Living from Within

As we travel through the seas of life we are constantly assaulted from all sides by criticisms, anger, taunts, and failures. We tend to get upset whenever things don’t go the way we want it to. We tend to react to external situations. However the right way to successful living is “living from within”.

What I mean is that we should live our lives from the inside-out and not from outside-in. Hence living from within requires that we be proactive in our lives. We need to constantly act and determine things in the external world. We should drive things rather than being driven by them. We have to live the world from within ourselves.

Many famous people live this way including Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Alva Edison or Mother Teresa. All these people had a burning desire within themselves and they went about achieving them. They were not easily put off by temporary failures.
If we adopt this approach we are bound to enjoy our lives better and be more productive in life. If you are overly depressed or hurt by the external world then it only indicates that you do not have any serious plan of action for yourself. As they say, the world can only hurt you if you allow it to. Why should we allow the external world to dictate our emotions and our thoughts?

We need to be able to creatively and actively involve ourselves in this world and achieve things. We have to have a fire in our bellies to achieve things. We are the master of our own fate. Where we go in life is entirely dependent on the seeds we sow in the present. This will only happen if we live from within.

This way we will not only be successful in our lives we will also be happy with our lives.

The Pursuit of Success

If there is one thing we all want in life – it is success. However success means different things to different people. However to a large majority of people success is deemed to be achieved if there is some combination of fame, power and wealth. We generally identify people who have one or more of fame, money and power as successful. We are either envious of those successful according to the terms above or are think about them wistfully.

In my opinion it is not wrong to want to achieve fame, power or money. If you already haven’t got there then you need to look at what needs to be done so that at least you achieve some amount of success in your endeavor. It is quite likely that the approach you currently are pursuing is not delivering the desired results. So the need of the hour is to do something pro-actively to turn the tide in your favor. While you may try your hand at doing something technical it is quite likely that your strengths lie in your ability to manage people. The important thing is to identify your strengths and play to them. That is the key to success. Most of the time, we just plod our way in life, without pausing to reflect on our inherent strengths. If only we look deep within ourselves and identify our key strengths we are bound to have maximum impact. If we take the approach we are bound to have some amount of success in life.

However if we tend to look beyond the narrow definition of success as being made up of fame, power and money we are bound to realize that true success in life does not depend on just the achievement of fame, power or wealth. If we take to moment to reflect for a moment we will realize that it is not just success that we are interested in but the end result of success. We feel that a successful person will bask in a warm and contented feeling. In fact the more we think about this we understand that true success if the ability to feel good at our achievements and get some recognition from people we value most.

Given this situation, instead of aiming for just power, glory and wealth we just need to identify what we value most in life. It could be something simple as playing a musical instrument, writing poetry or doing random acts of kindness. If we know where our passions lie and pursue it wholeheartedly we will definitely feel good.

The success and happiness that is achieved when one follows ones passions is real success.

Chirps II

Working hard in the present is like writing yourself a post dated check

There are times when it is more important to be kind than correct

Good things come our way only if we make way for it.

Providence favors the prudent.

The mind is like a kaleidoscope. There is something new in every turn.

Life is one big work in progress

Humans beings are the only species capable of completely deceiving themselves.

Anger & depression have the ability to bootstrap themselves

Do what you need to do and you will get what you need to get. More or less.

When something wrong has happened and the conscience of all involved parties is clear then truth as a whole fails

Life slips by one day at a time.

The truth lies somewhere between your view of yourself and the world's view of you.

When life doesn't offer opportunities create opportunities in life

Life is a series of puzzles fo us to solve.

We reap only what we sow. Plant some seeds now and harvest in the future.

We may be a hero, victim in our eyes. But in all probability we are a villain in somebody else's eyes.

Don't let the world dictate your emotions for the day. Choose to be content & happy.

Learning should be freed from anxieties, expectations and time

Containing impatience is like trying to hold a balloon under water.Deflate it.

To navigate to success in life - Observe, reflect,proceed.

You can only reach where you are headed towards.

Genuinely become someone in your own eyes regardless of what others see or don't see in you.

Take the first step into the future you dream of

The world is a melting pot of creative ideas.

God's grand plan for the human race from love to hatred,war to peace,creativity to destruction, 

XS96DADEDBBU

Indian Highways - The Hope and the horror

With the development of the golden quadrilateral, India definitely has arrived on the big stage. The golden quadrilateral besides connecting the four corners of the country also has several well developed multi lane highways criss-crossing the country and connecting important nerve centers. It is good to see that Central Government has aggressive plans for constructing 23,477 km this fiscal at the rate of almost 20 km day. Driving on these highways is a fairly pleasant experience and definitely safer than the bus rides of yesteryears.  In those times a single lane used to carry traffic in both directions. In fact, in those days accidents used to lurk around corners.

However these Indian highways hold both promises and perils

The Hope:  With better developed roads there will be development all around.  Hopefully with better infrastructure people will start to move to the quieter suburbs just like in the developed countries. The highway system should pretty soon spawn an entire ecosystem of restaurants, petrol bunks, fast food joints and motels. A good highway system will provide a major incentive to for vacation travel. The government could develop good vacation spots and getaways for vacationers.  There is no dearth of good places to visit in India. The only drawback in most places is that the approach roads to these spots are poorly maintained or there are no good hotels to stay nearby.  Well connected and well maintained roads will infuse new energy to the tourism industry

The Horror:  While there are lots of positives in the privatizing the construction and maintenance of these roads there are certain perils which need to be addressed immediately

1)      Head-on traffic:  While there are very clear dividers across almost the entire stretch of the highway, whenever there is any accident or repair on any section of the road, the traffic is diverted entirely from one side of the road to the other, without warning. It is not uncommon when travelling at high speeds on highways to suddenly see trucks and busses come head-on towards you in the same lane. There are no signs anywhere in the road warning travelers that the next section of the road would have oncoming traffic and vehicles need to use only the left lane. This situation is an accident waiting to happen

2)      Bad drainage system:  While the roads are good, the drainage on some of the roads are not adequate. Hence there are pools of water on either sides of the road and there is every possibility of vehicles hydroplaning on these pools.

3)      Highway patrol: The highway patrol is virtually non-existent on Indian highways. Highway patrols are necessary to ensure that vehicles follow speed limits and warn traffic with appropriate sign-boards when roads are under repair. The Highway patrol would need to inform the traveler that the next section of the highway will need to be shared between ongoing and oncoming traffic and. Patrols are also needed to handle emergency situations like car pile-ups.

