Saturday, January 28, 2012

Unstoppable Updates (2)10 Biggest Market Losers of 2011 &What led to loss of US$ 300 billion in market capitalisation?

Hi,
Came across an interesting article by Steve Tobak, “10 biggest market losers of 2011”. The article highlights that these ten companies put together destroyed more than $300 billion of market capitalization during the year 2011 alone. What is particularly interesting is that, once upon a time, nearly all these companies were leaders in their respective markets. The list includes Kodak, Blackberry maker RIM, BOA, Sony, Nokia, and HP among others. Steve suggests that it is the CEOs who drove their once-iconic companies off a cliff. What can all business leaders learn from that? A brief analysis is given below. But, you might like to read the full article in the given at the bottom of this blog post or by clicking on the link below to find info that could be of immense value to your own company:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57346751/10-biggest-market-losers-of-2011/
S No Name of the Company Reasons that led to losses
1 Kodak Ineffective transformation of Kodak into the digital age under the stewardship of CEO Antonio Perez
Kodak has already gone bankrupt i.e., a couple of weeks after this article appeared
2 Research In Motion Blackberry maker, RIM was market leader not too long ago.
Launch of iPhone by Apple and Android platform by Google led to the downfall of Blackberry.
Lack of responsiveness at the Leadership to technological changes affecting its market
3 First Solar Entire solar panel industry is reeling from weak demand
A glut of low-cost panels from China
Controversy over ill-conceived government loans to green-tech companies
Leadership change felt and planned, but could not execute it
4 Netflix Share price fell from $295 to $ 6o in less than 5 months
Change in pricing structure led to the downfall
More importantly, the failure of the company to communicate its pricing structure with its clients
5 Alcatel Lucent Merger-related issues and the consequent cultural differences and the company’s inability to handle them.
6 Bank of America Mistakes in acquisitions and questionable practices among many other reasons.
7 Sprint Nextel Post-merger mess
8 Sony Passing the buck and blaming the bureaucracy syndrome
9 Nokia Missed the transition into smartphone
Lack of vision and strategic planning to beat the competition
10 Hewlett-Packard Leadership transition issues
To your SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com
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December 22, 2011 7:57 AM
10 biggest market losers of 2011
By Steve Tobak
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57346751/10-biggest-market-losers-of-2011/
To err is human, but to destroy $300 billion in shareholder value, it helps if you're a CEO. Sure, they're human too, but when your 401(k) crashes and burns overnight, it's hard to have sympathy for the guy who was behind the wheel. 2011 was definitely a year of CEOs driving their once-iconic companies off a cliff. Some of the crashes were so spectacular, you'd think they planned it that way, sort of like a stunt crash you'd see in a movie. Except, as we discussed in "Blackberry -- how RIM destroyed a great brand," the results have been all too real.
In fact, 2011's biggest market losers somehow managed to destroy more than $300 billion of market capitalization this year alone. And who says CEOs aren't overachievers? What I find particularly interesting -- and not in a good way -- is that, once upon a time, nearly all these companies were leaders in their respective markets. What can all business leaders learn from that? In a hypercompetitive global market like we have today, you can't afford to sit on your laurels, not even for a year.
These days, executives need to be more fluid in their planning and more nimble in their execution than ever before. That means continuously challenging the status quo, evaluating the competitive landscape, and reacting quickly enough to give the perception of being proactive.
These days, innovation isn't usually about being first. It's about being the best and staying that way. Otherwise, you can end up like these 10 losers. Although some companies shed more in terms of share price and market cap, I chose these 10 because, in my opinion, they more or less did it to themselves. As such, they represent cautionary tales and critical lessons for every executive and business leader.
1. Kodak
CEO Antonio Perez may have brought Kodak into the digital age, but he didn't do it effectively, that's for sure. During his eight-year tenure, revenues have plummeted, the company has bled billions in red ink and its share price has declined by 97 percent. Perez failed to cut costs and turn around this relic of a company. Now, its only chance to avoid bankruptcy appears to be to find a way to monetize its considerable patent portfolio. Good luck with that. The stock is down 88 percent so far this year.

