"Vellathanayathu malar neetham manthartham
ullatha nayathu uyarvu."
- from Thirukural by Thiru Valluvar
Loosely translated it means,
"Height of a flower (lotus) is decided by the depth of the water
People's greatness is decided by their virtuous character."
Its amazing how Valluvar did not mention talent, intelligence, hard work, courage, charity, education, wealth or any other quality as the deciding factor for one's greatness in life. He singled out the Character as the quality that determines the height of achievements.
This idea seems to have been broken down further in the West.
Watch your thoughts, for they become words
Watch your words, for they become actions
Watch your actions, for they become habits
Watch your habits, for they become character
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny
-unknown
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race"
- Calvin Coolidge
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Think Big - Pipeline your dreams!
There are multiple versions of this story on the web. This is a short form.
===
There once was a small village, in a town far, far away that had one tiny little problem. They didn’t have a water supply. The only time that they could have water was when it rained. To solve this problem, two men from the village volunteered to find a way to provide water for the people.
The first man, John, immediately bought two large buckets and started going back and forth to the lake that was about a mile away. He placed the water into a huge concrete tank that the village had built. Each morning, he would get up early before anyone else so there would be a water supply for everyone. For five days a week, John worked diligently. He was having great success the first few months because the other man, Fred, seemed to have disappeared.
Where was Fred at for all of this time?
Well, Fred wrote a business plan to run a steel pipeline from the lake to the village. He hired contractors and found some investors that were willing to pay all of the initial costs. He even hired a president to run the company.
Once everything was set up, Fred charged 75% less for his water than John. He could also provide it 24/7 unlike John who always took the weekends off to rest.
To make up for this, John immediately dropped his prices to match Fred’s. He also bought two more buckets and started carrying four buckets instead of two on each trip to the lake. He then hired his two sons to work weekends so the village would be in constant supply.
John worked very hard all of his life moving buckets of water from the lake to the town. Fred, on the other hand, didn’t really need to do anything. Everything had been set up in the beginning. Fred realized that if his village needed a water supply, there were probably many other villages just like it that needed water.
He went out with the same contractors and investors and started building water pipeline to several other villages. He simply hired more people that would do all of the work. Not only did Fred build a pipeline to run water to the villages, he built a pipeline that poured money in his bank account.
===
There once was a small village, in a town far, far away that had one tiny little problem. They didn’t have a water supply. The only time that they could have water was when it rained. To solve this problem, two men from the village volunteered to find a way to provide water for the people.
The first man, John, immediately bought two large buckets and started going back and forth to the lake that was about a mile away. He placed the water into a huge concrete tank that the village had built. Each morning, he would get up early before anyone else so there would be a water supply for everyone. For five days a week, John worked diligently. He was having great success the first few months because the other man, Fred, seemed to have disappeared.
Where was Fred at for all of this time?
Well, Fred wrote a business plan to run a steel pipeline from the lake to the village. He hired contractors and found some investors that were willing to pay all of the initial costs. He even hired a president to run the company.
Once everything was set up, Fred charged 75% less for his water than John. He could also provide it 24/7 unlike John who always took the weekends off to rest.
To make up for this, John immediately dropped his prices to match Fred’s. He also bought two more buckets and started carrying four buckets instead of two on each trip to the lake. He then hired his two sons to work weekends so the village would be in constant supply.
John worked very hard all of his life moving buckets of water from the lake to the town. Fred, on the other hand, didn’t really need to do anything. Everything had been set up in the beginning. Fred realized that if his village needed a water supply, there were probably many other villages just like it that needed water.
He went out with the same contractors and investors and started building water pipeline to several other villages. He simply hired more people that would do all of the work. Not only did Fred build a pipeline to run water to the villages, he built a pipeline that poured money in his bank account.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Habits that make or break...
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Choice
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Vision
Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Integrity & Execution
Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Mutual Benefit
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Mutual Understanding
Habit 6: Synergize: Principles of Creative Cooperation
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal
The 7 Habits of spectacularly unsuccessful people by Sydney Finkelstein
Habit 1: They see themselves and their companies as dominating their environments.
Habit 2: They identify so completely with the company that there is no boundary between their personal interests and their corporation’s interest.
Habit 3: They think they have all the answers.
Habit 4: They ruthlessly eliminate anyone who is not 100 percent behind them.
Habit 5: They are consummate company spokespersons obsessed with the company image.
Habit 6: They underestimate major obstacles.
Habit 7: They stubbornly rely on what worked for them in the past.
Leo Tolstoy wrote, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." If we extend that, all successful people have something in common; every unsuccessful person has something unique that fails them.
Covey and Finkelstein have identified some habits that make the difference!
Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Choice
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Vision
Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Integrity & Execution
Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Mutual Benefit
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Mutual Understanding
Habit 6: Synergize: Principles of Creative Cooperation
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal
The 7 Habits of spectacularly unsuccessful people by Sydney Finkelstein
Habit 1: They see themselves and their companies as dominating their environments.
Habit 2: They identify so completely with the company that there is no boundary between their personal interests and their corporation’s interest.
