'Mindscaping' for career building 21

'Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter'

Mark Twain

There was a time when you have to be 40 plus to become a Manager and 50 plus to become a General Manager. In some sectors of employment, there is age related promotion even today. You have to wait for your turn even if you have the merit and capacity.

But some people have defied their age and performed at a very early age.

Consider this: Mozart composed music at the age of 5; Shirley Temple was 6 when she became a movie star on 'Bright Eyes'; Magnus Carlson became a chess Grandmaster when he was 13; Nadia Comăneci was a gymnast from Romania who scored perfect 10.0 and won three gold medals at the Olympics at the age of 14; Pele was 17 when he won the Soccer World Cup in 1958; Elvis was a super star at 19; Jesse Owens was 22 when he won 4 gold medals in Berlin Olympics in 1936; Sachin Tendulkar took up cricket at the age of eleven, made his Test debut on 15 November 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi at the age of sixteen.

In fact, today we have much more opportunities than ever before. What are we waiting for?

Here's an idea: achieve early, retire early and enjoy life!

N C Sridharan
www.thetimefoundation.com

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'Mindscaping' for career building 20

'Retiring' - within that word is 'tiring,' and I'm not tired. I don't believe in retirement, really.

Theodore Bikel

Is there an age for retirement? May be for the body, not for the mind. We may not be able to do certain things as we grow older due to biological factors.

But, the mind has no limitation in terms of structure. A computer can become old and break down. But the software will not. If at all, a software may become obsolete and not relevant. The same thing applies to mind.

As we reach the age of retirement, we are relieved from our job and responsibility. That does not mean that we are at the end of our career. As long as our mind is active, we can employ our mind and continue our job. All along we employed our body to work. We may not be able to maintain the current state of our body forever nor can we grow younger. But we can remain younger in our mind. By keeping our mind active and inquisitive, we can be employed for ever.

Think about this: Nelson Mandela was 76 when he became the President; Ronald Reagan was 69 when he became the President of US; J.R.R.Tolkien was 62 when the Lord of the Ring came out; Colonel Harland Sanders was 61 when he started the KFC Franchise!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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'Mindscaping' for career building 19

'You can chain me, you can torture me, you can destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind'

Mahatma Gandhi

Which is  more powerful - our body or our mind?

I want to speak about a school boy. He used to work part time in the school. His job was to light the fireplace everyday and then come to his class. One day when the other students came to the class, they saw this boy engulfed in fire. He was rushed to the hospital where the doctors told his mother that he will die. But the boy told himself that he wants to live. The miracle happened. He recovered and the doctors were stunned. The doctors told his mother that he cannot walk in his life time. But the boy told himself that he will walk. The boy was discharged in a wheel chair. The mother was worried. But the boy was hopeful. One day we tried to get up from his wheel chair and fell down. His mother wanted him to give up walking. But he persevered the next day and the next day. One day he ran in Madison Square Garden and covered 1 mile in 4:06:08 to be the world's fastest man.

He is Dr. Glenn Cunningham!

Now tell me which is powerful - the mind or the body?

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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'Mindscaping' for career building 18

'It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it'

Aristotle

Just think about these thoughts: the world is flat; human beings cannot fly; a piece of iron cannot float on water; we cannot speak through wires'.....

What happened to all these thoughts which everyone believed to be true and indisputable? You read the life history of achievers and you will understand how they fought against popular opinions. Everyone around Albert Einstein said he is dull and will not improve. His employer sacked him. According to his younger sister Maja, Einstein had such difficulty with language that those around him feared he would never learn. At the time when Einstein lived there were 'popular' and 'accepted theories about light, matter, gravity, space and time. But Einstein had his own!

We have to believe that we have a free and independent will and we are entitled to our own views which may not be the same with others. We are not in a popularity game. People may even ridicule us when we express our views. This is what happened to Galileo.

But we should listen to the views of others. We need not believe them to be true. What is required is our ability to analyse and come to our own conclusion.

Only education will give us this insight!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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'Mindscaping' for career building 17

'Mindscaping'  for career building 17

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” 
Plutarch

The mind has amazing powers. We may have succeeded to some extent in understanding what is there in human brain. But I wonder if we have understood what is there in the human mind! May be we have understood and we may be able to predict how the brain of a human being will behave in a particular context. But I wonder if it is at all possible to predict how the mind of a person will respond in a specific situation.

No technology in the world can compete and replace the intricate technology of the mind! We started depending on the technology power much more than the mind power and we do not use our mind power to its full capacity. Due to disuse and misuse, we have lost the power of the mind.

After all what is used less becomes useless!

Just think: can you recall ten telephone numbers which you dial frequently? Can you write one page of matter using your pen and paper and without using your computer? But, did you not remember at least hundred telephone numbers until you got used to the electronic storing devices including the cell phone?

From this New Year let us decide to give our mind the place it deserves!

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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Mindscaping for career building

'Mindscaping'  for career building 16

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

Milton Berle

The mind is an amazing thing. Two people may not see the same thing the same way. Have someone shown you a picture and asked whether you see an old lady or an young girl? Some will see only an old lady and some will see only a young girl. If you log on to Google and search 'perception pictures' you will see some more interesting pictures which will explain what I am trying to say here.

In life also, what is a problem for some will be an opportunity for some other.

A shoe salesman was sent to an island where he sees no one wearing shoes. He sends a telegram to his General Manager asking him not to send anymore shoes. The General Manager replaces this salesman with one of his best salesman who goes to the same island and this salesman sends a telegram 'send a shipload of shoes....no one is wearing shoes here'!

In order to succeed, you should think differently so that you do things differently. The various hierarchy levels in an organisation really means that there are various levels in thinking!

The higher your thinking, the higher you will raise in an organisation.

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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