So while the move to make world class roads by the government is a commendable, there is lot more that needs to be done for it to be truly world class.

The Mirage of Self Image

We all tend to have a self image of ourselves. While some of us like to think of ourselves as hard working, honest and smart there are others who view themselves as losers and good-for-nothings, It is likely that both these sets of people may be very far from truth. In all probability the picture that we have of ourselves will be far removed from reality.

 

The way our mind work is that we start with some image of ourselves. We then look at all subsequent successes and failures against this backdrop of our mindset. We try to validate everything against our self image we have of ourselves. Every time somebody praises or criticizes us we try to see if it fits with our own sense of self worth. If it does then we take it that we either very good or very bad. We unconsciously tend to ignore anything that does not fit with our mental frame of mind.

 

While there may be an element of truth in what we experience in the external world the real danger is that our mind sometimes tries to perpetuate this self image of ourselves. Every act that we do or intend to do is in some way to validate this little image we hold of ourselves. We start to dwell longer and longer in our thoughts. We see ourselves as as very hardworking, honest or clever. There are others who imagine themselves as either stupid or useless.

 

Our mind is goal-seeking. Every act, every event in some way or other conspires to satisfy this little image that we have of ourselves. In most case it will be untrue. 

 

The important thing is to be able to constant get feedback from our friends and people we trust. We should not be swayed by praises or criticisms that we receive. We just need to concentrate on the task we have at hand.

 

We need to be firmly rooted to the ground. Then we will be more in line with what and who we really are.

The birth of conflict

All human beings are unique. We are all different in our own ways. Each of us carries within ourselves a baggage of biases, opinions and prejudices. We also carry within ourselves our own individual and unique value system. What is downright wrong for one may be well within reasonable limits for another. These individual differences that lie within us are the root cause of all our conflict.

Sometimes we may find somebody is rude and we may wonder why the person does not see it that way. For instance one of your friends may very casually remark that somebody is ugly. We may be outraged and wonder why your friend does not understand that he is being rude. But it could so happen that this friend may just believe that he is being frank and forthright. The difference is that we all have our own individual measuring systems. We measure the world through the scales that we programmed ourselves with. Both us may sincerely believe that we are right. But, in truth both, are partly right.. This is the cause of all conflict in the world. While we believe something should be done one way another person may think otherwise. The interesting things is that the conscience of both are clear. We both feel that we are right.

So is there a truth that is universal? Is there something common upon which all of us can agree upon regardless of the situation? This is very difficult to answer. If there was such a standard then the world would be rid of all problems. But we generally go with what we think is right. This is based on our understanding of the world and our experience of it.

We need to accept the differences in people. We also need to have the maturity to recognize that there are bound to differences in out perception

If we truly understand this we will rid ourselves of unwanted suffering.

Winning Mind's battles

Have you ever faced a situation where the mind sits on a fence and argues both ways? I am sure this happens to all of us many times in our lives. We are caught in a mental bind and our mind thrashes between two extremes. We consciously try to take one position when another part of the mind takes another and acts like a devil's advocate and argues against our reasoning. The same thing happens when we take an opposite view and try to reason for ourselves. For every argument that we put forth our mind comes up with a very convincing counter argument. We keep doing this and tie ourselves into knots without arriving at any valid conclusions.
We could call this phenomenon as mental thrashing borrowing a term from computer technology. By this I mean that one is caught in a bind of yes & no decisions. We are in a fix where we keep oscillating between two extremes and are unable to make up our minds one way or another. We keep entering into a cyclical thought process which leads us nowhere. The real problem is that we can't even stop thinking. There is a real stickiness to the issue that bothers us. Is there a way out of this mental bind? How do we win this battle that rages in our minds?

There are no easy solutions to this problem. One approach that is often suggested is that we just quit thinking, make some snap decision and get it over with. While this easily said, it is very difficult to do.

In my opinion there are two ways we can handle this situation.

The first is to bounce your thoughts with your spouse, a family member or a close friend. Just talking things out aloud will help to clear your mind. Maybe you will come up with the solution yourself by the simple act of voicing your thoughts. Also you may get some good inputs from others who approach the problem differently.

The second approach is to quit the circular thought process. We need to park the issue at the back of our mind. When we do this we stop our logical mind from analyzing and over analyzing the issue. In the bottom of our hearts we probably are aware of the real solution. While our hearts want one thing, our logical mind tries to come with counter arguments. Quitting the logical thought process will allow our minds to look deeper into the conflict and help us to solve the issue.

If even after this we are unable to decide, we just need to take some decisions which will keep our conscience clear. We need to mentally prepare ourselves to handle situations when the decision we take is wrong.

As long as you choose a path that is ethical, and correct within limits of reasonableness you most probably will make the right decision. Even otherwise we just have to accept that to"err is human" and get over with it.

Coming to terms with yourself

There are so many of us who spend a lot of time finding fault with ourselves. We blame all our failures on our lack of skill, lack of knowledge or just plain bad luck. If you really want to get anywhere in life the first person you need to satisfy is yourself. We need to come to terms with ourselves. We need to accept our faults, our weakness and see ourselves for what we are. There is saying that puts it very nicely as "Don't compromise with yourself, you are all you got". There is nothing truer than that.
The important thing is to first learn to accept ourselves. Each of us carry within ourselves our own and individual experiences. Nobody else can take this away from us. We need to look into ourselves deeply and learn all that we can. While we tend to dwell on our failures we need to realize that there is rich learning we can gain from our failures. In fact, failure is a better teacher than success. We just need to identify what make us unique. We all are unique in our own way and we need to make sure that we use this uniqueness of ours to make things better for ourselves and others.

Instead of finding fault with ourselves or trying use our situation in life as an excuse for inactivity, we need to view our experiences in a positive light and take pro-active action and see how our unique experience can help us and others. The rule to follow in life is "When cornered, start exploring the corner". So rather than complaining about our lack of good fortune we need to look at opportunities that the situation presents to us.

There are several instances in real life of people who achieved great things in life against incredible odds. It all lies in our perception of things. Rather than trying to fight against circumstances, we need to adopt the truth in the old Chinese adage which states "Go with the flow".Nobody has a reason for complain too long.

With right action and right attitude there is nothing that cannot be overcome in life.

