Life lessons at Rishikesh – 2.0

I tried high rope walking in the morning. Was veryyyy scared. Gave up. I wasn’t even ready to jump off the harness when I decided to give up. Was pushed.

Tried climbing the wall in the evening. Failed again.

But didn’t have even an iota of regret. It’s better to try and fail than to not try at all, I suppose.

Other than that, I really need to work on my looks. Looking way more untidy or it is lack of confidence due to so-called friends not being around.

So much of a normal day. Yet so much to learn.

Life is epic. With life lessons coming in.

Making of a Manager 6.0

Recent life lessons from being a manager:

  1. When you do something that might come as offensive to the other person but in reality happens as a result of their neglect, sometimes mentioning the reason why you did it is important.
  2. People who are assets won’t give away their work (under pressure) even if you ask them to. The good way is to ask the one who is filling in for them, to take work from them. Always works!
  3. You may try your best to help a non-performing team member – by asking questions, suggesting them, presenting your PoVs. If they still don’t move, start taking actions and FYI-ing them. Not because you want to dominate them. NO! You’ve already tried your best. Rather because you do not want the work to suffer anymore, if the person responsible for it anyway can’t take ownership.

Making of a Manager 5.0

About hiring:

  1. Don’t make a decision while getting drifted by emotions
  2. Send a regret email + feedback
  3. Care, but understand that you cannot hire everyone
  4. Sometimes wishing for the best for your team means saying a lot of no.

About trust:

  1. Take a lot of time to trust anyone who has broken your trust before.
  2. Tell this to them
  3. Even when you trust again, verify.

About negativity:

  1. Even if someone in the team is performing negatively, talking to others would NEVER solve it.
  2. If you can’t resist, write it down. But NEVER talk to anyone about it.
  3. What you think radiates before what you talk.

Making of a Manager 4.0

Life lessons from being a manager:

  1. Your team will always be going through stuff – someone is in an airplane, someone is shifting, someone is occupied, someone will not respond, someone might be going through a break up – and asking them to work might make you feel apologetic. Why? Be the one who is there for them, helps them navigate life without excuses, and more than anything else – lets them shine in every area of life.
  2. Give away credit when you need it the most.
  3. Indulging in gossip groups with a subset of team is disastrous for the team. Not to mention, for you as well. Your team loves you, and you owe it to them to be unbiased.
  4. Taking time off for meditation and sleep isn’t luxury, it is a necessity.
  5. Karma yoga – where you say your affirmations and meditate for one minute – that is where all the magic happens. Doing it or not doing it will decide whether you are effective or impulsive.
  6. You may try your best on people and they may still choose to be angry at you, and then leave the company. If you have a pact of honesty with yourself, you need not feel bad. At all. People have their lives and they own their choices, not your mood.
  7. Chill baby, you have the Brahmastra – God. Everything else, will just fall in place.

Random life lessons

Haven’t done a life lessons blog in quite some time, so here you go:

  1. You cannot enforce love. Not for people, not for work.
  2. Stay away from having calls during the afternoons. Sleep, baby!
  3. Stretching is as important as (if not more important than) working out.
  4. Sirsasana and sarvangasana are lit.
  5. Ghee khichdi with papad is the ultimate tummy-filler.
  6. Life becomes joyful when you are grateful.
  7. It takes years to get to a place of doing it in seconds.

Making of a Manager: 2.0

Since I’m juggling with my new role as a manager, I’m documenting all my experiences in this category of my blog.

Some recent life lessons:

  1. No one will value your time unless you do.
  2. Kindness is superpower.
  3. Be prepared for every type of issues. It will make you calmer.
  4. Give away the credit.
  5. Trust, but verify
  6. Appreciate in public. Criticise in person.
  7. Keep writing. NEVER EVER EVER EVERRR stop.
  8. Empathy. Be there for them. But don’t allow for lethargy in work.
  9. You can be friends and chill around; or get work done. Can’t do both.
  10. When you get work done, though, it does not mean that you have to be rude. You can still be fun and chill, but friendship is another dimension.
  11. Be kind when they screw up. We have NO IDEA what they are going through.
  12. Be honest. Because YOU are watching.
  13. What you think about your team in your head, is what will manifest on the outside.
  14. You don’t HAVE to speak when there is nothing to speak.
  15. If you do not require any follow-up, you are GOLD.
  16. If you follow-up with people when they are supposed to deliver, it shows how diligent you are.
  17. Leave signatures through your work and your vibes.
  18. Measure yourself. Because what does not get measured, is not treasured.
  19. Writing a progress mail to your manager helps. You get to know where you are, and where you could be going.
  20. And, don’t be too harsh on yourself.

5 things only rich people do

5 things only rich people do because poor people cannot afford to do them:

  1. Forgive others and themselves (the one who feels insulted is the one who has a ton of ego. The rich, forgive without being asked for it.)
  2. Taking care of their health as well as mind.
  3. Think of others
  4. Think of themselves
  5. Give without letting anyone know

Don’t you think so?

One of the best books I’ve ever read

“As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen This is one of the tiniest books I’ve ever read, containing just 56 pages, however, each time I pick it up, I get a new direction to my thought. Here’s sharing the 18 timeless lessons from the book:

  1. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts,
  2. The alteration in a man’s circumstances is in the exact ratio to his altered mental condition.
  3. The soul attracts what it secretly harbours, that which it loves, and also that which it fears.
  4. Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.
  5. Circumstance does not make the man, it reveals him to himself.
  6. Men are anxious to improve their circumstance but are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound.
  7. Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results, bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results.
  8. A perfectly pure and enlightened being could not suffer.
  9. Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallises into habit and habit solidifies into circumstance.
  10. Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts.
  11. He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.
  12. Those who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self pities, all of which are an indication of weaknesses.
  13. As a man thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.
  14. Achievement, of whatever kind, is the crown of effort, the diadem of thought.
  15. Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become.
  16. Into your hands will be placed the exact result of your thoughts.
  17. The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in storm.
  18. Self Control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power.

The book is easy to read, and needs to be read over and over again. If you could do yourself and your life a favour, get one here, today, PLEASE!

And when you’ve read it, reach out to me to let me know which one line are you going to take with yourself as a reminder. I’d look forward 🙂

Weekend lessons

Some quick lessons I learnt this week:

  1. Change is the only law of life. Don’t go by what someone said a month or six months ago. If they are positive, they’ll encourage you evolving. If they aren’t, then you don’t need to bother 🙂
  2. You will be judged, even when you have your finest intentions. The best thing you could do is still have those finest intentions because that is who you are!
  3. Being the bigger person and not taking credit for that is superpower!
  4. Just because everyone else in the team is submitting work late, don’t lower your standards and be the latecomer. Always be a day in advance. Your brand is built by what you do every day.
  5. Everyone is trying their best. Just because their best doesn’t match with your standards of worst, they need support. Not internal trolling from you.
  6. Twitter is the best way to improvise on your writing.
  7. Spending less time on WhatsApp and Instagram is the secret sauce to eternal happiness.
  8. Evening walks in the sun are therapeutic.
  9. People want the best for you, trust them! If they don’t, trust yourself!
  10. People will behave kiddish. Most don’t want to see that. So smile at them for who they are. And move on.
  11. Most of the times what we are crying for is NOT even happening! The best way to solve problems is through communication.
  12. Learning is the licence to happiness.
  13. You matter!