2. Research In Motion
Three-and-a-half years ago, RIM was on top of the world. You couldn't sit in a boardroom without four or five people checking their BlackBerry smartphones. Revenues and profits had doubled year-over-year. Since then, co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis couldn't have done a better job of self-destructing if they'd planned it that way. Since Apple introduced the iPhone and Google launched the Android platform, it's been all downhill for RIM's hapless duo. When the iPad caught them completely by surprise, you'd think there'd be a leadership change. But nope, that's not going to happen at the Canadian company. Meanwhile, shares of RIM have been in a freefall, plummeting 92 percent since its heyday, and 83 percent year-to-date.

3. First Solar
It's hard to believe, but Forbes named First Solar America's fastest growing tech company less than a year ago. That's when the sun started to set on America's biggest solar panel maker. Indeed, the entire industry is reeling from weak demand, a glut of low-cost panels from China, and swirling controversy over ill-conceived government loans to green-tech companies that have cost taxpayers billions. After running the company for just two years, the board fired CEO Rob Gillette, citing the need for "leadership change to navigate through the industry turmoil," according to chairman and founder Michael Ahearn, who's currently serving as interim CEO. Shares of First Solar are down a whopping 83 percent from their 52-week high.

4. Netflix
The day after the Fourth of July, shares of Netflix closed at $295.14. Less than five months later, the stock was trading in the low $60s. Hard to believe. What caused the precipitous drop was a change in Netflix's pricing structure meant to more or less separate the company's legacy DVD rental business from its growing streaming video service. CEO Reed Hastings maintains that the pricing strategy is solid -- it's the way he implemented and communicated it that was flawed. Maybe, but the company has lost nearly a million subscribers and the stock is still down 78 percent from its 52 week high.

5. Alcatel Lucent
When Alcatel and Lucent merged in 2006, it was hoped that the complementary businesses of these two iconic companies would outweigh their huge cultural differences. To say that didn't happen is putting it mildly. The marriage of French Alcatel with American Lucent has been a train wreck since day one. After billions in losses and writedowns, the board dumped CEO Pat Russo in 2008 and restructured around former British Telecom CEO Ben Verwaayen. That was a good move, but profitability remains elusive and investors are tired and angry. The stock is trading near all-time lows, down 79 percent year-to-date. Personally, I think a divorce is in order, but that's just me.

6. Bank of America
To say that Bank of America's acquisitions of Countrywide Financial and Merrill Lynch were bad ideas is like saying the collapse of Enron and WorldCom were unfortunate mistakes. Former CEO Ken Lewis may very well have made some of the worst decisions in corporate history. Since then, it's been one controversial mess after another: TARP, outrageous executive bonuses, WikiLeaks, layoffs, lawsuits over mortgage-backed securities, and questionable practices surrounding foreclosures, credit card interest rates and lending practices. The stock is down 67 percent year-to-date, but the destruction of market and brand value for one of America's largest companies is incalculable.

7. Sprint Nextel
CEO Dan Hesse may have inherited a post-megamerger mess, but he was supposed to fix it, not prolong it. Since he took the reins four years ago, Sprint has lost about $9 billion and shareholders have lost 83 percent of their investment. Hesse recently bet the company by committing to buy over 30 million iPhones over the next four years, whether they sell or not. That roll of the dice may very well pay off, but if it doesn't, it'll likely be the final nail in Hesse's coffin, so to speak. Which is a shame, since I know you must love him starring in those dumb ads as much as I do. Maybe he'd have better luck as an actor. In the mean time, shares of Sprint are down 67 percent this year.

