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How to succeed at anything!‏

September 19, 2011 by VIDYADAAN

It doesn’t matter whether you are trying to succeed at work, in your relationship or with your wealth the principles are the same. Accredited nutritionist and exercise physiologist Caitlin Reid provides you with the top six tips that will help you succeed no matter what.

1. Know what you want

You must have the desire to succeed. This means you need to know what you want in life and be able to identify the actions that you need to take to achieve your goals. Goals provide a guide to your destination in life and without them, others determine where you’ll end up.

2. Never give up

Persistence is the number one thing for being successful. It’s easy for people to become disheartened when they are criticised or encounter a hurdle while trying to achieve their goals, but to be a true success you must persist through the criticism, rejection, pressure and failure. A fighting spirit will make you succeed.

3. Believe in yourself

To be successful you need to have a positive outlook and believe that you can achieve your goals. When you feel good about yourself, you react more confidently to life’s challenges. If you believe in yourself and push yourself through shyness and self-doubt you will succeed more far than you will fail. Believe and you will achieve.

4. Never stop learning

Successful people never stop learning. They learn from their mistakes, new experiences and other people. Learning at every opportunity increases your knowledge in old and new areas and keeps you ahead in your field. Read books, acquire new skills and seek additional training and it will definitely set you apart from the rest.

5. Do what you love

To do something well you must at least like it, but it helps to love it. Being passionate about the things you spend your time on is energising and motivates you to succeed. Do what you love, and success will come.

6. Avoid conditional happiness

Too many of us believe that if some problem resolved itself we would finally be happy. But striving for happiness without sitting back and finding happiness at this particular point in your life is no way to live. Successful people avoid delayed gratification and don’t sit around waiting for problems to resolve. Successful people find happiness at every instance, rather than just when they think things are going right for them.

 

Posted in Wit and Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Management lesions from freedom struggle

September 12, 2011 by VIDYADAAN

We recently celebrated Indian Independence Day on 15 August. I cherish the freedom and celebrate Indias growth towards global recognition. Going back in history, Indian freedom struggle lasted nearly a century. The last 25 years of the struggle was lead by Mahatma Gandhi on the concept of non-violence. India is one of the unique countries which gained freedom without much bloodshed. I think there are lot of management lessons which corporate world is implementing presently which were prevalent in the freedom struggle.

In this post I am exploring Mahatma Gandhis leadership and management style, and linking it to the current management practices.

1. Walk the talk

Mahatma Gandhi preached the concept of simple living and high thinking, although he came from an affluent Indian family. He came up with various austere living standards and requested his followers to adopt them. His kept his life open to public scrutiny. People may debate regarding his personal choices but no one would raise questions on his ethics and integrity. Irrespective of the difficulty involved, he always was able to take the high moral ground and never compromised on his personal values. In the present corporate world we respect the leaders who are able to walk the talk, demonstrate ethical and principled behavior and lead by example.

2. Think out of the box

The strategy and tactics adopted during the Indian independence struggle were unlike any other country’s revolution. Some of the concepts were:

  Non-violence  - A war fought on the basis of principles without any bloodshed.

 Civil disobedience- Court arrest if the British officials are threatening imprisonment for demanding your rights.

 Non-cooperation- The message given was maintain your jobs with the British Empire, however do not support it regarding its practices against Indian people. Managements today are advocating out of the box thinking and competing strategically. The organization which implements a unique strategy generally wins the market.

3. Brand building

Mahatma Gandhi’s personal brand has lasted 60 years after his death without any investment. He created a brand of a simple moral man living life on the principle of Ahimsa (non-violence). His home spun cotton clothes, wooden shaft, leather slippers, vegetarian meals and home at the ashram all embodied his personal brand. His character and communication depicted his core values to the masses. We must acknowledge that fact that very few leaders in history have as strong a brand image as Gandhi. The corporate world is spending huge sums on advertising to build the corporate brand. We hear Tom Peters and other management gurus talking about building the “Brand You”.

