Animesh

I Have a Dream - Martin Luthar King Jr.

2012-01-16T00:42:00.000+14:00

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Wealth brings value only when given away

2012-01-14T02:45:00.000+14:00

~DEVDUTT PATTANAIK

Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, has three fathers. There is Varuna, god of the sea, who gives the world salt, fish and all the water it needs. This is why Lakshmi is called Sagara-putri.

Then there is Puloman, the Asura-king, who rules from the subterranean realm of Patala, where the primary form of all wealth is located. This is why Lakshmi is called Paulomi and Patala-nivasini, or resident of Patala. Finally there is Bhrigu, the sage who can see the future and so bring fortune. This is why Lakshmi is called Bhargavi.

Varuna gives Lakshmi away freely without resentment; and so is blessed with abundance. Puloman resists giving away Lakshmi and keeps fighting with the Devas, who want to make Lakshmi their queen, Sachi. Bhrigu rarely shares his secret and very selectively parts with his daughter. That is why, for most humans, Varuna is a generous god, worthy of worship, while Puloman is a demon and Bhrigu, the guru of demons.

Wealth was visualised as a daughter that we create. She sits in our wallets. But she brings value only when she is given away. This is kanya-daan, giving away of the bride. To not part with wealth; to hoard; was considered the gravest of crimes. Yakshas, who hoard wealth, are therefore visualised as demons who are often attacked and tortured by their half-brothers, Rakshasas, just as Devas are perennially at war with the Asuras.

Through these stories, value was placed on wealth distribution, allowing wealth to flow so that it brought in more value. It also revealed the mindset that was considered beneficial to society at large, and ultimately, to the individual involved in wealth generation.

Jamshed owns six bakeries across the city. Each bakery has a turnover of over two lakh rupees each day. But Jamshed does not care much about the turnover, "The more bakeries I build, the more boys and girls get jobs, more people get to taste my bread and my cake. There is so much joy in that," he feels.

Firoz is also in the baking business. He has two bakeries. But he does not want to build more. He says, "It is a headache. The vendors do not give enough credit and the employees threaten to form unions. And the taxes are so high. Customers prefer Jamshed's breads to mine. He is too strong a competitor. I barely make any profit."

Samsher also has a bakery that makes the most exquisite scones in the city. There is always a crowd in front of his store. He does not share his recipe and makes the batter for the scones himself. He cannot expand the business, as he might have to share his trade secret. He is happy being exclusive and highly profitable.

Jamshed is like Varuna, who uses his money to take care of his employees and lavish his customers, who return the favour. Firoz is like Puloman; so careful about his money that both employees and customers feel the pinch. Samsher is like Bhrigu whose customer-friendly secrets ensure his success.

While all generate wealth, Jamshed's wealth is shared amongst many people and it gives livelihood to many, reducing unemployment and helping society at large. The wealth of Firoz and Samsher helps only them. They become rich. But when one is rich in a world where there is poverty and unemployment, one lives perpetually in fear, facing the resentment of the rest. This is unhealthy in the long run. We then become 'demons' for other members of society.

(The author is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group.)

Leadership & The Power of Listening

2012-01-02T21:35:00.001+14:00

Great leaders are great listeners, and therefore the message is a simple one… talk less and listen more. The best leaders are proactive, strategic, and intuitive listeners. They recognize that knowledge and wisdom are not gained by talking, but by listening. Take a moment and reflect back on any great leader that comes to mind…you’ll find that they are very adept at reading between the lines. They have the uncanny ability to understand what is not said, witnessed, or heard. In today’s post I’ll quickly examine the merits of developing your listening skills. Warning: this post isn't going to coddle you and leave you feeling warm and fuzzy – it is rather blunt and to the point.

Want to become a better leader? Stop talking and start listening. Being a leader should not be viewed as a license to increase the volume of rhetoric. Rather astute leaders know that there is far more to be gained by surrendering the floor than by dominating it. In this age of instant communication everyone seems to be in such a rush to communicate what’s on their mind, they fail to realize the value of everything that can be gleaned from the minds of others. Show me a leader who doesn’t recognize the value of listening to others and I’ll show you a train-wreck in the making…

It is simply not possible to be a great leader without being a great communicator. This partially accounts for why we don’t encounter great leadership more often. The big miss for most leaders is that they fail to understand that the purpose of communication is not to message, but to engage – THIS REQUIRES LISTENING. Don’t be fooled into thinking that being heard is more important than hearing. The first rule in communication is to seek understanding before seeking to be understood. Communication is not a one way street. I’ve interviewed and worked with some of the most noted leaders of our time, and to the one, they never miss an opportunity to listen. In fact, they aggressively seek out new and better ways to listen.

Simply broadcasting your message ad nauseum will not have the same result as engaging in meaningful conversation, but this assumes that you understand that the greatest form of discourse takes place within a conversation, and not a lecture or a monologue. When you reach that point in your life where the light bulb goes off, and you begin to understand that knowledge is not gained by flapping your lips, but by removing your ear wax, you have taken the first step to becoming a skilled communicator. A key point for all leaders to consider is that it’s impossible to stick your foot in your mouth when it’s closed. Think about it…when was the last time you viewed a negative soundbite of a CEO who was engaged in active listening?

The next step in the process is learning where to apply your new found listening skills. Listen to your customers, competitors, your peers, your subordinates, and to those that care about you. Ask people how you can become a better leader and then LISTEN. Take your listening skills online, and don’t just push out Tweets and Facebook messages, but ask questions and elicit feedback. Use your vast array of social media platforms, toolsets and connections to listen. If you follow this advice not only will you become better informed, but you’ll also become more popular with those whom you interact with.

Have you ever walked into an important meeting and wondered who the smartest person in the room was? If you mull this over for a moment you’ll find that almost universally the smartest person in the room is not the one doing all the talking – it’s the person doing all the listening. You’ll also notice that when intelligent people do speak-up it’s not to ramble-on incoherently or incessantly, but usually to ask a question so that they can elicit even more information. The quiet confidence of true leaders has much greater resolve than the bombastic displays of the arrogant.

Following are 6 tips for becoming a better listener:

It’s not about you: Stop worrying about what you’re going to say and focus on what’s being said. Don’t listen to have your opinions validated or your ego stroked, listen to be challenged and to learn something new. You’re not always right, so stop pretending you know everything and humble yourself to others. If you desire to be listened to, then give others the courtesy of listening to them.
You should never be too busy to listen: Anyone can add value to your world if you’re willing to listen. How many times have you dismissed someone because of their station or title when what you should have done was listen? Wisdom doesn’t just come from peers and those above you – it can come from anywhere at anytime, but only if you’re willing to listen. Expand your sphere of influence and learn from those with different perspectives and experiences – you’ll be glad you did.
Listen to non-verbals: People say as much (if not more) with their actions, inactions, body language, facial expressions, etc., as they do with their verbal communications. Don’t be lulled into thinking that because someone is not saying something they’re not communicating. In fact, most people won’t overtly verbalize opposition or disagreement, but they will almost always deliver a verry clear message with their non-verbals.
Listen for opportunity: Intuitive listeners are looking for the story behind the message, and the opportunity beyond the issue. Listening is about discovery, and discovery can not only impact the present, but it can also influence the future.
Let listening be your calling card: One of the best compliments you can be paid is to be known as a good listener. Being recognized in this fashion will open doors, surface opportunities, and take you places that talking never could. Listening demonstrates that you respect others, and is the first step in building trust and rapport.
Recognize the contributions of others: One of the most often overlooked aspects of listening is thanking others for their contributions. If you glean benefits from listening to someone, thank them. Even if no value is perceived, thank them for their time and input. Never forget to acknowledge those who contribute energy, ideas, actions or results. Few things go as far in building good will as recognizing others.

Allow me to leave you with one final thought to reflect on – if you’re ready for advanced listening skills, don’t just listen to those who agree with you, but actively seek out dissenting opinions and thoughts. Listen to those that confront you, challenge you, stretch you, and develop you. True wisdom doesn’t see opposition, only opportunity. I believe is was Benjamin Franklin who said, “Speak little, do much.”

In my opinion great talkers are a dime a dozen, but great listeners are a rare commodity. What say you?

By Mike Myatt

Happiness.

2011-12-27T00:19:00.000-10:00

Humans generally have the tendency to operate from the paradigm:

Have -> Do -> Be.

Implying, If I “HAVE” this -> I will “DO” that -> and thus “BE” that (For the future)
&
If I “HAD” that -> I would have “DONE” that -> and thus “BECOME” that (For the past)

However, if we were to keep questioning ourselves on the purpose of our existence, my take is that we exist for the purpose of being Happy!

Now, if that is true, then we should reverse the paradigm and “BE” Happy and “DO” everything that gives us joy & Happiness and the whole world shall connive to make us “HAVE” everything & more than we need to help us “BE” Happy.

Here comes the interesting part.
Humans are one animal who is Happiest when “Giving” Happiness!
So, what should one “Give” ??

There was this absolutely wonderful lady who was Happiest when she was serving and helping the destitute women & children in the streets of Kolkatta. She knew how to “Love”. Her passion was to “Serve” with whatever she was good at, and she was good at “Loving” and taking “Care” of people. She decided and made it her life mission to take care & “Give” the abundance of “Love” that she possessed. She did, what she was BEST at, and she gave her whole life to fulfill the one purpose she had, and it was not in taking, it was in giving her everything to love and take care of the destitute women & children of the streets of Kolkatta. She was awarded the Noble Prize amongst so many other awards, she is known as a Saint. We all know what a wonderful, caring, loving & Happy human being that Mother Teresa was.

What I have learnt from the above is that, I must find my life purpose, I must find what am I good at, I must find what gives me joy & Happiness, I must find my passion, and having found it, I must share, I must show others the joy that I have and how everyone can possibly have the same joy & Happiness by sharing & giving & loving & just by being a good human being.

There is enough and more in this world for Mankind’s needs. It is Mankind’s Greed that is causing all the problems.

I have no clue if my rantings above make sense.. or even if they are the real truth, but lately I have come to believe in this, and find that I’m so much a Happier person.

The Multividual Man

2011-12-26T18:30:00.000-10:00

The Multividual Man

Narayan Devanathan / December 26, 2011 (The author is National Planning Head, Dentsu Marcom)

The Indian man of the future isn’t one. He’s many. Meet the Multividual Man. He’s the ways he is because of social forces around him. And because he can be. But first, those social forces.

Pre-Independence, the Indian Male was defined by a single-minded patriotism. “I wear my country on my Khadi sleeve. Test it at your own risk.”

Post-Independence, the Indian Male was about security. Ensuring it for himself and his family. At all costs to himself. It was only after roti, kapda and makaan were secured by the 1980s Indian Male to a certain extent that he started focusing on himself, as an individual.

As a Ladies Man. As the “Impossible is Nothing” man. As the man that others looked up to. Especially female others, gazing up at him while riding pillion on a fast and not-so-furious bike. Or so he saw his own image. Being seen by others as emulate-able was important for him.

And then along came Liberalisation. Of the wallet and the mind. And a new millennium that brought with it an inner-directedness. To an extent only though. It manifested itself as the man who oozed confidence as India on the global stage, enjoying its many moments in the limelight. He was no longer showing off to the galleries. He was merely showing his prowess at the helm.

All around him though, the world was changing furiously, doing more things simultaneously to itself than it had ever seen in multiple millennia. It was as if the world could only keep pace with itself by multi-tasking. Not surprisingly, it asked the same of its people. Do more. Be more.

That’s when he morphed into the Multividual Man. His identity was now to be split into many. How to manage this schizophrenia without becoming unbalanced was the challenge before him. How is this different from the different life roles that man has played in the past? Was he not Brother, Career Man, Lover, Husband, Father, Caregiver before too? It’s just that he’s made peace with paradoxes. Inside him and in the world outside. He doesn’t think having a good time has to be at the cost of the earth. Or cost the earth either. Responsibility doesn’t have to hamper his freedom. Nor do career considerations need to temper his adventurous spirit. Because I am We.

Some marketers have marked this multividuality as experimentation, restlessness or just the ephemeral nature of youth. Like FasTrak, urging him to move on. Multividual Man, though, doesn’t feel the need to move on so much as move around, within his multiple selves. Other marketers, like Titan, seem to recognise his multividuality, and equip him to Be More.

So what selves should a marketer engage with? As people, we are not uni-dimensional. Neither are brands. So recognise the single entity that Multividual Man is, but cater to the multiple selves within. While this is contrary to all the accepted wisdom about single-mindedness of messaging and positioning, the fact is that if a brand’s persona has to engage with real persons, then it must be as colourful, as diverse in its characteristics as the people it wants to engage with. E unum pluribus will be the new mantra. Out of one, many.

4 ways to take control of your email

2011-11-23T20:59:00.001-10:00

If your email Inbox is out of control, you might want to rethink your methods for organizing your email and emptying your Inbox. Developing a new approach to processing your Inbox can help you to gain more control, improve your response time, and keep up with critical actions and due dates.

This article covers four key factors that can help you process your email more efficiently—both at home and at the office. Although some of the productivity tools mentioned here are specific to Microsoft Outlook (Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007, and Outlook Web Access), most of the techniques—and even the organizational attitude described here—can help you to more efficiently process email and empty your Inbox, even if you use an email application other than Outlook.

1. Set up a simple and effective email reference system

The first step toward an organized Inbox is understanding the difference betweenreference information and action information.

· Reference information is information that is not required to complete an action; it is information that you keep in case you need it later. Reference information is stored in your reference system—an email reference folder, your My Documents folder, or a company intranet site, for example.

· Action information is information you must have to complete an action. Action information is stored with the action, either on your to-do list or on your Calendar. (If the action needed is a detailed reply, try converting information into professional communication using these tips on Creating incredible documents more easily using Office 2010.

Most people receive a considerable amount of reference information through email. Sometimes as much as one-third of your email is reference information. So it is essential to have a system that makes it easy to transfer messages from your Inbox into your email reference system—a series of email file folders where you store reference information to ensure you have easy access to it later. Learn more about setting up a reference system.

After you take care of filing your reference information, you can use the next three steps to handle the email that you have to do something with—your action information.

2. Schedule uninterrupted time to process and organize email

How many times are you interrupted every day? It's nearly impossible to complete anything when there are constant interruptions from the phone, people stopping by your office, and instant messaging. So it's critical that you set aside uninterrupted time to process and organize your email.

Many email messages require you to make a decision. The best decisions require focus, and focus requires uninterrupted attention. Establish a regular time each day to process your email so that you can empty your Inbox. Of course, you can scan your email during the day for urgent messages or requests from your boss.

Book yourself a recurring appointment for an hour a day to process email, and mark that time as "busy." During that hour, don't answer the phone or take interruptions, and work only on processing your Inbox. You can also turn off the audio alert that sounds each time you receive a new email—which can be a distraction in itself. In Outlook, click the Filetab. Click Options. On the Mail tab, under Message arrival, clear the Play a sound check box.

At first, keeping these appointments will take discipline. But over time, the discipline becomes habit. And after you completely empty your Inbox, you'll see the value of this one hour a day and you'll stick to it like glue.

Microsoft Outlook 2010 makes it easier to keep this email appointment and to process your Inbox. The new anywhere access features of Outlook 2010 mean that you don’t have to be at home or at the office to keep your daily email management appointment.

Conversation view in Office 2010 enables you to organize email folders by date and conversation. When Conversation view is turned on, messages that share the same subject appear as conversations that can be viewed as expanded or collapsed, helping you to quickly review and act on messages or complete conversations.

