365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 251: Shed Emotional Blindness!

‘The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart’ – Helen Keller

We all know what blindness means. We cannot see what is in front of us. Have you thought about what it means to be 'emotionally blind'? You will not be able to 'see' and notice the emotions and feelings of people! 

NCS

www.thetimefoundation.com

365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 109. You decide if you are fast enough!

 You decide if you are fast enough!

Time is more valuable than money, you can get more money,

but you cannot get more time

- Jim Rohn

We have our own internal standards to judge our performance and until we decide, we will not speed up.

I recall an old story which I read somewhere. There was a tortoise at the backyard of an old dilapidated house. It took three weeks to move from the garden to reach the rear room. It continued to move and in two more weeks reached the kitchen. From there it took another ten days to reach the hall. From there it reached the frontage of the house in two weeks time. It continued to move and in another ten days, it stepped out of the house and reached the portico. At that time, the old house collapsed. The shocked tortoise said `thank God, I moved out of the house quickly! What would have happened if I had not acted this fast!

The future belongs to those, who are conscious and sensitive to time and deadline. If you have been working in organisations, you would have noticed that the time to manufacture a product is drastically slashed down; the response time to redress customer grievance has come down; the travel time is coming down.

Over this weekend you may like to explore yourself and ask the question: `Am I fast enough? How is my speed compared to my competitors? Can I be faster without sacrificing the quality of my work life?'

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Excitement Ways to Live: Excitement # 105. Focus on: Attitude, Lack of Time, Effort, Speed!

Focus on: Attitude, Lack of Time, Effort, Speed

Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self respect leads to self discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.

Clint Eastwood

If you want to be fast, you have to be brisk in mind. Your behaviour is only external. What causes your behaviour is your attitude. Without changing your attitude, you cannot change your pace of work. In order to change your attitude, from slow to fast, you have to move with people who share that attitude. You should have people who are brisk and fast as your role model.

Lack of training is another reason for a slow pace of work. Do you remember when you first learnt how to type `a s d f g h l k j h j'?  Were you not struggling to locate where those letters are on the keyboard? But, did you not pick up the speed due to continuous training and practice? Now you can type a whole page without looking at the keyboard. The secret to speed is: practice, practice, practice!

Without effort you cannot improve your speed of work. It is not merely a good intention to improve your productivity. Your good intention should be combined with adequate effort level.

If you are in competition with someone, who is more effective than you, should you not be faster? You should keep your ears and eyes open to know how others are performing in your field. If you don't know, that is what I mean by ignorance, which is the fifth reason why you are not fast enough.

I heard a story of a rabbit and a cheetah to explain these five factors standing in our way to speedy work. Do you want to know?  Read on!

(From my book '365 Excitement Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 104. Life is a gift of God! Enjoy it!

 Life is a gift of God! Enjoy it!

"There is more to life than simply increasing its speed."
-  Mahatma Gandhi

We have to understand the above quotation in the right perspective. Life is not to be lived with a stop clock in hand. We have to enjoy life in all its dimensions. But, at the same time, we need to deliver the results expected from us in time.

In the highly competitive world, people are hard pressed for their valuable time. These days we have more things to do than our grand fathers had. They did not have to travel this much; they did not have so many entertainment channels to watch etc.  In short, they lived a simple life style. But, most of us like a fast life and we need to speed up.

If we have to enjoy life, we have to complete many activities in time and in the shortest period of time.  We have to be much faster and quicker. Our output per unit of time has to be much more than in the past. This is called the personal productivity factor.

When you manage the demands on your time tactfully, you will have more quality time to enjoy!

(From my book '365 Excitement Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 103. You May be Fast, But Are You Fast Enough?

You May be Fast, But Are You Fast Enough?

Be wise with speed; a fool at forty is a fool indeed.
- Edward Young

Curious to know why Dinosaurs became an extinct species?

I read somewhere that the reflex mechanism in Dinosaurs was very slow. I read that if a Dinosaur is bitten by a snake in the leg, it will take three to four months by the time the information reaches the brain! We all know that the brain should send commands to secrete hormones and chemicals to fight against poison and bacterial infection.  

This is what happens, if we are not fast enough to take corrective actions to improve our life. Supposing you come to know that recession is around the corner and you have to take steps to insulate you from the consequences of recession, the speed with which you act will decide your survival.

Even if you have the rarest of the rare skills, you should know when the skill will become redundant. Take the simple skill like stenography. There was a time, when every manager in an organization will be given a stenographer to help him to type the various correspondences and there was a very big demand for qualified stenographers. But today, every executive types his own notes.  So the knowledge of stenography has become redundant in today’s context.