Little steps go a long way

To succeed in life one needs to work on life one little thing at a time. The key to success is to constantly do little things over a long period of time. We need to chip into our future little by little. The key is to do just a wee bit every now and then and to keep at it come rain or sunshine. When we have a constancy of purpose in trying to achieve our goals we are definitely bound to achieve them one day.
Upgrading one's skills: We cannot and should not hope to become experts overnight. If we want to be knowledgeable in any subject we need to make sure that we spend some hours of the day reading up articles and on the subject. If one is learning a musical instrument we need to practice it every day. In the beginning stages doing something regularly may seem a little distasteful. In fact we may feel irritated in doing the same thing over again. But with a little bit of attention to what we do we may find that we are getting better and are making real progress. Once the realization that we are improving dawns on us, we will be motivated to do this more often.

Attention to personal finance: We need to ever so often look at our net-worth. We need to make sure that we put a little saving for our and our family future. We should not indulge in undue extravagances. We need to take concrete steps and plan our investments so that we are provided for in times of personal calamity or in our old age. We have to consistently put away a little money for our future and our children. Little drops do definitely make the ocean.

A little networking: Every now and then send a mail or call up your old friends and colleagues. It is not just a way of sharing notes with each other you never know when you friends will pass on some information that will be crucial to your future. Make sure that you add new friends. Friends and colleague will not only make our lives fuller but will also come to our aid in times of trouble.

A little better: Make sure that you do routine things just a wee bit better. You could try out a new approach to old things and think of ways to excel in your regular activities like responses to emails. Make sure you spend more quality time with the family.

If we plan for things regularly, make sure that we are consistent in following them and just try to do just a little better than before we will soon become adept in the things that we do. We will also live a fuller life.

Making time for a career health check

This is a regular activity that all of us in our professional lives should do. It is plain and simple common sense. A couple of years into any job and we get into a rut. We keep doing the same thing over and over again without pausing to think or reflect. Our jobs may be stable and may also pay us well. Our professional life may seem to move like a well oiled machine. You may actually be having a good time. But every 3-4 years one needs to sit back and do career health check.
By this is meant that one should just sit back and take a hard and critical look at the way our careers is shaping up. By doing this we achieve a couple of things. First we need to see where we are currently in our career and where we intend to go in the next 5 or 10 years. Are we on track for this? Are we well networked in our office? Have we acquired the skills necessary if and when we get the promotion.

On the other hand we also to look at some really dark scenarios and see how we would fare if they should occur. For example what if you were to get laid off, fired or just had to relocate to another city. If you had to look for another job tomorrow what are your chances of you getting the job you desire with the kind of salary you want. How long will it take to get another job. This is a very important exercise and we need to do this periodically in our professional lives.

The issue is we generally get comfy with our lives and assume that things will continue to bright and sunny for years to come. We get into a rut and start drifting around. It may also so happen that your current job is very niche and there are very few organizations in the world which require such skills. While you may be important in your current organization what would happen if your organization ran into issues and you had to look for another job. It is possible that you are doing something that is obsolete but is required in your organization. It may be highly valued skill in your organization and you may be getting well paid. But outside your organization it may be absolutely useless. It is here that one needs to make a proper objective view of one's situation and take pro-active action and try to learn up new skills. We need to prepare ourselves for any eventuality. One could some learn some other technologies and pick up on new skills. One needs to enroll in courses and make sure that one is up to date with the requirements of the industry.

Another very important exercise to do along with this is to continue to network with other friends in the industry and learn the key developments in the last couple of years. Friends are a great source of information and can keep you abreast of the happenings. This will let you know which areas you need to work on.

While this is common sense most of us ignore the signs and we start to get desperate when things go out of control. We need to constantly monitor our progress in our career and make mid-course corrections and adjustments as we move along in our professional lives.

This will prepare us for any eventuality and keep us sailing smoothly in our careers.

Netelligence

The Internet - Web of information: No invention has had such a enormous impact in our lives as the internet". Now the world's information and knowledge are stored and accessed on this wonderful invention. Getting information on any topic is like participating in a lucky dip. Enter your search items in a search engine and presto - the screen comes up all relevant and related content. In fact the internet has steadily grown over the years and holds encyclopedias, ideas, thoughts and endless insights and observations of mankind.
Netelligence: In fact , we have almost reached a point , where it is almost impossible to fathom the amount of information and knowledge that is available on the web. If only, we the human race, can harness this information and knowledge on the web we can make great progress. There is a need to tap the "netelligence" of the world wide web. For this we need to have specifically designed programs that can scour the web for the knowledge, ideas and insights.The programs would have to be based on complex algorithms, artificial intelligence techniques, data mining and analytics. The programs would have to assimilate information, identify patterns, ask itself relevant questions search for answers and draw appropriate conclusions from it.. Such algorithms that can mine the netelligence from the web will have to identify , correlate, associate and validate its owns findings. These "migratory netelligent" programs will have at their disposal a real wealth of information on the web. From social networking sites to blogs, from encyclopedias' to research articles, from history to philosophy mankind has recorded all his experiences, desires and dreams. There is more wisdom in the web than we can comprehend.

Harnessing wisdom: While such a "migratory netelligent" program almost seem the stuff of science fiction, it definitely is not impossible based on the advances in computer science. The time is now ripe for such a advancement as the content of the web has almost reached a critical mass and algorithms are getting more sophisticated. Mankind does not have to wait for divine inspiration to come to make the next big breakthrough. The web has more intelligence than we are aware of. In fact the web is a man-made artificial resource. If only we could tap this "artificial resource" mankind may witness the next great advancement in science. In the 21st century and beyond the collective wisdom of the human race, in the billions of servers comprising the web, will be the most crucial resource for mankind.

Net gold: In fact the insights that netelligent programs discover from the web can be referred to as "net gold"

There is room at the top

Yes, that's right. There is room at the top. I can already sense the pushing and jostling. Not so fast! There are some basic requirements that are needed to get to the top of the pile. Getting those strutting rights which goes along with fancy titles and heavy designations is a lot of hard work. If you thought it was easy, think again. This article is going to give you the low down on how to make it to the top and stay there. So take a deep breath and read on...

Work the phone like crazy: This is by far the most fundamental requirement to get to the upper echelons of manaement. God forbid if a subordinate catches you either away from the computer screen or from the phone. If you have nothing to do, then for heaven's sake call yourself and look busy listening to the engaged tone.