Also, improved search tools in Office 2010 make it easier to narrow your search results by using criteria, like sender or subject keywords, and other information, such as attachments. The Search Tools contextual tab includes a set of filters that efficiently focus your search to isolate the items that you want. For more information, see Find a message or item by using Instant Search.

Instant Search in Outlook 2010 provides many ways to search your email for specific messages.

3. Process one item at a time, starting at the top

When you sit down to process your email, the first step is to sort it by the order in which you will process it. For example, you can filter by date, by subject, or even by the sender or receiver of the email message. In Outlook 2010, on the View tab, in the Arrangement group, click the arrangement option you want.

From the View tab, you can filter your email by date, category, sender or receiver, and more.

You can also change the arrangement directly from your Inbox. To display the list of options, under the Search box, right-click the Arrange By: box.

The Arrange By: box in your Inbox gives you convenient access to even more options to arrange your messages.

Tip: If you use Outlook 2010, enable the reading pane (called the preview pane in Outlook 2007) so that you can view your messages without having to open them. To enable the reading pane, on the View tab, in the Layout group, click Reading Pane. To enable the Outlook 2007 preview pane, on the View menu, click AutoPreview.

Resist the temptation to jump around in your Inbox in no particular order. Begin processing the message at the top of your Inbox and only move to the second one after you've handled the first. This can be hard at first, when you might have thousands of messages in your Inbox. But as you reduce the number of messages over a few sessions, eventually you'll get to the point where you can process the 60–100 messages you get every day and regularly get your Inbox down to zero.

4. Use the "Four Ds for Decision-Making" model

The "Four Ds for Decision-Making" model (4 Ds) is a valuable tool for processing email, helping you to quickly decide what action to take with each item and how to remove it from your Inbox.

The expanded Ribbon in Office 2010 is designed to help you quickly find the tools that you need to complete your tasks. Features are organized in logical groups collected together under tabs. You can also customize the Ribbon to include tabs you personalize to match your own style.

The expanded Ribbon in Outlook 2010 replaces Outlook 2007 menus, giving you easy access to tools on conveniently organized tabs.

The Quick Steps feature, new in Outlook 2010, speeds up managing your email even more. This feature enables you to perform the multi-stepped tasks you use most often, such as moving email to a specific folder or moving a message and replying to it with a meeting request, with a single click. The Quick Steps gallery includes buttons for one-click file and flag, sending messages to your team, and other popular commands. For more information, see Automate common or repetitive tasks with Quick Steps.

The Quick Steps feature turns your most frequent tasks—whether forwarding messages to your co-workers or copying messages to a specific folder—into one-click operations.

Tip: Learning a few basic keyboard shortcuts in Outlook 2010 can make performing these tasks even easier and faster. Read our article on how to save time with quick computer shortcuts.

Decide what to do with each and every message

How many times have you opened, reviewed, and closed the same email message or conversation? Those messages are getting lots of attention but very little action. It is better to handle each email message only once before taking action—which means you have to decide what to do with it and where to put it. With the 4 Ds model, you have four choices:

1. Delete it

2. Do it

3. Delegate it

4. Defer it

Delete it

Generally, you can delete about half of all the email you get. But some of you shudder when you hear the phrase "delete email." You're hesitant to delete messages for fear that you might need them at some point. That's understandable, but ask yourself honestly: What percentage of information that you keep do you actually use?

If you do use a large percentage of what you keep, your method is working. But many of us keep a lot more than we use. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you decide what to delete:

· Does the message relate to a meaningful objective you're currently working on? If not, you can probably delete it. Why keep information that doesn't relate to your main focus?

· Does the message contain information you can find elsewhere? If so, delete it.

· Does the message contain information that you will refer to within the next six months? If not, delete it.

· Does the message contain information that you're required to keep? If not,delete it.

Outlook 2010 helps you get rid of the “noise” in your Inbox by providing two new commands: Ignore Conversation and Clean Up Conversation. If a conversation is no longer relevant, you can prevent additional responses from appearing in your Inbox. TheIgnore command moves the whole conversation and any future messages that arrive in the conversation to the Deleted Items folder.

Easily delete an entire conversation so that no new responses to it will appear in your Inbox.

When a message contains all the previous messages in the conversation, you can clickClean Up to eliminate redundant messages. For example, as people reply to a conversation, the response is at the top and the previous messages in the conversation are below. Use the Clean Up command to keep only the most recent message that includes the whole conversation. For more information, see Use Conversation Clean Up to eliminate redundant messages.

Cleaning up your conversations makes it easier to stay focused on the task being discussed.

Do it (in less than two minutes)

If you can't delete the email messages, ask yourself, "What specific action do I need to take?" and "Can I do it in less than two minutes?" If you can, just do it.

There is no point in filing an email or closing an email if you can complete the associated task in less than two minutes. Try it out—see how much mail you can process in less than two minutes. I think you will be extremely surprised and happy with the results. You could file the message, you could respond to the message, or you could make a phone call. You can probably handle about one-third of your email messages in less than two minutes.

Office 2010 helps you respond to email messages faster. You can view the availability of a person and instantly reach out to them using a variety of communication methods—all on a new easy-to-access contact card. You can even customize the context menu of the contact card to include tasks you perform most often, saving you more time.

Delegate it

If you can't delete it or do it in two minutes or less, can you forward the email to an appropriate team member who can take care of the task?

If you can delegate it (forward it to another team member to handle), do so right away. You should be able to compose and send the delegating message in about two minutes. After you have forwarded the message, delete the original message or move it into your email reference system.

Defer it

If you cannot delete it, do it in less than two minutes, or delegate it, the action required is something that only you can accomplish and that will take more than two minutes. Because this is your dedicated email processing time, you need to defer it and deal with it after you are done processing your email. You’ll probably find that about 20 percent of your email messages have to be deferred.

There are two things you can do to defer a message: Turn it into an actionable task, or turn it into an appointment. When you're using Outlook, you can defer emails that require action by dragging the messages to your Task List to turn them into tasks. Name the task to clearly state the required action so that you don't have to reopen the email message. The result is a clearly defined list of actions on your Task List that you can prioritize and schedule to complete on your Calendar. Or you can turn the message into a meeting request by dragging it to your Calendar.

Tip: Use the To-Do Bar in Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2007 to drag an email message from an email folder to a date on your Calendar or to your Task List. On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the To-Do Bar. When the bar appears, drag the message to your Calendar or to your Task List. This copies the message to the new location; it doesn’t move it out of the original mail folder, so you’ll still be able to find what you need. Learn more about managing your Task List in Outlook.

Use the 4 Ds model every day

Using the 4 Ds model on a daily basis makes it easier to handle a large quantity of email. Our experience shows that, on average, people can process about 100 email messages an hour. If you receive 40 to 100 messages per day, all you need is one hour of uninterrupted email processing time to get through your Inbox.

Our statistics show that of the email you receive:

· Fifty percent can be deleted or filed.

· Thirty percent can be delegated or completed in less than two minutes.

· Twenty percent can be deferred to your Task List or Calendar to complete later.

Of course, if you have a backlog of hundreds of messages, it will take time to get to the point where your daily routine keeps you up to date. It's important to get that backlog down, so I would suggest setting blocks of time aside to work through it. Then, you can really enjoy processing your messages every day using the 4 Ds.

The 50 New Rules of Work

2011-10-12T21:18:00.000-10:00

-Robin Sharma

You are not just paid to work. You are paid to be uncomfortable – and to pursue projects that scare you.
Take care of your relationships and the money will take care of itself.
Lead you first. You can’t help others reach for their highest potential until you’re in the process of reaching for yours.
To double your income, triple your rate of learning.
While victims condemn change, leaders grow inspired by change.
Small daily improvements over time create stunning results.
Surround yourself with people courageous enough to speak truthfully about what’s best for your organization and the customers you serve.
Don’t fall in love with your press releases.
Every moment in front of a customer is a moment of truth (to either show you live by the values you profess – or you don’t).
Copying what your competition is doing just leads to being second best.
Become obsessed with the user experience such that every touchpoint of doing business with you leaves people speechless. No, breathless.
If you’re in business, you’re in show business. The moment you get to work, you’re on stage. Give us the performance of your life.
Be a Master of Your Craft. And practice + practice + practice.
Get fit like Madonna.
Read magazines you don’t usually read. Talk to people who you don’t usually speak to. Go to places you don’t commonly visit. Disrupt your thinking so it stays fresh + hungry + brilliant.
Remember that what makes a great business – in part – are the seemingly insignificant details. Obsess over them.
Good enough just isn’t good enough.
Brilliant things happen when you go the extra mile for every single customer.
An addiction to distraction is the death of creative production. Enough said.
If you’re not failing regularly, you’re definitely not making much progress.
Lift your teammates up versus tear your teammates down. Anyone can be a critic. What takes guts is to see the best in people.
Remember that a critic is a dreamer gone scared.
Leadership’s no longer about position. Now, it’s about passion. And having an impact through the genius-level work that you do.
The bigger the dream, the more important the team.
If you’re not thinking for yourself, you’re following – not leading.
Work hard. But build an exceptional family life. What’s the point of reaching the mountaintop but getting there alone.
The job of the leader is to develop more leaders.
The antidote to deep change is daily learning. Investing in your professional and personal development is the smartest investment you can make. Period.
Smile. It makes a difference.
Say “please” and “thank you”. It makes a difference.
Shift from doing mindless toil to doing valuable work.
Remember that a job is only just a job if all you see it as is a job.
Don’t do your best work for the applause it generates but for the personal pride it delivers.
The only standard worth reaching for is BIW (Best in World).
In the new world of business, everyone works in Human Resources.
In the new world of business, everyone’s part of the leadership team.
Words can inspire. And words can destroy. Choose yours well.
You become your excuses.
You’ll get your game-changing ideas away from the office versus in the middle of work. Make time for solitude. Creativity needs the space to present itself.
The people who gossip about others when they are not around are the people who will gossip about you when you’re not around.
It could take you 30 years to build a great reputation and 30 seconds of bad judgment to lose it.
The client is always watching.
The way you do one thing defines the way you’ll do everything. Every act matters.
To be radically optimistic isn’t soft. It’s hard. Crankiness is easy.
People want to be inspired to pursue a vision. It’s your job to give it to them.
Every visionary was initially called crazy.
The purpose of work is to help people. The other rewards are inevitable by-products of this singular focus.
Remember that the things that get scheduled are the things that get done.
Keep promises and be impeccable with your word. People buy more than just your products and services. They invest in your credibility.
Lead Without a Title.

I encourage you to share + discuss + debate these with your team and throughout your organization. Within a quick period of time, you’ll see some fantastic results

What your Twitter Feeds say about you

2011-09-21T23:13:00.001-11:00

All you microbloggers who share links, and pain, with the world, find out what your Twitterfeeds say about you

Namrata.Bhawani@timsgroup.com

Twitter may havemercifully reduced the bandwidth for sharing information, but even then itisn’t hard to go from trivia to trivial in 140 characters. Social media gave usthe platform to express ourselves and that’s when the dam burst. People haveused it as a confessional, fed their narcissistic streak orturned into self-styled Deepak Chopras without his ability to spell.

If you’re atweetaholic, you’re probably following or being stalked by one of thesevarieties that grows like fungus on the micro-blogging site. Analyse yourtweeting pattern to see if you have inadvertently morphed into a recklessTwitter deviant:

THE CUTIE-PIE FROM HELL Babies are cute, but having said that, all babies look like littleblobs and yours is no more precious than the thousands of others. Baby talk, astream of cute compliments, a show of constant appreciation, etc, show a needto be loved. People pleasers are nice, but it takes a toll on them eventually.Show some spunk and watch the change.

VERBAL VOMIT
Just because a thought is dancing around in your head, doesn’tmean it needs to be unleashed on an unsuspect ing public. Silence really isgolden, and brevity really is the soul of wit. People with verbal diarrhoeathink fast, act faster, but may not consider the consequences of their actions.The need to share constantly indicates lack of a strong support system orchildhood trauma.

GYAAN GURU If you’re prone to recycling clichéd philosophies about life,imagination is not your strong suit. You’re a softie, but prone to laziness —if you’re substituting soul searching for second hand platitudes, you’reprobably not about to go out of your way for people. We bet you our month’ssalary that your bookshelf is stocked with Paulo Coehlo, Rhonda Bryne’s TheSecret and The Monk who Sold his Ferrari for inspiration.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN
When there are blasts or an earthquake, you feel left out if youcan’t add to the buzz. Twitter has created a whole new brand of Causerati. ButGood Samaritans tend to be a nuisance. The need to save the world shows thatyou are a giver, but only give when someone asks, you’re not a walking, talkingcharitable trust. You’re well-meaning and will probably make for a good friendor partner.

SELF-PROMOTER
The self-promoter values his time. It’s about ambitious goals likenetworking, promoting your own product, blog or website. So much for building acommunity. Selling yourself is a finely-tuned art, so subtlety is not a badquality to acquire. People who succeed in their goal in cyberspace usually havewit and charm for support.

EMOTIONAL GARBAGE
If you’re feeling depressed, nostalgic or just PMSsing, we don’twant to know. If your doodhwala didn’t come this morning and your fridge brokedown, we don’t care. If your boyfriend broke up with you, there is probably agood reason for it. People who have public emotional outbursts tend to bedreamers, emotionally fragile, trusting and romantics at heart. Get a positiveoutlook on life, find a balance between cynicism and blind trust.

THE WANNABE
Stalkingcelebrities and hoping that they retweet one of your messages, incessant brandmentions, boasting about your sexual escapades are all hints of being awannabe. Self-esteem and maturity issues are at work here. A desperate vibe issingularly unattractive, and perhaps you may want to examine the image you wantto project on a public platform.

The legend of the Phoenix

2011-08-30T19:36:00.001-11:00

The legend of the Phoenix bird comes from ancient history.

It goes that this bird lives for a thousand years. At the end of this period, it starts to make a nest and then, when the thousand years are at its end, it sits down and goes up in flames. Out of the ashes a new phoenix appears to live for another thousand years.

Legend states that it can even change into a human being after 5 cycles.

For me it means that it is possible to renew one self in order to reinvent one self. We have to see the possibilities to rise from the ashes.

When the Phoenix rises from the ashes a new era starts.

My strong belief is that everybody can rise from their ashes and start all over again. We just have to see the possibilities. And the possibilities are there. They are already in all of us.

Each and everyone of us starts their life as a strong human being. We have an indefinite amount of inner strength. But in the course of our lives, life-events occur that break down, bit by bit, this inner strength.

We get uncertain, lose our selfconfidence. People try to thrust themselves upon us through intimidation and sometimes even through agression and violence.

Through the Phoenix example we can see, feel and know that we can be strong again, to see possibilities instead of boundaries.

The Phoenix teaches us to re invent ourselves, experiment and continue until we are supremely happy being what we are.

The Phoenix helps us learn that to fail is normal and expected and natural, but to let the failure stop us from heading towards our goals of being happy is an act of cowardice, inhuman and unacceptable for the supreme species that inhabits this earth.

3 Powerful Skills You Must Have to Succeed in Sales

2011-08-24T23:23:00.002-11:00

by Sharon Michaels

A key to successfully sharing and selling a product, service or idea, is to ask questions and then listen quietly and carefully to the answers. Many of us try too hard to “convince” people to buy instead of discovering what our future customer or client really wants, needs and desires from us.

To succeed in sales remember these three listening and relationship building skills:

S – Sincerity – Listen without an agenda, it’s not about your needs.

E – Ethics – It’s not about trying to talk someone into something, its about listening to what they want.

A – Asking – Serve others by asking questions that will assist them in making a wise buying decision.