8. Sony
Sony's problems didn't start with CEO Howard Stringer, but on his watch, the company has lost $4.5 billion over the past three years and continued its long, slow decline into consumer electronics mediocrity. After six-and-a-half years running the show, you'd think the excuses of having to contend with an overblown Japanese bureaucracy would get old, but apparently not. As I wrote when Stringer got the job back in 2005, "There is no evidence that Stringer has the background or the capability to engineer a turnaround." That's my story and I'm sticking to it. In the meantime, shares of Sony are trading near 18-year lows, down 55 percent year-to-date.

9. Nokia
Under former CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the once-dominant cellphone maker more or less missed the smartphone transition. Now Nokia's consistently losing market share to Apple's iPhone and Google's Android in the high-growth and high-margin segments of the wireless market. The result of Nokia's staggering lack of vision and strategic planning is shrinking revenues and plunging profits. The stock is trading near a 14-year low, down 62 percent year-to-date. Current chief Stephen Elop is trying to clean up the mess by partnering with Microsoft and moving to Windows Phone 7, perhaps his only option, albeit not a great one.

10. Hewlett-Packard
Last year, HP's board fired CEO Mark Hurd over a sex scandal that never happened. Never mind that he'd just executed one of the most successful turnarounds in history. Then it replaced Hurd with Leo Apotheker, who had recently been fired by SAP for nearly destroying the German software giant. Since then, it's been one bad move after another: a high-profile about-face on the much-anticipated TouchPad and WebOS; stupidly telegraphing his intent to sell the company's $41 billion PC group a year in advance; and generally trying to convert HP into a second-rate software company. HP's hapless board finally fired Apotheker. Unfortunately, it replaced him with Meg Whitman, the former eBay CEO, who has no experience with IT companies or turnarounds. So be it. The stock is down 49 percent in 2011.
So, how can companies avoid becoming train wrecks like these?
Well, I think one of the reasons why CEOs aren't more proactive and aggressive in turnarounds is because, for the most part, their compensation packages reward the status quo. In other words, they get paid big bucks whether they fail or not. And while some do take risks, they seem to be more of the grandiose type, like ultra-high-risk megamergers that are more or less doomed to fail.
And boards of directors, the people whose job it is to oversee CEOs -- to hire, compensate, and fire them -- are mostly former executives who essentially rubberstamp everything put in front of them. In terms of checks and balances, it really doesn't get any more dysfunctional than that, now does it?
But then you probably already knew all that. Will it ever change? Probably, but don't hold your breath. Until then, just keep saying the magic word to your broker over and over again: diversify, diversify, diversify.
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Steve Tobak is a consultant and former high-tech senior executive. He's managing partner of Invisor Consulting, a management consulting and business strategy firm.

Trainer's Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (4): Go-Getters find a way out despite the odds and obstacles

Hi,
Good morning! Thanks very much for all of your mail messages appreciating last week’s TNSS. This week, I would like to share with you the notes I made from the book, “The Go-Getter” written by Peter B. Kyne first published in 1921. Believe me, the message he gives in this book is valid and utmost important even today He presents the meaning of a ‘Go-Getter’ in the form of a little short story of a salesman, Mr. Bill who goes through a testing time to deliver what his employer, Mr. Ricks, wanted. The story goes like this.

Mr. Ricks runs a huge timber company with headquarters in the US and branches in many parts of the world including the one in Shanghai. Due to the failure of the Shanghai branch manager, the company looks for an alternative. Around this time, Bill, who once served the American Army and lost his left forearm and a part of his left leg in one of the battles he fought, joins the company as a sales person. Ricks, getting very much impressed with Bill’s attitude and performance in the first few months of his joining the company, wants to test him before entrusting him the bigger responsibility of a Branch Manager that too in a foreign country. So he plots a test for Bill which includes buying a specific blue vase on a Sunday afternoon from a closed shop with a wrong address and many other obstacles that would generally tempt a non go-getter quit the task very easily. But Bill, who doesn’t know that it was a plot, makes sincere efforts and doesn’t give up despite the hardships and temptations to him to quit the seemingly impossible task. 

