planning.....

well,

most of the times, post failures we always sit and think when went wrong or what actually didn't worked for us...

while discussing it, We tend to forget about most important factor which hampers our job... this is called planning ..

to completing the job successfully, one need a systematic approach. One need to plan things, resources and tools which can be helpful in rolling things perfectly.

One needs to ascertain scope of work and line up. Need to make a road map for defining steps and timelines which are very useful.

Doing the same, we can achieve the goals effortlessly.

design ruinations...!!!

One of the most powerful aspect behind one's success is "How one can deal with this world..?" which often means, how you can transform your thinking and ideology to others mind. How you can explain your thoughts and how you can put the same in words..

Working with bunch of creative heads, I realized it "how difficult it is to control one's creativity.. Its easy to control non-creative guys explain the concepts to them to follow guidelines but on other hand (which is mostly expected) one expects creative guys to understand concepts easily. The problem arises when creative bugs start thinking on the concepts which are already discussed and closed.

This actually takes a concept to a place from where it can be vociferated  as disaster. it takes a simple design to ruination of entire concept.

Recently, while working on one concept, I faced lot of problem explaining it. despite of providing all the technical drawings and other details as per scale, we failed to control execution at various levels.

while figuring out the problem with team, I realized, we fell apart as we handed over the concepts in vendor's hands without involving ourself into it much. indirectly we were surviving on vendor's wish to execute it for us resulting into a incurable mess.....

this left me with a question ..... for how long we need to live with these design ruinations...???

Is it a problem of being unorganized...??

Well, in this day and age when efficiency and  being organized are virtually essentials for any kind success, I see no reason for anybody to tolerate inefficiency within himself/ herself. Particularly when things can be done about it...!!!! Fundamentally, there is only one person responsible for how you think which get transforms into your actions... 

and results may varies from perfection to ruining down the concept..

the fact that you are reading this blog right now because you are interested to read it or may be coz if some unknown reason. But interestingly, you are interested; and interest is an essential element for learning anything.  Another essential for learning is to do something about it; and when you started reading this, at least you did something...!!

unfortunately, too many people in this world are talkers and wishers ( I may also come in this category... i think) instead of doers.  And sad but true - those who need most are the ones who rarely will make the effort to procure that help. people who have a perfect set of teeth will visit the dentist twice a year. the ones who should see their dentists rarely do.

so reach out and discuss issues before it can ruin your concepts and deliverables........!!!!

right...????

  

Perceptions...!!!!

In more than 8 years of working, with people in business, work place and family settings, I have come in contact with many individuals who have achieved an incredible degree of outward success, but have found themselves struggling with an inner hunger, a deep need for personal congruency and effectiveness and for healthy, growing relationships with other people.

many of them has shared

(the most frustrated one)

"I've set and met my career goals and I'm having tremendous professional success. but it's cost me my personal and family life. I don't know my wife and children anymore. I'm not even sure I know myself and what's really important to me . I've had to ask myself --- is it worth it ..?

I've started a new diet - for the fifth time this year. I know I'm overweight, and I really want to change. I read all the new information, I set goals, I get myself all psyched up with the positive mental attitude and tell myself I can do it. But I don't. After few weeks, I fizzle. I just can't seem to keep a promise I make to myself.

I see my friends and relatives achieve some degree of success or receive some recognition , and I smile and congratulate them enthusiastically. But Inside, I'm eating my heart out Why do I feel this way...?

I've been working so hard, giving my 14 hours a day which includes intensive travelling for 4 hours a day. Always start my day with open frame of mind with positive thinking. by the time I reach office, my positive energy transforms into negative (probably) which leads to delay in work and failing meeting deadlines. once I reach back home, I'm unable to enjoy with my family as I always end up reaching late hours. Don't know how to transform things to get going for me....

My marriage has gone flat. We don't fight or anything; we just don't love each other anymore. we've gone to counseling; we've tried a number of things, but we just can't seem to rekindle the feeling we used to have.

To me, these are deep problems, painful problems - problems that quick fix approaches can help - in short, these can be cured over a period of time working with positive frame of mind with lots of thinking and knowledge to judge our actions and thought process which is causing these problems.

Few years ago, My friend Sunil ( sorry dear for disclosing your name ) and his better half was struggling with this kind of concern. Their son was having very difficult time in school. He was doing poorly academically: he didn't even know how to follow instructions on the tests. Socially he was immature, often embarrassing those closes to him and athletically, he was small, skinny, and uncoordinated. for example, He swings his cricket bat almost before the ball was even pitched and others would laughed at him...!!

My friend was consumed with a desire to help him. He approached me with the concerns and we started working on it (as playing cricket is my hobby so I thought, it will be good learning for me too). That time, he felt that if "success" were important in any area of life, it was supremely important in the role as parents. so we worked on our attitudes and behavior towards him and we tried to work on his son. we tried to psych him up using positive mental attitude techniques. "Come on, son..!! you can do it...!! we know you can. Put your hands little higher on the bat and keep your eyes on ball. Don't swing till it gets close to you." and if he did little better, we would go to great lengths to reinforce him "That's good son. Keep it up."

Whenever others standing use to laugh, we reprimanded them. " leave him alone. get off his back. He's just learning." and their son would cry and insist that had never be any good and that he didn't like cricket anyways..

nothing seems to be really helping us and my friend was really worried. we could see the effect this as having on the self-esteem. we tried to be encouraging and helpful and positive, but after repeated failure, we finally drew back ( on his wife's request) and tried to look at the situation on a different level.

At this time, I was reading a book on Leadership development work including subjects like Communication and Perception. As I researched more on the same subjects, I became particularly interested in how perceptions are formed, how they governs the way we see, and how the way we see governs how we behave. This led me to study of expectancy theory and self fulfillment prophecies, and to realization of how deeply imbedded our perceptions are. it taught me that we must loot at the lens through which we see the world, as well as at the world we see, and that the lens itself shapes how we interpret the world.