Responding to mails: Make sure that all responses to incoming mails get the same treatment. All responses should be terse and a cryptic one-liner. The one-liner should be addressed to no one in particular. And of course you don't have the time to sign off with a "Cheers, Regards etc". To add to the effect make sure that all mails include a line which says"Sent from blackberry or iPad etc".

The "Glazed Look": This is one particular trait that requires years of practice. There are only a few who have managed to get into the "Glazed look Hall of Fame". A little explanation is required here. The key is whenever a sub-ordinate is discussing anything, which any way you don't understand, make sure you occasionally nod your head. Then suddenly you should get a "glazed, faraway look" mid-conversation. The important thing is that the subordinate should surprised by "the look". In all probability the subordinate will assume that he had said something really clever and you were set off in deep thought. Alternatively he may be impressed at you being capable of running parallel streams of thoughts in your head.Either way you win.

Rushing off to nowhere in a hurry: Basic rule, always look busy. Make sure you dash in and out of your room in regular intervals. In fact you should leave behind a puff of smoke. That's how fast you should get to be.

Walk out of meetings talking on the phone: It is your prerogative to walk in and out of meetings. Make sure that you crease your brow, look sharp etc. After all you are negotiating with kidnappers to part with a million dollars.

Make calls late at night & on weekends: Make sure to occasionally call your colleagues and subordinates late at night and on weekends. Make sure you send the message that you are always busy.

All the points mentioned above require a lot of hard work, grit and determination. Make sure that you work at it. You will need it when you get to the top.

Singularity

Published in Associated Content

Pete Mettle felt drowsy. He had been working for days on his new inference algorithm. Pete had been in the field of AI for close to 3 decades and had established himself as the father of "semantics". He was particularly renowned for his 3 principles of Artificial Intelligence. He had postulated the principles of learning as
The Principle of Knowledge Acquisition: This principle laid out the guidelines for knowledge acquisition by an algorithm. It clearly laid out the rules of what was knowledge and what was not. It could clearly delineate between the wheat and chaff from any textbook or research article.

The Principle of Knowledge Assimilation: This law gave the process for organizing the acquired knowledge in facts, rules and underlying principles. Knowledge assimilation involved storing the individual rules, the relation between the rules and provided the basis for drawing conclusions from them

The Principle of Knowledge Application: This principle according to Pete was the most important. It showed how all knowledge acquired and assimilated could be used to draw inferences andconclusions. In fact it also showed how knowledge could be extrapolated to make safe conclusions.

Zengine The above 3 principles of Pete were hailed as a major landmark in AI. Pete started to work on an inference engine known as "Zengine" based on his above 3 principles. Pete was almost finished fine tuning his algorithm. Pete wanted to test his Zengine on the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web had grown into gigantic proportions. A report in May 2025 issue of Wall Street Journal mentioned that the total data that was held in the internet had crossed 400 zettabytes and that the daily data stored on the web was close to 20 terabytes. It was a well known fact that there an enormous amount of information on the web on a wide variety of topics. Wikis, blogs, articles, ideas, social networks and so on there was a lot of information on almost every conceivable topic under the sun.

Pete was given special permission by the governments of the world to run his Zengine on the internet. It was Pete's theory that it would take the Zengine close to at least a year to process the information on the web and make any reasonable inferences from them. Accompanied by world wide publicity Zengine started its work of trying to assimilate the information on the World Wide Web. The Zengine was programmed to periodically give a status update of its progress to Pete.

A few months passed. Zengine kept giving updates on the number of sites, periodicals, blogs it had condensed into its knowledge database. After about 10 months Pete received a mail. It read "Markets will crash on March 2026. Petrol prices will sky rocket - Zengine. Pete was surprised at the forecast. So he invoked the API to check on what basis the claim had been made. To his surprise and amazement he found that a lot events happening in the world had been used to make that claim which clearly seemed to point in that direction. A couple of months down the line there was another terse statement "Rebellion very likely in Mogadishu in Dec 2027". - Zengine.The Zengine also came with corollaries to Fermat's last theorem. It was becoming clear to Pete and everybody that the Zengine was indeed becoming smarter by the day..It became apparent to everybody when Zengine would become more powerful than human beings.

Celestial events: Around this time peculiar events were observed all over the world. There were a lot of celestial events that were happening. Phenomenon like the aurora borealis became common place. On Dec 12, 2026 there was an unusual amount of electrical activity in the sky. Everywhere there were streaks of lightning. By evening time slivers of lightning hit the earth in several parts of the world. In fact if anybody had viewed the earth from outer space then it would have a resembled a "nebula sphere" with lightning streaks racing towards the earth in all directions. This seemed to happen for many days. Simultaneously the Zengine was getting more and more powerful. In fact it had learnt to spawn of multiple processes to get information and return to it.

Time-space discontinuity: People everywhere were petrified of this strange phenomenon. On the one hand there was the fear of the takeover of the web by the Zengine and on the other was this increased celestial activity. Finally on the morning of Jan 2028 there was a powerful crack followed by a sonic boom and everywhere people had a moment of discontinuity. In the briefest of moments there was a natural time-space discontinuity and mankind had progressed to the next stage in evolution.

The unconscious, sub conscious and the conscious all became a single faculty of super consciousness. The knowledge of nature now became clear. It has always been known from the time of Plato that man knows everything there is to know. It is all buried in the unconscious mind. In the Hindu philosophy it is also known as the Brahman which is universal, colorless and formless and can only be attained in a deep state of mysticism.

However this evolution by some strange quirk of coincidence seemed to coincide with the development of the world's first truly learning machine. In this super conscious state a learning machine was not something to be feared but something which could be used to benefit mankind. Just like cranes can lift and earthmovers perform tasks that are beyond our physical capacity so also a learning machine was a useful invention that could be used to harness the knowledge from mankind's storehouse - the World Wide Web.

The virtue of humility

Published in Associated Content
Be humble! We are told as children by our elders. However as we grow up we realize that this is by no means an easy task. We as human beings always crave for attention. When we have achieved something or performed any noteworthy act we generally want to shout out from roof tops or mountain tops. We want to let the whole world know of our accomplishments. We want to just sit back and bask in the warmth of appreciation, recognition. We want to wallow in our own pride.
While it is not wrong to want recognition and appreciation we need to be very careful in the way we handle the approbation that comes our way. We need to have the maturity to handle the praise. We need to be humble. What is exactly referred to as humility is nothing more than being able to receive all commendation with poise. We need to receive the ensuing fame with a calmness and equanimity.