The story then is all about how he locates the exact shop that has the specific blue vase, finds its owner, gets him open the shop, buys the vase and delivers it to Ricks in a running train to meet the timelines as needed by his employer. Mr. Ricks reveals to him at the end that he was sorry to play the cruel joke of making Bill go through all the pains he did, but gives him a pleasant surprise that Bill passes the test of a “Go-Getter” and that he gets the new job of Manager of the Shanghai branch of the company which gives him a much better pay cheque. The notes I made while reading this book are listed below.....
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Notes for the people who would like to be a Go-Getter:
1) He has courage to tackle the job
2) He has force and initiative
3) He has ability to make a quick decision
4) He does not anticipate refusal
5) If he can do it, he will do it better than it was ever done before, and if he can’t do that he will quit to save the owner the embarrassment of firing him.
6) For him, the employer’s request is tantamount to an order.
7) He believes, “No one could reject one who simply would not be rejected.”
8) He carries his objective.
9) He declines to permit others block him.
10) He makes his job filled with excitement and interesting experiments
11) He believes, “You get nothing for nothing.”
12) He has no false pride.
13) His answer to his master’s request is always, “Yes sir. It shall be done.”
14) He doesn’t give a hoot what it costs. He wants what he wants when he wants it.
15) He never wants to let it be said that he didn’t go down fighting.
16) He is going to stick on the job till he delivers the goods.
17) He has never been trained to question orders, even when they seem utterly foolish to him.
18) He has been trained to obey them, on time if possible. But if impossible, to obey them anyhow.
19) He has been taught ‘loyalty to his chief.’
20) Despite the temptations to quit and run away from his goal, he wouldn’t quit because that would have been disloyal to someone who trusted his capabilities.

Notes for the Chiefs who would like to nurture Go-Getters in their organizations:
1) An organization is what it’s commanding officer is – neither better nor worse.
2) Leaders tell their people what to do, but they would not insult their intelligence by telling them how to do it.
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While we all would like to be go-getters ourselves, it is also important to nurture go-getters at home and in office. Well, there will be pain, distress, and temptations to force one to quit and stray away from the chosen objective of life and our work. But, the go-getter knows that the greatest joy is in sticking to the objective and continuing to work on it, and that it is just a matter of time before you get what you want. At the end, when you look back, you would find the journey joyful, because the objective was meaningful...

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

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Unstoppable Updates (1) 131-year old American Photographic Giant KODAK goes bankrupt last week: What are the major reasons?

Hi,
Came across this news of the American Photographic film giant KODAK filing for bankruptcy on Thursday, the 19th Jan. A few of the major reasons for the downfall of KODAK, which was once a house-hold name around the world, are given below:
kodak-bankruptcy-2012-01-04
1) Firstly the Japanese competition, mainly from Fuji film ( which led to undercut its prices and reduced its profits)

2) Then the onset of digital photography in the early 2000s
In the dozen years before 2011, the company had lost more than 95 percent of its value as it was pummelled by foreign competition and then shaken to its core by a digital revolution.

3) Its inability to exit from the traditionally more profitable film business
Supposedly, Kodak executives chose to hold back on developing the digital camera in order to protect its highly profitable film business.

4) Its inability to restructure and realign itself with the technological changes that have been happening in the electronics industry.
For Kodak, which once had 145,000 employees spread around the globe, it looked more like ‘pure inertia’; a highly successful company trying to protect its near-monopoly in film by hiding the Next Big Thing and getting burned.

