Monday, February 18, 2013

Success Does Not Happen in Isolation


There was a farmer who grew superior quality and award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honor and prizes. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learnt something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his award-winning corn seeds with his neighbor farmers.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering their corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior, sub-standard and poor quality corn, cross pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

The farmer gave a superb insight into the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor’s corn also improves.

So it is in other dimensions also !

Those who choose to be at harmony must help their neighbors and colleagues to be at peace, those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

If we are to grow good quality corn, we must help our neighbors grow good quality corn too....

Success does not happen in isolation; it is most often a participatory and collective process. So share the good practices, ideas and new knowledge with your family, friends, team members and neighbours and all.

Only way (the right way) to grow in an organization is - to grow along with others and not grow at the cost of others!
George Bernard Shaw once noted, If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Has the water entered my ship?



In 1923 , eight of the wealthiest people in the world met . Their combined wealth , estimated, exceeded the wealth of the government of the United States (there was no Apple, Google, Microsoft and recession then). These men knew how to make a living and accumulate wealth . It's very interesting to read about what happened to these 8 wealthiest people in the world , 25 years later ….. 

So 25 years later....... 

1. President of the largest Steel Company , Charles Schwab , died bankrupt. 

2. President of the largest Gas Company , Howard Hubson , went insane. 

3. One of the greatest commodity traders , Arthur Cutton , died insolvent. 

4. President of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney , was sent to jail. 

5. A member of the President’s Cabinet , Albert Fall , was pardoned from jail. 

6. The greatest “bear” on Wall Street , Jessie Livermore , committed suicide. 

7. President of the world’s greatest monopoly , Ivar Krueger , committed suicide. 

8. President , Bank of International Settlement , Leon Fraser , committed suicide. 

So, what happened? Where did they go wrong? 

They most certainly made lots and lots of money. They were very wealthy. But what did they lack then? In fact, as much as they knew how to make a living, they forgot to make a life! Instead, they just made Money! 

Money provides comfort and status, so true. It also provides food for the hungry, medicine for the sick, clothes for the needy; and shelter for the homeless, yet, noteworthy to mention that is only a medium of exchange. 

Our education system needs to share two kinds of education. One that teaches us skills on how to make a living; and one that teaches us values on how to live life, free from entrapment of chasing after an illusion of happiness. 

Many people are entrapped in that chase neglecting health, family, the social responsibilities, the environment and moment by moment of real deep fresh breathing. The kids are sleeping when we leave home. They are sleeping when we come home. Twenty years later, we WILL turn back, and they’ll all be gone. Same goes for our health, dreams, and purpose in life. Twenty years later, they will all be gone or a far distant memory. 

Without water, a ship cannot move. The ship needs water. Yet, if the water gets into the ship, the ship will face problems and potentially sink. Similarly, we live in a time where earning is a necessity; but let not the earning enter our hearts; for, what was once a means of living, will become heavy chain, an entrapment and a means of destruction !!!??? 

So take a moment and ask yourself…. 

"Has the water entered my ship?”

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