No Time to Listen !

This has been the story of a lot of people - they usually fail to listen to the people in the "trenches" and miss out on the wonderful ideas that they have.

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.

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?”

Reverse Brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming helps you solve problems by combining brainstorming and reversal techniques. By combining these, you can extend your use of brainstorming to draw out even more creative ideas.

To use this technique, you start with one of two "reverse" questions:

Instead of asking, "How do I solve or prevent this problem?" ask, "How could I possibly cause the problem?"

Instead of asking "How do I achieve these results?" ask, "How could I possibly achieve the opposite effect?"

Reverse brain-storming is a good technique to try when it is difficult to identify solutions to the problem directly.

Read the complete article here.

Smartphone Code of Conduct

A mother of a 13 year old gifted him an iPhone on Christmas, however she laid out the code of conduct too for the use of the iPhone. The mother, Janell Burley Hofmann, wrote the 18-point code of conduct, which has gone viral on the net and is resonating the thoughts of many like minded parents, includes some very sensible points like the ones below - 

• It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill. 
• Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
• Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.

Hats off to the mother for putting very thoughtful clauses and with utmost respect to her son's feelings and also giving some valuable advice along the way.


To read the complete article click here

What I Really Do...

Learn and Earn

Chuan and Jing joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. Both worked very hard.

After several years, the boss promoted Jing to sales executive but Chuan remained a sales rep.

One day Chuan could not take it anymore, tender resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not value hard working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him.

The boss knew that Chuan worked very hard for the years, but in order to help Chuan realize the difference between him and Jing, the boss asked Chuan to do the following. Go and find out anyone selling water melon in the market? Chuan returned and said yes. The boss asked how much per kg? Chuan went back to the market to ask and returned to inform boss the $12 per kg.

Boss told Chuan, I will ask Jing the same question? Jing went, returned and said, boss, only one person selling water melon. $12 per kg, $100 for 10 kg, he has inventory of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, every melon weighs about 15 kg, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality.

Chuan was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Jing. He decided not to resign but to learn from Jing.

Moral: A more successful person is more observant, think more and understand in depth. For the same matter, a more successful person sees several years ahead, while you see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times so that makes it difficult to win. As far as we see ahead in life, as thoughtful in depth we are.