Habit 3: They think they have all the answers.
Habit 4: They ruthlessly eliminate anyone who is not 100 percent behind them.
Habit 5: They are consummate company spokespersons obsessed with the company image.
Habit 6: They underestimate major obstacles.
Habit 7: They stubbornly rely on what worked for them in the past.
Leo Tolstoy wrote, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." If we extend that, all successful people have something in common; every unsuccessful person has something unique that fails them.
Covey and Finkelstein have identified some habits that make the difference!
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Capitalism and Socialism
The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings;
the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries!
-Winston Churchill
Under capitalism man exploits man;
under socialism the reverse is true!
-Polish proverb
A young man who isn't a socialist hasn't got a heart;
an old man who is a socialist hasn't got a head!
-David Lloyd George
In US, the national median age is 36.7 yrs.
The median age of Indians is 25.1 years
Isn't that interesting!
the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries!
-Winston Churchill
Under capitalism man exploits man;
under socialism the reverse is true!
-Polish proverb
A young man who isn't a socialist hasn't got a heart;
an old man who is a socialist hasn't got a head!
-David Lloyd George
In US, the national median age is 36.7 yrs.
The median age of Indians is 25.1 years
Isn't that interesting!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Mesmerizing Music!
Guru Ashtakam - explained here
Suryaashtakam - Watch this early in the morning!
Suklam Baradharam Vishnum
Kurai Ondrum Illai
Suprabatham
Stephan Devassy Solo - The guy who composed it all.
Thank you Stephan!
Suryaashtakam - Watch this early in the morning!
Suklam Baradharam Vishnum
Kurai Ondrum Illai
Suprabatham
Stephan Devassy Solo - The guy who composed it all.
Thank you Stephan!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Build on your strengths!
Did you know that Babe Ruth, a famous baseball player, was once a pitcher? At one point he made the deliberate decision to stop pitching so he could focus on batting. He took a lot of heat for his decision because he was a GOOD pitcher. He stuck with his decision though because he knew he had the motivation to be a GREAT batter.
Often the difference between being good and being great is making adjustments that allow you to spend more of your time developing your greatest strengths.Ever had an annual performance review where the first part was about the wonderful things you did that year, but then the focus quickly shifted to a discussion about shoring up your weaknesses? It’s an all-too-common scenario. And it’sprobably a waste of time.
The "fix your weaknesses" school believes that with enough discipline, determination and training, anyone can do anything.Unfortunately, it confuses weaknesses and limitations. Weaknesses reflect a lack of skill (how to do something) or knowledge (what you know).Weaknesses can be overcome by education, training,experience and practice. On the other hand, limitations reflect a lack of motivation (what you do well naturally). These really can’t be overcome, because new motivations can’t be acquired.
In fact, if a person has low motivation in a particular area,spelling for example, there is very little likelihood that he or she will ever be a great speller. The best they will be is adequate. Who wants to be adequate?It’s a much better idea to build on your strengths.If you want to move up from being good to being great, know what your talents and motivations are, and build on them.Why? Because you will develop what you do best and enjoy most. These are your strengths, and they are yours for life.You can build on them, and they won't let you down. Think about it: what would your life be like if you got paid to do what you do best and truly enjoy? Awesome, isn’t it?
Courtesy: Assessment.com
Often the difference between being good and being great is making adjustments that allow you to spend more of your time developing your greatest strengths.Ever had an annual performance review where the first part was about the wonderful things you did that year, but then the focus quickly shifted to a discussion about shoring up your weaknesses? It’s an all-too-common scenario. And it’sprobably a waste of time.
The "fix your weaknesses" school believes that with enough discipline, determination and training, anyone can do anything.Unfortunately, it confuses weaknesses and limitations. Weaknesses reflect a lack of skill (how to do something) or knowledge (what you know).Weaknesses can be overcome by education, training,experience and practice. On the other hand, limitations reflect a lack of motivation (what you do well naturally). These really can’t be overcome, because new motivations can’t be acquired.
In fact, if a person has low motivation in a particular area,spelling for example, there is very little likelihood that he or she will ever be a great speller. The best they will be is adequate. Who wants to be adequate?It’s a much better idea to build on your strengths.If you want to move up from being good to being great, know what your talents and motivations are, and build on them.Why? Because you will develop what you do best and enjoy most. These are your strengths, and they are yours for life.You can build on them, and they won't let you down. Think about it: what would your life be like if you got paid to do what you do best and truly enjoy? Awesome, isn’t it?
Courtesy: Assessment.com
Sunday, May 04, 2008
What is success in life?
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and
the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or
a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)
to win the respect of intelligent people and
the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or
a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Topics of interest
Children's Education
Online Education
Advanced University Course Materials
MIT Open Course Ware
Connexions
Informative blogs
Information Aesthetics
TED Blog
Online Education
Advanced University Course Materials
MIT Open Course Ware
Connexions
Informative blogs
Information Aesthetics
TED Blog
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Friday, May 04, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
Thursday, January 12, 2006
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