MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hi,

Yesterday, I attended the wedding of my classmate’s son in a church here in Hyderabad. The message of the priest and the oath taken by the couple emphasised “total trust, lasting love, and continued compassion” for peace and happiness.

May this Christmas bless your family with strengthened bonds of love, trust, and compassion for one another!

(Image source: http://www.finewallpaperss.com)

Merry Christmas!

With love and regards,

Siva

Trainer's Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (22): How to earn a place within the WINNER’S CIRCLE?

Hi,
Amway is an American multinational company, founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos. It grew to be a multi-billion dollar global corporation with a turnover of more than US$ 11.0 billion and operations in more than 100 countries. It has more than 20000 employees and perhaps lakhs of ‘distributors’ who market and promote the Amway products through a special Amway Marketing System.
The celebrated author, Paul Charles Conn analyses and evaluates in his book “THE WINNER’S CIRCLE” the beliefs and values of the people who made it big in Amway. I shall summarise some of the SUCCESS Notes I made from this book here in this blog post.
Though today, we are in a world of teams, team work, and team spirit; at Amway, individual heroes are identified, held aloft for all to see. There are still winners, still champions, still heroes in the world of Amway. Amway still dares to draw a Winner’s Circle, to draw the line sharply and clearly, and to say to all winners: “Step aside. This place is for you. Not because of your name or title or station in life; not because of your colour of skin or social class. This place is for you because you earned it. You won it. You have made yourself a winner, and the Winner’s Circle is where you deserve to be.” Who are these winners? What do they have in them to become Winners? Read on....
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1) The WINNERS in Amway
They are relaxed and smiling. They are eager to mix and mingle. The make lots of money. No question about that. But, beyond the money, they genuinely care about the organization Amway they work for and also the other people they work within the Amway. They feel good about what is happening in their lives. And they feel good about themselves. It is a great combination: (1) They make money (2) They care about each other (3) They feel good about themselves.
2) The Amway Founders: Jay and Rich
Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos were the Chairman and President of Amway, respectively. Great leaders who built the Amway! They not only owned and ran it but also made it. They designed it; put the pieces together, and breathed life into it. They built the company with these 4 ideas: (i) a belief in the supremacy of individual effort, (ii) confidence in free-enterprise, (iii) a high priority on financial independence, and (iv) an emphasis on sharing with other people.
These two men could have walked away from the pressure of leadership as they built the organization along very wealthy and sated, but instead chose to stay, to work, to lead, and to divert to the people the enormous rewards of their system. Each of them was extremely well-disciplined each was strongly committed to the other; each was supremely confident; each was ambitious to the hilt, not personally perhaps, but for the company and the Amway image. While Jay died in 2004 at the age of 80, Rich is now 86 years old. In 2012, Forbes magazine listed him as the 60th wealthiest person in the United States, and the 205th richest in the world, with an estimated net worth of USD$ 5 billion.
3) Amway: The Business Lessons
Amway is a business, like any other business. Amway clearly answers 3 questions that are fundamental to the success of any business: (i) can people make money in Amway? (ii) can people make a lot of money in Amway? (iii) can a lot of people make a lot of money? The answer is a big YES in Amway, and that is what made Amway as big a business as what it is today. The business is successful because it has people who don’t back off even thought they don’t make money initially as fast as they want. They are accustomed to the idea of working now and getting the rewards later. They believe in it. They stick with it. They pour themselves into it. They are willing to pay the price. And that really pays off. They eventually make a lot of money.
4) The rich get richer and the poor get poorer: NOT NECESSARILY!
People may say, “It takes money to make money.” And that may not be true anymore. You can hear a lot of rags-to-riches stories in Amway. People there are more concerned with what people did after joining the company than what they had done before or what they had been before. People are treated and Winners are identified based on their present performance and not on their background. People encourage each other and everyone, “You can do it.”
Work very had now, establish a pipeline of income for you, and keep reaping the profits into the future.
5) Momentum
How do you define momentum? A company has momentum when it keeps things better and better, and people are noticing it more and more. Amway is one company that has momentum. Once a company has momentum, it becomes easier to build the business. The business operates more smoothly with less hassle. Every day, in every way, things get better and better. The following are the two signs of vigorous momentum of an organization:
(i) a growing public visibility
(ii) a reputation for integrity: A company is only as good as its reputation for integrity. It must be built slowly over a period of years. It is the kind of things which comes with time, as a company proves itself to an inherently sceptical public.
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There is much more to read and learn from this book, “THE WINNER’S CIRCLE” by Paul Charles Conn. You might like to get a copy of it and read it.
I too had an opportunity to meet some of the Amway Winners. I noticed that they are all people with dreams and desires; they have the will to change things in their lives; they want to help others; and more importantly they are not quitters when the going gets tough especially in the initial phase of their endeavour. To be a winner and to earn a place in the winner’s circle, one must believe in what one is doing, love doing it, be willing to pay the price, and work with dedication and determination without giving up after any early setbacks. For that matter, everyone and anyone can be a winner, irrespective of the background or the past.
However, winning is not a sometime thing; you don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do the things right all the time; at least strive to do it right every time, and put in excellence in every effort.
To your outstanding SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Image source: http://www.amazon.com/The-Winners-Circle-Hardback-1979/dp/B002BXWFJ8

Why do people perform Lakshmi Puja on Diwali? The story behind it!

Hi,

HAPPY DIWALI!

Coming to you with yet another story! This time it is that of Diwali Lakshmi Puja! Why do people perform Lakshmi Puja on Diwali and also light the diya (lamp) on this day? Came across this story this morning and thought I should share it with you instantly.

