SHARED THOUGHTS….. 12.01.13.
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Horror
of making mistakes, fear of taking risk, panic at loss of confidence, dreading to take decisions… these are the ‘moments of inevitable
encounters’ with oneself, in the process of growing up…. in life and in career.
It
helps to be constantly reminded of how these unavoidable moments of truth were
tamed by those who made it in life.
Inspirational
to the ordinary … to become extraordinary.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Triumph of enthusiasm.
Have you heard of the story - spilt milk? Well, we all know there is no use crying over spilt milk. But this story is different. I would hope all parents would respond in this manner.
I recently heard a story about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others?
He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor - a veritable sea of milk!
When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?"
Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you prefer?" He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilled milk.
His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it." The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!
This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make mistakes.
Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment doesn't work, we usually learn something valuable from it.
Wouldn't it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert's mother responded to him?
Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm.
Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning.
Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles.
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Question:
There are 3 frogs on a leaf. If one of them decided to jump off the leaf into
the water, how many frogs are there left on the leaf?
Answer: THREE
Why?
The frog only DECIDED to jump! It didn't!
Dreaming of a personal accomplishment, most people make the mistake of waiting...
- Waiting until they've been trained
- Waiting till someone say's they are ready
- Waiting till they have the proper tools
- Waiting till they're better
- Waiting till they're hired
- Waiting till they've been given the assignment
Ponder over this, my friends. Are you not unlike the frog; who decides to do this, decides to do that, but ended up not doing any?
In life, we have to make many decisions. Some easy; some hard. Most mistakes are not made by wrong decisions; Most mistakes are made due to our inability to take a right decision at the right time.
We have to live with the consequences of our decisions. And that is RISK.
Answer: THREE
Why?
The frog only DECIDED to jump! It didn't!
Dreaming of a personal accomplishment, most people make the mistake of waiting...
- Waiting until they've been trained
- Waiting till someone say's they are ready
- Waiting till they have the proper tools
- Waiting till they're better
- Waiting till they're hired
- Waiting till they've been given the assignment
Ponder over this, my friends. Are you not unlike the frog; who decides to do this, decides to do that, but ended up not doing any?
In life, we have to make many decisions. Some easy; some hard. Most mistakes are not made by wrong decisions; Most mistakes are made due to our inability to take a right decision at the right time.
We have to live with the consequences of our decisions. And that is RISK.
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Power
of Belief.
A businessman was deep in debt and could see no way out.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment.
He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save
his company from bankruptcy.
Suddenly an old man appeared before him.
"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.
After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can
help you."
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand
saying,
"Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay
me back at that time."
Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John
D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized.
But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe.
Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to
save his business, he thought.
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of
payment.
He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and
making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At
the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared.
But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his
success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried.
"I hope he hasn't been bothering you.
He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D.
Rockefeller. "
And she led the old man away by the arm.
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned.
All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced
he had half a million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had
turned his life around.
It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve
anything he went after.
=======================================================
A businessman was deep in debt and could see no way out.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment.
He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save
his company from bankruptcy.
Suddenly an old man appeared before him.
"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.
After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can
help you."
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand
saying,
"Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay
me back at that time."
Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John
D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized.
But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe.
Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to
save his business, he thought.
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of
payment.
He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and
making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At
the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared.
But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his
success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried.
"I hope he hasn't been bothering you.
He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D.
Rockefeller. "
And she led the old man away by the arm.
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned.
All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced
he had half a million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had
turned his life around.
It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve
anything he went after.
=======================================================
The Real Failure
The only real failure is failing to learn from failure.
There is a story of a young reporter who was commissioned to interview an old and successful businessman.
`Sir,' he asked politely, `what has been the secret of your success?'
The older man leaned back on his leather swivel chair, behind his shining mahogany desk, and replied, `Two words, son, two words: right decisions.'
The reporter wrote it down. Then he asked another question. `And how do you learn how to make right decisions, sir?' he asked.
The successful business man leaned back further and replied, `One word, son, one word: experience.'
The reporter wrote this down, too, and then asked, `Well, sir, how do you acquire experience?'
The older man leaned forward over his desk and whispered conspiratorially, `Two words, son, two words: wrong decisions!'
The only real failure is failing to learn from failure.
The only real failure is failing to learn from failure.
There is a story of a young reporter who was commissioned to interview an old and successful businessman.
`Sir,' he asked politely, `what has been the secret of your success?'
The older man leaned back on his leather swivel chair, behind his shining mahogany desk, and replied, `Two words, son, two words: right decisions.'
The reporter wrote it down. Then he asked another question. `And how do you learn how to make right decisions, sir?' he asked.
The successful business man leaned back further and replied, `One word, son, one word: experience.'
The reporter wrote this down, too, and then asked, `Well, sir, how do you acquire experience?'
The older man leaned forward over his desk and whispered conspiratorially, `Two words, son, two words: wrong decisions!'
The only real failure is failing to learn from failure.
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(Thanks to Bharat Rajan, Jitu Vadodaria).
Have
a safe week ahead,
MOHANDAS. KP.