For more info on this development, you may like to look at:
1) Eastman Kodak Files for Bankruptcy: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/eastman-kodak-files-for-bankruptcy/

2) Watch the Video on Kodak Bankruptcy: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/01/19/business/100000001296658/kodak-declares-banruptcy.html

3) Kodak goes bankrupt amid digital world of film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkwdwcl0EAE

4) Kodak Wins Approval for $650 Million Financing With Plans for Patent Sale: http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-20/kodak-wins-approval-for-financing-with-plans-for-patent-sale-1-?category=%2Fnews%2Fus%2F

Wishing you SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Trainer's Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (3): Every thought we think is creating our future

Hi,
Good morning! This week, I would like to introduce to you an amazing book, “You Can Heal Your Life” written by Louise Hay. A friend of mine who read this book liked it so much that he bought dozens of copies of it and gifted them to several of his relatives and friends including me. I shall share with you from this book the summary of one of the chapters “My Story” wherein Louise describes her own journey of life and the lessons she learnt from it. A little longer note, though I abridged it quite a bit.
“Before, taking you through her journey of life, I must tell you what she is today. She is a metaphysics lecturer and teacher and the bestselling author of 27 books including ‘Heal Your Body’ and “The Power Within You’. Her book, ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ has been translated in 29 different languages, available in more than 35 countries, and has sold more than 30 million copies. She has helped in the process millions of people heal their lives. Listen to the inspiring story of her life in her own words....”
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“I was a little girl of 18 months when my parents divorced. My step-father treated us with brutality and I suffered his violence as a child. When I was about 5 years old, a neighbour, an old wino, raped me, and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Most of my childhood was thus spent enduring physical and sexual abuse. My self-image became lower and lower as I started believing that I was worthless and did not DESERVE anything.”
“When I was 15, I could not take the sexual abuse any longer, and ran away from home and from school. At the age of 16, I gave birth to a baby girl who I could not keep. I gave her away. I left the child when she was 5 days old, experiencing no joys of motherhood but only the suffering of loss, guilt, and shame. I then returned to my home and found my mother, who continued to be a victim, and took her away, helped her to get a job as a domestic servant in a small hotel, left for Chicago, and did not return for 30 years.”
“But with the violence I experienced as a child and sense of worthlessness, I only attracted men into my life who mistreated me and often beat me. Gradually, however, through positive work experiences, my self-esteem grew, and these kind of men began to leave my life. My old pattern of unconsciously believing - I deserved abuse – no longer existed. I moved to New York and became a high-fashion model, married a wonderful, English gentleman. But once again, I felt crushed when one day after 14 years of marriage; he announced his desire to marry another.”
“But what changed my life was when I attended a church meeting. While their message was new to me, something within me said, “Pay attention,” and so I did. I lost interest in beauty and fashion and became a voracious student. Though I was a school dropout when I was 15, I started devouring every book I could lay my hands on that pertained to metaphysics and healing. Three years later, I became eligible to apply for Church’s licensed practitioner, passed the test; and began as a church counsellor. Out of the work I was doing, I was inspired to put together a little book “ Heal Your Body” which began as a simple list of metaphysical causations for physical illness in the body. I began to lecture and travel and hold small classes.”
“.....Then one day, I was diagnosed as having cancer....”
“I went into total panic, but I knew that mental healing would work. I believed that if I could clear the ‘mental pattern’ which actually led to this cancer, then I would not even need an operation. I also know that I had to love myself a great deal more than what I was. I also realised that it was okay and even essential for me to love and approve of myself. At first, it was difficult for me to do things like stand in front of the mirror and say things like, “Louise, I love you.” However, I persisted. Gradually, I cleared my mental patterns of resentment that I had been holding since childhood. I did not have an operation – however as a result of all the thorough mental and physical cleansing, six months after my diagnosis – I no longer had even a trace of cancer!”
“Now, I know from my own personal experience that DIS-EASE can be healed, if we are willing to change the way we think and believe and act. And, as a result, the big tragedy became the greater good in my life. I learned so much from this experience and I came to value life in a new way. I began to look at what was really important to me. My little book, “Heal Your Body” opened new doors for me. Slowly, new clients appeared. I was asked to speak here and there, and within a couple of years, I was able to move into a lovely home. I could reconnect with my mother and sister. By then my mother turned 90, blind, and almost deaf. She came to live with me, started exercising, had her cataract removed, and started seeing the world again. She left the world peacefully a few years later...”
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Amazing! Louise is now the Owner and Founder of Hay House Inc., a self-help publishing company that disseminates books, audios, and videos that contribute to the healing of the planet. Louse is a live example of human life transformation by way of changing one’s own thought patterns, discarding resentment and getting rid of self-limiting beliefs. Louise says, “Everyone suffers from self-hatred and guilt. Self-love, self-approval, and self-acceptance in the now are the keys to positive changes. When we really love ourselves, everything in our life works.” Let us take time to introspect, be honest, and start the cleansing process that could make our life much more enriching and joyful.
More details about Louise Hay, her books and movie could be found at:
http://www.louisehay.com/
http://www.youcanhealyourlifemovie.com/
To Your SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
B Sivaprasad
Corporate Trainer and Motivational Speaker
value4value@gmail.com