Building win-win relationships means remembering that it is not about what we want but what the other person wants. Here are three relationship building skills that when used regularly will have you increasing sales and creating satisfied loyal customers.

1. Listening sincerely and without an agenda. The buying process is not about you and your wants and needs, it is about the customer. Too many of us come to the sales table with our own agenda. We are sometimes too busy thinking about quotas, promotions and commissions. It’s not about us; it’s about the wants, needs and expectations of the prospective buyer.

A sales person with an agenda tends to push too hard and often doesn’t listen well. Leave your agenda at home. Sincerely focus on your customer and how your product can best serve their hopes, dreams and goals. Zig Ziglar said it best, “You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.”

2. Help talk someone into something. Allow them to make their own buying decision. Doing what is right for everyone involved is the ethical thing to do. I’m reminded of a phrase from Dale Carnegie’s book, How To Win Friends and Influence People, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Your role in the sales process is to present your product in a clear, concise and truthful manner—with integrity. The best customer is the customer who can make an educated decision based on what is best for them. A loyal customer is an educated customer. You are not in the convincing business; you are in the sharing business. Your job is to ethically offer the product, service or idea, explain the benefits and answer questions. Your customer or client will then make a buying decision based on the information they’ve been given. Making the sale is about asking questions, answering questions and building a trustworthy win-win relationship.

3. You can serve your client/customer best by finding out what they want, need and expect from what you are offering. Sometimes, we are so excited to share everything we know about what we’re offering that we forget it is about your potential customer’s expectations. What is important to you may not be important to them.

I’m reminded of a story: A young mother just starting out with a large network marketing company was excited and eager to share her business with other stay-at-home mothers. She was having coffee with a potential recruit as their children played near by. The young mother was eagerly showing her products and explaining the business potential. She went on and on about how she could stay home with her children and didn’t have to leave the house to conduct business.

The mother who was listening seemed to suddenly turn off her interest and attention. When our eager young network marketing mother asked her friend to join her in the business, the friend replied with a resounding, “No,” The business-building mother was shocked and saddened, “Why?” she asked. “Because,” her friend said, “I want to be able to do something that allows me to get out of the house and socialize with other adults.”

Moral of the story: Ask questions and listen. Don’t assume that what is important to you is important to your future customers.

Successful selling isn’t about what you want, it is about how can you best serve the needs of your customers and clients. Coming from a sincere place of service, will help increase sales and develop loyal client and referral base.

Keeping the three elements of SEA (Sincerity, Ethics, Asking) in mind, you can easily and effortlessly find new customers and clients who will want to do business with you now and in the future. Selling your service, product or idea is about doing the right thing for everyone involved – it is about building win-win relationships.

Key Concepts about Priorities

2011-08-07T22:44:00.002-11:00

•

Think carefully about what priorities mean to you… about how you decide what is really important. Remember, you will never have time for everything, but you will have time for most important thing.

•

80-20 rule: Eighty percent of the value comes from 20 percent of the items. While only 20 percent of the value comes from 80 percent of the items. Learn to concentrate on your high value 20 percent and master them.

•

Most people start with the quick, easy, enjoyable things first. Instead, start with the important things first.

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Just because something is urgent, doesn't mean it’s important. Important activities are those which help you achieve your goals.

•

Learn to distinguish between important and urgent.

•

Don’t allow trivial thing to crowd out the important things.

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Don’t always do someone else’s requests at the expense of your own top priority tasks. Learn when to say no. Do it logically, firmly and tactfully.

•

Constantly switching priorities often results from failure to establish priorities properly in the first place. The best way to set priorities is on the basis of importance.

•

Don’t constantly switch priorities just because people make loud demands. Be very careful about which squeaky wheels get greased.

Key Concepts about Priorities

2011-08-07T22:44:00.000-11:00

•

Think carefully about what priorities mean to you… about how you decide what is really important. Remember, you will never have time for everything, but you will have time for most important thing.

•

80-20 rule: Eighty percent of the value comes from 20 percent of the items. While only 20 percent of the value comes from 80 percent of the items. Learn to concentrate on your high value 20 percent and master them.

•

Most people start with the quick, easy, enjoyable things first. Instead, start with the important things first.

•

Just because something is urgent, doesn't mean it’s important. Important activities are those which help you achieve your goals.

•

Learn to distinguish between important and urgent.

•

Don’t allow trivial thing to crowd out the important things.

•

Don’t always do someone else’s requests at the expense of your own top priority tasks. Learn when to say no. Do it logically, firmly and tactfully.

•

Constantly switching priorities often results from failure to establish priorities properly in the first place. The best way to set priorities is on the basis of importance.

•

Don’t constantly switch priorities just because people make loud demands. Be very careful about which squeaky wheels get greased.

Key Concepts about Goals

2011-08-05T01:05:00.000-11:00

•

Determine your long range goals. Make sure you are aiming at what you really want.

•

Be sure to set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed

•

Don’t try to keep your goals in your head, write them down

•

Read your long range goals at least once every day. You will find it easier to sort out all the trivia that comes your way.

•

You need short range goals to know what to do today. You need long range goals to add continuity and meaning to all your short range goals.

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Consider projects carefully. Make sure they will move you toward your goals. Identify the critical steps, when they should be done and who should do them.

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Set deadlines for all your projects. Estimate the time needed and determine the logical starting time to avoid last-minute rush jobs.

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Focus on your goals at all times. “Will what I am doing right now help me achieve my goals?” if the answer is “no”, then switch to something else that will help.

•

Be sure that you have at least one significant goal every day. Don’t quit until you reach your daily goals. Before long you will develop the habit of setting goals and reaching them.

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Write out long range personal goals. Strive to balance your time across all aspects of your life.

•

When conditions change, you may need to modify your goals. And, as you achieve your goals be sure to set new ones.

Key Concepts about Attitudes

2011-08-01T01:12:00.003-11:00

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You never seem to have enough time yet you have all the time there is. The problem is not the shortage of time but how you choose the time that is available.

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Time management is really self-management.

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Chinese Proverb: Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life lies in eliminating the non-essentials.

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Earl Nightingale: “Habits are the key to success. Successful people form the habit of doing the things that others don’t like to do.”

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Zig Ziglar:”When you choose a habit, you also choose the results of that habit.”

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It is not enough to know, you must also act. Knowledge without action is impotent.

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Most of us only change when we are forced to do so. Force can be either external or internal.

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The key to will-power is want-power. If you want something strongly enough, you will usually find the discipline necessary to do it.

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Self-discipline is simply doing what you know you should do, regardless of whether or not you feel like doing it

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Self-discipline is easier if you stop thinking about it, and simply do it

•

Press on. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence

•

Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.

The Law of Compensation

2011-07-19T17:49:00.004-11:00

By: Brian Tracy

You Get What You Give
Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his essay, "Compensation," wrote that each person is compensated in like manner for that which he or she has contributed. The Law of Compensation is another restatement of the Law of Sowing and Reaping. It says that you will always be compensated for your efforts and for your contribution, whatever it is, however much or however little.

Increase Your Value
This Law of Compensation also says that you can never be compensated in the long term for more than you put in. The income you earn today is your compensation for what you have done in the past. If you want to increase your compensation, you must increase the value of your contribution.

Fill Your Mind With Success
Your mental attitude, your feelings of happiness and satisfaction, are also the result of the things that you have put into your own mind. If you fill your own mind with thoughts, visions and ideas of success, happiness and optimism, you will be compensated by those positive experiences in your daily activities.

Do More Than You're Paid For
Another corollary of the Law of Sowing and Reaping is what is sometimes called the, "Law of Overcompensation." This law says that great success comes from those who always make it a habit to put in more than they take out. They do more than they are paid for. They are always looking for opportunities to exceed expectations. And because they are always overcompensating, they are always being over rewarded with the esteem of their employers and customers and with the financial rewards that go along with their personal success.

Provide the Causes, Enjoy The Effects
One of your main responsibilities in life is to align yourself and your activities with Law of Cause and Effect (and its corollaries), accepting that it is an inexorable law that always works, whether anyone is looking or not. Your job is to institute the causes that are consistent with the effects that you want to enjoy in your life. When you do, you will realize and enjoy the rewards you desire.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, remind yourself regularly that your rewards will always be in direct proportion to your service to others. How could you increase the value of your services to your customers today?

Second, look for ways to go the extra mile, to use the Law of Overcompensation in everything you do. This is the great secret of success

The Law of Compensation

2011-07-19T17:49:00.003-11:00

36 Random Insights On Exceptionalism -Robin Sharma

2011-07-18T18:15:00.001-11:00

1. Average people are dedicated to leisure. The best people are devoted to learning.

2. The ordinary wait for the energy to do a task. The exceptional do the task because that’s how they get the energy.

3. A job is just a job if all you see it as is a job. (Work is a vehicle to promote Full Self Expression of Your Creativity+Ingenuity+Talent).

4. The most precious asset of a businessperson isn’t time. It’s energy. Manage yours well.

5. Love your family. What’s the point of getting to uber-Success yet arriving alone?

6. From a participant at my recent Lead Without a Title event in Doha, Qatar: “The true measure of the greatness of a person is the length their shadow casts on the future.” Love it! Genius.

7. Manners matter.

8. If you’re in business, you’re in show business. And every day’s a performance.

9. “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” Oscar Wilde.

10. To double your income, triple your rate of learning. The best invest in their professional and personal development.

11. The primary purpose of business is the delivery of as much unusual value to as many people as possible.

12. Use music to boost your motivation.

13. Be ethical like Buffett. Rock the house like Bono. Innovate like Edison. Serve like Mandela.

14. You dishonor yourself when you play small with your talent.

15. Ideation without execution leads to delusion. What makes Google Google is not the idea behind Google but the culture of execution that is Google.

16. Don’t work at world-class for the money or the ovations. Do it for the pride you feel on a job brilliantly done.

17. Keep a journal.

18. Spend time in solitude. The only person you’ll be with your whole life is you. Why not get to know-and like-yourself?

19. Watch “The Fighter”.

20. Work hard. Industry stands at the foundation of Mastery.

21. Remember that the quality of your practice determines the caliber of the performance.

22. Speak your truth-even when your voice shakes.

23. Leaders leave a trail of leaders behind them. If you’re not developing the best in others, you’re not leading.

24. You know you’re doing genius-level work when people start to dislike you.

25. Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to Mastery.

26. Develop your friendships. Respect your elders.

27. Make time to have fun. Life is short-enjoy the ride.

28. The bigger your dream, the more important your team.

29. If you have average people, you’ll have an average company. To have a great company, hire and coach great people.

30. Remember that your doubts are nothing more than the lies your fears have sold you.

31. Leadership is simple. It’s not easy. But it’s really really simple.

32. Leadership’s mostly about 3 things: Impact+Influence+Inspiration.

33. If you’re not inspiring those around you, you’re not Leading. You’re following.

34. Think for yourself.

35. “Potential unexpressed turns to pain.” From “The Leader Who Had No Title“.

36. Take brave risks. At your End, it’ll be the risks you didn’t take versus the ones you did that most fill you with regret.

SMILE !

2011-05-15T05:15:00.001-11:00

Ron Gutman reviews a raft of studies about smiling, and reveals some surprising results. Did you know your smile can be a predictor of how long you'll live -- and that a simple smile has a measurable effect on your overall well-being? Prepare to flex a few facial muscles as you learn more about this evolutionarily contagious behavior.

How to Create a New You

2011-03-19T02:49:00.002-10:00

The human body can be a source of the miraculous....

Yet you and I find ourselves with bodies that wear out, age, grow sick, and disappoint our highest aspirations for freedom and creativity. Clearly, the body needs to be reinvented...

I offer five breakthrough ideas that can completely alter how you see your body and what you do with it.

Breakthrough1 — Your Physical Body is an Illusion;

Breakthrough 2 — Your Real Body Is Energy;

Breakthrough 3 — Awareness Has magic;

Breakthrough 4 — You Can Improve Your Genes;

Breakthrough 5 — Time Isn't Your enemy.

Each of these breakthroughs overturns an outmoded belief that turns into a physical limitation. If you think of your body as a physical object, you will cooperate with aging, because what is aging but a physical object wearing out.

If you believe that time is your enemy, aging has gained another ally.

If you accept that your genes are fixed, they take away your freedom to change.

What these five breakthroughs have in common is this: you can change your body through consciousness, because despite its physical appearance, your body is the product of consciousness to begin with. There is no difference between a thought and a molecule in the brain. Each intention sends signals to every cell in the body, causing the cell to change. Therefore, the most natural way to achieve change is through the power of intention.

DEEPAK CHOPRA

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

2011-03-07T23:44:00.002-10:00

One of the most anti-evolutionary books ever written is not about intelligent design but a seagull named Jonathan Livingston.

It’s the story of a passionate young gull who rejects the notion that at the end of the day, flying is merely a means to get food. Instead, he believes the craft is an end in itself which should be perfected — and the hell with food.

Predictably, a time comes when his mother observes he’s become just a bag of “bones and feathers”. That doesn’t stop him, however, from making increasingly dangerous forays all day in the sky and over water attempting stunts that only other good flyers like eagles and albatrosses are meant to do and dare to pull off. But sure enough, soon he’s doing the same, too. For various reasons thereafter including, mainly, his failure to conform to the rules of the flock, he gets banished.

In exile, he continues honing his aerial skills until the day comes when he meets up with two highly evolved seagulls who explain to him that though he’s learned much, they are there now to teach him more and, ultimately, with them he transcends into a society where all the gulls enjoy flying.

Nevertheless, that’s not the end of the story because along the way, he also learns that it’s not about flying but forgiving and that he must now go back and become a teacher to the same flock that had cast him out. The idea that the strong can achieve more by leaving the weak behind is totally rejected. Because in real life, the survival of the fittest also depends on the weakest.

One of the most profound and beautiful books that I have read, so many times.

The Rise of Generation C-How to prepare for the Connected Generation’s transformation of the consumer and business landscape.

2011-02-25T22:10:00.002-10:00

Colin is a 20-year-old computer science student living in London with two other students in the year 2020. He enjoys backpacking, sports, music, and gaming. He has a primary digital device (PDD) that keeps him connected 24 hours a day — at home, in transit, at school. He uses it to download and record music, video, and other content, and to keep in touch with his family, friends, and an ever-widening circle of acquaintances.

His apartment is equipped with the latest wireless home technology, giving him super-fast download speeds of up to 100 Mbps.

Colin’s parents are divorced and live in different cities, and he has one sister, who lives abroad. He is close to his family, but his physical contact with them is minimal. Instead, he prefers to stay in touch virtually through his PDD, which allows him to communicate through multiple channels via voice, text, video, data — either separately or all at once. His parents would prefer that he visit more often, of course, but they are finally beginning to get used to being a part of his digital life. Still, sometimes Colin feels he is too digitally connected. A recent surprise visit to his mother was ruined because she knew he was in town — he had forgotten to disable the location feature on his PDD. Colin’s social life is also arranged via his PDD. He always knows the location of his friends — even what they are doing — and can communicate with them instantly.

Much of Colin’s experience at school is mediated by his PDD. He can attend lectures, browse reading material, do research, compare notes with classmates, and take exams — all from the comfort of his apartment.

When he goes to campus, his PDD automatically connects to the school’s network and downloads relevant content, notices, and bills for fees, for which he can authorize payment later, at his leisure. Although he prefers to shop online, when he visits a retail store, his PDD automatically connects to the store’s network, guiding him through product choices, offering peer reviews, and automatically checking out and paying for items he purchases.

Colin’s real passion is traveling, preferably with a backpack. On his recent trip to Australia, his PDD kept him occupied throughout the long plane ride with music, video, and Internet access, and helped him through customs by automatically connecting to the Australian government’s network.