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Diwali Lakshmi Puja Katha: Story associated with Performing Lakshmi Puja on Diwali

Source: http://www.hindu-blog.com/2012/11/diwali-lakshmi-puja-katha-story.html

One day Goddess Lakshmi was roaming on the earth. As the night approached and it was totally dark owning to amavasya (no-moon night), she lost her way and decided to stay on earth that night. But when she looked around, all the houses were closed and there was no diya (light) burning in any home. After a while, she came across a home in which a diya was burning. It was a dilapidated hut of an old woman.

When Goddess Lakshmi, though in disguise, approached the hut, the old woman invited her into the home and offered the little food that was there with her and made bed for her, suggesting that it was not safe for a maiden to move around like that in the night.

When the old woman woke up the next morning, she found that the maiden had gone. To her surprise, the old woman found that her dilapidated hut had become a palace and she also found a lot of gold and diamonds in her home.

From that day, people started lighting lamp on the night of Kartika amavasya with the belief that Goddess Lakshmi will visit their home too and bless them with prosperity.

Good time for Lakshmi Puja is from 5:15 PM on November 13 to 2:20 AM on November 14

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Wishing you a Happy Diwali and lots of Prosperity to your family!

With love and regards,

Siva

value4value@gmail.com

Image Source: http://www.hindu-blog.com/2009/10/diwali-lakshmi-puja-procedure-simple.html

Paradharmo Bhayavahah : Taking over another’s dharma is dangerous

Hi,
Continuing with my earlier blog on the importance of ‘values and ethics’ extracted from the book, YUGANTA – The end of an epoch, I would like to share with you another interesting message ‘Paradharmo bhayavahah’ from the same book that Irawati Karve tries to bring out by evaluating different characters from the Mahabharata. While everyone should perform the responsibilities he or she is designated to, it may be dangerous to indulge in another’s responsibilities. Here is the extract……
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Taking over another’s dharma is dangerous.

- Bhagavad-Gita, XVIII

Ashvatthama was the son of Drona. Like his father, instead of learning the Brahmanical lore, he became an expert in the use of arms. He had completely discarded all the qualities of brahmanhood. Not only that, he was utterly debased. Caught in the endless chain of injury and retaliation, his deeds were unequalled in horror and cruelty. In the court of Kauravas, his behaviour was arrogant. In the Mahabharata battle, both the father and son fought against Pandavas.
As the battle was coming to an end, the entire Kaurava army was killed but for Duryodhana and Ashvatthama. When the Pandavas came to kill Duryodhana who was hiding in a pool, Ashvatthama, instead of standing by the side of his king, had run away. Bereaved at the death of his father, he wanted to take a revenge. Ashvatthama, going against the war code, entered the Pandavas’ camp in the middle of the night and killed not only Dhrishtadyumna, who had earlier killed his father, but also the five sleeping sons of Draupadi. Later, in the battle between him and Arjuna, he, by virtue of not being a Kshatriya, could not recall his weapon which went forward and killed the child in Uttara’s womb due to which he had to receive the curse of Krishna, “You will live for thousands of years. You will wander ceaselessly through the forests and deserts. No living man will shelter you.” All the other generals died as warriors. But Ashvatthama was doomed to a life more terrible than death.
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Ashvatthama appeared to have had gone through utter confusion about his dharma between that of a Brahmin and a Kshatriya. Though in today’s evolved world of opportunities and freedom, we don’t go by the dharmas as per the caste or creed in which one is born, it is important to recognize, understand, and be conscious of the dharma for which one is born as early as possible in one’s life to be able to perform it in the best way one could and also gain the satisfaction of living up to it. Without that clarity of the purpose for which one is living the life, it would be very difficult to achieve any sense of satisfaction. And without the consciousness of “Who am I? What am I here for?’, there is a danger of being carried away by the dharma of others and get into troubles.
We all have our responsibilities to perform in our chosen areas of work. It is important that we understand and perform our roles in the best manner in the first place instead of leaving them and indulging in other’s responsibilities. Paradharmo bhayavahah! Taking over others’ responsibilities is dangerous!
To your great SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Image source: http://netra-creative-vision.blogspot.in

Unstoppable Updates (5) Happy Diwali!

Hi,
Happy Deepavali!
A small story on this auspicious occasion of Deepavali festival from Mahabharata/Dwapara Yuga with a strong message to learn from!
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As the legend goes, Narakasura was a cruel demon king who was infamous for his wicked ruling and disrespect for gods and women. With a boon granted by Brahma to him that if he dies it could only be at the hands of his own mother, Bhoomi Devi, he took over all the kingdoms on earth, and then waged a war against Lord Indra, the king of Gods, and defeated him; and also stole the earrings of Aditi (the heavenly mother goddess) by tearing them of her ears. When Satyabhama, wife of Lord Krishna, heard of the injustice being done by Narakasura to women in general, and Aditi, a relative of hers, in particular, she was enraged. So, when Krishna asked her to join him to the battle with Narakasura, she readily agreed.
During the fierce war, when Krishna was hit on his chest by a powerful trident hurled by Narakasura, he fell unconscious. That gave an opportunity for Satyabhama to take the bow and arrows and kill Narakasura. Krishna knew that it was the arrow of Satyabhama, who was an incarnation of Bhoomi Devi, that was destined to slay Narakasura. So, he empowered her and that brought peace, joy, and prosperity to all.
Her triumph over Narakasura symbolizes not only the success of greater good over evil but also the need for empowerment of women for such success. From that time onwards, it could always be noted that wherever and whenever women were respected, regarded, and empowered, there prevailed success and prosperity. Such families or organizations, nations or communities flourished, and those that did not perished.
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To your triumph and prosperity,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Values and ethics: How important are they for sustained success?