4. Competitors size doesnt matter

The Indian freedom struggle gained ground by the idea of a few committed individuals who wished to bring about a change. They envisaged taking on the might of British Empire who had the resources, funds, weapons and management capability. The Indian leadership team acknowledged the strengths of the British Empire and devised a strategy which minimized those strengths. They built a strategy on the following:

Non-violence which required no weapons;

Asked masses to contribute for the independence and live frugally, hence survived on minimal resources;

Developed local leadership across all regions under Congress banner. Using a similar strategy Barrack Obama won the American president elections when he had no funds and support. Also, one notices small IT companies (e.g. hotmail) which developed into big names just by pioneering a unique product and leveraging the market properly.

5. Build dream teams

Indian Congress Party besides Gandhi had a number of other accomplished leaders. Namely, C. Rajagopalachari, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose and others. These leaders all had different personalities and ideologies, however worked for a common cause. Gandhi and Nehru complimented each other tremendously and mostly operated as two in a box. Senior leaders acted as mentors for the younger generation. The party had leaders at grass root level, and people were encouraged to develop leadership traits. Business world is focusing on building dream teams with leadership at all levels. The Human resource Departments are focused on concepts of two in a box, alternate leaders, chief mentors and succession planning.

6. Engage and empower people

Mahatma Gandhi in his speech on the eve of Dandi March said -Wherever there are local leaders, their orders should be obeyed by the people. Where there are no leaders and only a handful of men have faith in the programme, they may do what they can, if they have enough self-confidence. He encouraged common man to show leadership and commitment under the overall umbrella of Congress. He united the people by specifying the mission, vision and code of conduct of Congress. The masses were committed to the cause and in all his symbolic protests he involved people participation. The corporate world’s biggest challenge is of disengaged employees due to actual or perceived lack of empowerment. It is becoming apparent that success or failure of the organization is increasingly dependent on a healthy organization culture which encourages employee participation.

7. Accept and encourage diversity

The British are generally blamed for implementing divide and rule policy in India. On the contrary, India already was already divided into various regions, religions and castes before the British rule. Mahatma Gandhi in his struggle for independence attempted to unify the country. He encouraged the princely states to join hands, brought Hindus and Muslims on the same platform and removed caste barriers for joining the freedom moment. He supported gender equality and encouraged women to actively participate in the movement. His wife, Kasturba Gandhi played a pivotal role in getting women’s participation. With less than 10% women in senior management positions in the corporate world, the mantra today is to bring more women on board. With globalization the concept of accepting and encouraging diversity has taken hold.

8. Dont make it personal

In the Quit India speech in 1942, Mahatma Gandhi stated- Then, there is the question of your attitude towards the British. I have noticed that there is hatred towards the British among the people. The people say they are disgusted with their behavior. The people make no distinction between British imperialism and the British people. Deal with the issue and not the person; this is the corporate mandate today. Mahatma Gandhi pioneered this thought process. In all his communication and dealings he stood up against British Imperialism. He however, had friendly relationships with Britishers and never made a personal attack in his speeches. On the other hand, he continuously advocated decent and humane behavior even towards ones enemy. His thought process was- address the issue at hand and keep a positive attitude towards a person from the competing camp. In nut shell, there is a lot to learn from the Indian freedom struggle for the corporate world. It had unique dimensions which are gaining hold now as corporate best practices. History is the best teacher, if we are willing to learn from other peoples successes and failures.

Posted in Business, Inspiring Stories | Leave a Comment »

Why do we shout in Anger?

August 21, 2011 by VIDYADAAN

A saint asked his disciples,

‘Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?’

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said,
‘Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.’

‘But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?’ asked the saint….
‘Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice?
Why do you shout at a person when you’re angry?’

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint.

Finally he explained,
‘When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.’

Then the saint asked,
‘What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small…’

The saint continued,
‘When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all…. That is how close two people are when they love each other.’

MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other

Posted in Inspiring Stories | Leave a Comment »

Women’s Liberation through Islam

August 21, 2011 by VIDYADAAN

Today people think that women are liberated in the West and that the Women liberation movement was not in the 20th century. Actually, the women liberation movement was not begun by women, but was revealed by God to a man in the seventh century by the name of Muhammad may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, the last Prophet of God. The Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet are the sources from which every Muslim woman derives her rights and duties.

