Incorporate 'AUM' in your life!

                                                  

'AUM 'is a sacred sanskrit mantra that is revered in ancient Indian scriptures. I first came to know about it, 15 years ago, when I attended my first Yoga class in India. We used to chant 'AUM' (pronounced 'AAAHOHHHMMM') 3 times, at the beginning of the practice. My yoga master, Venkatraman sir had an interesting explanation about what each sound in A-U-M represents. The 'AAAH' sound stands for Creation, the 'OHHH' sound for Preservation and the 'MMM' sound for Destruction. 'AUM' represented the endless cycle of Creation, Preservation and Destruction!

As I was chanting 'AUM' mantra this morning, this thought around creation, preservation and destruction floated in my head. It set me thinking on what I want to create, preserve and destroy in my life.

I have been installing a new morning routine that revolves around Yoga and Meditation. I would love to add Journaling into that routine. Having an additional 30 minutes would greatly help and I am going to install/create a new habit of Journaling. There is no doubt that Journaling every day would put me in a great frame of mind in the morning! It will help me have clarity around my key values, understand what truly matters and ensure I focus my energies around that!

What do You want to create in your life?

I am grateful for all the love and happiness that is present in my life today. However, I am prone to a lot of distraction that sometimes inhibits the amount of attention that I give to my loved ones. I would love to preserve all the beautiful relationships by truly listening to them, giving 100% attention to every conversation that I have with them!

What do You want to preserve in your life?

I have had a history of starting on new initiatives and not pushing them on towards the logical completion. Even as I continue to put in all of my energies in becoming better and installing a new self image of sorts, there are the negative voices in my head, the limiting beliefs that crop up, from time to time. I want to destroy the limiting beliefs in my head that slows down my growth and achieve my goals faster and reach higher!

What do You want to destroy in your life?

Here's to YOU to create and preserve those values that are most precious to YOU and to destroy those values that inhibits YOU from realizing your potential!

Recommended Read - Presenting to Win

One of the clients who I was working with, highly recommended that I read this book called 'Presenting to Win' by Jerry Weissman. I have always been fairly comfortable both preparing presentations and presenting them, whenever I got the chance. Hence I was a little reticent to try this out initially but when I had some time last weekend, I decided to read it. Am glad that I did and to be honest, I found the book not only insightful but filled with lots of specific case studies and examples.

Check out a few key pointers below that the author recommends for an effective presentation:

• Every communication has as its goal to take the audience from where they are at the start of your presentation, which is Point A, and move them to your objective, which is Point B; To reach Point B, you need to move the uninformed audience to understand, the dubious audience to believe, and the resistant audience to act in a particular way

•             Mastering Audience Advocacy means learning to view yourself, your company, your story, and your presentation through the eyes of your audience

•       Building a presentation is a creative process. That means starting with the right brain; Let the right brain complete its stream-of-consciousness cycle before applying the left brain’s structure

•       There are proven techniques for organizing ideas in a logical sequence to create a lucid and persuasive presentation. These techniques are called Flow Structures; Eg: Chronological, Problem/Solution, etc.

•            There are many opening gambits to draw the audience attention; Eg: Analogy, Quotation, etc.

•       Less Is More should be your guiding principle when you are creating your presentation graphics

     These are many more key pointers with specific examples to help drive the 'Why' piece of the pointers. This is a recommended read for anyone (especially if you are in sales or consulting) who aspires to improve their presentation skills and persuade their customer towards the intended objective. A must read!

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Toastmaster Speech - CC06 - My experience at the DMV

Early this year, I chanced to read upon a book on Presentation. The title is 'Presenting to Win' by Jerry Weissman. I loved the book and it helped me deepen my knowledge around presentation and how critical it is to grab the audience's attention and not let go.

I tried implementing the concepts at my toastmaster's speech and it went off, very well. I am sharing the content of the speech (I did make some off the cuff comments, but that is how it is for most speeches anyway :) )

Have you ever seen a video of a lion strutting about in the jungle? It moves in an absolutely self-assured manner, so sure of itself, almost arrogantly. There is no fear, no worry for the lion – After all, it is the king of the jungle! Well, this was how I went to DMV last year to give my driving test. After all, I had nothing to worry about. I have driven a car for 10 years! I was not a beginner!