Hi,
How important are values for individuals or families and organizations? Are wealth amassed and success obtained without caring for values and ethics sustainable? Irawati Karve, in her book ‘YUGANTA-The end of an epoch’ evaluates the characters in the epic Mahabharata. Incidentally, this book is recommended for the students of Business Management at IIM Ahmedabad as a reference on values and ethics. In the 5th chapter of the book, “Father and Son?”, the author highlights the consequences of neglecting values as given below:
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Vidura and his brothers (Dhritarashtra and Pandu) were sons of the same father (Vyasa). The very meaning of “Vidura” is ‘knowing much.’ That knowledge of Vidura was not only of the worldly affairs but also of ultimate values. He acted as an advisor, especially to Dhritarashtra. Time and again in his advice to Dhritarashtra, Vidura stressed the folly of greed and the need for justice. However, Dhritarashtra neither listened to it nor profited from it. Dhritarashtra had been denied the kingdom because he was blind. Obsessed with the idea of getting for his children what he could not for himself, he had lost the ability to discriminate between right and wrong. While his sons were young, he paid no attention to Vidura’s advice. Later, he would listen, but make excuses, “What can I do? I can’t control my sons. Now they are too big to listen to me.”
At the end, when the war with the Pandavas was over and all of Dhritarashtra’s sons had died, Vidura said, “King, what is the use of weeping now? When you were happy at the Pandavas’ loss in the dice game, I had warned you. But you did not listen then. What happens to a man is the fruit of his own action. Endure it now.”
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We come across everyday news of how people overlooked values in the process of making money or gaining some undue advantage. We also have numerous examples where such people paid the price sooner or later and suffered the consequences. With competition becoming tougher by the day, people are still tending to neglect values and ethics more and more, and in the process they are falling prey and becoming victims of their own actions at the end.  Could we consciously do something to help build awareness of importance of values and ethics in our children at home and in staff at our offices? Perhaps, the best way to do that is to live by example. Our children and employees learn very much by listening to what we talk and observing what we do.
To your sustained SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

It is winning over self that is more important than winning over others

Happy Vijaya Dasami,
On this auspicious day of Vijaya Dasami, I would like to share with you a short story. In today’s world of endless opportunities, it is winning over self that is more important than winning over others. Here is the story of a historic victory that demonstrates the importance of self-belief….
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Self-belief behind USA's historic win
Source: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/usa/story/mexico-0-1-usa-mens-national-team-international-friendly-review-michael-orozco-fiscal-game-winner-081512
On 16^th Aug of this year, for the first time in 75 years, the US soccer team came into the fabled Mexico City stadium and accomplished something it had never done before: beat arch-nemesis Mexico. How?
The victory of the US soccer team was simply a historic one. The Americans were outplayed in this game in every way imaginable, compressed into their own half, defending most of the time, and relying on their goalkeeper not to allow the dominating Mexicans to score a goal. Even when beaten all over the field, the USA grabbed on to one great run, one great flick, and one goal. And they made history.
Jurgen Klinsmann, the former German player and the current Coach of US soccer team, said after the game that his team had accomplished something very special and had learned to believe in itself. We told our players before the game, “You have nothing to lose, give it all you have. Can we play better? Yes. Can we play a cleaner game? Yes.” Belief was the theme the players carried with them as they entered the Azteca arena. Tim Howard, the US goalkeeper, said after the game how his team controlled its fear and won the sweet victory.
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We all have our own fears and shortcomings. It is those fears and those self-limiting thoughts that restrict our success and our growth, more than anything or anybody else outside of us. It is time to look in, recognize such fears and shortcomings, and win over them, and win over the enemy within. Believe in yourself first, bring in the required discipline, and give your best efforts. YOUR SUCCESS is guaranteed.
May this Vijaya Dasami give you the desired strength to help you win over such fears and shortcomings!
With love and regards,
Siva

Unstoppable Updates (4) Sand or Stone: Which one is your choice; and When?

Hi,
As I was talking about the learning I made from my visit to the hostel room of a student in my previous post, I mentioned that there were two posters on the wall of his room. The other one was also depicting a story with a great message. Here it is....
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Sand and Stone
Author unknown (Source: http://www.naute.com/stories/sand.phtml)

A story tells of two friends who were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, she wrote in the sand:

"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE"

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but her friend saved her. After she recovered from the near drowning, she wrote on a stone:

"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE"

The friend, who had slapped and saved her best friend, asked her, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand, where the winds of forgiveness can erase it, but when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone, so no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BLESSINGS IN STONE. 
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While memory is a gift that God endowed human beings with, it could be a boon or a bane, depending on how it is used. Though the amount of time that humans spend on this planet is limited and short, there is a tendency to remember and act as if one is going to live for ever. If bitter experiences are forgiven and forgotten and the better experiences are engraved and embedded, how nice and peaceful life would be! Oh God! May you bestow the humans with this ability too to forget the bitter and remember the better!

To your SUCCESS,

With love and regards,

Siva

value4value@gmail.com

Unstoppable Updates (3) Peace: Where do we find it?