Human Rights

Islam, fourteen centuries ago, made women equally accountable to God in glorifying and worshipping Him � setting no limits on her moral progress.  Also, Islam established a woman equality in her humanity with men.  In the Quran, in the first verse of the chapter entitled Women, God says:

“O mankind! Be careful of your duty toward your Lord who created you from a single soul  and from it its mate and from them both have spread abroad a multitude of men and women.  Be careful of your duty toward God in Whom you claim (your rights) of one another,  and towards the wombs (that bore you). Lo! God has been a Watcher over you. (Quran 4:1)”

Since men and women both came from the same essence, they are equal in their humanity.  Women cannot be by nature evil (as some religions teach) or then men would be evil also.  Similarly, neither gender can be superior because it would be a contradiction to equality.

Civil Rights

In Islam, a woman has the basic freedoms of choice and expression based on recognition of her individual personality.  First, a non-Muslim woman can not be forced to convert for marriage, or upon the conversion of parents.

The Quran states: ”There is no compulsion in religion.  Right has been made distinct from error. (Quran 2:256)”

Women are encouraged in Islam to contribute their opinions and ideas.  There are many traditions of the Prophet which indicate that women would pose questions directly to him and offer their opinions concerning religion, economics and social matters.

A Muslim woman has full right to approve or deny a proposal of marriage,  and her name is to be kept after marriage.  A Muslim woman testimony is valid in legal disputes.  In fact, where women are more familiar, their evidence is conclusive.

Social Rights

The Prophet  said: “Seeking knowledge is a mandate for every Muslim (male and female). (At-Tirmidhi)”

This includes knowledge of the Quran and the Hadeeth as well as other types of knowledge.  Men and women both have the capacity for learning and understanding.  Since it is also their obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad behavior in all spheres of life, Muslim women must acquire the appropriate education to perform this duty in accordance with their own natural talents and interests.

While bearing, raising and teaching of children, and providing support to her husband  and maintenance of a home are among the first, and very highly regarded, roles for a woman, if she has the skills to work outside the home for the good of the community, she may do,  so as long as her family obligations are met.

Islam recognizes and fosters the natural differences between men and women despite their equality.  Some types of work are more suitable for men and other types for women. This in no way diminishes either efforts or benefits. God will reward both sexes equally for the value of their work, through,  it may not necessarily be the same activity.

Concerning motherhood, the Prophet said: “Heaven lies under her feet. (An-Nasai)”

This implies that the success of a society can be traced to the mothers who raised it. The first and greatest influence on a person comes from the sense of security, affection, and training received from the mother.

Therefore, a woman having children must be educated and conscientious in order to be a skillful parent.

Political Rights

A right given to Muslim women by God 1400 years ago is the right to voice her opinion on social issues. On any public matter, a woman may voice her opinion and participate in politics. Also, Islam does not forbid a woman from holding important positions in government which suit her role as a woman. Abdurrahman Ibn Awf consulted many women before he recommended Uthman Ibn Affan to be the Caliph.

Economic Rights

Islam is clear in its teachings that God created men and women to be different, with unique roles, functions and skills. As in society, where there is a division of labor, so too in a family, each member has different responsibilities.  Generally, Islam upholds that women are entrusted with the nurturing role, and men, with the guardian role.  Therefore, women are given the right of financial support.

The Quran states: “Men are the maintainers of women because God has made some of them to excel others and because they spend of their wealth (for the support of women). (Quran 4:34)”

This guardianship and greater financial responsibility given to men requires that they provide women not only monetary support but also physical protection and kind respectful treatment.

Muslim women have the privilege to earn money, the right to own property, to enter into legal contracts and to manage all of her assets in any way she pleases.  She can run her own business and no one has any claim on her earnings, including her husband.

The Quran states: “And in no wise covet those things in which God hath bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others; to men is allotted what they earn, and to women, what they earn; but ask God of His bounty for God hath full knowledge of all things. (Quran 4:32)”

The Quran states: “For men there is a share in what parents and relatives leave, and for women there is a share of what parents and relatives leave,  whether it be little or much – an ordained share. (Quran 4:7)”

The Quran states:

“And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may live in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between you; Verily, in that are signs for people who reflect.” (Quran 30:21)

Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity but, in fact, a sign from God! It is a relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on divine guidance. God created men and women with complimentary natures and, in the Quran, He laid out a system of laws to support harmonious interaction between the sexes.

