Archives for November 2018

Power of Compounding

Here’s one of my favorite maths:

We run with our chores everyday with so much focus(?) that we tend to forget the ground rules of life.

Hard work always pays.

But then some say smart work beats that.

Agreed, but these phrases cannot be ‘blanket’ applied on everything in life.

Some demand hard and deep work, while the other needs smartness. The real ‘smartness’ lies in finding the difference and necessity for efforts.

This poster is a reminder that when we work more than what we can in tiny bits every day, consistently, the result is something that goes off the charts.

Books I recommend on these thoughts:

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The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
The One Thing by Gary Keller
Atomic Habits by James Clear

4 Proven Techniques to be More Comfortable at Parties

Social anxiety is in all the Home Sapiens’ DNA.

Nobody can escape that! I am with you on that.

But, imagine, learning few techniques to overcome this social anxiety, and become more confident in social situations.

How would you feel? Maybe, like a Super Man, or a Wonder Woman, with new techniques to ace your next social gathering!

That’s exactly what we will learn in this short and useful article.

I learned this great technique from a book called, The Art of Mingling, written by Jeanne Martinet.

Here are those 4 techniques that you can learn now, so you can rock your next social gathering !!

Fake it till you make it! This is that age-old philosophy, but it still works like a magic charm. This is not just having a positive attitude, but the real feeling in our nerves, thoughts, hands, legs, guts, so we act confident. This is important to remember because this forms the platform on which our next techniques will work seamlessly. This is to simulate self-assurance, at least for just 10 minutes. Then an amazing thing will start to happen – you’ll actually begin to feel that way.

The Naked Room: although I didn’t like the way it’s called, this technique is an analogy to imagine that everyone in the room (at your gathering) is with just simple clothing or shabby shy-like-clothing. Not to say that you make fun of them, but just imagine and carry the amusing smile to bring your confidence to face, and body.
The Invisible Man: imagine you are invisible. Not seen at all and you get to walk around the room, studying everyone, the furniture, and the overall energy in the room. Nobody is looking at you, everyone is too busy worrying about themselves. This way, you get some time to get used to the situation, the surroundings, and the kind of people there is.
The buddy system: now, how would you feel if you went to the party with your best buddy. He/she is looking and hearing everything you have to say, give you feedback, help check your dress, see if anything is stuck in your teeth, etc. This kind of safeguarding and motivating buddy, while imagining that friend is with you, makes you feel confident. Remember, not to talk loudly to that imaginary friend, though.
Celebrity magic: be someone else until you muster the courage to speak up and mingle. Someone whose posture, personality, and charm you admire. This is the best of all these 4 techniques.

There you have it. Simple but effective tricks to bringing your confidence in any social gathering.

I admit, this blog post alone might not help to a great extent, but the book, The Art of Mingling, has loads of such ideas and clearly explained techniques you can learn.

Trust the Process

Once upon a time, there was a tree – huge and strong, whirling its head with every passing wind, happily giving shadows, fruits, roots expanding to other branches, and upcoming small trees and sprouts beneath it.

Simple, right? A huge tree tall and happy.

But now let’s go back in time to that day one of the seeds, when they were planted.

When the seed was content and happy to have started its career and growth.

It hasn’t seen anything yet.

At just the first day, all it has to do is wait. The day started with the sun shining, but the seed can’t see yet, just feel.

Watering is done and complete. Night sets in.

Crickets all around. No motion, whatsoever, just waiting. Patiently.

After all, this is just the day one, with all darkness around, below the ground.

Feeling so small and manipulated, deep under the ground. No sound. No light. Just darkness.

Some voice inside says to hang in there, as long as this life is alive. This thought is alive.

Next day arrives, somebody waters above the ground, not sure who. Or is it rain? Or the sower, the gardener? Another day’s survival feat complete.

“Suddenly, I sense a movement around me, a giant worm”, the seed thinks to itself.

“Have to beat this around without moving. Escaping the worms is one thing and not being able to be eaten from rats or rodents is another.”

Not being accidentally taken away from road expansions, or building constructions above me.

The day passes just like that.

I still feel the Sun nourishing me – the warmth and lives around me is a proof that there is some power guiding us all. I just have to be patient to see the light some day – then after days, or weeks, or months, I see the light. But now the challenge is, even more, bigger, with the new found visibility above the ground.

Kids could pull me out, ants could eat me away, dogs could simply dampen my spirits, or cows may just pull me with a single bite and go with their day as if nothing had happened.

“The life below the ground was safer”, I thought.

But wait, I was waiting for this day for years. Developing roots and patience.

Now I don’t get to see what’s happening below the ground, just feel, I could feel water reaching me from somewhere, through my roots, nourishing me. Giving me what it takes for me to grow. The fight has become even harder. The survival instincts tell me to hang in here. Years pass by, I grow now to be 4-5 feet tall. I start to sprout more leaves now than ever I had.

People call me names now. Some even pluck me but I don’t feel the pain or loss anymore, for now, I am starting to see the big picture.

I could still go on without much thoughts about losing them.

Years pass by – now I’m a huge tree. People swing around me. They depend on me. Some families regularly come to visit me taking my produce to make their living. kids play around me, climb and hug me. Count numbers hiding behind my huge trunk playing hide and seek.

I feel proud, worthy to have lived my life patiently, for someday I knew, this will happen. it wasn’t easy, but trusting the process was everything.
Trusting that invisible power.

Today here I am whirling my head to the passing winds knowing it takes years to surpass and come to this position, but enjoying and enduring every passing day, trusting the process, power and patience.

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