My wife kept repeating to me – You need to practice and prepare well. Inspite of multiple reminders, I went to DMV with not much of practice. After all, why should a 12^th grade student worry about taking a 1^st grade exam? I met the DMV instructor who looked at me, much the way an army officer will look at a new joinee. Once the instructions were through, we started the drill. All through the drive, I had a smug smile on my face and towards the end of the drive, I thought the job was done. The DMV officer looked at me and said ‘You have failed’. I was shocked! I asked him why and he told me that I had made a dangerous maneuver. Dangerous maneuver! I have driven a car for 10 years! I was really angry when I headed back home. I told my wife that the Fremont DMV office was way too harsh and that I will take the next exam in a different center.

I walked in to the Tracy DMV office with a similar air of confidence. After all, one cannot make the same mistake twice. I conversed with the DMV instructor who was much more friendly. I proceeded to drive very carefully. At a particular signal, I had to take a left and when I took that left, I saw another lane to my right as well! The DMV instructor straightaway said ‘You have failed as it was a lane violation’. I was flabbergasted. As I went home, I was thinking of what to explain to my wife who had zero driving experience but had cleared the exam in her first attempt.

I had driven a car for 10 years! How could this happen to me??

And then it struck me the reason why am failing. It is the very fact that I considered myself above the bar and neglected putting in the time and effort. It is about having a beginner’s mindset and all about practice, practice and practice. 

I have to have a first grade mindset to clear a first grade exam!

And yes, as a wise man once said, it always makes sense to listen to one’s better half!

And so, I went back to the drawing board, not as a lion but as a deer. I practiced with a high degree of alertness and awareness and I practiced, practiced and practiced. Finally, I went back to the DMV office (Pleasanton this time) and went through the exam very cautiously.  When I finished, the DMV instructor proceeded to tell me all the areas that I could improve on. After some time, I interrupted with a simple question – ‘Did I pass’? She replied – ‘Yes, but I have to tell you the areas that you should improve to be a better driver’.

Phew! I was so relieved! It felt like I have achieved the impossible! At the end of the day, I have gained some important insights through this experience.

One – It is important to have a beginner’s mindset and Two – Practice, Practice and Practice more

These are qualities that I hope I bring into toastmasters and I wish for all of you as well. Thank you!

2016 - Becoming more of me

2015 was a terrific year full of discovery and learning about self. It was a year where I finally got a sense of clarity around my values and my strengths. It was a year where I finally made peace with myself and my past and around all the feelings of inadequacy that I had been grappling with. It was a year where I felt gratitude and love for all that I have been blessed with.

As I look forward to 2016, I sense a shift within me. It is not so much about what I want to do and achieve but rather who I want to evolve into. I want to become more of me and that means living my core values of love, family, compassion, service and personal growth. My deepest wish is that I live these values every minute of my life moving forward and not be side-tracked by focusing too much on the future and what I need to do to get there.

To focus on living my values, I need to simplify my life and remove the clutter so that I can truly focus on what is essential.Here is a list of things I will say YES to and a list of things that I will say NO to:

Yes to:

-          Being fully present in the moment

-          Deep listening

-          Being deeply curious and having a learning/exploring mindset

-     Volunteering and pro bono activities

-     Authentic connections

No to:

-     Time on Social media

-     Procrastination

-     Negativity

On this journey to become more of me, I hope to make a positive impact on the people around me.

I wish all of you a memorable and growth filled 2016!

November Fitness Goals Update and December Goals

I had set an ambitious target of 300 miles in November and ultimately it turned out to be too ambitious. I ended up with 120 odd miles with only about 20 miles of biking in the 2nd half of the month. Failure teaches some important lessons and i realized that i needed to strengthen my muscles in order to push my body more. Hence, i am joining a gym close by to focus on strengthening my core. Will set incremental biking goals month on month till i reach a point where i can go after big targets.

Aftermath of Paris - What can i do?

When i heard about the Paris attacks, i was outraged. It reminded me of the painful memory of the mumbai attacks in 2008. I remembered how i felt a lot of rage when i saw the visuals on TV and how utterly helpless and powerless i felt. It has been 7 years and the world feels no safer than it did back then.

I put aside this feeling of helplessness and started reflecting on what is it that i can do, no matter how little it is. The one thing that i felt i could do immediately was pray - pray for the victim's families, pray that this does not scar them for life and pray that they get the strength to heal themselves, with time. I truly believe that prayers are powerful, especially collective prayers. The universe will figure out a way to transfer those prayers to the people who are in need of healing. And so i prayed.

But there is something else happening as well. Whenever any such terrorist incident happens, there is a lot of debate and a lot of discussions. There are tons of viewpoints exchanged, about religious terrorism, about religious beliefs, about politics and its impact, and so on. I have been part of these discussions earlier and i have observed many such discussions, and from my experience, these discussions have not played any role to help resolve the problem. On the contrary, the discussion often used to end up as an argument with the parties on either side claiming that they were right and the other party was wrong. Very often, this led to bitter fights, in person and in social media and generally ended up raising the overall temperature, for the parties involved.