“…They are your garments and you are their garments….” (Quran 2:187)

Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and faults of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way. Each protects the other and hides the faults and compliments the characteristics of the spouse. To foster the love and security that comes with marriage, Muslim wives have various rights. The first of the wife’s rights is to receive mahr, a gift from the husband, which is part of the marriage contract and required for the legality of the marriage.

The second right of a wife is maintenance. Despite any wealth she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food, shelter and clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond his capability and his wife is not entitled to make unreasonable demands. The Quran states:

“Let the man of means spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what God has given him. God puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him.” (Quran 65:7)

God tells us men are guardians over women and are afforded the leadership in the family. His responsibility for obeying God extends to guiding his family to obey God at all times.

A wife’s rights also extend beyond material needs. She has the right to kind treatment. The Prophet said:

“The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are the best to their wives.”

God tells us He created mates and put love, mercy and tranquility between them.

Both men and women have a need for companionship and sexual needs, and marriage is designed to fulfill those needs. For one spouse to deny this satisfaction to the other, the temptation exists to seek it elsewhere.

Duties of a Wife

With rights come responsibilities. Therefore, wives have certain obligations to their husbands. The Quran states:

“…The good women in the absence of their husbands guard their rights as God has enjoined upon them to be guarded….”(Quran 4:34)

A wife is to keep her husband’s secrets and protect their marital privacy. Issues of intimacy or faults of his that would dishonor him, are not to be shared by the wife, just as he is expected to guard her honor.

A wife must also guard her husband’s property. She must safeguard his home and possessions, to the best of her ability, from theft or damage. She should manage the household affairs wisely so as to prevent loss or waste. She should not allow anyone to enter the house whom her husband dislikes nor incur any expenses of which her husband disapproves.

A Muslim woman must cooperate and coordinate with her husband. There cannot, however, be cooperation with a man who is disobedient to God. She should not fulfill his requests if he wants her to do something unlawful. A husband also should not take advantage of his wife, but be considerate of her needs and happiness.

Conclusion

The Quran states:
“And it befits not a believing man or a believing woman, when God and His Messenger have decided on an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to God and His Messenger, he verily goes astray in error manifest.” (Quran 33:36)

The Muslim woman was given a role, duties and rights 1400 years ago that most women do not enjoy today in the West. These are from God and are designed to keep balance in society; what may seem unjust or missing in one place is compensated for or explained in another place. Islam is a complete way of life.

Posted in Religion | Leave a Comment »

7 Spelling and Grammar Errors that Make You Look Dumb

August 21, 2011 by VIDYADAAN

Don’t let these easy-to-fix spelling and grammar mistakes make you look unprofessional.

In business, excellence is indeed worth striving for. make sure all of your communications hold to high standards, because misspellings and bad grammar can hold you back in career.

Many brilliant people have some communication weak spots. Unfortunately, the reality is that written communication is a big part of business, and how you write reflects on you. Poor spelling and grammar can destroy a professional image in an instant.

Even if your job doesn’t require much business writing, you’ll still have emails to send and notes to write. And if you’re looking for a job, your cover letters and resumes will likely mean the difference between getting the interview or not.

Bad grammar and spelling make a bad impression. Don’t let yourself lose an opportunity over a simple spelling or grammar mistake.

Here are seven simple grammatical errors that I see consistently in emails, cover letters and resumes.

Tip: Make yourself a little card cheat sheet and keep it in your wallet for easy reference.

 You’re / Your

The apostrophe means it’s a contraction of two words; “you’re” is the short version of “you are” (the “a” is dropped), so if your sentence makes sense if you say “you are,” then you’re good to use you’re. “Your” means it belongs to you, it’s yours.

·         You’re = if you mean “you are” then use the apostrophe

·         Your = belonging to you

 You’re going to love your new job!

 It’s / Its

This one is confusing, because generally, in addition to being used in contractions, an apostrophe indicates ownership, as in “Dad’s new car.” But, “it’s” is actually the short version of “it is” or “it has.” “Its” with no apostrophe means belonging to it.

·         It’s = it is

·         Its = belonging to it

It’s important to remember to bring your telephone and its extra battery.

 They’re / Their / There

“They’re” is a contraction of “they are.” “Their” means belonging to them. “There” refers to a place (notice that the word “here” is part of it, which is also a place – so if it says here and there, it’s a place). There = a place

·         They’re = they are

·         Their = belonging to them

They’re going to miss their teachers when they leave there.