Humility is essentially the virtue of not getting carried away with fame. All praise we receive is transitory in nature and we should not fool ourselves into believing that we have super human abilities. We need to be able to take a balanced approach towards life whether it is praise or criticism. This is the mark of mature individual. The perils of being drunk with one's own self glory are that we become lost and start behaving foolishly. We lose track of our capabilities and start thinking that we can achieve anything. If we approach life with humility with the knowledge that we are mortal and all fame is transitory then we can ensure that we keep performing and becoming better and better at thing. Humility does not diminish praise but ensures that we can act effectively regardless of any success. If we get carried away too easily with appreciation we will also tend to be hurt when there is criticism.

So, whenever we achieve success we must be humble and take all recognition and appreciation in our stride. If we take this approach to life we can achieve even bigger and better things in life.

Prudence and Providence

Published in Associated Content
Providence favors the prudent. While this may not be immediately obvious with a little thought we can see that those who are lucky in life are those who make prudent decisions in life. Our lives are a series of choices we make, In all these situations what is required is that we look at the situation objectively and make judicious choices, We need to make sure that we make prudent decisions in our personal life (family and finance), professional life and in the social sphere. Common sense is so uncommon. Below are included some steps that are seem to be obvious but are the ones that we generally tend to ignore

Physical & mental exercise: We need to keep both our bodies and our minds in constant use. Towards this end we need to exercise both physically and mentally. We need to ensure that are brains are active by taking up creative activity like painting, writing, or learning a new technology. Reading good books also ensures that we keep our minds active. This will keep the brain cells happy and ticking for a long time. Similarly we also need to ensure that we regularly do a spot of exercise and get plenty of fresh air. We can add years of life to ourselves by simply following a regular regimen of good exercise. A sound body and mind is very necessary to be able to not only solve the problems that life throws on us but also to enjoy the good fortune that comes our way.

Financial prudence: What is past is over and cannot be changed. What we have at our disposal is the present and a future we need to take control of. The way we can do this is by financial prudence. We need to invest financially in the present so that we are provided for in later years post retirement. We need to save a little regularly over a long period of time. When we invest our time and money in the present we can reap the rewards in our future. We also need to ensure that we guard ourselves against any eventuality. Towards this end we need to make sure that we stash away a small amount of money towards insurance of self and family. Occasional splurging is fine but regular indulgence should be avoided, When trying to buy something we need to make sure that we get what we need and not what we want.
Social prudence: There is more truth to the old worn out saying "a friend in need is a friend indeed" than we are aware of. True friends are hard to come by and can help us in really sticky situations. Common sense dictates that we keep steadily increasing our circle of friends as we progress through life. A healthy social circle will come to our aid during difficulties, help us through depressions and come to our aid when we need most.

These are some prudent steps that we can take during our years in life. If we make sure that we are healthy both physically & mentally, secure our future through sound investments and have a good friend circle we can tide over a lot of life's problems.These are not one time activities that we do once and then sit tight. At every stage in life we have to take stock of the situation and adjust our approach to our personal, financial and social spheres in life.

In fact, good things will come our way only if we make way for it.

The Learning Principle

Published in Associated Content
If there is one faculty that we are born with then it the ability to learn and discover the world. As a child we are extremely fast learners observing, listening, feeling and reacting to everything that happens to us. In the early years our skill in being able to absorb new things is truly on overdrive. But as the years pass by we slowly lose this very important quality. We start to run into a lots of issues. We start to have difficulty in registering, absorbing and assimilating new information and experiences. We no longer understand people. We find it hard to pick up any new skill. We struggle as we grow. The problem is that, as we grow older, we unlearn some of the aspects of learning. We generally try to take the easy route and try to memorize things and learn by rote. We equate memorizing to learning. The two are not the same. Anything learnt stays with you forever. Anything memorized will vaporize as time goes by.
All learning must be assimilated and absorbed. Consciously or unconsciously we have to question ourselves as we try to learn something. We have to periodically check out progress and honestly assess our improvement over time. This is extremely hard to do. We generally assume that we are getting better at something when we are able to - repeat a musical piece, answer some questions mechanically, or recall facts from an overstuffed brain However, such attempts one will not ensure progress. We must be able to objectively assess our progress. If we are seriously interested in learning anything the single most important thing is to be passionate about it.. We need to consciously monitor our progress as we attempt to absorb the new skill, providing ourselves with the feedback as we progress. It is only if we consciously check our progress will real advancement be made. This is the key to learning. We should never let our interest flag. We could take the opinion of a friend to give his honest opinion of us.

In any case, in order to truly live in this world we constant need to keep our minds active and young by learning new skills. We could learn a new language, fine-tune our approach to making new friends, learn a musical; instrument or pick up any subject. There are so many avenues to upgrade ourselves. We can a learn an whole lot from ourselves. We can learn from our mistakes. Our past experiences are a rich storehouses of useful insights. In reality, the map of the future lies in our past. We only need to look deep into ourselves and learn from both our successes and failures. Once we involved we will naturally get more and more passionate about it. The mind is kept supple when it is constantly in use. We live only if we learn. If we cease to learn we can only exist. Our motto should be "Live to learn and learn to live". We need to ensure that our approach to learning any new skill is proper and that we putting in our best effort to do so.

In fact, the most important thing is "learning to learn". That is the greatest lesson of all.

Technology Blackout

Published in Associated Content
We live in world where technology permeates every aspect of our lives. For a moment, I imagined what would happen if there was a "technology blackout"? In other words, if suddenly we did not have access to any of the technology gizmos and the everyday devices that we are so used to. In such an event, I think I can safely reset my clock to the early 15 century. Given such a petrifying thought I wondered what would the 3 most important technology pieces that I just cannot live without. With a little thought it clearly became obvious to me that the 3 most crucial technological pieces are a) Electricity b) The Internet c) The mobile phone. If we look at the above three technological wonders it becomes very clear that a life without will become impossible, and almost not worth living, so to say.
Electricity: By the far the single most important technological discovery in the history of mankind is the discovery of electricity. We as a race have succeeded in harnessing energy, storing and distributing it. I can utilize it whenever I want and wherever I want. I use electricity to power hundreds of devices in my daily life at home, office or public place. From toasters to LCD TVs, from microwaves to home theatres electricity and electrical gadgets quietly do their thing. A day without electricity is almost unimaginable. In fact I think electricity almost holds its place amongst air and water.