Then he used it to pinpoint the location of the Australian friends he was planning to travel with (he had met them online through one of several social networks he uses). Once they met up, they used their PDDs to plan their route, a relatively easy task, given that with all of Australia (and most of the civilized world) mapped and modeled on the Web in 3-D, they could see every twist and turn on their path.

What Makes Gen C Special

Who is Colin? He is a member of a new generation that will be coming into its own over the next decade. Its members are typically realists and materialists. They are culturally liberal, though not necessarily politically progressive. They are upwardly mobile, yet they live with their parents longer than earlier generations ever did.

Many of their social interactions take place on the Internet, where they feel free to express their opinions and attitudes. They’ve grown up under the influence of Harry Potter, Barack Obama, and iEverything — iPods, iTunes, iPhones. Technology is so intimately woven into their lives that the baby boom–era concept of “early adopters” is essentially meaningless.

We call them Generation C — connected, communicating, content-centric, computerized, community-oriented, always clicking. As a rule, they were born after 1990 and lived their adolescent years after 2000. In the developed world, Generation C encompasses everyone in this age group; in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), they are primarily urban and suburban. By 2020, they will make up 40 percent of the population in the U.S., Europe, and the BRIC countries, and 10 percent of the rest of the world — and by then, they will constitute the largest single cohort of consumers worldwide.

This is the first generation that has never known any reality other than that defined and enabled by the Internet, mobile devices, and social networking. They have owned various handheld devices all their lives, so they are intimately familiar with them and use them for as much as six hours a day. They all have mobile phones, yet they prefer sending text messages to talking with people. More than 95 percent of them have computers, and more than half use instant messaging to communicate, have Facebook pages, and watch videos on YouTube. Their familiarity with technology; reliance on mobile communications; and desire to remain in contact with large networks of family members, friends, business contacts, and people with common interests will transform how we work and how we consume.

We expect that, in keeping with expectations for long-term economic development, the world that Generation C will make theirs in 2020 will be a better place, with a brighter future for a much larger proportion of the population in both the developed and the developing world. Following the lull that has taken place during the recent, persistent, worldwide recession, there is reason to believe the world will revert to the economic mean of steady growth, with globalization picking up speed again.

As populations in Western countries age, powerful new consumer segments will be created, including a relatively wealthy retirement segment and a rising young middle class. The pace of innovation will accelerate, creating an ever more digital world, even as wireless devices become the dominant tool for trade, entrepreneurship, and Internet access. Indeed, the very rise of Generation C will help create a virtuous circle that will help stimulate economic growth, which in turn will encourage both the public and private sectors to continue to invest in faster and more widespread communications infrastructure, thus enabling even greater growth.

Although climate change and energy security will remain major concerns, stable electric power will likely be available to a substantially larger part of society, and energy inefficiency will no longer represent a hurdle to progress. High-speed broadband, whether fixed or mobile, will be pervasive and affordable.

Secure online identity systems will allow reliable user authentication. It is likely that increasingly rational regulatory schemes will open up commercial activity worldwide, and that companies and individuals will be able to profit fairly from the intellectual property they generate.

Connected Consumers

The trends outlined above will have a wide range of effects on how members of Generation C — and, by extension, other generations as well — use communications technology, how they access and consume information and entertainment, and how they interact. These effects will be determined in part by the progress of technologies over the course of the next decade.

On the grid 24/7. Being connected around the clock will be the norm in 2020 — indeed, it will be a prerequisite for participation in society. Currently, there are 4.6 billion mobile users (67 percent of the world population) and 1.7 billion Internet users globally. By 2020, the number of people using mobile phones will reach 6 billion (nearly 80 percent of the world population) and 4.7 billion people will access the Internet, primarily through their mobile devices. Among younger Europeans, 52 percent already say they feel disconnected from the world if they don’t have their mobile phones with them, and 91 percent of all mobile users keep their phones within arm’s reach, waking or sleeping.

The Internet’s power will develop not just through its online economic might, but also offline, as a result of its cultural and political influence. At the same time, personal and business activities will mingle seamlessly, as the day fragments into a flexible mix of personal and business activities — work, commuting, shopping, socializing, and entertainment. The inevitable corollary: As “off-grid” time becomes rarer, it will become more valued.

Social animal 2.0. Thanks to the popularity and performance of social collaboration technologies and mechanisms, including social networks, voice channels, online groups, blogs, and other electronic messaging systems, the size and diversity of networks of personal relationships will continue to grow. These networks will include acquaintances ranging far beyond the traditional groups of family, friends, and work colleagues to include friends of friends, online acquaintances, and anonymous members of interest groups. Already, 49 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds in Europe are savvy users of social networks.

One result will be the rapid creation of fast-moving political and business pressures — such as the tidal wave of electronic interest created by Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. The average person in 2020 will live within a web of 200 to 300 contacts, maintained daily through a variety of channels. Even within the family, the need for physical proximity will be reduced through increased digital interaction. Just as Facebook’s “Connect” buttons are already distributed across 80,000 websites and devices, social networks will accompany people throughout their daily activities.

Digital information osmosis. People will dramatically increase their consumption of digital information, much of which will be unverified. The vast pool of information available will allow consumers to pick and choose the information they want, as well as how they want to consume it. “Nonlinear” information consumption will become the norm. And the supply of digital information itself will explode.

Walmart already handles more than 1 million sales transactions every hour, feeding databases estimated at more than 2.5 petabytes (2.5 million gigabytes), according to a recent study by the Economist. Cisco has estimated in a much-cited study that it expects Internet traffic to increase 10-fold by 2013, to 667 exabytes (that’s 716 billion gigabytes). Right now, much of this information is pure exhaust — unanalyzed and unanalyzable — but it will soon be put to material economic use.

Broadcast privacy. Concerns about privacy and the security of personal data will decline as consumers come to perceive the benefits of transparency as outweighing the risks, and as mechanisms to secure and process personal information become more sophisticated. The result: The availability of an abundance of real-time, personalized information on people’s presence, online status, physical location, preferred communication channels, friend networks, interests, passions, and shopping habits. Facebook, for instance, already hosts 40 billion photos of its members. The use of social networking increasingly will determine consumption patterns. Viral marketing and positive peer reviews will become essential to commercial success, which will in turn erode the value of traditional marketing and of bricks-and-mortar outlets, and ultimately the concept of brand value itself.

iEverywhere. As privacy concerns dwindle, people’s personal data, such as identity, payment details, shopping preferences, interests, and membership in social communities, will become widely available. Members of Generation C will be able to access their digital life from a multitude of digital interfaces and devices, because they will live in a fully interconnected world in which services and data reside online — in what’s known as cloud computing — rather than on those devices themselves. Today’s consumer electronics already show the way: smartphones, iPads, iPods, netbooks, laptops, PCs, and watches, and the list is sure to grow in the next decade. At the same time, prices for such devices will continue to fall. Netbooks subsidized by telecom operators go for as little as a penny, and they are approaching the US$200 mark in retail outlets. Wireless broadband services, however, will still cost more than $50 per month.

Continuing generation gap. The upper age limit of the digitally literate will rise, as the 50-plus age bracket broadly migrates online. At present, the average 65-year-old spends just two to three hours online in a typical week; in 2020, 65-year-olds will spend closer to eight hours online weekly — though they will remain far below the 16- to 24-year-old group, which already spends 13 hours online weekly. Older people will also continue to lag in the intensity of their digital behavior. Generation C will distance itself further, particularly in the development of its own pervasive culture of communication. That culture has led some observers to dub this group “the silent generation,” as digital communication channels have replaced much of the physical interaction typical of prior generations.

Generation C at Work

The digitization of everything will have an equally profound effect on how businesses operate, and on how work gets done. Among the changes that will be wrought by the arrival of Generation C in the workplace will be the continuing consumerization of corporate IT. More than half of the CIOs in a recent Booz & Company survey said that in the next three to five years, most employees will bring their personal computers to work rather than using corporate resources. The trend of redefining employees as resident consumers will be led by Generation C, given its familiarity with technology and its expectation of always-on communications.

This trend will, in turn, encourage the increasing virtualization of the organization. As 24/7 connectivity, social networking, and increased demands for personal freedom further penetrate the walls of the corporation, corporate life will continue to move away from traditional hierarchical structures. Instead, workers, mixing business and personal matters over the course of the day, will self-organize into agile communities of interest. By 2020, more than half of all employees at large corporations will work in virtual project groups. These virtual communities will make it easier for non-Western knowledge workers to join global teams, and to migrate to the developed world. As they do, they will bring with them the innovative ideas and working behavior developed in their home territories.

Moreover, the proliferation and increasing sophistication of communication, interaction, and collaboration technologies and tools, and the economics of travel itself, will result in knowledge workers’ traveling much less frequently. The opportunity to meet face-to-face will be accorded primarily to top management, and business travel will become a valued luxury.

The Developing World

The trends that are already transforming life and work in the developed world are beginning to be felt in emerging economies as well, although the path such countries take to digitization will be significantly shortened. As the developing world increases in connectivity and sophistication, a huge new audience of people who have not yet been exposed to the consumer economy will develop outside the already connected urban centers. Between 1990 and 2005, more than 1 billion people worldwide entered the middle class, and the rate of entry is rising quickly. Their consumption of media and other kinds of content will transform the media industry. As with prior technology adoptions, these new audiences will leapfrog years of technological development and quickly emulate the behavior of Generation C in developed economies. The experience of the rapidly developing middle class in China will become typical: A member of the Chinese urban middle class spends almost 30 hours per week online but watches TV for just 12 hours. Three out of four regularly download music, two out of three watch online videos, and almost half play games online.

This increasing technological sophistication will promote the emergence of skilled and innovative digital entrepreneurs in massive numbers throughout the developing world. The rise of these entrepreneurs has the potential to significantly disrupt traditional Western business models. And they will have the attention of a large, newly connected audience that can benefit from their new ideas. In urban China, for instance, 76 percent of people are already online, and 61 percent have broadband at home. Western countries currently lead the world in just two critical online services, e-commerce (Germany) and online advertising (the U.K.), whereas non-Western countries are ahead in several others: broadband (South Korea), social networking (Brazil), online gaming (China), mobile payments (Japan), and microtransactions via SMS (the Philippines).

Industry Effects

As Generation C enters the workforce over the next decade, the manner in which it consumes information, communicates at work and play, and uses technology will transform many major industries. The most affected sector will be telecommunications, which is at the very center of how this new generation will live their lives; other sectors apt to greatly change include healthcare, retail, and travel. How will these industries evolve over the next decade?

Telecommunications. Just as the telecom industry is heading toward a strict separation between infrastructure and services and applications, customers are shifting their consumption patterns, and their loyalties, away from the traditional telecom operators and toward application and service providers such as Google, Apple, and Facebook, as well as any number of smaller players. In this world, telecom players that remain vertically integrated will come under substantial pressure. Indeed, it is likely that the industry will evolve to include two types of players: The efficient utility, driven by fiber-optic and wireless access technology, and the fast-moving, customer-centric software innovation provider.

At the same time, the information and communications on which the world of 2020 will depend, and the intelligence needed to manage that information, are moving quickly into the online computing cloud. The convergence of these technologies in the cloud will only be the start, however. As more and more services migrate online, telecom, IT, technology, and Internet service companies themselves will begin to encroach on one another’s territory, as they all move toward higher-margin and differentiating applications.

The general outlines of the future created by the arrival of Generation C are clear. The question is whether telecom operators are ready for the changes already on the way and are planning now to create the strategies and business models they will need to keep growing in this more competitive future. Too many telecom operators appear to be focused on preserving sources of revenue, such as voice telephony, that are likely to decline in the future, rather than on developing new sources of revenue and opening up new markets. As a whole, telecom industry players need to rapidly change their operational and business models, the ways they interact with customers, the access and price points they establish to generate revenues, and the way they manage innovation.

We see three primary new revenue opportunities arising from the changes that the emergence of Generation C will bring about. First, the demand for ubiquitous connectivity will ultimately create the need for universal broadband access in developed economies. As a result, operators that hope to grow by offering services dependent on broadband must support national efforts to build out this next-generation infrastructure. Second, vast segments of the world’s population in emerging markets are still unconnected, and operators looking to grow their customer bases thus need to expand in those markets. Third, the ways that Generation C behaves and collaborates, and the technologies it prefers, will create opportunities in other industries; telecommunications operators should be considering how to promote the use of their services to capture some of the new value created.

Healthcare. As information about doctors and hospitals, medical treatments, and costs floods the Internet, consumers will gain real power, performing their own research; writing reviews of physicians, hospitals, and drugs; and forcing the players to compete more actively. Online services, some featuring user-generated content, will become a primary channel for medical advice, substituting in part for traditional support channels.

Widespread connectivity will boost electronic diagnosis, helping to reduce costs; digital health monitoring will become accepted practice; medical R&D will come to rely on social media such as crowdsourcing. The personalization of medicine will lead to new insurance models, and electronic medical records and national e-health infrastructures will connect with online identity and digital passport technologies.

Retail. Ubiquitous connectivity will continue to transform the retail industry, seamlessly integrating the online and offline worlds, and ultimately leading to a form of augmented reality that allows a more elaborate presentation of retail goods. Peer reviews will become a real-time decision-making tool in physical stores as well as online, and social networks will become critical for brand awareness and customer preferences. This will lead to a winner-take-all dynamic among retailers, already typical of commerce on the Internet. Electronics retailers will lose ground as consumers purchase software and services from the cloud rather than in their current shrink-wrapped store format. Social media techniques such as crowdsourcing will be used to further product innovation, and increased connectivity will generate new monetization models driven by new partnerships among retailers and manufacturers.

Travel. By 2020, business travel will decline in the face of costs and alternative meeting technologies. In the leisure segment, traditional intermediaries such as travel agents have already been largely cut out, and peer reviews have become a dominant form of deciding on vacation destinations. This will lead to increasingly individualized travel, online advice and information dictating travel plans in real time. The distinction between travel and home will blur (as the distinction between the office and home already has), and the off-the-grid getaway will become a luxury.

Even the concept of distance will be transformed, as the world becomes fully modeled in 3-D, and open for inspection by prospective visitors. The digital world will also further invade the car. For the driver, this will lead to better information on the roadside environment — another instance of augmented reality — along with improved safety through the presence of sensors that check for drivers’ sleepiness or drunkenness, and simplified car maintenance based on remote diagnostics. It will also improve the efficiency of the street network, allowing for instant data on traffic and providing the ability to determine traffic flow.

Are You Ready?

There is already evidence of some of the changes that will be brought about by the coming generation of workers and consumers, and increasing speculation about the path of future change. Few businesspeople, however, have fully grasped the implications for every industry. The arrival of Generation C will have an impact comparable to that of the Industrial Revolution, but it will take place much more quickly. For managers, it is no longer sufficient to plan for the next few quarters, or even the next few years. Companies that aren’t willing to determine their strategies for the longer term — 10 to 15 years out — are putting their business models and value chains at risk. Executives must begin now to develop an agenda that includes an analysis of the capabilities and workforces they will need in the next decade and beyond. A critical step will be to make sure that the organization as a whole understands the coming changes, and that there are already people within the organization who are living these changes now, who don’t perceive them as a threat, and who can help integrate them into the organization’s business plan.

The world of 2020 will be set and governed by the members of Generation C, as they mature and grow in numbers and power. How businesses choose to cater to this coterie will determine their success — and even their ability to survive — in the coming decades.