Hi,
I visited this evening the hostel room of a student at BITS-Pilani KK Birla Goa campus, and found a couple of inspiring posters with stories written on them pasted on the wall of his room. The title of one of them “Real Meaning of Peace” attracted my attention. Read the whole story instantly. Immediately felt that I should Google for the story and share it with you. Found it without any difficulty, and reproduced it below:
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The Real Meaning Of Peace
Author Unknown (Source: http://www.inspirationpeak.com/shortstories/realpeace.html)


There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."
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We too go through the hustle and bustle of the places where we live, face the challenges on a daily basis, encounter the troubles every now and then, stumble up on the obstacles we come across, and find irritants that could easily flare up the tensions within as well as outside. is it still possible to remain peaceful? perhaps, YES! If a bird could achieve it, why not we?

To your SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Source of images: http://netraptor.org/blog/2010/11/robin-on-nest/

Happy Ganesh Chaturdhi!

Hi,
Happy Ganesh Chaturdhi!
A small story on Lord Ganesha from Puranas with a strong message on this auspicious day!
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When Lord Skanda (also known as Lord Shanmukha) and Lord Ganesha were at Kailasa with their Father and Mother, Narada brought a fruit and offered it to Lord Siva. Now, Lord Siva made an offer to His sons to give the fruit to the one who would go round the whole world and return first. At this, Lord Skanda, riding on his Peacock-Vahana, flew round the world and came back to Kailasa anxious to win the prize offered by his Father. But to his great disappointment, when he approached his Father after his round-the-globe flight, he saw the much coveted fruit in the hands of Lord Ganesha, who was calmly eating it, with a mischievous extra relish.

To add injury to insult, Lord Ganesha laughed at the grand flight of his brother. Skanda enquired of his Father and Mother how Ganesha, who was unable to move about due to his pot-belly, could go round the world as he had done and win the race from him. The parents replied that Ganesha, taking his parents (Lord Siva and Parvati) as the world, had come around them and won the prize. Ganesha explained how the whole world was nothing but their dear Father and Mother in whom everything existed.
Source: “Lord Shanmukha and His Worship” by Sri Swami Sivananda http://www.dlshq.org/download/shanmukha.htm
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With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Every End is a New Beginning

Hi
Had a bad season? Encountered with a failure? Gone through the disappointment of not being able to achieve something you dearly wanted to? When was it? Many years ago or this year itself or even yesterday? Has it happened despite the well worked out plans and the best possible efforts?
What is the best recourse to deal with a failure? Robert Schuller, who hosted a nationally televised show on American TV for about 2 decades “The Hour of Power”and interviewed many of the ‘Who is Who” of America, has the answers. In his book, “Success is Never Ending, Failure is Never Final” he narrates a very interesting story to take courage and come out of a failure. That is the story of a “seed” which I would like to share with you through this week’s TNSS(19).
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One day, a wild wind disturbed a peaceful family of seeds, and the strong breeze carried one of them and flung the helpless seed far away. So the single seed fell onto a strange and alien shore. Stepped on by an unfriendly boot, the seed got buried into a dry crack. It was trapped. An imprisoned refugee.  Discarded. Separated from family. Alone, helpless, and hopeless. But, deep within the heart of that seed, there was a miraculous life force that challenged death. It cried out, “I shall live and not die.”
With the first drop of morning mist oozed into that crack, the small seed absorbed the friendly moisture. As the dust slipped into the crack, the struggling seed cried out once more, “I shall take root and grow.” Silently, it sent out its tiny hairy roots that discovered more moisture, more nourishment, until the seed with all its determination, broke wide open and burst forth with new life. And, on a bright sunny morning, it emerged out of the soil, and proudly declared, “Here I am, world! I made it against impossible odds. And you can too!”
------------------------------------------------------- Robert says, “If the little seed could make it, why don’t we think we can too. EVERY END IS A NEW BEGINNING! What may feel like an end may be just the darkness before the beginning of a new dream, a new challenge, a new opportunity, a new tomorrow. As the seed broke through the soil to raise its head to the bright new world, we too can break through the struggles of failure to a new and wonderful life. Robert explains that “Every End is a New Beginning” through the following means:
1. Learn from the experience. Start over again. It can be fun, and it can be done.
2. Try, and keep trying until you get want you want.
3. Take the first step. Be willing to start small. You simply must make a positive move!
4. Look at what you have left. Never look at what you have lost.
5. Keep believing, there’s a HOPE for a breakthrough for you.
6. Go beyond the limits. You can break away from the self-imposed limits, when you think bigger.
7. However hard and disheartening the failure was, don’t throw the curtains across. You can look forward to a new tomorrow.
8. Tomorrow is today. Concentrate on today, for your tomorrow is today. How you think and act today will determine your future.
To your SUCCESS, With all of my love,
Siva value4value@gmail.com
      

Trainer's Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (18): From TGW to TGR and WOW – The Tom Peters Approach

Hi,
It has again been many weeks since I last posted the TNSS on my blog. Have been occupied with responsibilities on the domestic front, a couple of urgent assignments with my clients, and some exploration associated with the subject I have been contemplating to study, write about, and express my views in the form of a book. Glad coming back to you with the TNSS again today.

I was introduced to the book, “The Tom Peters SEMINAR” way back in 1997 when I was working for Monsanto. Since then, I have been reading it on and off and also referring to it once in a while for new and crazy ideas. I shall share some insights drawn from the Chapter 8 (From TGW to TGR and WOW!) of this book as this week’s TNSS.
           
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In an organizational set up, there are production processes, marketing plans& their execution, people management, financial practices, and many more areas that must be dealt with on a daily basis. Not all of them go the right way at all the times. As a result, we have a mix of Things Gone Wrong (TGW) and Things gone Right (TGR). Where should we focus on? TGW or TGR?