Internet: From the days of the ARPANET, the internet has metamorphosed into a gigantic network that spans continents, countries and much geographies. There are more than a billion computers connected to the internet. Any and all information that I need is only a click away. I can use the internet to get information on anything - from making a Caesar's salad to finding out more details on my mouth ulcers. The internet is the electronic glue that connects humanity as a whole. I don't have to wait days for a response from my prospective employer or undergraduate school. I am a "send" button away. I can't imagine a world without this technology.

Mobile phone: Man has comprehensively conquered space, at least here on earth. All my friends are just a call away. I can call anybody, anywhere at any time with the phone. The mobile has become so ubiquitous and as inseparable to me as my wallet.

Conclusion:The above three technologies encompass a whole universe of associated inventions and discoveries which have meshed in to my life. Life without them is unimaginable.

Crafting the future

When we come into this world our Creator in all his omniscience gives us the following three things for free - our lives, the present moment and our individual futures. While our live spans may be limited there is no limit on what we make of our own destiny. We need to be architects of our own future. What we have at any point in time is the present. We need to make judicious investments into the present so that we can harvest in the future. When we talk of "reaping what we sow" we generally intend that our present pathetic state of affairs, is what it is, because of our past actions. However if look at it from the point of view of the future then we can clearly see that we can be the masters of our own destiny. To quote Abraham Lincoln "The best way to predict the future is to create it". We can assure ourselves of a bright future if we take appropriate steps in the here and now. Stephen Covey in his book "The 7 habits of highly effective people" states that in the space between stimulus and response we are free to choose our course of actions. By making judicious choices at each juncture in our life we can ensure that our future is on the path we want it to be. Besides we also need to pro-actively sow the seeds for our future like learning a new skill, upgrading our knowledge,making new friends etc. Every act that we do will have its own reward later. Little did Steve Jobs know that his learning of calligraphy in college would enable him to make a compelling product like the Mac. If we invest in the present we will definitely reap rich dividends in the future. We need to chart our course as we travel through life. We need to plan out actions and set sail bravely into our destiny. As physicist, Sean Carroll of California Institute of Technology says "the past has happened and the future is up for grabs".

Making peace with Adversity

Published in Assiciated Content
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5998170/making_peace_with_adversity.html?cat=7

"Life is difficult", thus begins the classic "The Road Less Travelled "by M Scott Peck in which the author shows that one's life is a series of difficult choices, trials and tribulations. Life is never perfect and neither is our nature. We are bound to undergo pain, sickness, frustrations, disappointments and depressions as we move through life. While nobody in this world is exempt from difficulties the key thing is that neither should we feel defeated by our suffering nor be cowed down by it. We need to look at our problems squarely, understand and take appropriate steps to overcome them. This takes a lot of courage, insight into issues and will power. The Light of Asia, Buddha in his four noble truths expounds that life is suffering, that suffering is born of attachment, cessation of suffering is attainable and the path to cessation is based on taking the middle path given in his eight-fold path.

There are times when we feel totally helpless in the face of adversity. Adversity is God's alchemy of the soul. We generally emerge stronger and tougher when we face life's problems head-on. Those who look at suffering with courage coupled with clear headed thinking generally find it easier to tide over troubles as compared to those who indulge in wishful thinking or try to run away from their problems. There is a lesson for us to learn in all our suffering. Failure is better teacher than success. We have a choice to make in any situation we are faced with. In the words of, Shakespeare, it definitely is more important "to take arms against a sea of troubles, oppose and end it" than "suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune". Nothing is gained in wallowing or drowning oneself in one's one misery.

The crux is that we need to make peace with adversity. We need to understand than we will encounter failures and disappointments in life. We should view the situation objectively and pursue the right course to action. In fact the moment we start putting into action our response to the situation the problem itself will generally disappear and we will be more in control of ourselves. When we run away from issues or try to evade them they assume a larger than life presence. In fact our imagination will run riot. Our mind will take control over ourselves and we will begin to imagine the worst outcome. So the quickest way of ending the misery is to grapple with the problem, take the wise counsel of friends and elders. We need to take the necessary counter action to mitigate the problem and pretty soon the issue will melt away.

Tweets...

Don't let the world dictate your emotions for the day. Choose to be content & happy.

Learning should be freed from anxieties, expectations and time.

When cornered, learn to make yourself comfortable in the corner.

When life pushes you into a corner, start exploring the corner.

Containing impatience is like trying to hold a balloon under water.Deflate it.

In a conflict everyone involved sincerely believe they and only they are right.

To navigate to success in life - Observe, reflect,proceed.

Miles covered.Words spoken.Emotions vented. Promises kept & broken. Tears wept.Joy.Relationships built,broken. A day in the world.

You can only reach where you are headed towards.

Genuinely become someone in your own eyes regardless of what others see or don't see in you.

Take the first step into the future you dream of

The world is a melting pot of creative ideas.

God's grand plan for the human race from love to hatred,war to peace,creativity to destruction, venom to kindness,magnanimity to pettiness

To see beyond our innate programmed behavior requires insight into ourselves

Escaping the bias trap

When we are born we are free of any preconceived notions. Out thoughts and opinions are untrammeled by any fixed ideas. As we grow older we add a lot of baggage to ourselves and form ideas, judgments and opinions about people, places and things. In fact our lives happen in reverse. We are born into this world as beautiful as a butterfly. However we slowly age inside a cocoon of preconceived notions, opinions and biases. Whenever we are witness to any action or words from any individuals we quickly pigeon hole it based on our existing judgment on the individual or thing. The problem is we are lulled into believing what are initial reactions are. To break out of this trap we need to start questioning everything that we come across.We have to be critical in the way we think and have to exercise our reason. We need to avoid lazy thinking where we abandon reason and quickly jump to conclusions based on our past understanding of things or opinions of others.

Most of us, by default are lazy and for this simple reason don't like to put the mental effort to reason.We just find it easier to bring forth preconceived notions and assumptions. In fact we just see what our self-adorned blinkers allows us to see. Most of the time we don't even realize that our reactions are based on past judgments and may no longer be valid.Given a choice of conscious deliberate thought versus
taking recourse to existing prejudices or assumptions, it is the latter that usually succeeds. Firstly it is less effort and secondly the images we hold within us are pretty strong and definitely can withstand any superficial level of questioning.

However one should take the effort to shatter any existing ideas, notions or assumptions and consciously deliberate on what is the right path to action. All our decisions should be able to withstand our own questioning and should not be just based on our initial reaction.