How the Tech Future May Unfold

It is notoriously difficult to project the future; still, the exhibit below presents a plausible chronology of the next 10 years. We see a series of “eras” triggered by the sequential rise of critical new technologies. The Era of the Smart Cloud, for instance, will enable significant portions of the Generation C lifestyle in the coming years, to be succeeded by the Era of the Sensor Economy, which the cloud will help trigger. Above the time line is a series of specific events keyed to and dependent on the arrival of the various eras; thus the Era of the Internet of Things will enable motor vehicle manufacturers to build cars with full machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity.

2011-02-19T02:35:00.001-10:00

BhagwadGitaAdhyay2 by animesh.bhatt

Very Inspiring!

2011-02-02T23:30:00.000-10:00

2011-01-10T20:36:00.001-10:00

Emotional commitment: The most important Manager Commitment

2011-01-07T01:39:00.002-10:00

A manager's emotional commitment is the ultimate trigger for their discretionary effort, worth more than financial, intellectual and physical commitment combined. It's the kind of commitment that solves unsolvable problems, creates energy when all energy has been expended, and ignites emotional commitment in others, like employees, teams and customers.

Emotional commitment means unchecked, unvarnished devotion to the company and its success; any legendary organisational performance is the result of a bunch of emotionally committed managers.

Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted, said Einstein. This is a guy who conducted early nuclear experiments on his own hair and so is perhaps not your most reliable organisational thinker; still, he had a point.

The really important measurements of emotional commitment include the ones a company can't see until managers need to show them. Ferocious support for the company when the company needs it most is one of these hidden metrics.

Any manager can appear fully productive and enthusiastic simply because they're financially, intellectually and physically committed. But if you've ever witnessed a human being emotionally committed to a cause — working like they're being paid a million when they're not being paid a dime — you know there's a difference and you know it's big.

The old conflict

It may be big but it's not easy. The key neurobiological source of emotional commitment is the ability to live your own deepest values in a relationship or environment — I'm not telling you this; your brain is telling you this. As a manager this means the relationship with your company and your environment at work.

Manager may be a great job to have and you may be having a great time doing that job but embedded in the job description of any manager is the requirement to constantly subordinate or compromise personal values in favour of company priorities.

What your company wants done and how it wants it done must regularly take precedence over your own deep preferences. This is what it means to be a manager: serve your company first.

A company is an organism and like any organism its natural first priority is to survive. It needs managers to survive and it needs them to marginalise their own values and beliefs in favor of company goals and methods. As the company believes it needs to be the dominant organism in the relationship, it causes managers to detach emotionally from their jobs.

To really get that emotional commitment, a company would have to reattach managers to their own deep drivers — allow them to live their own values and act according to their own personal codes.

This has Company Nightmare stamped all over it. If managers were allowed to live their value of Family, maybe they wouldn't work 50 hours a week, stay away from home constantly or constantly take the job home with them.

If managers were allowed to live their value of Integrity, maybe they wouldn't represent a product to customers as performing the best and at the lowest cost when it doesn't, it isn't — or it doesn't even exist yet. If managers were allowed to live their value of Health, maybe they would resist conditions of constant stress.

If managers were allowed to live their value of Freedom, maybe they would demand autonomy in decisions that must be executed exactly as conceived.

It is understandably the great fear of the corporate organism: If I set you free to pursue your own priorities, you'll leave me and I'll die. The problem is, managers are already free. They're free to detach, which is about as free as one can get. The company may have captured their minds, their bodies and their pockets, but that doesn't mean it's captured their hearts.

The New Truth

The cause cannot always be the company; instead, it must also be managers' pursuit of their own values within the company. This isn't licensing chaos; it is ensuring control. There is no more reliable way for the company to become the cause than by not always insisting on being the cause.

STEPS TO ACHIEVING GOALS

2010-08-21T01:47:00.001-11:00

Todd Schaefer

TAKING a step into the unknown always forces us to stretch ourselves a bit more, even if we are confident with our craft. When we decide to take something good and make it better, we sometimes hit that mental “ceiling,” or the point which we hadn’t gone past before. If we want growth, expansion, healing, or whatever — we need to just take the next small step. I’ve discovered the need for taking non-limiting steps with my writing in order to bring it to the next level for my development. In the passing of my limitations at this step, I’ve discovered that much discomfort has subsided and all that remains is a whole bunch of joyous steps that I can take in any direction with the publishing and writing process. My mind continually says, “Wow! I can do this and this or even this now!” Lots of possibilities unravel themselves when we choose to keep taking steps forward because we know we’ll feel better when we do...

So often, we wish for success or we see it in another, yet what we’re seeing is the desire for us to make it a reality for ourselves. We don’t do this because we haven’t yet taken the step for ourselves. Or we’ve taken some steps, but not all of the ones that we could. There is always some step that we can take in courage. This makes us feel good. Sometimes, we need a friend to help us see that we can take that step and that we are worthy of taking that step. This is different from convincing or fooling ourselves that we are taking a step. Do you see the difference? This could apply for anything: career, relationships, you name it. In the bottleneck, we make excuses.

Intellect And Intelligence

2010-07-26T02:07:00.003-11:00

Swami Parthasarathy

We spend a lot of time acquiring intelligence at the expense of developing intellect. Intelligence is built by gaining information, knowledge from external agencies, from schools and universities, teachers and textbooks. The intellect is developed through your individual effort by exercising the faculty of questioning, thinking and reasoning. Not accepting anything that does not admit logic or reason. Know the difference between the two.

The intelligence acquired from external agencies is much like data fed into a computer. Consider, a computer charged with a complete knowledge of fire extinguishers, firefighting and fire escapes. All the knowledge stored in its memory cannot help the computer act on its own. If the room catches fire, it will go up in flames. The knowledge you acquire is of no use to you without an intellect.

You need a powerful intellect to put the knowledge, intelligence gained, to practical use in life. That explains why among millions of doctors graduating only a few have discovered lifesaving procedures, cures and remedies. So too, among millions of engineers only few design something unusual like the Panama Canal or Eurotunnel. It is their intellect that renders their performance outstanding. Besides hindering success and progress, intelligence without intellect could destroy peace and happiness.

Not realising the importance of the intellect in life, people make no attempt to develop their own. Instead, they merely indulge in acquiring intelligence through surface reading of others’ periodicals and publications. Education has lost its meaning and purpose. For generations human beings have turned into intelligent robots and are traversing through life without awareness, much less enquiring into the meaning and purpose of life.”

The world today is in a state of chaos due to the perversion in human development - all intelligence and no intellect. That explains why even highly educated businesspersons, professionals and scholars become alcoholics, are short-tempered and succumb to worry and anxiety. It is the mind that craves alcohol. It is the mind that loses its temper. Again, it is the mind that constantly harbours worry of the past and anxiety for the future. When the intellect remains undeveloped and weak, it is unable to control the vagaries of the mind. Those having developed a powerful intellect, with or without academic distinction, can hold the mind under perfect control and direct action to spell success and peace in life.

The educational systems the world over must be held responsible for the debacle of the intellect. It is their primary responsibility to strike an equable balance between acquiring intelligence and developing the intellect. Only by maintaining this essential equation can governments be run, businesses conducted, professions practised and families live in peace and prosperity.

Abstract from Governing Business and Relationships by Swami Parthasarathy.

2010-07-26T01:51:00.000-11:00

The Wisdom of Crowds - Collaboration, co-creation, crowdsourcing: it's all about opening up and letting the people in to engage with your brand.

2010-05-25T01:32:00.003-11:00

Marketing can seem more fashion- parade than a firmly grounded and principled discipline – a neophile's paradise.

Wave after wave of latest things – the newest, shiniest technologies, media or routes to market – come racing towards us, each heralded by a gaggle of vendors demanding a complete rethink of everything that we thought was best practice.

No wonder many of us feel slightly giddy: we're torn between holding on to what we know and trust, and jumping on the latest thing lest we get left behind. Yet, in all too many cases, the latest thing is soon forgotten, along with the exhortations of those who proclaimed the end of the world as we know it.

That said, some things have proved to be game changers: the explosion of the internet, digital technologies and communications tools; the rise of behavioural economics; the 'social' hypothesis that sees human behaviour as a function of our social nature, not humanity as thinking and calculating independent agents; and the explosion of new kinds of research and analytic technologies that move beyond simple ask answer models of the past.

The rapid rise of what we're calling 'collaborative marketing' – of marketing that does things with (rather than to) other parties (be they consumers, competitors or suppliers) is one of these game changers.

Indeed, the wide extent of the spread of collaboration into every dark corner of the marketing forest (as the other articles in this Admap Focus suggest) underscores the importance of this to today's marketer.

The fact that it seems to be part of a bigger social and cultural trend ('reality TV' is surely nothing more than the act of making viewers into TV stars; phone ins a way of recruiting the audience into the show – while at the same time offsetting some of the costs of production) serves to demonstrate that this is no mere short- term fad confined to marketing geeks alone.

So what exactly do we mean by 'collaborative' marketing? There are many different ways in which collaborative marketing is evidenced, but they all share the same fundamental stance of trying to do things with, rather than at, or to, people.

Part of the drive behind this – as Procter & Gamble's AG Lafley highlighted – is that even the best companies are no longer capable of creating value on their own at the required rate or standard; they need to seek help from the outside.

Allied with this is the acknowledge ment that the world is rather more complicated than our traditional company based models have suggested. People are far more interested in each other than they are in our brands, our stores and our advertising.

Certainly, the new media landscape makes it much more complicated to launch or maintain brands compared to some years ago.

Equally, while much of marketing science equips us for marketing and advertising in the 1990s, our knowledge about social influence and diffusion, how they work and how to optimise them remains patchy at best.

Finally, it cannot be coincidental that the rise of collaborative marketing activities is occurring at a time when both hardcore science and mainstream technology are emphasizing our species' social nature and our profoundly collaborative wiring: we're getting increasingly comfortable talking of social networks and of memes, spread and the like.

The old assumptions of human life as an essentially competitive experience are being overturned in front of our eyes by cognitive and behavioural scientists: we are a 'we' creature, not a 'me' one.

Collaboration takes many forms in modern marketing. For simplicity I have divided them into four, not mutually exclusive, strands:

1.Collaborative communications – communicating with and through people outside the company, rather than at or to. At its simplest, this might just be an acknowledgement of the profound truth that 'it's at least as important what your audience does with your advertising as what your advertising does to your audience'.

Generations of account planners have touted this wisdom in conversations with researchers and advertisers who are interested in 'per suasion' scores and the like. Now, the insight becomes more relevant than ever: for many would be 'viral' creative pieces, pass on and reworking rates ('mashups') are almost always at least as important as traditional communications research metrics.The teams behind the Honda 'Dreams' and
Cadbury's 'Gorilla' ads explicitly refer to these kind of metrics in demonstrating the effectiveness of their efforts.

Equally, with the rise of word- of- mouth marketing, what the audience does in response to the communication is clearly going to be more important than how it impacts on them or what it says to them.

Creative work which seeks to harness social influence is clearly going to have to work 'with' and not 'on' or 'at' – at least, the heavy lifting will be done through 'with'.

And, the rise in user- generated content (UGC) is further evidence of the same thing: increasingly, the democratisation of access to both film and other production and distribution technologies is allowing consumers to make their own content (and not just spoofs of 'proper' advertising).

Dorito's has used America's advertising showcase, the Super Bowl, to provide consumers with a platform to do this, with great success.

2 Co-creation – collaboration in the development and delivery of products, making things 'with' and 'through' folk outside the company and its orbit. Increasingly, marketing is looking to create and develop products together with outsiders.We are all now familiar with fashion retailers' collaborations with famous designer or model names that seek to bring perceptions of quality and interest to the retail offerings.

Then there's the fashion for celebrity music remixes to boost interest and attention in new music.

The software industry's 'beta tests' are similarly collaborative: they are rooted in the practical realisation that it is only by working with users and key clients that software and the services that depend on them can be debugged and tailored to really meet today's users' needs and expectations – these things being just too complicated to get right otherwise.

TV ad: Lynx Twist - ChangesCreative from Xtreme Information

More recently, a number of brands have reached out to their users to go further and actually invent products with a small group of consumers: 'Twist', the latest Axe/Lynx fragrance, is the product of an
intensive co creation project.

Lego's revival is widely credited to the decision to work with, rather than shun, the adult users of the brightly coloured bricks.

They have become the beating heart of the organisation – the real owners of the brand. New recruits are encouraged to spend extensive periods of time at 'fan events'. Similarly, the online music service Spotify focuses most of its marketing effort on listening and working
with its community of music downloaders.

And features that Twitter users take for granted, such as 'RT' (retweeting) and the '@' sign to denote usernames, were created by the user community itself.

3 Collaboration
with other brands and organisations. Another, perhaps more familiar, form of collaboration is demonstrated when two different brands or organisations go to market together for mutual benefit.

Marmite's Guinness variant is just such a project. Brands that align themselves with particular charities also fall into this camp, but there is an important distinction here between mere co branding and
collaboration.

While the former might be just shared flags of convenience to reduce risk, the latter suggests that both parties seek to benefit from making something new and different together.

Indeed, many businesses are realising that providing a platform for other businesses is a good thing; a large part of the iPhone's appeal lies in the huge secondary market for iPhone apps.

4 Crowdsourcing
– resourcing ideas and products in a more open and, to some extent, collaborative way. This form of collaboration is essentially characterised by many individuals (hence 'crowd') or individual companies collaborating with each other on behalf of an individual buyer or company sponsor, either to solve complex problems together, or to offer alternative solutions to the same problems.

The idea is partly rooted in James Surowiecki's bestselling book, The Wisdom of Crowds, which describes the curious ability of 'we' to be smarter than even the smartest 'me' under certain circumstances.

A useful way of thinking about it is the blackboard in the movie, Good Will Hunting, which is left open for passing mathematicians to contribute solutions to problems posed there. The crowd uses this to create solutions together.

Crowdsourcing can range from the creative net of Asian electronic engineers that Apple used to create its iPod, to the community of tens of thousands of volunteer writers who have built Wikipedia. At a more parochial level, online help forums do a similar job for consumers of all sorts.

One of the big appeals of crowdsourcing is that it can reduce costs to the buyer – it's often cheaper for the crowd to solve a problem than to pay for a traditional business to do so.

Collaboration challenges a number of our ideas about companies and their role in the world.

In particular, as leading US marketing blogger Hugh Macleod points out, collaboration highlights the increasingly porous membrane that delineates the inside of a company from the outside. For those of us who like clear lines, and black and whites, collaboration presents all kinds of blurry emotional and practical difficulties.

Equally, it also serves to underscore the selfishness of received thinking styles inside companies, organised to optimise the company's needs, to maximise value for it. Collaboration, by contrast, looks for sustainable win win solutions for long- term mutual benefit.

Starting to do it is also scary. It can highlight how little we really know our customers. For all the millions of dollars we spend on market research and the longstanding and public commitments to 'customer orientation', I'm struck by how ill -at- ease most marketers still are in the company of the people they are supposed to understand and whose needs they, according to the traditional definitions of marketing, are supposed to focus on.

But above and beyond all of these, collaboration challenges us to see the company, and our
marketing, as part of a larger eco- system, as a participant in a larger dance. Collaboration is messy, often unpredictable and, with the exception of those who insist on retaining control, more fun than the old world. But to be honest, I'm not sure we have a choice.

Rethinking Marketing - Because companies can now interact directly with customers, they must radically reorganize

2010-03-19T22:45:00.002-11:00

and to put cultivating relationships ahead of building brands.