Tom Peters compared, in his book, the American Auto manufacturers with those of Japan. For instance, the American companies’ quality measures included watching the ‘things gone wrong – TGW’ and reducing the TGW score – TGW per 100 cars produced. But, while they were fixated on minimizing the TGW, the Japanese began to shift their sights to ‘miryokuteki hinshitsu’ or “things gone right –TGR”. The difference between the two - ‘nice average cars’ vs. ‘wav, look at these cars!’ In essence, lessening TGW may help produce the numbers but it is with TGR that one will be able to increase customer’s delight.

GO for the GLOW
Transformation. Breaking the mold. Anything – ANYTHING – can be made special. From dining in restaurants to waiting in airports, riding in cabs to visiting hospitals, teaching in schools to training in offices, marketing watches to selling seeds and farm inputs, and what not? Anything and everything? You can make your customer feel ‘the WOW’. An element of emotional link between the customer and the product or service does the trick. Technical excellence alone is not enough. HEART! Putting heart and soul in every product we make or every service we provide is important...is essential to bring that WOW, that GLOW, and that TINGLE..... Moving from mechanistic TGW – reduction programs to innovative TGR – enhancing efforts will lead to that coveted ‘WOW and SUCCESS in what you do.
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Is your product or your service just passing the required standards and meeting the prescribed norms? Or is it making the customers say ‘wav’ and feel ‘delighted’? Check where your focus is? On TGW or TGR? Shift it to the TGR, both at home and in office, learn from it the right things, promote them, and see the transformation that it will bring about. Phenomenal! Go for it... NOW.

“Quality doesn’t have to be defined, you understand it without definition.”

_ Robert Pirsig, the author of ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’

Pls take a look at the list of the chapters of this book given at the bottom of this blog post.

To Your Great SUCCESS,
With a heart of love and gratitude,
Yours,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Trainer's Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (17): Which is the greatest thing in the world?

Hi,
What do you think is the greatest thing in the world? What is that supreme good we may possess? We have life before us, and we can live it only once. What is the noblest object of desire, the supreme gift to covet, to obtain, to possess in one's life? Which one of these: Faith, Trust, Eloquence, Property, Charity, Sacrifice, Love, Money or Fame? Henry Drummond, in his book "The Greatest Thing in The World" identifies it, analyses it, and defends it as understood from the teachings of St Paul.
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St. Paul rates Love ahead of others as the greatest thing in the world. Everything else including charity or sacrifice or knowledge or power or faith or hope, without Love, becomes nothing. Love is supreme, and "god is Love." Everything else may fail. With Love, everything else is fulfilled. And it is a simple way of living the life.
THE CONTRAST
While 'eloquence' may be a gift giving the power of inspiring people, it will become hollow and unpersuasive if it is not filled with love and the emotions associated with it. Love is greater than 'faith' because the end is greater than the means. It is greater than 'charity' because the whole is greater than a part. Charity is only a little bit of Love. Even 'sacrifice' without love profits no one...nothing. Love gives character, the beat of the heart, can be felt by others. Love never fails. 'Prophesies' may fail. 'Knowledge' may vanish away. With Love only, life-work will succeed.
THE ANALYSIS
Like a beam of light passed through a prism is broken into the 7 colours of the rainbow, love also has a spectrum of elements that are common but powerful things that can be practiced by everyone in every place in life. Love is thus made up of the following 9 virtues: 1) Patience, 2) Kindness, 3) Generosity, 4) Humility, 5) Courtesy, 7) Unselfishness, 8) Good Temper, and 9) Sincerity
These 9 virtues make up the supreme gift, the status of  a perfect man.
1) Patience: Love is patience. Love is passive, waiting to begin, not in a hurry, calm, ready to do its work when needed. Love suffers long, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things. For Love understands, and therefore waits.
2) Kindness: Love is kind. Love is active, doing good to people, making people happy. Love never fails. Love is success, Love is happiness, Love is life. Love is energy of life.
3) Generosity: Love never envies. Whenever you attempt a good work you will find other men doing the same kind of work, and probably doing it better than you. Envy them not. Love is magnanimity.
4) Humility: Love hides even from itself. Love doesn't boast itself, says nothing about it, never puffed up. Remains humble.
5) Courtesy: This is Love in society, Love in relation to etiquette. Courtesy is Love in little things. Love is polite.
6) Unselfishness: Difficult not to seek anything as our own. Still, seek them not. The only greatness is unselfish Love. The essential teaching is, 'there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving.' Love serves others, consists in giving and serving others.
7) Good Temper: Love is not easily provoked. Temper is a test of Love, a symptom, a revelation of nature within. Love generates good temper at all times, internally as well as externally.
8) Guilelessness: Love is unsuspecting. Love believes. The people who influence you are the people who believe in you. Love thinks no evil, sees the bright side,  puts the best in every action. To be trusted is to be saved.
9) Sincerity: Love rejoices in the truth. He who believes will love truth. Love refuses to make capital out of others' faults, delights not in expressing the weaknesses of others but in covering them. Love sees things as they are.
Love was thus singled out as the most supreme possession of any and everyone in this world. In one single word, it was said, "Only Love lasts. Nothing else." What is certain is that Love must last. Covet therefore that everlasting gift. In the process, give yourself first to Love. Become an embodiment of Love, by building a character filled with the 9 ingredients of Love.
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So much has been said, read, and talked about Love!! But still, there is so much to learn about it. The first thing experienced when born is the LOVE itself, the love of the mother, the love of the father, and our relatives. Our system is as such filled with Love from that day on. But there may have been experiences the other way too along the way. That should not deter us from loving - self as well as others. The greater the love given the greater will be capability of giving it. The more the love received the more of it is wanted. It is never too much either way.
Would you like to read this little but life changing book, “The Greatest Thing In The World” by Henry Drummond? A PDF copy of it is available FREE on the Internet. You can download it and read it. In case of any difficulty to get it, please let me know. I shall mail it to you.
Wishing you The Best,
With love always,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Trainer's Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (16): Want to earn More Money? Yes YOU can

Hi,
"Let me tell you about the very rich
They are different from you and me.
                         - F. Scott Fitzgerald

This week, I would like to share with you the gist of the 2nd chapter 'I WANT MORE....MONEY' from the same book I reviewed last week, 'I WANT MORE' by Stephanie Myers.