Chirpiness...

It will be nice if we get a parking ticket when we dwell too long on negative thoughts, anger, desire,hatred or petty jealousies.

We just see what our self-adorned blinkers allows us to see.

When the mind controls thoughts we are aware of the result of anger,desire, hatred etc.Being aware of the process dissipates these emotions.

Our value system is the axis around which our character revolves.

Why is that man prefers to dwell on failures, disappointments & frustrations as opposed to cherishing little victories, joys & blessings.

Sprinkle your plans with common sense and practicality.

Deference is fine. Servility is not.

Humility and self-pride go hand-in-hand.

Add a touch of tact to honesty.

Friendship is anchored on trust.

If you complain you have already accepted defeat.

Given a choice settle for common sense.

Values are the guiding stars in the journey of life.

A thoughtless mind is preferable to mindless thought.

Invest time,thought and money into personal financial planning.Invest in a brighter future.

The mind wrests control when the five evils of Kama (Desire), Krodha (Rage), Lobha (Greed), Moha (Attachment) and Ahankar (ego) predominate.

Spend time now on personal financial planning so that you can spend time in future comfortably.

Anger,greed, jealousy, desire and delusion happen when your mind is in control of you. Stay on top of your mind.

We have to learn to recognize the innocence in others as opposed to focusing on their bad qualities.

Unless there is whole-hearted involvement there can be no inspiration.

Throw away your colored glasses and see the world as it is.

Our lives are individual chess games with the Creator in a universal, inter-related chess board.

Each setback is a second chance to succeed.

You are all that you got.Invest in yourself wisely.

Where you are now, in no way limits where you can be in the future.

Beware, the mind always seeks to confirms its biases.

Plan your trip to the future.

Emotions manifest as thoughts.

Thought Control

Published in Indin Express on May 17,2010- "Thought Control"

Thought control refers to the control of our thoughts while traveling through the seas of life. As a kid we live in the moment enjoying everything that we come across with true spontaneity. As we grow older we spend an inordinate amount of time either regretting something in the past or worrying about the future and spoil a perfectly lovely present. We do not realize that what is past is over and we should move on. This type of activity is a waste and does not serve any purpose. The key here is to control our thoughts so that we do not waste our mental breath on either things that have happened and cannot be changed or by worrying about events that may happen in the future. Rather we should spend the time in learning from the past or in planning for a brighter future.

Our minds come to each one of us with a fatigue limit. Our minds can handle only so much of worrying, regretting, hoping, anxiety etc. After that we are just exhausted and do not have energy to focus on issues or opportunities in the present. Sometimes certain words or actions of others hurt us and tends to rankle in our minds. What happens after that is we spend our time reliving the situation and keep getting angrier by the moment. It is very essential that we break out of this cyclical thought process and move on in life. As difficult as it is, it definitely makes more sense to step back and look at the whole incident objectively and learn from it. We then have to learn to consciously just “let go”.

The ideal way to progress in life is to conserve our mental energies and focus fully on the task at hand. Our performance and the results will be far greater when we do not fritter away our energies on regrets, worries, and hatred and mind games. This is the true secret of success. We need to be aware of the workings of our mind and manage it intelligently so that our energies are always channelized to opportunities that require our whole hearted attention. We have to conserve our energy and follow the dictum, "When eating eat and when sleeping sleep". We should neither be too overjoyed at good news nor feel down in the dumps when something bad happens. All these sap our mental forces and there is no energy when it is most needed. This active thought control requires us to put our heart and soul into what we do by conserving our mental energies in order for us to succeed. Finally as physicist Sean Carroll of California Institute of Technology puts it “The past has happened and the future is up for grabs".


Tinniam V Ganesh

More chirps

Our lives happen in reverse. We come to the world as butterflies. We slowly age inside a cocoon.

The harder you work, the luckier you get.

Define your goal.Gravitate towards it.

Delayed gratification pays off in the long run

Smart financial planning secures your and your family's future.

Periodically take stock of your personal, financial and professional health.

Common sense is planning your financial future.

A resourceful mind is never bored.

Laws of the queue The queue becomes slower as you move closer to being serviced.

Laws of the queue: The other queue always moves faster than the one you are in.

Perseverance, persistence & patience are the pillars of all achievement.

Wrest control from negativity and anger.

Knowledge is organized information. Wisdom is distilled knowledge.Intelligence is wisdom crystallized

True growth happens only when there is growth in professional, personal, social and spiritual spheres.

Values are guiding stars in the journey of life.

Look inside to see better outside.

We are all wealthy in a way. We all carry a wealth of individual experiences.

Not sure whether I can hear my inner calling. I sure can hear my stomach screaming lunch time !!!

Don't regret the past and worry about the future. Rather learn from the past and plan for the future.

Worrying binds you in chains.Active living sets you free.

To learn is to grow, to grow is to live

If you don't know what to do, do what you don't know.

All creativity springs from hard practice.

Settle for common sense.

The dance of Karma & Dharma

Published in Indian Express on 16 Apr 2010 - The Dance of Karma


Often the Hindu philosophy is wrongly referred to as being fatalistic. We are supposed to be caught in the web of our own past actions or karma from which there is no escape. This in other words is our fate and we are supposed to live with it. In Tamil they say if it is one's "vidhi" then one should just accept it.

But what people often forget that while we are bound by our karma we are free to choose our response to our past karma or choose our response in the present. We need not just lie down and face all the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune". There is nothing stopping us from “taking arms against our sea of troubles and oppose and end them" as Shakespeare would put it. Now the crucial point is what should be our response. It is in this context that we have to look at the dharma of our response. There is always the right action according to Buddhist philosophy. So when we exercise our choice we have to fully understand the context in which are acting and make the correct decision. This is dharma. So if we are faced with evil then we
stand up and fight it. If we encounter failure then we take action to avoid it in future. As Stephen Covey’s states in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" that a fundamental principle about the nature of man is that he/she is free to choose in the space between a stimulus and its response. So according to the Gita the stimulus that we encounter in the present may be the result of our past karma, but our response to it is governed by our free will. The Gita requires that we perform right action and make the right choice. So while we are free to make a choice among a set of alternatives we do not have any control to the consequence of choices we make. While it is known that good action always begets good results and bad acts will always reap evil. Or in others we are bound by the karma of the choice we make. So we have to make the correct choice within the purview of the situation. Like Arjuna who was confronted on the battle field against his kin the Kauravas wanted to shirk away but the dharma of the situation as clarified by Lord Krishna was to fight against the Kauravas. It is a fact that good actions will result in good providence and evil acts will beget evil.