Companies have powerful technologies for understanding and interacting with customers, yet most still depend on mass media marketing to drive impersonal transactions.
To compete companies must shift from pushing individual products to buying long-term customer relationships.
In this aggressively interactive environment, companies must shift their focus from driving transactions to maximizing customer lifetime value.
This may mean changing strategy and structure across the organization--and reinventing the marketing department altogether.
The marketing department must be reinvented as a ‘customer department’ that replaces the CMO with a chief customer officer, makes product and brand managers subservient to customer managers and oversees customer focused functions including R&D, customer service, market research & CRM.
These changes shift the firm’s focus from product profitability to customer profitability as measured by metrics such as customer lifetime value and customer equity
It means that product managers must stop focusing on maximizing their products' or brands' profits and become responsible for helping customer and segment managers maximize theirs.
Once companies make the shift from marketing products to cultivating customers, they will need new metrics to gauge the strategy's effectiveness
The shift from marketing products to cultivating customers demands a shift in metrics as well.
This organizational transformation will uproot entrenched interests and so must be driven from the top.

Think Ahead While Cutting Back: Marketing Priorities in a Recession

2010-03-19T22:38:00.001-11:00

No company can succeed by cutting expenses alone. But the practical necessity of today's world is cut, cut, and cut some more.
Yes, we all should have been smart enough to build sufficiently robust measurement capabilities before the dramatic assault on our budgets began. Yes, we should have put some water in that bucket before the fire consumed so much of the house that marketing built.
But we didn't. So where do we turn once all the "fat" has long since been trimmed and all that's left is muscle and bone? And how do we break the downward spiral of cut, cut, and cut some more?
Take a step back and define the objectives for making smart cuts:
Have you sufficiently reinforced your relationships with profitable customers? Now may be the time to invest in retention, as acquisition gets put on the back burner. Acquisition costs often require a period of time to recapture, and you may not have that luxury.
Your customers and their needs are probably changing in response to the economy as well. Is your research effectively capturing their evolving wants, needs, and value-calculus? If not, you may need to spend a bit more on this issue before you can cut back.
Finally, present your findings with passion, but not bias. The mantra of the moment is "having run many options by the good people in Finance and Sales, we all feel that the smartest course of action is..."
Now is exactly the time to begin building that measurement capability you really wish you'd had over the past few months.

2010-03-19T22:33:00.001-11:00

Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln -

Abraham Lincoln’s genius was to manage the ambitions and egos of his rivals to form a team that could confront the challenges of civil war
His ability to create a team was rooted in an extraordinary level of emotional intelligence. He learned from his mistakes, he shared responsibility for the mistakes of others, and he did not hold grudges.
Lincoln’s experience, like that of other presidents in times of emergency, gives hope that the United States and other democracies will weather the current crisis.
If the new U.S. president can learn from Abraham Lincoln so too can business leaders who are grappling now with similar questions of how to lead in turbulent times.
Lincoln came to power when the nation was in peril, and he had the intelligence, and the self-confidence, to know that he needed the best people by his side, people who were leaders in their own right and who were very aware of their own strengths. That's an important insight whether you're the leader of a country or the CEO of a company.
Those were the days of no television. Leaders weren't worried about cable news or their BlackBerrys. They weren't multitasking; they had time to reflect. It's a luxury many leaders just don't have today, and that's a real loss

2010-03-02T20:01:00.000-11:00

You Need a Vacation

by Michael Dalton Johnson

You deserve a vacation....but not just any vacation. You need one that will restore your spirit, enthusiasm and energy.

Spend your time far away from cell phones, computers, newspapers, radio and television. These are electronic leashes which bind you to a complicated and stressful world. Simply leave them all at home. It's easier to do than you may think.

Get close to nature. Take walks. Enjoy sunsets. Sleep in. Read a good book. Nap. Laugh. Have a long soak. Go for a drive in the countryside with no destination in mind. Have a slice of pie. Smile. Breathe. Unwind.

Forget deadlines and obligations. Forget the clock. Eat only when you're hungry. Go to bed only when you're tired.

Don't stand in line. Steer clear of casinos, amusement parks and big cities.

People who have disconnected for a week or two describe the experience as heaven.

Dropping out of your workaday life is not only good for you, it's also good for business. When you return to your work rejuvenated, you will enjoy new energy, enthusiasm, creativity and far better productivity.

At first, Type A personalities (like myself) have difficulty understanding and accepting this advice. Anxiety rises in them just thinking about disconnecting. However, when they get past the anxiety and think a bit further down the road, they see a big business benefit. When they consider the possibility of perhaps doubling their productivity, it all starts making sense.

A Pastor with Guts!

2009-07-23T01:55:00.002-11:00

It seems Prayer still upsets some People!

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual genialities, but this is what they heard:

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek your direction and Guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those Who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we Have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed

Our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it

The lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it

Welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it

Choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it

Justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it

Building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it

Politics.

We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it

Ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and Pornography and called it

Freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it Enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Amen!

The response was immediate. A number of Legislators walked out during the prayer in Protest.

The church is now receiving International requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.

2009-05-31T06:51:00.000-11:00

Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness.

It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.

2009-05-21T20:28:00.000-11:00

2009-05-09T03:19:00.001-11:00

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world!

2009-05-03T17:59:00.002-11:00

Life consists in what a man is thinking of all day. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

2009-05-01T17:11:00.001-11:00

“Shallow men believe in luck, believe in circumstances...
Strong men believe in cause and effect.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
American writer, activist

2009-05-01T16:17:00.001-11:00

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955)
Swiss physicist

2009-05-01T16:15:00.000-11:00

"It is wonderful what you can do when you have to."

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), Irish writer, scholar

2009-05-01T00:57:00.001-11:00

“One day in retrospect the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.”

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)

Disarming The Price-Squeezing Customer

2009-04-29T01:17:00.001-11:00

Six Ways to Eliminate Price Concerns

What's a salesperson to do when customers are more concerned with getting a low price than getting the best value for their money? Paul Cherry shows you how to get customers to look past the price tag by uncovering what they value most.

You've been prospecting this company for ages, and finally got your foot in the door. You're apprehensive because you're meeting with the purchasing agent –– not the big boss, but it's a start –– and you know you'll get hammered on price!
The agent shakes your hand. "Tell me what you can do for me –– and how much it'll cost me." Already, he's squeezing you on price! You want to make him recognize the value of your business solution. He only wants to dance around it, singing, "Sure, value's important. But how will you save me money?" To land this sale, flip the record and hear what he's really singing. Here are six techniques to build rapport with mid-level decision-makers and prevent them from getting hung up on price.

Understand their biggest values
For purchasing agents, this issue runs deeper than price or value. They want to feel like they matter. They deal with so many salespeople making promises that you become just another face in an increasingly maddening crowd. They're exerting what little power they have on vendors like you, and keeping an iron grip on that low price is the most obvious way they can prove their worth. Their biggest values are:

Recognition from the boss and colleagues. They want to be recognized and rewarded for getting the lowest price, so of course they'll try to get it. Like all of us, they want the boss to say, "You just saved the company thousands of dollars! High-five!" They want their colleagues to think, "I want to be as successful as he is so the boss will high-five me, too!"

Justification. Their self-esteem soaring, our money-conscious front-line managers think, "I've saved my company money! I'm valuable! My job's safe!" They've justified their existence, confirming to the company and the boss that they're a "keeper."

Understand their fears
Most people are satisfied with something average. With fears ranging from leaving their comfort zone, to spending more money than the boss wants, to getting fired, they're more likely to passively avoid what they don't like than to actively pursue what they want.

Understand what they're up against
Most people want to do a good job and make a decent living, but they also want to clock out at a humane hour and have time for a life. Meanwhile, they're competing for resources, clamoring for attention, mired in daily obligations. Consequently, they unwittingly overlook the bigger picture. Show that front-line manager a solution that'll bring the big picture back into focus. Pitching how you can help his company increase profitability is more meaningful when it directly impacts his year-end bonus. Maybe he's thinking, "Yeah, like my boss needs to drive another new Lexus while I can barely get around in my ten-year-old junker!"

Understand their need to feel appreciated
When companies keep a narrow focus on increasing profitability, people can slip below the radar. When the company has a great year, the CEO rarely says, "We owe it all to our purchasing agents toiling down in the basement, saving us 5 cents apiece on widgets."
Many workers you deal with feel overworked and under-respected. All they ask is that you make them look good. Provide them with solutions that will take paperwork off their desks and keep their bosses happy with them, and they'll be happy with you.

Focus on the lowest TOTAL cost
Avoid getting cornered on price by talking about the lowest total cost. Instead of just the up-front, out-of-pocket cost for the company, show how lowest total cost results from on-time delivery, faster time to market, support, quality, peace of mind, ease of use, reduced down time, overhead, and labor.

Utilize questions to uncover what your customers value
Understand what makes customers tick; see what's really driving them. When you hear "lowest price," don't scamper like a squirrel - instead, ask good questions that go beyond the price issue. You'll find out what they really want and why they want it, as opposed to what they're telling you they want.
Add some of these questions to your arsenal of sales techniques:
"Share with me the criteria you use when you're selecting a _____."
"When it comes to price, quality, service, delivery, performance, customer support, and ease of use, which matters most to you? Which matters least?"
Say your customer cited performance as a priority: "You mentioned that performance is important to you. Would you share with me your definition of performance?"
"So that I'll best understand your needs, can you walk me through a situation in which your standards for performance were not met?"
"Let's assume you're looking at three potential vendors who meet all your criteria (including price). How would you make your final decision?"
"You mentioned that the most important thing for you is price. How does that compare to what engineering (manufacturing, design, production, marketing, fulfillment) thinks is most important?"
"What's most important to your customers?"
"Think back to when you first chose your current product. What were your selection criteria? Based on what you know now, how would those criteria change?"
"Think ahead to three years from now. What do you anticipate will be most important at that time –– the initial price of the product? Or the peace of mind you'll have, knowing you're getting the necessary support long after a purchase was made?"
"Which characteristics of this product are 'must haves' for you, and which are optional?"
"The changes we've discussed would result in an increase in profits. What would you do with that increase in available funding?"
"What alternatives to this problem have you considered?"
"You have told me that your company has allocated Rs._____ for this product. How was that amount determined?"
Show your customers your solution will help solve these problems. Get them to define value based on their specific needs, and it'll be much easier to justify your solution as a smarter investment over lower-priced alternatives. Once you know your prospects' needs, inside and out, you'll be able to present your services and solutions as a great value at any price.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

2009-04-25T00:42:00.002-11:00

by-Michael Porter

COMPETITION is at the core of the success or failure of firms. Competition determines the appropriateness of a firm's activities that can contribute to its performance, such as innovations, a cohesive culture, or good implementation. Two central questions underlie the choice of competitive strategy. The first is the attractiveness of industries for long-term profitability and the factors that determine it... The second central question in competitive strategy is the determinants of relative competitive position within an industry....

Neither question is sufficient by itself to guide the choice of competitive strategy. A firm in a very attractive industry may still not earn attractive profits if it has chosen a poor competitive position. Conversely, a firm in an excellent competitive position may be in such a poor industry that it is not very profitable, and further efforts to enhance its position will be of little benefit. Both questions are dynamic; industry attractiveness and competitive position change. Industries become more or less attractive over time, and competitive position reflects an unending battle among competitors. Even long periods of stability can be abruptly ended by competitive moves. Both industry attractiveness and competitive position can be shaped by a firm, and this is what makes the choice of competitive strategy both challenging and exciting.

2009-04-24T22:06:00.001-11:00

We are NOT Human Beings going through a Temporary Spiritual Experience,
We are Spiritual Beings going through a Temporary Human Experience!

I Don't Have the Budget

2009-04-21T20:54:00.002-11:00

By Jim Kasper

If you've been in sales for any length of time, you've heard this one. It really hurts when you've expended a lot of time and effort. This Sales trainer shows you how to respond, and, more importantly, how to avoid this classic objection in the first place.

It's a recurring theme these days. You know the "drill." You've done your homework, the prospect likes what you're offering, and after all of your hard work, you see yourself walking out with an ....order! You're ready to close. Then you hear the dreaded, "I really like what I see, but I just don't have the budget."

The typical responses to this statement are:

You say, "O.K., Ms. Prospect, I'll check back with you later?" Then you leave.

You handle it as any other objection by paraphrasing, clarifying, and restating the benefits.

You realize that the prospect truly doesn't have the money.

Relying on your keen instincts and superlative sales abilities you continually try to close, irritating the prospect who calls security to have your carcass escorted to the parking lot.

You decide the most prudent course of action is to argue the cost vs. the benefits. "Yes, but what I've proposed will provide an R.O.I. of 133% within 18 months!"

Of the above responses, only one would be deemed proper. There are times when the customer really does not have a budget. The reasons for this may be:

The customer may be too small to afford your services.

It may be the end of the budget or fiscal year.

Business may be particularly slow.

Business may be good, but cash flow is slow.

The company is cutting expenses to appease the "analysts."

How do you determine if these are legitimate reasons when they come from your customer's mouth? You always ask open-ended questions about these topics as part of the normal fact-finding mission in your sales interview. By doing this, you bring out budgetary restraints at the beginning of the sales cycle, not the end. Preface your questions with the statement, "Mr. Prospect, I have a few background questions to ask you that will help us determine the most effective way to proceed." Then, ask:

"Tell me about your fiscal year."
"How has business been lately?"
"What type of seasonality do you experience?"
"What was the last time you made this type of [product / service] purchase? How did it go?"

In other words, predetermine the fiscal condition of your prospect or customer before he or she uses one of these conditions as an objection. Like a good tailor, you've got to "size them up."

Upon hearing, "It's not in my budget," consider the following to sell your prospect:

Establish a financial proposition
A temporary personnel placement agency, specializing in the insurance industry, was approached by an insurance trade association to sponsor a member educational program. Although the association was a prime target for prospects, the cost of the program was thousands of dollars more than the firm expected. The small firm did not have the budget. How did the association close the deal?

The insurance association representative asked the placement agency owner how many dollars the average insurance association member spent with the placement agency annually. Then the association representative figured it would only take three new customers to pay back the sponsorship fee. Next, the association representative helped the agency develop a plan to obtain six new customers by sponsoring the event.

Be a budget planner
In January, a large financial services organization solicited proposals from several sales training firms. When the successful proposal was identified, their CFO realized the cost of the training was more than remained in the training budget for the fiscal year. The fiscal budget started in June. What did the successful sales training company do to close the financial institution?

Realizing that the "not in my budget" was legitimate; the training company agreed to aid the financial institution in planning its next fiscal year's training budget. The training company literally became a planning partner with the financial organization.

"I guarantee it."
In today's fiercely competitive market, sometimes prospects play the "It's not in my budget" card just to see what concessions they can get out of the deal. When appropriate, and when you know who you're doing business with, try the guarantee approach. Many companies offer a performance guarantee to their customers calling for a product or service to meet a certain benchmark by a specific date.

Here's an example. Recently, we were asked to make a training proposal to a major electronic manufacturing firm. During the initial interview, the firm said that the training was not budgeted and they were looking for some creative approaches to "sell" the program to senior management. We then offered a guarantee - within 60 days, the program was to provide a specific R.O.I. If that R.O.I was not met, the cost of the program would then be refunded. When presented with that solution, management promptly allocated the funds.

Keep these suggestions in mind when you are presented with the "no budget" response:

Never, ever automatically offer a price concession.

Don't instinctively accept the response at face value; always probe for the "hidden" reasons.

Ask yourself, "Can they really afford what I'm selling?"

Ask the prospect, "What are your future plans to buy?"

Ask yourself, "How badly do I want this business? When? At what cost?"