Though money is not everything in life, it is very much required to do something worthwhile in life or at least to live life comfortably by being able to meet the day-to-day needs and satisfy the desires one may have. So, we all want to have more money than what we have today. Is it that we really don't have enough to live our life comfortably today? Or we think that we definitely needed more of it to make life much better for us? Anyway, money is definitely an important element of our lives and our quest to earn more of it is nothing but natural. Stephanie Myers, in her book suggests some ideas on HOW to attract more money into our lives which I would like to post through this week's blog post.
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Rich people take risks
If we want to make big bucks, we have to be willing to take risks. Although making money will always involve risk-taking, we can avoid any serious loss by making good plans. We can always plan and choose our risks. For that, it is important for us to identify the path towards more money, then understand the risks involved, plan well, make a commitment to tread on the chosen path. To be able to be willing to take those risks, the easiest recipe is the WPS, Worst Possible Scenario. All we have to do is ask ourselves, 'what is the worst that could happen?'. Then work out what we could do in detail if that did happen. Find the answers, and march forward.

Exactly how much more do you want?
More? How much more? How much is more? The point is that we can get more motivated about a specific object than we can about a pile of money. What we need to start doing is setting ourselves specific goals for the things we want and the amount of money we need for buying them. Else, you will always be groping in the darkness, and no amount of money, however large it is, will bring you happiness. So, better be clear about how much more you want to earn and by when it is? Grab a pencil and start jotting down your specific needs, desires, and dreams, and work out the specific amount of money you would need for having them in your life.

Tips for those in EMPLOYMENT
Are you in the right job with right pay? There is a way to find out if the job you are currently doing is the right  job for you or not. Similarly, you can also find out what you are getting now is the right pay for you. If yes, continue to enjoy doing the job, giving more and more and contributing to the organization you are working for. If not, it's time to do some serious research and put in your best effort to get into a job that provides you with the profile you would love to be in and at the same time gives you the packet that would help you and your family buy what you want.

Tips for the SELF-EMPLOYED
Firstly, it is important to choose something you enjoy, and then be able to be the best at what you do. You've also got to be able to let the right people know how good you are. And, definitely, it is time to stop thinking why you might fail, and start finding the reasons why you must succeed. It's never too late. And anything is possible when you decide to really go for it.
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Well, earning money is not a bad idea. Even trying to earn more and more of it is not greedy. If you think it otherwise, you might like to take a re-look at it. After all, we have a responsibility to ourselves &our family and also to our society at large. We would be able to serve others better if have more money with us. For those who would like to earn more money, there are always viable ideas. But, besides having ideas, one should also be willing to put in the extra time and effort.....to earn MORE MONEY.

To YOUR greater financial SUCCESS,
With love always,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Trainer’s Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (15): YOU can get MORE of everything YOU want

Hi,
We all want something or the other, more and more of it. Be it love, friendship, money, relations, respect, knowledge, confidence, job satisfaction, or any other thing that we think is good for us. We spend every day in pursuit of getting more and more of the things we want. When we get what we want, we want more of it. After all, wants recur, and that is what keeps us moving forward in life with continued zeal, hope, and enthusiasm. How nice it would be if we know an easy path to get that more of what we want faster! In her book, “I WANT MORE” Stephanie Myers deals with 5 different aspects (love, money, respect, job satisfaction, and confidence) wherein she does some straight talk and gives us some specific action tips on how to get more of what we want. Let me present to you the gist of Chapter 1, ‘I Want More.....Love’ in this Monday’s TNSS….

Some realities of love	The root of all heartache	The steps towards MORE LOVE
Money can’t buy us love, but we spend a lot of money thinking that we could. When we think we are looking for love, what we really want is companionship. Love doesn’t refer to romantic love alone. There are also other forms of love we want: Mother’s love, friends’ love, children’s love.... Yes, relationships do get sour, and love failure does happen.	In 99% of cases, we don’t love ourselves. This is a problem because people who don’t love themselves don’t believe that anyone else could. Then, they spend their lives playing a victim. Friends and family assume we know they love us, so they don’t bother to say it. We too do the same to our friends and family. The more insecure we feel about a person, the more we want to be told that they love us.	Remember that people take a cue for how to treat us by watching how we treat ourselves. So treat yourself better. If you don’t feel loved by your partner, tell them (calmly) Do as you would be done by. e.g., if you love the idea of getting a short phone call in the middle of the day from your nearest and dearest, phone them, and tell them how much you want them/love them/miss them. Be nice to people. Sounds simple, costs nothing, and yet most of us don’t even bother. The nicer people think you are the nicer they will be to you. Become interested in other people - at work, at home. Stop playing conditional love games. Never start a sentence with, ‘If you loved me, you would.....’ Spend time with children (yours or someone else’s) Bring back the child in you. After all, there is a child in each one of us.