One's present tense depends on whether one's past was perfect. The future of course depends on the choices we make in the present with good actions usually resulting in good fruits. To summarize while our present is bound by our past karma, we are free to choose, based on dharma. However the choice we make good or bad will result in either good karma or otherwise.

Tinniam V Ganesh

Chirps

Past imperfect? present tense...future indefinite.

Anxiety results in the probability of an event being directly proportional to the level of induced discomfort.

Learn to live. Live to learn.

The map for your future lies in your past.

We are all wearing colored glasses. That is why we never see eye to eye on anything.

Why is that when your right hand is doing something you have take something from your right pocket.

Temper your temper.

Dive deep into the oceans of the past. Pearls of wisdom are bound to be buried in the sands of time.

The present always gives us a blank check. Write yourself a handsome amount.

The world is full of wise people. Children.

Anger & anxiety happen when the mind develops a mind of its own. Take control.

You are all that you got..Invest in yourself wisely.

Live light. Destroy your prejudices, biases and pre-conceived notions.


Life's problems are God's way of checking whether you are living or existing

Savvy is the prudence to balance personal dreams and practical realities.

Adversity is God's alchemy of the soul.

Failure is a better teacher than success.

Human beings are by nature lazy. Given a choice we would opt for no choices.

Ptolemy, Galileo and all others got it all wrong. Man, himself is the center of the universe. about 9 hours ago via web

A little learning everyday goes a long, long way.

Life is a like a game of chess. Make sure you make winning moves.

The more we put our mind to things, the more supple the mind becomes.

Learning to learn is more important than learning itself.

Happiness is a personal choice.


Tinniam V Ganesh

My India

Where no Indian is hungry and integrity is high
Where water is free and plentiful
Where the roads are not broken up into islands of traffic snarls and potholes
Where all motorists obey traffic rules
Where electric power is cheap and continuous
Where dirty, stinking sewage water has not overflowed the drains
Where no child is left behind in primary education
Into that knowledge society let my country awake

With due apologies to Shri Rabindranath Tagore

Tinniam V Ganesh

Gita's principles for professional excellence

Published in Indian Express, 30 Apr 2010 - Excellence through the Gita


Our professional life and career depends on what we do, how we do what we do and finally on critical decision making. We are constantly faced with these three posers in our career. The Bhagavad Gita expounds some fundamental insight which can be applied in our daily lives and are very relevant in our professional lives as well. To the first question of what is right action " The Gita tells us that it is superior to perform actions according to our own nature and not according to the whim or fancy of another. This is particularly relevant when we consider our career moves. One should make sure that the work and the role he takes us is to his liking and is according to his natural tendencies. As they say, "If you enjoy what you do, you will never work again in your life".

To the question of " how" at a fundamental level the Gita enjoins us to "Therefore do your duty without attachment to the fruits of the action". We are requested to perform our daily duties and offer the resulting success or failure as an offering to God. This philosophy of Karma Yoga of the Gita is both simple and profound. If everybody in the society performed his/her duty then everything would function very smoothly. We cannot shirk away our responsibilities. Even Lord Krishna states that though he is above all action he is constantly in the thick of things just to maintain the physical, social and psychological equilibrium of the world. So also we should not shirk our responsibility and we should perform our duties to the best of our abilities. If this attitude is adopted success is bound to come our way.

One of the most brilliant insights into action and decision making is in the following lines of the Gita "One who sees inaction in action and action in inaction, know that he is wise". This is the most fundamental lines for decision making. One should not just react to everything that nature throws in our way. Rather we should deliberate the course of correct action and the appropriate time for our response. Sometimes the best decision is no decision at all. So it is imperative to not just understand what is the right action but also when that action is most appropriate. There are times when there is a lot of activity in the organization and any resulting action on your part will be drowned in the confusion and melee. Rather one should time one's response and decision as appropriate. Hence it is possible when everything is calm that one perceives the right moment to make a decision. This wisdom and insight can only come through a highly perceptive mind. This is the true guide for right action.

Hence for excelling in our professional lives at a fundamental level the Gita requires us a) Perform the duties according to our own nature b) Perform our duties unmindful of the fruits of the action c) Ensure that both the timing and our response is correct. If we follow these three principles in our career we are bound to succeed.

Tinniam V Ganesh

The Gita's principles for peak performance

Published in the Indian Express - 26 Apr 2010 - Gita's principles



Performance, peak performance - these are the buzz words we hear all our life right from our academic days to our professional years. The Gita provides us with some profound insight on how to derive peak performance on all fronts. During my younger days I have been puzzled by these lines of the Gita which says "Therefore do your duty without any attachment to the fruits of your work". I used to wonder why we should do our duty unmindful of the results of our action. The Gita is not telling us that we disown any fruits that our actions may result in. Rather the Gita enjoins us to perform actions unmindful of the fruits or the thoughts of success or failure. If we ponder on this wisdom, it is obvious that what is required is a single minded focus on the job at hand. The person is required to perform to the best of his abilities without worrying about the results of such action or in other words "Niskama karma " or desireless action.

If we were to become conscious of the results and if there were any expectation of praise or worry about resulting criticism then the effort becomes that much diluted. There is a Chinese proverb that also indicates this as "He who chases two rabbits catches none".It is therefore necessary that we concentrate on the action at hand and later worry about the results. If a performer on a stage is conscious about his performance while performing then he is bound to become nervous and his performance will suffer. When an archer is focusing on a target there should not be any lingering thoughts on whether he will hit the target or not. The only thing in his eye and his mind's eye should be the target and nothing else. He is certain to hit the target if there is such concentration. The Gita summarizes this as "He attaches nothing to the results of his action. He doesn't need a purpose to motivate him to action."

So the key here is not that we should disown any success, but rather understand God's play in all humility, and perform our actions with great focus and concentration for the best possible results.In fact an unalloyed attempt in performing any action is bound to be much better than action in which there are nagging thoughts about either resulting praise or criticism. So for peak performance and excellent results the action and the results of the action should not be considered simultaneously and the work should be performed with single mindedness and focus. Therefore one should perform one's duty with total concentration devoid of thoughts of the fruits of one's action.

Tinniam V Ganesh

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