Following these guidelines will give you insight on your next step and help you determine whether to pursue the opportunity or withdraw and head down the road to your next prospect.

Negotiating to Win

2009-04-20T22:34:00.006-11:00

Julie Thomas shows you how the negotiating process takes place throughout the sale and what you can do to position yourself to win.

In today's hyper-competitive markets, prospects are more risk-averse than ever. Many prospects focus on every aspect of every purchase to prove that they are getting the best possible deal. Often they have "professional purchasers" who are fully responsible to get the best deal possible. At the same time, your goal is to establish enough value to minimize the cost discussion when it is time to close the business. As a seller of goods and services, your company's profits are directly affected by your ability to meet your customers' needs while meeting your own goals.

Sales is the business of relationships, and like any relationship it requires give and take. We typically expect the give and take, also known as negotiating, to happen during proposal and contract discussions; however, in reality, we continually negotiate throughout the sales process - on everything from picking a time to meet to determining who will participate in a demo to hashing out the terms and conditions of a contract. Negotiations are most productive when conducted objectively, and at the right time.

Here are a few points to remember when negotiating with prospects:
•Understand the "need" behind your prospect's position. In any negotiating situation, your responsibility is to understand your prospect's criteria –– as well as your own –– and ethically create positive outcomes for all parties involved.

•Know your empowerment level; you could find yourself in dangerous territory with either your company or prospect if you commit to things that are outside of your span of control.

•Define what constitutes a "win" for all parties. Here, it is critical to consider what you want as well as what your prospect wants.

•Be clear on what you can negotiate and what is non-negotiable. For each of us, there are non-negotiable items that are not open for discussion or compromise. It is important that we understand those and are clear about what we are willing to negotiate on.

•Maintain composure; respond rather than react and maintain a high level of rapport every step of the way.

•Finally, know your "walk-away" position; some deals are simply not worth what you are being asked to give up.

A key to successful negotiating is to understand when to negotiate in the first place. Negotiating components of deliverables, terms or pricing before the prospect is actually "sold" on your solution will cause you credibility problems. It is important not to negotiate until you have clearly shown the prospect what his world will be like after he acquires your product or services, and established both business and personal value with the individuals you are working with. Also understand the prospect's process for purchasing so that you are not caught in a position of multiple negotiations with multiple individuals.

There are typically three things to negotiate at the end of your sales cycle:
Deliverables, Terms and Conditions, and Pricing. One thing to keep in mind is that your price is always a function of your deliverables and your terms and conditions. As you prepare for your negotiation, there are three key strategies that can help you through the process:

Strategy #1: Trade-offs
Successful negotiations are a balance of meeting both parties' needs. With trade-offs, your objective is to meet both parties' needs by trading items from one category with items from a second category. For example, you may be willing to reduce your price with a change in terms or deliverables.

How it might sound:

"If you want this product shipped to multiple locations, are you willing to accept different payment terms?"

Strategy #2: Embellishments
This strategy requires you to add incremental value in one category when you can't make a trade-off to accommodate the prospect. For instance, you may throw in deliverables that have little cost to you but are large value to the prospect.

How it might sound:

"If we expand the training class from fifteen to twenty people, are you willing to move forward today with the terms and investment we have discussed?"

Strategy #3: Compromise
Compromise involves finding the middle ground in the same category. Splitting the difference on price, payment terms or a specific deliverable could be examples.

How it might sound:

"If we can split the difference in payment terms between net 10 and net 30, can we move forward today?"

Think about a current sales cycle that is nearing the closing point. First, analyze all areas of your qualification process to confirm that you have a truly qualified prospect. If you find that you are not working with a qualified prospect, re-engage on the sales cycle rather than the negotiation.

Next, prepare for any potential negotiation by identifying both the prospect's and your own ideal position. Make a list of what is non-negotiable from your perspective, and another list of what you think your prospect might require to move forward. From these two lists, develop potential win-win negotiating strategies using the aforementioned strategies:
•Trade-offs
•Embellishments
•Compromises

Negotiating for success requires planning and strong communication skills. Being prepared for the negotiation with solid ideas and strategies will put you in a position of strength!

2009-04-18T03:12:00.001-11:00

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COMPETITIVE STRATEGY

2009-04-18T02:59:00.002-11:00

Michael E Porter
THE five competitive forces — entry, threat of substitution, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and rivalry among current competitors — reflect the fact that competition in an industry goes well beyond the established players. Customers, suppliers, substitutes, and potential entrants are all “competitors” to firms in the industry and may be more or less prominent depending on the circumstances. Competition in this broader sense might be termed extended rivalry. All five competitive forces jointly determine the intensity of industry competition and profitability. For example, even a company with a strong market position in an industry where potential entrants are no threat will earn low returns if it faces a superior, lower-cost substitute. Even with no substitutes and blocked entry, intense rivalry among competitors will limit potential returns. Different forces take on prominence, of course, in shaping competition in each industry. The underlying structure of an industry should be distinguished from the many short-run factors that can affect competition and profitability in a transient way. For example, fluctuations in economic conditions over the business cycle influence short-run profitability. Although such factors may have tactical significance, the focus of the analysis of industry structure, or “structural analysis,” is on identifying the basic, underlying characteristics of an industry rooted in its economics and technology that shape the arena in which competitive strategy must be set.

NEW Pension Schemes (NPS) are in news..

2009-04-14T00:08:00.002-11:00

by - BAKUL CHUGAN

With India gearing up for its own government-regulated pension plan, in line of the 401Kretirement plan in the US, investors need to know the intricacies of the same.

NEW Pension Schemes (NPS) are in news for quite some time now. With India finally gearing up to have its own government-regulated pension plan, on the lines of the ‘401K-retirement plan’ in the US, the excitement hovering around NPS is obvious. While the scheme is already operational for central govt employees, its opening for general public on May 1, 2009. Unlike the traditional retirement solutions, such as PPF and EPF; NPS is not a defined benefit, but rather a defined contribution plan. Thus, while investment in PPF and EPF attract a fixed rate of interest, returns from NPS will be market determined. The market here, however, is not confined to equity alone, but includes corporate bonds and government securities. Investment in these papers is to be actively managed by fund managers. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has designated six asset management companies (AMCs) for the purpose. So, does it imply that NPS is just another mutual fund scheme? Though the NPS will be managed by fund houses, the autonomy lies with the PFRDA. While AMCs take investment decisions for NPS, their operational freedom shall be confined to the guidelines issued by PFRDA from time to time. Again, while an MF investor can enter and exit an scheme at free will, NPS will bind them till the retirement age of 58 years. The current guidelines do not permit a pre-mature withdrawal or any loan against the investment in NPS. The onus of deciding the structure of investments and selecting the fund house has, however, been left to the investor. The investor is free to choose the right mix of equity (E), corporate bonds (C) and government securities (G) in his/her portfolio. Alternatively, investor can choose auto option, wherein his investment in NPS will divided in pre-determined proportion of 15% (E), 45% (C) and 40% (G). In the case of automatic allocation, the entire investment will be equally distributed among all six fund managers in the first year. From second year onwards, however, the allocation will be pro-rated on the basis of the first year’s performance. NPS can also be distinguished from an MF scheme in terms of its cost structure. While an MF scheme charges an entry-load of about 2.25% and an average management charge of 1.5%, NPS carries a bare minimum fee of 0.0009%. Virtually free; as one might put it! But hold on. For, while NPS may prima facie appear an art of charity, investors would do well to note that there is never a free lunch. NPS requires maintenance of all records and the same will be done by NSDL, which will act as the central record keeping agency (CAR). Each investor will thus be required to pay NSDL an account opening charge of Rs 50. Besides, there will be a maintenance charge of Rs 350 per year and an additional charge of Rs 10 per transaction. PFRDA has also appointed selected banks as point of presence (POPs) to facilitate quick and hassle-free transactions. However, these services are not free either. According to an industry source, POPs will also charge an investor an account opening fee of Rs 20 and an additional charge of Rs 20 per transaction. This implies that an investor seeking to invest Rs 500 per month will actually end up paying around Rs 560 per month. That’s nearly 11% transaction cost, considerably higher than 8% return offered by PPF. So does this render NPS more costly visà-vis an MF scheme? The current cost structure of NPS is as good as fixed in nature, while that of an MF is a percentage of investment. Thus, the higher the investment, the higher would be the charges in case of an MF scheme. Given the current cost structure, NPS appears to be more beneficial to those with a higher amount of periodic investment. Another factor that needs major consideration is the tax treatment. NPS does not enjoy any tax benefits, either at the investment stage or at the time of maturity. This makes it less attractive vis-à-vis other retirement plans available in the market. While PFRDA is understood to have approached the government to grant NPS the tax status of (exempt-exempt-exempt) EEE, the fact that PFRDA bill is yet to be approved by Parliament may procrastinate the process. Thus, while the step in the right direction has been taken, a lot needs to be done to make NPS as competitive as 401K.

Staying Motivated in Challenging Times

2009-04-12T20:33:00.002-11:00

by Dave Kahle
Here's some real-world advice on how to stay motivated even during these difficult times.

Sales is an emotional roller coaster, and unless you figure out how to manage those emotions and keep yourself motivated, you'll have a difficult time succeeding. This is particularly true right now. The economy continues to struggle, and unemployment is higher than it has been for years. Many companies are cutting back, there are fewer jobs available, and pressures to perform are greater than ever. It's easy to lose our motivation.

However, even though the world around us may be dreary and depressing, that in no way reduces our personal need to do the best we can. That means that we all have a responsibility to stay motivated.

It is amazing what a difference a few degrees of attitude adjustment can make in our performance. Try this little exercise. Tell yourself these things: "Business is terrible. All of my customers are struggling. Nobody wants to see me, and when they do, it's just to complain." Now wallow in those thoughts for a moment, and note how much energy and enthusiasm you have.

Now, think the opposite: "I have great opportunities. My customers need me more today than ever. I have valuable solutions for them. It's a great time to have this job." Roll those around in your mind for a while. Note how much energy and enthusiasm you have.

As you reflect on this exercise, it's clear that your energy, enthusiasm and drive to succeed come as a result of your thoughts. And here is one of the most powerful truths known to mankind: You can control your thoughts.

Going beyond "positive thinking":
Succeeding in difficult times depends a great deal on our motivation. Staying motivated requires us to take charge of our thoughts.

I've heard dozens of salespeople say, "I've tried positive thinking. It just isn't me." I agree that it is difficult to patch a bunch of positive thoughts on top of an essentially negative personality. The issue is deeper than that. Let's, therefore, examine the deeper issues.

At the heart of motivation lies a pair of powerful beliefs that you must embrace if you are going to successfully motivate yourself. Without a wholehearted commitment to these foundational beliefs, all the techniques and tactics for self-motivation are like spreading wallpaper over crumbling plaster. It may hold temporarily, but it is soon going to deteriorate into a mess.

Here's the first foundational principle: You must believe that you can do better than you are now doing. The second is this: You must accept that it is your responsibility to do so.

It's simple and commonsense, but, the more I observe people and salespeople specifically, the more convinced I am that the majority of people do not share these core beliefs. Rather, they are in the habit of making excuses for their situation. They believe fate, not their actions, determines their success. They believe success is for someone else, not them. They never really grab unto the first of these foundational principles.

Others believe that they can achieve greater degrees of success. They embrace the first principle, intellectually, but they never internalize the second. They become content with their situation and remain in pre-established comfort zones. They look at their manager as the person who is responsible for their success, or lack thereof. Maybe it's their parent's fault, or their spouse's, or... the list goes on.

Whether you are struggling with a lack of energy that accompanies a bad day, or you're depressed and frustrated with your lack of progress on a larger scale, examine your core beliefs first. If you really accept these two principles, you have the keystone in place to become highly motivated.

Having said that, here are a couple proven techniques you can use to keep yourself motivated day-to-day.

Have something you are working to accomplish:

This can be an important and compelling goal like saving enough money for a down payment on a house. When you are working toward something like that, your emotions of the moment tend to be a lower priority than your drive to achieve. If you are trying to make money for a home for your family, so what if you're tired or depressed? You get out and do it. The same is true for having a compelling purpose. I believe that every salesperson should be able to articulate clearly his or her purpose in life. I once began a ten-week sales training program with a requirement that everyone write a two-sentence "life purpose." Why? Because it gives power and focus to everything you do. In your job as a salesperson, there will many difficult times when things don't go your way. You may lose a big deal, or be unable to get anyone to return your calls. At times like these, it helps to view them within the context of a larger perspective - your life purpose.

Proactively put positive thoughts into your mind:

Make a point of taking charge of your mind and the kind of thoughts you choose to think. Wise and thoughtful people for ages have discovered an extremely powerful principle: Your actions arise from your thoughts, and you can choose your thoughts. Controlling and managing your thoughts is one of the basic tenants of Zen Buddhism, for example. In the Christian context, the apostle Paul said, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Philosophers, educators, and thinkers of every generation conclude the same thing. But the power of this truth is not reserved just for philosophers. Salespeople can make use of it as well. The reason you may feel depressed or anxious is because you are thinking depressing or anxious thoughts. Change your thoughts, and you can change your feelings. Change your emotions, and you can change your behavior. Change your behavior and you can change your results. It's not as difficult as it may sound.

Take action:

Do this -- invest in a couple of audio programs - good, positive stuff - or find something at the local library. As you drive between appointments and on your way home from work, listen to those tapes or CDs. You'll find yourself thinking positive thoughts. Those positive thoughts will lead to a more positive attitude. That attitude will manifest in more focused actions. Those actions will lead to better results. Read educational and inspiring books and periodicals. Hundreds of good sales books are published each year. Spend 30 minutes at your local Barnes & Noble, Borders or business bookstore and you'll find several works that will interest and stimulate you. The World Wide Web is awash with resources. Then there are hardcopy publications. There is no limit to the amount of positive, educational material available to you. If you are not regularly exposing yourself to some of this, it is because you are choosing to not be motivated. Succeeding in difficult times requires you to take charge of your motivation. Now is the time to take this most important step to becoming a true professional.

The Six Human Emotional Needs

2009-04-12T20:31:00.001-11:00

Have you wondered why it is seems so difficult to change our habitual behaviours? The reason is because our decisions and behaviours are driven by our emotions more than by our logic. Logically, we want to stop smoking or stop overeating, and yet, we still find ourselves repeating the pattern of behaviours. Why do we do this? It is because smoking and over eating meets our emotional needs.
At the same time, we all logically want to have a great relationship with our spouse or friends. And yet, we sometimes find ourselves getting into the same patterns of arguments and conflicts. Again, this is all caused by a mismatch of emotional needs between well-intentioned parties.
To change any kind of behaviour, you must first understand that as human beings, our decisions and actions are almost ALWAYS driven by the need to meet six human (emotional) needs. This is why we sometimes do things that don’t make any sense at all. We do it simply to meet these 6 human needs (by the way, this was developed by Anthony Robbins). So, what are these 6 human needs?
Human Need 1: Certainty
The first human need is the need for CERTAINTY. We all need to feel a sense of security that things will be okay. Certainty gives us peace of mind and assurance.
Although we all have the need for CERTAINTY, we use different behavioural strategies to meet this need. For example, when you feel stressed, worried, unsure and uncertain, how do you meet your need for certainty?
Some people use destructive strategies like over-eating, smoking or drinking alcohol. Don’t some people do these things to relieve the stress of uncertainty and get into certainty? Others get certainty by controlling other people (becoming a control freak) or by losing their temper. In one episode of Oprah, she interviewed a woman who handled her stress of being sexually abused by creating a multiple personality disorder.
At the same time, there are useful strategies to get certainty. Some people pray/use religion to get that sense of certainty. Some people, adopt empowering beliefs like, ‘ I know I will get through this’ or ‘everything happens for a reason’ or they simply have faith in themselves. Others get certainty through exercise, meditation or confiding in a friend.
So, think about this? How DO you meet your need for certainty? Is it constructive or destructive to you?

