Make the right decision...

You know it all, but, when it is time to act, you are suddenly not sure about it. You always look at the next person who has done it well and say that it could have been done in a better way.

Everything changes when the decision making crown is on your head, you are never too sure of making the right decision. Cause at the receiving end of your actions, you may find a relative, a colleague, a friend or a foe. The consequences of your decision will always put you in a dilemma.

Here is a thought, consequences follow actions. Decision making comes first, acting on the decision comes next. So why be paralyzed at the first step. Some people are excellent in execution of decisions but their decision making itself is biased. It is important to first arrive at the right decision, the choice to act still remains with you. Take the first step. Tilt the balance of scales in the right direction.

How would you be sure of having made the right choice. How to decide what is the right thing? Decisions are influenced by people and they are affected by your decisions. The thought of their emotional reaction may influence your decision. It is necessary to understand interpersonal emotions such as the intentions, motivations and desires of the people involved in the situation. You also need to understand intrapersonal emotions such as your own self, appreciate your feelings, fears and motivations and be in control of them.

"Giving pain". When you act, people are affected, sometimes hurt. Life was never supposed to be easy. People learn with time. Very few people understand the long term gain that accompanies the pain. Look around you and you will find so many examples. Life is full of balances and it is not yours to question why. Nature itself has endured so much pain to give you what you have today. Remember, you have to first make the right choice, your choice itself cannot biased towards possible outcomes.

"Taking pain". When people feel pain, they react. Their reactions are a result of their experiences and circumstances. When they react, you are affected, sometimes hurt. Great ones did great things, do your bit in the smallest of things. You have to be rational in decision making. In search of facts that feed your decisions, your thought process cannot be biased even to yourself. Begin with the truth and end with one and let that alone be your guide to a right decision.

It is tough to act, action involves giving or taking pain, however, it is not difficult to decide on how to act. Don't blur your decision making, it is the first step towards acting on them. Begin with a rational and objective mind. Ignore the relation. Ignore the emotion. Question everything. Question yourself. Question the intentions. Question the reasons. Search for "facts", they alone will lead you to a sound decision. Do the first bit right, rest will follow.

In search of the "Right", doubt your closest friend, give benefit of doubt to your enemy, and watch the path unfold !!!

What people like to hear about you….

In your family, among your relatives, in the neighborhood, when you were studying or when you start to work, you interact with a lot of people. You make friends and you make foes. Life goes on and with your experiences you learn. One thing that you learn is people talk about you.

As we grow we learn about our parents, for us they are the embodiment of all the right things. As adults we do not like to hear anything different than what we know about them. So strong is the image created from actions that words cannot destroy it.

We come across a lot of people who do things that are not morally correct. Some of these people are also parents, it would be difficult to convince their kids about the truth. This would happen if their parents lived a lie in front of them. Do not be a lie, cause either you will be living it or you will be it.

Gossip is a tool using which rumours are spread. You may be surprised with what people talk about you. You may love or hate people, because of what they say about you. Should you be bothered? Should you be concerned?

You created "you". How you create "you" is up to you. You are created by actions and not by words. You keep getting created with time. Once you are created and defined you are irrelevant, it is then the truth about you that is known less or more. Only your "actions" can change what "you" created.

Things will be said, some will be false and some will be true. Some will be relevant and some irrelevant. It does not matter what is said about you, cause you know, how you created "you". Be bothered about what people like to hear about you and create an image that is true. What people say about you is not relevant, what people like to hear about you is and what is heard has to be true.

Create the right image of "you" in the mind's of people. They will then, like to hear only what they know of you. What should then matter is what people like to hear about you. The path to a right image is not easy. Be consistent. Be disciplined. Conquer yourself and you will have conquered others.

Remember!!! What is known about you is cemented by the experience of "you".

Truth about being happy….

What would really make you happy?

When this question was asked to my batch mates, the responses were wild. To be rich and own everything that was desired. To roam the world, see new places and meet new people. To be philanthropic in their own small way. To return to nature. To just have a good time. To be in the company of our loved ones. To travel and stay in luxury. To be among the most beautiful people. To care for the needy. To be famous and so on.

Some desires were materialistic , some were spiritual and so it went on. I listened to them all and wondered what is it that would really make me happy. More I heard them, more I realized that, I too want it all. As I thought about it, the question kept repeating in my mind.

I started to ask myself, what would I feel after having it all. Would I be happy? Would that leave me happy forever? There would always be the "other" thing that I would always want, the list would be endless.

We are all in search of that eternal happiness . Many books are written with various perspectives. Some help in reaching your goal, some in realizing it. Some even help to put things in the right perspective. In the end, do we still know if we led a happy life. Did we do what we set out to, were we happy achieving it, did we have the right goal to begin with or was the journey so enriching that the destination did not matter.

More I thought about it, I was only becoming pregnant with questions. In pursuit of happiness, I was only moving away from it. I realized that I may just die, not knowing whether I led a full and happy life.

It was then that I realized, it was not for me to know now. True happiness would be in knowing that I was really happy. This question would be answered when the soul departed, leaving the answer behind, in the form of a smile, giving proof that I led a full and happy life.

I would be really happy, if, I die with a smile on my face !!!

Leadership - are we moving in the right direction?

Today, the world belongs to leaders with short term goals. When we talk about short term goals, how short really is short, is the conclusion relevant or is it a wrong question to begin with. What is the right direction to take, when we make our choices? The context of this question is not limited by any one dimension. It applies equally to all aspects and spheres of life and your day-to-day environment.

History is witness to the greatness that passed away, leaving behind the path on which we walk today. It is time to rethink and move ahead creating a new path, one on which others can walk on and create a fresh one of their own. Long term goals are the prerogative of those who think beyond themselves and are not around to see the fruits of their labor. Wise guys continue to argue whether it is "wise" to do so, I leave that thought for you all to decide. Longer the vision, longer the effort, harder the pain, better the gains.

We learnt our basics from nature. Survival of the fittest continues to have the biggest fellowship. The concern today is, are we fit enough to survive the future, that we architected. However disparate our thinking and our actions, we draw comfort in the fact that we all seem to be moving in the same direction. Herd mentality dominates and true leadership continues to remain missing.

Even as a single largest intelligent race we fight within to create unique identities. On the social front we do it on the pretext of color, region or faiths. On the personal front we do it on the pretext of roles and responsibilities. This happens so because of the choices that our leaders make and the direction that they provide.

Many of these leaders view fear factor as a mechanism of getting results and are successful at that, more so because their objectives have a shorter life cycle. The followers continue to be enveloped in conflict and things continue to deteriorate, intelligence seems to evade the leaders who thrive on the fear factor. In this environment, we see mass destruction and the erosion of populace. Having thus experienced the results, somewhere we must agree that the chosen path was not always the right one.

If we look around there is a lot to learn. Time passes by announcing its verdict, leaving us to our decisions. Times will change, thoughts will evolve, it is for us to decide and make the right choices. It is the responsibility of leaders to provide the right direction and it is the responsibility of followers to choose the right leaders and make the right choices.

Make the right choices, Move in the right direction!!!