There are a million ways to attract more love. What they all have in common is that we must always start by loving ourselves first. Then at the same time, if we want more, we must have to give more. Unlike many things in the world, there are no limits to the amount of love a person can give or receive; start by giving yourself more, and then share it with others.
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” – Ralph Emerson (1803 - 82)
“To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.” – Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900)
This book “I Want More” by Stephanie Myers is a very small guide of about 100 pages. You could read and learn from it about how to get more of 4 other ingredients in life: Money, Respect, Job Satisfaction, and Confidence.
To your SUCCESS and HAPPINESS,
With more love and regards,
Siva
Value4value@gmail.com

Trainer’s Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (14): Finding the Entrepreneur in YOU

Hi,
Good morning. Hope you had a great week. I must tell you that I have a good library of books at my home. There have been several of them I haven’t read yet. But now that I have a promise to keep posting the Notes that I make while reading the books, I have started taking one after another of them, reading them, making the notes, and posting them on my blog. This week, I laid my hands on the book, Going For IT! - (How to succeed as an entrepreneur) authored by Victor Kiam. I am sure you will find reading this week’s notes truly rewarding.
If you think buying or starting your own company is the only way to be an entrepreneur, you are wrong. As Victor Kiam sees it, entrepreneurship is a way of life. One can be an entrepreneur in a huge corporation, in a home, while at school, in government, or in retirement. Entrepreneurship is not only a philosophy of financial success, it is also a philosophy of life. It is life with liberty lived in the pursuit of happiness which can be achieved by anyone with energy, persistence, courage and a little bit of luck. In his book, GOING FOR IT!, Victor Kiam tells not only how he did it, but also how anyone can do it.
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What is  an entrepreneur?
While dictionary says, “Someone who organizes or manages any enterprise, especially a business that involves considerable initiative or risk," Victor Kiam says that entrepreneurs are those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage. He says that they are the people who willingly assume responsibility for the success or failure of a venture and are answerable for all of its facets.

Where can they be found?
Entrepreneurs are not just only those running their own business. They can also exist within the corporate mainstream as employees, in the government organizations as staff, in schools and colleges as students, homes as home makers, etc., They can be found everywhere. Everyone can explore and exhibit entrepreneurial principles in what they do.

What is an entrepreneur’s profile?
To find the entrepreneur in YOU, Victor Kiam suggests that you ask yourself the following questions:

	Questions to ask oneself	Essence of it
1	Do I have confidence in myself?	You have to believe in yourself. An entrepreneur must be able to motivate people, inspiring them to share in his commitment. In a corporation, you want the people working under you to follow your lead, and your superiors to respect your judgement. If you’re running your own business, you may want investors to place their money and trust behind you. You want your client to catch your enthusiasm and to believe in your product or service. How can you inspire them if you don’t believe in yourself.
2	Do I have confidence in my venture?	Anything you become involved with must be worth your total commitment. Do you believe it has a chance to make it. Go for it. If not, it is not likely that you will give the project the support it requires, and it may fail. Though you must always give your maximum effort, it is harder to do when you believe you’re backing a lost cause. Your confidence in the product or venture must be strong. You can’t sell anything that you wouldn’t buy yourself?
3	Am I willing to make sacrifices?	If you are an employee, forget watching the clock. Nine-to-five doesn’t exist for you as an entrepreneur.To find an edge over others, you must be willing to make some sacrifices. And once committed, you must be prepared for the effects that will have on your life-style. Your work should become your play. If you are an entrepreneur running your own business, the financial sacrifices would be even greater. You lose the security of your weekly or monthly salary till them time you have established your company and it started generating revenues for you. “No pain, no gain.” That should be the credo of every entrepreneur.
4	Am I a decision maker?	As an entrepreneur you’re pretty much on your own. You’re responsible for your business or division. If you are in a corporation, try to think as the President of the company would. Make it a habit to figure out what course of action you would recommend if the ultimate decision were yours. Being able to think that way and assuming responsibility will help you score points with your superiors.
5	Do I recognize opportunity?	This is the key. Approach, each idea thinking, “How can I make this work for me?”
6	Can I keep my cool?	The entrepreneur is generally like a captain of his ship..his company, his division, or his team of people. Everybody working for and with you will take their cue from you. If you’re down,  your company is down; your team is down. You must maintain a cool balance, especially in tougher times. As an entrepreneur, you command attention. Your swings in behaviour will affect others. “If one’s company is to remain calm, then the chap at the top must give the appearance of being calm.”
7	Do I have high levels of energy and stamina?	For an entrepreneur, sixteen-hour workdays are not unusual. You will need stamina. You need energy to grab the opportunities and hold onto them without allowing them to slip away from your hands. Commit yourself to life and you will find a reward you wouldn’t have bargained for: the fountain of youth.
8	Am I willing to lead by example?	It’s common sense, really. You can never ask an employee to do something that you yourself are not willing to do. You have a responsibility to work even harder than they do. You have to motivate the people around you, Leading by example is as good a way as any.

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This is the essence of the first chapter of the book, GOING FOR IT by Victor Kiam. By asking the questions listed above, one will get a fair amount of an idea what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, be it as an employee working for any organization or as a business owner running a company. By becoming one, you are going to get many rewards…satisfaction of creating something out of nothing; a positive sense of self; respect of your peers and superiors, and of course the financial rewards.