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Trainer’s Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (2): Give Your Best Every Single Day

Hi,
Good morning! Hope you had a great week and a great start in the New Year. I shared with you last Saturday a selected learning from the book ‘The Pilgrimage’ of Paulo Coelho. I must tell you that I found this book to be of much more learning. Hence, I would like to share with you another important note that I made from it.
Basically, in this book, Paulo describes his journey on the medieval sacred route from ‘Saint-jean-de-port to Santiago de Compostela’ and shares the ancient wisdom he explores and experiences and feels it as the secret of success of people. In his own beautiful style, he unearths the learning through various chapters including those on Arrival, Cruelty, The Messenger, Love, Marriage, Enthusiasm, Death, and Conquest . Let me reproduce the notes I made from the chapter ‘Death’ that Paulo extols..
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Human beings are the only ones in nature who are aware that they will die. For that reason and only for that reason, I have a profound respect for the human race, and I believe that its future is going to be much better than its present. Even knowing that their days are numbered and everything will end when they least expect it, people make of their lives a battle that is worthy of being with eternal life. What people regard as vanity – leaving great works, having children, acting in such a way as to prevent one’s name from being forgotten – I regard as the highest form of human dignity.”
“Still being fragile creatures, humans always try to hide from themselves the certainty that they will die. They do not see that it is death itself that motivates them to do the best things in their lives. They are afraid to step into the dark, afraid of the unknown, and their only way of conquering their fear is to ignore the fact that their days are numbered. They do not see that with an awareness of death, they would be able to be even more daring, to go much further in their daily conquests, because then they would have nothing to lose – for death is inevitable.”
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Wav! Well said, Paulo! As we march forward in our lives let us give our best every single day and live the life with highest dignity and decorum.
The other salient notes I made from this book are posted on my blog, ‘Trainer’s Notes from Siva: From ‘The Pilgrimage of Paulo Coelho’. You can read them by clicking on the link given below:
http://value4value.blogspot.com/2012/01/trainers-notes-for-success-from-siva.html
To your SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
The Pilgrimage_Paulo Coelho

Trainer’s Notes for SUCCESS from Siva: From “The Pilgrimage of Paulo Coelho”