As Sunil and I talked about the concepts and our own situation, we began to realize that what we were doing to help the litter master in making was not harmony with the way we really saw him. when we honestly examined our deepest feelings, we realized that our perception was that he was basically inadequate, somehow "behind." no matter how much we worked on our attitude and behavior, our efforts were ineffective because, despite our actions and our words, what we really communicated to him was, "You aren't capable. You have to be protected."

We began to realize that if we wanted to change the situation, we first had to change ourselves. And to change ourselves effectively, We first have to change our perceptions..........right ????

Lovable...........??

Before you find your "soul-mate' or The ONE, or the prince or princes of your dreams, and in case you have not had much luck yet, you might want to ask yourself if you are 'LOVABLE'.....?

I know it goes against the grain of many popular ideas about how we are all adorable just we are, and how much we deserve that great love, just because we exist, but, I am venturing out on a limp to suggest that becoming lovable might be the best plan of action, a better strategy than good cloths and witty comment at the ever-so-perfect moment. What makes people lovable. You know the kind of people who 'everyone' loves. they can be moderately attractive, but everybody wants to be close to them You don't need to be lovable, In fact I don't think this way. That must be claying life to have to fend off suitors and fib about your phone number as the like.....

But, if you are uptight, picky, uncompromising, and generally moody, well, there is still something you can become heartwarmingly, utterly, irresistibly lovable.

One thing which actually helps being loveable is....

Listen...!!!

Listen...!!!!! and

Listen...!!!!!!!!!

Now the fact of the life is, Everybody wants to be listened or heard. the more you listen, the more love you will find you get. Repeat what you have heard. Show with your eye contact and body language that you are listening. This one trait was Don Juan's greatest weapon, and a saints greatest gift. It's what people want then they will ever admit. Listen, and you will have better understanding. Listen and you will have choices. Listen and you will never ever have to be alone.........

Well, sharing my experience.... I use to be like this, thinking that I need someone in order for me to be happy and live a great life, but time after time, trying to get good friend and "be happy". But that's not what does it to you. If you set it in your head that you need someone in order to be happy then you are setting yourself up for huge disappointment. you should first make yourself happy with what you do the best, whatever that may be, and the people will begin to love you because you love yourself. That is the true key to relationships, and why they stay together. If you cannot love yourself, or be happy with yourself, then how do you alive right now is my goal in life and my dreams..... If not for that, I would have been dead a long time ago.... but I'm happy with myself because I'm a good artist, good friend, good son, and few other things. sure, happiness isn't always there, off course you'll run into sadness every now and then, and sometime, it will stay with you for a longer period. But, if you were always happy, you really wouldn't be happy, because you need a bit of sadness in order to know what's true happiness is.......

right.......????

What are my interests?

What’s my ambition?

These questions always troubled me from my college days (I guess no one has asked these questions in my school) when I was trying to prepare the resume for the job. And it continued to trouble all the way throughout my job and even during my MBA. I am literally confused. It took 29 years for Gautama Buddha to look for the self realization concept, But were there competition during that time? With no MBAs, no summer internships, no recession, no IIT grading and no ranking at any places he had the luxury of waiting till 29 years. Anyway let me try to find the answers to these questions. Let it be a reality check - a humble effort to reinvent myself.

People don’t get convinced easily with a truthful answer. And no one expect it to be in that way for the above questions. I am crazy about watching movies (everyone in the world likes that), I like blogging (with less than 10 blogs how can you tell that?), trekking (oh..poor boy..less than 5 treks), swimming(still unable to complete 50m stretch in one shot ah?), sleeping (no one wants the element of truth), eating, online gaming (hey! Are you listening?), travelling (with more then 3 lakhs distance covered seems this is working) – People frown at me for these replies and promptly counter me with their next questions. These interests changes with time. I believe I have moved a long way from a boy who liked to be Prince of Persia to NFS Undercover.

Ambition is another loggerhead. I really wanted to be a police man when I was young (may be the cap or the whistle might have played the trick), then I wanted to be a driver (cool job, at least you can visit lots of places), it changed to air force pilot (serving the nation factor), then to some job where I can earn more and become rich. At some point of time I wanted to be a software engineer (thought I’ll play with coding and languages). This list went on and on. Later the options were converged to the only one..... Visual Merchandiser (at the time when even I didnt knew whats this is all about ) At that time, it was difficult to explain what visual merchandising is all about..People use to look at me with strange eyes... as if what the hell I'm doing with myself and what I'm upto...?

Its been long time now (almost 7 years). we have moved on and industry have learnt meaning of Visual merchandising And here am trying to reinvent myself and chisel my ambition plans ... of adding my own definition in visual merchandising..!!

I just wanted to be successful and famous. Am I asking too much?).

Sounds like a defective product? Am I the odd one out in the crowd? Don’t know. But that’s what I am.

dont know...... as such...

just other day I was passing by some market ( i don't to name it), I saw a guy standing on the road and shouting while talking over phone..... just after few minutes, a girl came and stood next by him......... as if she knows him very well and was waiting for his call to get over.....

after finishing the call, that guy started his bike and moved.. on seeing this, girl shouted and  tried to stop him.. he heard her call and returned... and they shared few words and then moved...

now, this was my most horrible experience.... Question which i asked to myself...

was that guy too busy with his phone call that he didn't even noticed that someone (whom he's waiting for.... probably) is standing next to him and he moved on..???

and if yes.... then it shows that our mind get diverts when we face unusual things at unexpected time.....

does this teaches us a new lesson to develop something which can distracts our target audiences mind and can divert it to what we wanted him to do ???