus on the result and hence label people as successful and unsuccessful.,. tats it. no more questions on why they have been successful and what they did to achieve that. On close introspection, one can find that, Successful people more often are ready to give more than what is required of them. I found a simple method to make us realize of this truth.

Take an instance from your own life, where you have loved doing something without no restrictions for time.,. You became so involved in the work that you didn't have a count of the work. You didn't mind whether you had your lunch/dinner, whether the guy/girl next door is playing music or whether your favorite program channel will up shortly. All that occupied your mind was the work you were involved in.

Do you think you did the work because somebody said you to do it. Yes, you might do it , if someone came and threatened to kill you, unless you do the work, or somebody came and offered you a million bucks for the work, you will undoubtedly do it. Yet very few people are so lucky as to have people come up to them and give them such fat package for work. So in case you are waiting for someone to come and make you do work, its time to get wiser.


This is what differentiates the Successful from the others. The required motivation to make things happen is something which Successful people take in from within. They might miss out the fun which others have, they might miss out a date which others have, they might miss out their favorite program, They know all this yet they make a conscious decision to focus on their work. They work as of their entire life depends on it. And of course the outcome will be proportional to that. And we people label someone as successful/unsuccessful and then think that Successful people are endowed with special abilities. And that the unsuccessful people are the one who are unfortunate and less talented. It cant be further away from truth.

As Vince Lambardi captured the essence when he said:

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of
knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

Wishing you all Success in you and your Life !