Human Need 2: Uncertainty
Now, here is the big paradox! As human beings, we have a second emotional need that is in direct conflict with our first need. We all have a need for UNCERTAINTY!
Think about it. If you had absolute 100% certainty in your life where you knew exactly what was going to happen, when it was going to happen, how it happens, before it happens every single day, how will you feel? You will feel BORED TO DEATH. This is why there are multi millionaires who have all the money and all the possessions in the world, but are depressed! Their life is so certain that they have no more challenges or surprises. No more uncertainty!
This is also why a woman/man in a perfect marriage where everything is routine and predictable will eventually get so bored, that they will unconsciously start picking a fight, having an affair or leave the marriage. There is no more excitement and stimulation that we all need emotionally.
So, how do people meet the emotional need of uncertainty (i.e. challenge/surprise/variety) in their lives? Again, some people do destructive things like having an affair, starting arguments, picking up one-night stands, taking drugs, smoking when bored and drinking to get high (yup, smoking and drinking offer both certainty AND uncertainty).
Some of us do neutral stuff like watching a movie, playing sports, changing jobs, making new friends or partying. This gives us the stimulation and variety we all need.
Some constructive strategies would include taking on new challenges (e.g. going mountain climbing, traveling, starting a business, writing a book). So think about it, how do you meet your need for uncertainty?

Human Need 3: Significance
The third human emotional need is the need to feel significant/special/unique/important/needed. We all hunger for this need and again pursue it in different ways.
Some people feel significant by attaining qualifications (e.g. MBAs, PhDs etc..), achieving success, buying lots of toys (e.g. bigger house, bigger car, country club, Rolex watch etc…) or pursuing status symbols.
Others get significance by putting other people down, dressing in a unique way or tattooing every conceivable part of their body. Again, others feel significance by having children (and making sure they excel and do them proud) or flaunting their wealth. Some people get significance by being proud of certain identities they adopt like being a Christian, a Muslim, an Army Officer, a Vegetarian etc…
Many people have asked me why I continue to work so hard to write so many books, spend hours writing posts on my BLOG and speak at so many seminars when I clearly don’t really need the money anymore. The answer is that I am driven to all these things because it makes me feel significant (useful, special, needed) and provides me the uncertainty (challenge & variety) that I crave. It also, gives me the 4th human need, connection and love and the 6th human need, contribution.
Again, think about how YOU meet the need to feel significance?

Human Need 4: Love and Connection
The 4th human need is in direct conflict with the 3rd human need of SIGNIFICANCE. Think about this. If you felt TOTALLY significant where you were so unique, so special and so different from all the people around you. Would you be happy? No! You would feel disconnected from the people around you.
One of our strongest needs as humans in the need to be accepted, to be loved and connected to the people around us. Once we become so special and unique, we will start to find ourselves losing that connection to our peers. I can tell you that I feel that way sometimes myself. At times I find it difficult to really be myself, connect with people I meet because people keep expecting me to be this perfect guru, with all the answers.
Have you ever wondered why a superstar like Britney Spears with all the fame, money and talent in the world could end up screwing up her life by engaging in destructive behaviours like drink driving, drug taking that would lead to 2 divorces, losing custody of her children and ending up in a mental institution? My guess is that although she felt total significance, she felt unloved and disconnected from everyone around her.
She probably could not be herself, always having to put up a front and feeling that all the people around her were just using her. Her need for connection and love probably drove her to mix around with the wrong company (i.e. Paris Hilton) and engaging in destructive behaviours that would get her the love/connection and sympathy she was lacking.
We all need to feel love and connection and again get it through different means. Some people get connection by getting into a relationship, getting married, making love, joining clubs, playing with their children, having pets, prayer (connection to God) or hanging out with friends.
Sometimes, people even ‘try’ to get love and connection by self-abuse and falling sick (studies show 90% of all illnesses are psychosomatic). This gives them the sudden outpour of sympathy and love that they yearn for. How do you get love and connection in your life?

If Your Relationship is Not Happy, Here’s Why…
I have found after working with many couples that whenever a marriage breaks down, it is always because partners are not meeting each others emotional needs.
A man (or woman) often wants to leave the marriage either because he/she no longer feels significant, loved, certainty or uncertainty by his/her partner. What is a very very common scenario is that after a couple has a child, the man no longer feels the same level of significance anymore. It seems that his wife spends all the time with the kids, that he is no longer important. So what happens? He rather spend his time in the office where he feels more significant or find a girlfriend who makes him feel special again!
So, here is a point of reflection. How well are you meeting your partner’s emotional needs?

If Your Staff Are Leaving Your Company, Here’s Why…
As a boss of my own company and a person who trains other companies in bringing put the best in their employees, I have found that your staff will only be happy and motivated to give their best when they feel significant (they are praised often and recognized), certainty (sense of security of their future in the company), uncertainty (their jobs gives them variety and challenge) as well as connection (they love the people they work with and have a sense of belonging).
Similarly, people leave a company not only for monetary reasons. They leave when they feel a lack of security (certainty), lack of challenge (uncertainty), lack of connection (they hate the people) or a lack of significance (unappreciated).
Reflection: if you are a boss/team leader, are you meeting your staff’s/colleagues emotional needs to bring out the best in them?

If You Have An Addiction that You Cannot Change, Here’s Why…
Finally, I have found that if you have a negative behaviour that you find hard to change, it is only because it is being used to meet two or more of your emotional needs. For example, if you find yourself constantly losing your temper, it is because it gives you a sense of significance and certainty.
If you find it difficult to stop smoking, it is probably it meets your needs for certainty (relaxes and de-stresses you), uncertainty (smoke when you feel bored), connection (especially if you smoke with friends to ‘fit in’) and significance (makes you look ‘cool’). Often, when a behaviour meets more than 2 needs, it becomes an ADDICTION.
In my patterns of excellence programs, I show people how to break limiting patterns of behaviours by first finding an alternative way to meet their needs. If you do not find a new useful alternative behaviour to replace it, you will find yourself going back to the old habit/addiction.

The Last Two Human Needs: Growth and Contribution
You are probably wondering what the last two human emotional needs are. Understand that the first four needs MUST be met by us constantly. It is what drives our daily behaviours.
However, to be truly fulfilled and happy, we need to meet the last two needs of ‘growth’ and ‘contribution’. We need to constantly grow by learning more and challenging ourselves to become better. The moment we stop growing, we start dying emotionally.
Finally, we all need to contribute beyond ourselves, This is why people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett make all the money in the world only to give most of it away to charity. contribution is what gives us ultimate purpose and fulfillment in life.

The Law of Attraction

2009-04-12T19:00:00.001-11:00

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION has been taught for thousands of years, and more and more people are beginning to believe and use the law of attraction to achieve ALL they want.

The secret to using the law of attraction is simple: Just think about what you want most of the time.
O.K. Easier said, than done, right?
My mentor use to say to me, “Our life is a direct reflection of our consistent thoughts.”
What that means is you must align your thoughts with your goals and find the WHY behind those goals, and then you have to think repeatedly over and over again until you create that BURNING DESIRE for success.

The key is to literally brainwash yourself for success by repeating one effective phrase over and over again until you put yourself into a trance of attracting success.
If your life is a reflection of your consistent thought, then doesn’t it make sense to have the most powerful thought repeated to you over and over again… 501 times per day?
The secret is the ultimate power of affirmation, auto-suggestion, or incantation. For example, if you think about the WHY behind your goals 501 times a day then you’ll behave differently, because you’ll feel a higher level of motivation.
The average person is lucky if they think about their WHY behind their goals once a week.
By repeating one phrase over and over again with emotional intensity you re-wire your brain for success, and put it on auto-pilot to guide you toward your goals. That’s the secret!

And, ANYONE can do this.
It doesn’t take any special skills!

THE SCIENCE OF MANAGEMENT

2009-04-10T23:54:00.002-11:00

by Vijay Govindarajan
AS ESSENTIAL as it is to the long-term health of organisations, knowledge about best practices for managing strategic innovation is scarce. For every strategic experiment studied, we observed a unique approach to management. There is no commonly accepted principle or standard. Management theory has evolved rapidly over the past few decades. For example, the once-popular notion that the essence of strategy is to maintain stability has given way to acceptance that stability is illusory. Modern strategists do not seek to build and defend a competitive advantage from change by, say, erecting barriers to entry. Instead, they recognise that to stay ahead, corporations must always look for new markets and new sources of competitive advantage. This shift in emphasis in strategy formulation demands a similar shift in the field of strategy execution, but the latter field lags. Although the what of strategy now focuses on innovation and change, knowledge of the how is still nascent. Truly understanding what works and why, requires multi-year, qualitative, interpretive study. The study of strategic innovation resembles history or psychology more than finance or economics. Furthermore, the little existing research-based knowledge emphasises the very early stages of managing strategic innovation, particularly the generation of and evaluation of creative ideas. That leaves much terrain uncharted... Limits to innovation have less to do with technology or creativity than with management skill.

The Lottery of Life- Would You Re-Draw?

2009-01-23T07:03:00.006-11:00

- Adam Khoo
Lots of people I meet complain that they don’t have the luck to achieve the success and wealth that they want. “If only I was luckier, life would be alot easier and I would be alot happier”, they would say. Many people pray of the day they could draw that lucky ticket and win that million dollar lottery that would change their life.
What many people do not realize is that the fact that they are comfortably reading this BLOG means that they have been lucky enough to be one of the few winners of the biggest lottery of all….the lottery of life! They were lucky enough to draw the ‘right ticket’ and be born where they are.
Imagine that 24 hours before you were born, God gave you a bowl of 100 tickets. You had to draw one ticket that would determine your sex, country of birth, wealth, intelligence etc.. What would have been your chance to end up where you are now?
Let;s look at the odds. If you were to take the entire earth’s population and shrink it to 100 people (represented by 100 tickets), with all existing human ratios the same, it would be made up of the following:
49 would be female, 51 would be male80 would live in substandard housing. 20 in acceptable housing.67 would be unable to read. Only 33 would be literate1 would have a university education. 99 would not be able to attend university50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation33 would be without access to a safe water supply16 would have access to the Internet17 would live in a developed country. 83 live in underdeveloped/developing countries
If you were given the chance to turn back time and go back to 24 hours before you were born, would you choose to return your current ticket and re-draw a new ticket from the 100 again? If not, then consider how lucky you are!

2007-08-12T04:13:00.001-11:00

It’s Another Day

2007-08-10T19:48:00.000-11:00

One of my favourite lines in the movie Gone With The Wind is when Scarlett says ‘Tomorrow is another day.’ This line has given me hope many times when the skies of my life were bleak and I couldn’t see around the corner of whatever challenge was facing me at the time I would remind myself, that after all, tomorrow was another day. No matter what it looked like at the moment, I knew that tomorrow would bring perhaps a solution, or maybe simply another perception of the situation I was in. I would remind myself that things always get better eventually.

Anything can change tomorrow, or even today, or even this moment. We simply have to keep the door open to the possibility of change — keep our mind and heart open to looking for a next step, a resolution of our dilemma. When we give up, or when we think it’s all hopeless, we stop looking for solutions and we stop being open to the miracles that the Universe can send our way.

There are many things that we see when we look around us — whether in our household, in our work situation, in the world — that are ‘far from perfect’. But, everything that exists today can be different tomorrow, or the day after that. The important thing for us to remember is that there is hope. I always like to say: As long as you’re still breathing, there’s still hope. (And if you are confident in life after death, as I am, then you know there’s still hope after your body is no longer breathing.)

Nothing in our life, no matter how terrible it seems, is hopeless. Whether later today or tomorrow, we still will have opportunities to ‘make it better’. Whether we are dealing with relationships, work situations, or world crises — it can all change. Nothing is ever always the same — things are in a constant process of change, and when we are setting our intentions properly, the change is towards the betterment of our life situation.

I must say, I am rather enjoying seeing all the ‘dirt’ coming out about the corporations and CEOs involved. Not that I’m glad it all happened, but rather I’m happy that it’s all coming out in the open. After all, in order to change or “heal” a situation, we must first realise and acknowledge that there is something that needs healing. Thus all the shenanigans coming out about Enron, WorldCom, AOL, Haliburton, and some of the major key players in the US administration will finally give us a chance to ‘fix’ the problems. First we must see the problem — then we go about resolving it. If we deny that there is injustice, dishonesty, and corruption, then we also are denying the possibility of ‘fixing’ what is wrong in our world.

It is the same in our personal lives. If someone is in a battered relationship, first they must acknowledge that the situation exists before they can do something about it. We cannot decide to leave an abusive marriage before acknowledging that something is unhealthy about the relationship — the same applies to work situations, financial situations. First we acknowledge that there is a problem, then we start looking to see how to resolve it.

The important thing to remember when we see a problem — or something that needs balancing or a ‘course correction’ — is that we must simply ‘see the problem’. Getting into a barrage of blame and anger and guilt will not get us any closer to a resolution. We must look at ourselves and at the people around us as small children who need a “course correction”. When you see a child about to do something that will harm themselves or others, you correct them — yet we all know that we can attract more bees with honey than vinegar. It is best to correct with love and compassion and understanding, than to do so with retribution, rage, and name-calling.

If we want to make changes in our lives and in the world around us, blame, anger, and venom will not attain positive change. We need to focus on the solution we want, focus on the outcome we desire, and see what steps we need to take to attain that goal — one step at a time, one day at a time.

After all, tomorrow is another day. We simply need to live our today’s with an eye on our tomorrows and make course corrections when needed.

-By Marie T Russell

Change Your Life

2005-05-25T18:25:00.000-11:00

THERE is no need to be unhappy. There is no need to be sad. There is no need to be disappointed, or oppressed, or aggrieved. There is no need for illness or failure or discouragement. There is no necessity for anything but success, good health, prosperity, and an abounding interest and joy in life.

That the lives of many people are full of dreary things is unfortunately only too true; but there is no necessity for them to be there. They are there only because their victims suppose them to be inevitable, not because they are so. As long as you accept a negative condition at its own valuation, so long will you remain in bondage to it. Success and happiness are the natural condition of mankind. It is actually easier for us to demonstrate these things than the reverse. Bad habits of thinking and acting may obscure this fact for a time, just as a wrong way of walking or sitting, or holding a pen or a musical instrument may seem to be easier than the proper way, because we have accustomed ourselves to it; but the proper way is the easier nevertheless.

Unhappiness, frustration, loneliness are really bad habits that their victims have become accustomed to bear with more or less fortitude, believing that there is no way out, whereas there is a way; and that way is simply to acquire good habits of the mind instead of bad ones. You should never “put up” with anything. You should never be willing to accept less than Health, Harmony, and Happiness.

Animesh Bhatt

Freedom .... Happiness

2005-03-28T01:47:00.000-11:00

Freedom .... Happiness

Sitting on my terrace..
on this beautiful evening..
i look up to see...

the birds fly...
in tandem they fly..
swinging in one direction..
then another..
so many of them..

oh so free they fly..
so wonderful they fly..

i envy their freedom
and i envy their happiness..

i wonder
if they are looking at me..
and envy my terrace..
envy my being on the ground..
unafraid..
without a time bound..
to reach home..
and then start another day..

i wonder...
if they are free..
as free as i am..

and i wonder...
if they are happy..
as happy as i am.

Animesh Bhatt