How then does that ever help in making this world a better place? How does that end up help create a better future for our generation and for the generations after us? I have come to the conclusion that if at all there is a solution, that needs to come from the heart and not from the mind/intellect. In my heart, i can feel that there can be only one solution, and that too, a long term one. And that is to treat every single person in this world with true respect and compassion and to be tolerant of their beliefs and opinions. 

How would the world be, if every person in this world respects the other's viewpoint on religion - either the other person's belief in their god(s) or their lack of belief? How would the world be, if every child in school is taught about respecting and honoring the other person's belief? How much better would the world be, if instead of arguments and fights, there is a respectful discussion? 

I strongly feel, that governments around the world should come together and imbibe a common education methodology that is rooted in human values of love, compassion and tolerance for multiple sets of beliefs. The notion of 'I am right' and 'you are wrong' needs to give way to 'I may disagree but i respect your viewpoint'. Violence arises from the individual feeling emptiness, depression and lack of compassion, trust and respect from the world around them. And when every individual feels respected, would not the levels of violence come down? 

From a personal standpoint, what i can do? I am making a promise to myself, that no matter how much i disagree with any other views, i will respect the other person's viewpoints and beliefs. I will be compassionate with people who may hold completely opposing views from mine and rather than argue, i will look for the 2% chance that from their perspective, they may be right. This to me, feels so much more empowering than to hold on to the feeling of rage, helplessness and powerlessness. And hopefully, some day, the world will figure out a solution to its problems, through its heart.

Toastmaster Speech: CC04: How to Say It: Rishikesh Memories

Rishikesh – Rishikesh is the name of a small city in a state called Uttarakand in India. Most people know that as the Yoga capital of the world. It is known for its ashrams and by the famous visitors such as Prince Charles, John Lennon and more recently, Julia Roberts. My experience with Rishikesh, however has nothing to do with Yoga. It is different.

Dear Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters and guests, today I am going to share some of my beautiful memories in Rishikesh. I am going to transport you to the paradise that is Rishikesh.

When I was in delhi, my friend told me that Rishikesh is a great destination for river rafting. It sounded really exciting and I quickly signed up for the trip with close friends. When I landed in Rishikesh, I had no idea what to except. At Rishikesh, we came down the hill close to the river where a boatman arrived. He transported us across the river to the other side. On the other side, I was stunned to see huge tracts of sparkling white sand. It was soft, it was beautiful and it was incredibly scenic. The highlight of that place was that there was no mobile connectivity and no electricity. All night long, we listened to the soothing sound of flowing river.

In the morning, we headed for the rafting. It was a level 4 rafting with some seriously exciting rapids. The rapids had these rocks in different shapes and sizes jutting out. The waves were violent and we had an amazing time controlling the boat. The beauty however was in between the rapids. We had two large mountains on either side of the river and a clear blue sky on top. It was almost completely silent and the atmosphere was serene. It remains till date one of the most beautiful memories, rafting in Rishikesh.

Apart from rafting, we decided to walk up a trail. A trail in India is different from a trail in US. There are no maps. There is no name. And nobody knows where the trail leads into. As we started the trail, I remember the lush greenery. There were a variety of birds chirping. I could even smell the fresh mud on the trail. Once we reached the top of the trail, a spectacular sight greeted us. It was the sight of two waterfalls, one large and the other small. One was 30 feet tall and the other was 6 feet and both were separated by about 10 feet. We scrambled up the rocks and managed to climb the 6 feet falls. Even as the flowing current pushed us strongly, we resisted and absorbed the full beauty of the larger waterfall.

The other place that stands out in my memory is a place called Devprayag. It is a confluence of 2 rives – Alaknanda river and Bhagirathi river. Once they meet and join, they go on and merge into Ganges. Alaknanda river was muddy and looked brownish in color. Bhagirathi on the other hand was crystal blue similar to the pacific ocean. The huge waves colliding into each other was a sight to behold. It is just one of the few spectacular sights in Rishikesh.

Most people who visit Rishikesh tend to miss out on the other aspects apart from the Yoga centers. My wish is that each one of you who plan to visit Rishikesh take the time to explore the other aspects of Rishikesh. The natural grandeur of river ganga and the adjoining mountains. The scenic beauty of the waterfalls and the lush trails. The epic meeting of the hugely dissimilar rivers.  All these are a sight to behold and I hope that you will explore Rishikesh to its fullest. Thank you!