Wishing you THE BEST always,
With love and regards
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Trainer's Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (13): Humanizing People Management for Organizational SUCCESS

Hi,
Running a business? Or managing a team? Robert Townsend in his book, “UP THE ORGANIZATION – How to stop the company stifling people and strangling profits” tells how to humanize it – for having fun while making it all work better than it ever worked before, and better than anyone else is making it work. In this ground-breaking book, he reminds us not to get mired in all those sacred organizational routines that stifle people and strangle both profits and profitability. He deals with every single aspect (A-Z) involved in running an organization covering more than 100 different aspects of day-to-day work. I would like to share with you the essence of ONLY a few of the many given in the book in this week’s TNSS:

	Managerial aspect	What it is?	How to deal with it?
1	Conflict within the organization	A sign of a healthy organization – up to a point If you are a boss and your people fight you openly when they think you are wrong – that’s healthy. If your men fight each other openly in your presence for what they believe in – that’s healthy	A good manager doesn’t try to eliminate conflict; he manages it in such way that it only enriches the productivity of his team, and not wastes the energies of his people
2	Conviction vs Ego	Things get done because of a man or woman with conviction But institutions built with ego will have lots of money going into building them, lots of people working there, but with NO results.	Before you commit yourself to a new effort, it’s worth asking a couple of questions: 1) Are we really trying to do something worthwhile here? 2) Or are we just building another monument to some diseased ego?
3	Disobedience	A manager cannot take as an excuse for his mistakes in business as order given by his boss or boss’s boss. Any manager who undertakes to carry out a plan which he considers defective is at fault; he must put forward his reasons, insist on the plan being changed, instead of being the instrument of his organization’s downfall.	Disobedience is necessary, when it is otherwise causing harm to the organization. Appreciate your subordinate, who may be appearing to be disobedient to you, but in reality helping you correct yourself for organization’s good.
4	Leadership	True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders. In combat, officers eat last. Most people in big companies today are administered, not led. They are treated as personnel, not people.	To lead people, walk behind them. -Lai-Tzu When the best leader’s work is done, the people say, “We did it ourselves.”
5	Mistakes	Everyone commits mistakes. No one is immune to them. Be it the bosses or their subordinates, it is common to err. But the question is about, whether the mistakes are admitted in an organization? Or the organization is providing for such an environment?	Admit your mistakes openly, maybe even joyfully. Encourage your associates to do likewise by commiserating them. Never punish them. Babies learn to walk by falling down. If you beat a baby every time he falls down, he will never care much for walking. Beware of the boss who walks on water and never makes a mistake.
6	Promises	The world is divided into two classes of people: A) the few people who make good on their promises, and B) the many who don’t. Those who fall in Column A and stay there will be very valuable wherever they are.	Keep your promises. If asked when you can deliver something, ask for time to think. Build in a margin of safety. Name a date. Then deliver it earlier than you promised.

After all, people are the biggest asset for any organization. Organizations keep their people in the hands of the leaders who are supposed to lead them in order to build the organization in such way that the organization will last long serving its cause and making profits. Let’s keep the ‘human’ element in mind in managing people.
To learn more about humanizing the business and many other managerial aspects that Robert Townsend talks about in a crisp, precise, and practical manner, pls get hold of the book.
Your comments on this blog post are welcome.
To your success,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Trainer's Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (12): Only The Paranoid Survive

Hi,
This week, I would be sharing with you the gist of the book, “Only The Paranoid Survive’ written by Andrew Grove, the former Chief of Intel Inc. This is one book I have read repeatedly, recommended repeatedly for people to read, and also shared the contents of it in my training programmes more frequently than those from any other books I read. Andrew presents in this book ideas from 2 sets of his experiences; one based on his years of experience leading Intel Inc into a major force and the other based on his interactions with the students of Stanford University where he cotaught a course on ‘strategic management’. Andrew writes about what it is like to lead a company out of the wilderness of change and into safer, more secure markets. He also introduces useful tools and ideas that will help the next generation of corporate scions stay ahead in times of rapid change. I would like to share the essence of one of the many powerful thoughts that Andrew prescribes through his book i.e., “Sooner or later something fundamental in your business/career will change.” You ought to be watchful. How prepared are you for taking advantage of that?
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Andrew believes that success contains the seeds of its own destruction. He says, “The more successful you are, the more people want a chunk of your business and then another chunk, and then another until there is nothing left. I believe that the primary responsibility of a manger is to guard constantly against other people’s interest and to inculcate this guardian attitude in the people under his or her management.”
He pronounces a new concept called “SIP” (Strategic Infection Point) in this book. He says that an SIP is a time in the life of a business or in a career when the fundamentals are about to change, which could bring about a profound change in one’s life. These are opportunities that one should sense, identify, and work on so as to be able to convert them to one’s advantage. He calls it a 10X force. These SIPs keep happening in every person or organization’s life. But they don’t happen in a loud and clear manner. They are very subtle, and one ought to have an eye to see them and a knack to smell them. More importantly, one ought to have the ability to manage them to turn them into 10X positive growth points. At times, lack of ability to manage SIP transitions could mean a 10X negative decline.
Ultimately, it boils down to an individual or organization’s ability to identify and manage the SIP transitions that will make dramatic growth in the life of a person or the business of an organization possible.
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Watch for the SIPs happening in your life. That could be your decision to buy a new piece of land, study a new course, or make a new business deal, join a new job, accepting to provide a service to your new customer, or the new technology that you have an opportunity to license, or a new product that you would like to add to your product portfolio, or something else. The SIPs happen on a daily basis, but won’t be noticed by those who are not willing to see them that way. If it is not you, someone out there is trying to find them, convert them into his or her advantage to outsmart you, outperform you, and knock you out of the competition. Be watchful! Andrew says, “Only the paranoid survive.”
To your SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com