Art of Playing small!

Yes! Looks like this is truly the most sought after art form!

Met around 8 different, highly talented  people (toppers recruited from their institutes) with very similar outlook to life – Remaining shielded from action is the best way – to keep themselves safe & secured at work!

Proof point being over 25 yrs of working in the same company – mostly in 2-3 different levels of the same role – undisturbed & hardly noticed!

Not sure what they gained and the company!

Everyone is expected to make it big/large – something, sometime, somewhere,… and somehow! – that’s the DREAM! But majority, give up – somewhere, sometime,… somehow!

Dreamer doers in the crowd of any section/segment will not be more than 10% of the population! It seems everyone else, practice and master the art of playing small! – mostly unknowingly! That’s the big stealth virus!

The world is so big, and it is easy to feel like just another number! We see so many things that need to be changed, so many things that could be better – at work, at home, in the neighborhood… everywhere! But we choose to feel powerless! So, we shrink from our expectations, desires and responsibilities!

It is easy to remain – a victim, silent to the calling, shy admitting a mistake or staying away from acting on candid feedback! – Simplest way for becoming prisoners of unfounded fears!

Playing small may offer comfort, but does no good to anyone! Still, we find a lot of people – living on playing small!

Does this justify the “art” form?

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Doing Work That Matters!

The best advice one can get in any stage of their career is simple – do what you like and like what you do! Unless this is truly internalized, chances are that this state of mind will be a flip-flop – triggered by external, circumstantial influences, is very high! Fragile, Oscillatory and not sustainable!

Sustainability is associated with Happiness! – most sought after state of mind! If happiness is your business model, there is a different need – Doing Work That Matters!

Yesterday, met a water pump mechanic who is always busy finding & fixing problems with a bright smile on the face – glued permanently. He is known for not being on-time, generally expensive and adventurous! Interestingly, people are ready to wait for him, pay as much he demands and willing to let him try innovative solutions!

He sounded rich in experience and money! It seems he has the habit of working on own with couple of helping hands employed as trainees for 6 months! There is a queue of people interested in working with him on probation. Mostly, these folks start own business after the training! Imagine – a master, training and building a base of competition for his own business!

Ask how does this work for him – He says: “I love seeing the smile on the face of my customers when their problem is solved. I have been lucky to put people in their happy zone once I solve their water problem. People call me ‘Bagiratha’ the saintly king who was instrumental in getting Ganga down to earth!. I count the smiles, the money follows. Will not charge any thing if I don’t solve the problem or my solution fails! When it is fixed, I ask for 10, people give me additional 100! My trainees are happy to learn and be on their own. They will never compete with me – in fact, they form my independent network. End of the day, I make my customers happy, employees happy and I am happy! I think the work I do matters a lot to everyone around me, so I have stuck to this business in this fashion for over 20 yrs!”

Doing work that matters!

Knowing that our work counts is to know that we count! A definitive goal for the year is – to explore and do what really matters!

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Here and Now!

A lover pressed his suit unsuccessfully for many months, suffering the atrocious pains of rejection. Finally his sweetheart yielded. “Come to the park, at 6:00 PM”, she said.

So the lover finally found himself seated beside his beloved. He pulled out a sheaf of love letters that he had written to her over the months. They were passionate expression of pain and burning desire. He began to read them aloud. The minute passed and he read on and on…

Finally the woman burst out, “What kind of a blockhead are you? Those letters tell of your longing. Well, here I am with you at last, and you are lost in your ludicrous letters.”

“Here I am with you”,  and “you keep thinking of me in your head, talking of me with your tongue, and searching for me in your books”. “When will you start living with me?”…..

Here is 2011 already with us…. Good to start living a great life this year and beyond…. Here and Now!

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Welcome 2011!

 

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