I have been reading this book, “The Pilgrimage” written by Paulo Coelho and making notes from it. Given below are some of them reproduced from the book as they are.
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“You don’t have to climb a mountain to find whether or not it’s high.”
“The ship is safest when it’s in port, but that’s not what ships were built for.”
“The true path to wisdom can be identified by three things. First, it must involve agape; second it has to have practical application in life; and finally, it has to be a path that can be followed by anyone.”
"Don't lose sight of your objective. Don't forget that you still have a great deal to learn before you find your sword. When you are moving toward an objective, it is important to pay attention to the road. It is the road that teaches us the best way to get there, and the road enriches us as we walk its length. It will turn out to be better or worse depending on the route you choose to reach it and the way you negotiate the route.”
“Try to find pleasure in a speed that you are not used to. Changing the way you do routine things allows a new person grow inside of you.”
"Wherever your treasure is, there will be your heart."
You believe that God exists, and so do I. So God exists for both of us. But if someone doesn’t believe in him, that doesn’t mean God ceases to exist. Nor does it mean that the non-believer is wrong.”
“The road you are travelling is the Road of Power, and only the exercises having to do with the power will be taught to you. The journey, which prior to this was torture because all you wanted was to get there, is now beginning to become a pleasure. It is the pleasure of searching and the pleasure of an adventure. You are nourishing something that’s very important – your dreams.”
"We must never stop dreaming. Dreaming provides nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body. Many times in our lives we see our dreams shattered and our desire frustrated, but we have to continue dreaming."
“The good fight is the one that’s fought in the name of our dreams. When we’re young and our dreams first explode inside us with all their force, we are very courageous, but we haven’t yet learned how to fight. With great effort, we learn how to fight, but by then we no longer have the courage to go into combat. So we turn against ourselves and do battle within. We become our worst enemy. We say that our dreams were childish, or too difficult to realize, or the result of our not having known enough about our life. We kill our dreams because we are afraid to fight the good fight.”
"The first symptom of the process of killing our dreams is the lack of time. The busiest people always have time enough to do everything.”
“The second symptom of the death of our dreams lies in our certainties. Because we don't want to see life as a grand adventure, we begin to think of ourselves as wise and fair and correct in asking so little of life.”
“The third symptom of the passing of our dreams is peace. Life becomes a Sunday afternoon; we ask for nothing grand, and we cease to demand anything more than we are willing to give.”
“The only way to rescue our dreams is by being generous with ourselves.”
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It has been a long post already. There is much more to share from this. Will post more notes in a few days. Pls don’t miss to check my blog in the next few days....

With love and regards,
Siva
The Pilgrimage_Paulo Coelho

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Trainer’s Notes for SUCCESS from Siva (1): “Have Faith, YOU Could Make a World of Difference”

Hi, Since the time I last posted the Saturday Story from Siva in August last year, I have been receiving several mails asking me to resume posting them. I have been contemplating to do it again. But this time I would like to share the notes I make from the books I read. It is a 2-3 minute read aimed at bringing you the essence I extract from the book chapters I read. Every Saturday, I plan to introduce a new book chapter and the essential learning made from it through these posts. I am sure you would love receiving these “Trainer’s Notes for SUCCESS from Siva”. Here goes the first one…
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Have Faith, YOU Could Make a World of Difference
It is said that faith moves mountains. faith has enormous power that could help a person achieve what he truly thinks he is capable of. Faith brings about tremendous belief in one’s own abilities. And that belief generates the thoughts, and thoughts lead to actions, and actions into results. A similar phenomenon applies even to ‘having faith in others’. It is important to have faith in others if you want them to do what you want. Paulo Coelho, in his book, “The Pilgrimage” refers to a statement made by a Spanish football fan, Antonio, who led the Spanish fans in their cheers at the World Cup in Mexico in 1986.
Paulo asks him, “How do you manage to see the game when your back is always to the field and you were inciting the fans.”
Antonio replies, “That’s what gives me satisfaction. Helping the fans believe in victory.” He also says, “Fans who lack the faith can make a team lose a game it is already winning.”
In other words, it means that fans who repose faith can make a team win a game it is already losing. Are you leading a team? Or wishing your loved ones succeed in their chosen goals? Are they falling short of their targets? Then, have faith in them…in their success…in their victory... YOUR FAITH IN THEM will help them win and make a world of difference in their lives. Just fine tune your faith, you will be amazed to see the results you get.
Have a great week end! Will be back next Saturday.
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To your SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva
The Pilgrimage_Paulo Coelho