 Loose / Lose

These spellings really don’t make much sense, so you just have to remember them. “Loose” is the opposite of tight, and rhymes with goose. “Lose” is the opposite of win, and rhymes with booze. (To show how unpredictable English is, compare another pair of words, “choose” and “chose,” which are spelled the same except the initial sound, but pronounced differently.  No wonder so many people get it wrong!)

·         Loose = it’s not tight, it’s loosey goosey

·         Lose= “don’t lose the hose for the rose” is a way to remember the same spelling but a different pronunciation

I never thought I could lose so much weight; now my pants are all loose!

 Lead / Led

Another common but glaring error. “Lead” means you’re doing it in the present, and rhymes with deed. “Led” is the past tense of lead, and rhymes with sled. So you can “lead” your current organization, but you “led” the people in your previous job.

·         Lead = present tense, rhymes with deed

·         Led = past tense, rhymes with sled

My goal is to lead this team to success, just as I led my past teams into winning award after award.

 A lot / Alot / Allot

First the bad news: there is no such word as “alot.” “A lot” refers to quantity, and “allot” means to distribute or parcel out.

There is a lot of confusion about this one, so I’m going to allot ten minutes to review these rules of grammar.

 Between you and I

This one is widely misused, even by TV news anchors who should know better.

In English, we use a different pronoun depending on whether it’s the subject or the object of the sentence: I/me, she/her, he/him, they/them. This becomes second nature for us and we rarely make mistakes with the glaring exception of when we have to choose between “you and I” or “you and me.”

Grammar Girl does a far better job of explaining this than I, but suffice to say that “between you and I” is never correct, and although it is becoming more common, it’s kind of like saying “him did a great job.” It is glaringly incorrect.

The easy rule of thumb is to replace the “you and I” or “you and me” with either “we” or “us” and you’ll quickly see which form is right. If “us” works, then use “you and me” and if “we” works, then use “you and I.”

Between you and me (us), here are the secrets to how you and I (we) can learn to write better.

Master these common errors and you’ll remove some of the mistakes and red flags that make you look like you have no idea how to speak.

Posted in General / Others | Leave a Comment »

Personal Perception – Interesting Story

August 16, 2011 by VIDYADAAN

Different people have different perception. One man’s meat could be another man’s poison.

A couple bought a donkey from the market. On the way home,a boy commented, “Very stupid. Why neither of them ride on the donkey?”

Upon hearing that, the husband let the wife ride on the donkey. He walked besides them.

Later, an old man saw it and commented, “The husband is the head of family. How can the wife ride on the donkey while the husband is on foot?”

Hearing this, the wife quickly got down and let the husband ride on the donkey.

Further on the way home, they met an old Lady.

She commented, “How can the man ride on the donkey but let the wife walk. He is no gentleman.”

The husband thus quickly asked the wife to join him on the donkey.

Then, they met a young man. He commented, “Poor donkey, how can you hold up the weight of two persons. They are cruel to you.”

Hearing that, the husband and wife immediately climbed down from the donkey and carried it on their shoulders. It seems to be the only choice left.

Later, on a narrow bridge, the donkey was frightened and struggled. They lost their balance and fell into the river.

You can never have everyone praise you, nor will everyone condemn you. Never in the past, not at present, and never will be in the future.

Thus, do not be too bothered by others words if our conscience is clear..

Posted in Inspiring Stories, Wit and Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

RIGHT SPEECH

August 14, 2011 by VIDYADAAN

There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that “A speech will either prosper or ruin a nation.” Many relationships break off because of wrong speech. When a couple is too close with each other,we always forget mutual respect and courtesy. We may say anything without considering if it would hurt the other party.

A friend and her millionaire husband visited their construction site. A worker who wore a helmet saw her and shouted,”Hi, Emily! Remember me? We used to date in the secondary school.” On the way home, her millionaire husband teased her, “Luckily you married me.Otherwise you will be the wife of a construction worker.” She answered ,”You should appreciate that you married me. Otherwise, he will be the millionaire and not you.”

Frequently exchanging these remarks plants the seed for a bad relationship. It’s like a broken egg – cannot be reversed.

Posted in Relationship and Love | Leave a Comment »

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