You have to change very fast.  You have to audit your skill inventory.  Life is nothing but a race against time.

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 102. Speed and Quick Are Different Things.

Speed and Quick Are Different Things.

Speed is a great asset; but it's greater when it's combined with quickness –

and there's a big difference.

- Ty Cobb 

Speed, fast, quick etc are some of the terms to define the time we take to do a project or an activity. We have to understand the subtle difference between these terms. We have to be quick to respond; we have to be quick to exploit an opportunity; we have to be quick to decide on important things in life.

Speed is the rate at which we execute a project. Let's take the example of a car race. If there is a flat tyre, the driver has to quickly decide the course of action to put the car back into the race; the pit crew should change the punctured tyre at a great speed.

Quickness is a measure of how fast we decide on important issues that affect our life. We may be in a wrong business or we may be in the right business but the business equations are changing fast. In such a situation, we have to quickly decide to change our business line. Any delay without a valid reason amounts to procrastination. But once we decide to change our business, we have to be very fast and act with high speed to execute our next project.

Ask yourself:  Am I quick enough to decide on important issues?  Am I fast enough in my actions?

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 101 Money Loves Speed

  Money Loves Speed!

`E=mc² Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared'.

- Albert Einstein quotes

Isn't it true that in real life situation, we convert our time into some product or service of some commercial value? A singer sings, an actor acts, a writer writes. They use their time to produce something of value to others.

So, there is a link between time and an output. But the secret of producing wealth is to enhance the value of every unit of time. The more you produce in less time, the more money you get. This is a fact of life.  People have the same amount of time in a day as they had millions of years ago. A day had only twenty four hours then and now. A minute had only sixty seconds then and now. But, what has changed is the people's attitude to time. They have become restless and want everything immediately.

Just think: why does an air ticket cost more than a train ticket? Why does an express train ticket cost more than an ordinary train ticket? Why does a speed post cost more than an ordinary post? Isn't it because they are faster?

Think: are you fast enough? Are you conscious if someone is faster than you? 

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live)

NC Sridharan
www.thetimefoundation.com
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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 90. Respect and Remember Names

   Respect and Remember Names

If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment;

 You indicate that I have made an impression on you.

Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance.

– Dale Carnegie

 

Do you give importance to remember peoples’ name? It is a basic courtesy you can show to any person who is introduced to you. A name is a very emotional thing for a person. The happiest time for a parent is the day when they give a name for their child. From our childhood days we have been repeatedly called by our names. When we achieve something, we are given a certificate carrying our name and we proudly show it to many people.

Don’t we feel happy when someone addresses us by our correct name? Remember the following basic etiquette:

·         Take interest to remember a person’s name.

·         If there a special way in which the person wants his name to be spelt based on numerology or other sentiments, respect the same.

·         When you address a letter, use the correct spelling with the correct first name, initial etc.

·         After meeting a person on several occasions, don’t embarrass him by asking his name once again or calling him by a wrong name. You are insulting him.

There so much in a name!

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 100 Thinking Time Portfolio!

Thinking Time Portfolio

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.

– Voltaire

Do you have ‘thinking time’? Sounds very odd? But isn’t it true that we are so busy that we have no time to think? Successful people spend a lot of their time in thinking. Your thinking quality will decide the quality of your planning and execution. Thinking is a mind function and not a physical activity. Like you allocate specific time for activities such as exercising, bathing, eating and writing, you should also allot specific time for the ‘portfolio of thinking’.

Choose a time when you will not be disturbed at all. Reflect on the following:

·         What are my long term goals?

·         How am I progressing with my goals?

·         What are my five most important priorities and am I adequately working on them?

·         Do I have all the resources I need to complete the immediate task on hand?

·         Am I effective and efficient? Can I improve the same?

You can go on adding to the above list. Start with minimum 30 minutes and gradually go up to at least two hours of thinking time per day. You will notice your productivity substantially going up. 

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 99. Have Private Time!

Have Private Time

The effectiveness of work increases according to geometric progression if there are no interruptions.

– Andre Maurois

We need to have personal time to think and plan. Planning and scheduling private time is critical to be effective and focussed on our most important issues. Interruptions are natural. But we should plan intelligently to get away from the interruptions.

Do the following exercise for the next forty eight days.

For the next thirty minutes:

Switch off your mobile and resolve not to break this rule.

·      Don’t speak to anyone.

·      Move away from any sound or visual distractions.

·      Tell all concerned that you are not available for them.

·      Arrest your body, don’t move; sit straight and don’t lie down, else you will fall asleep.

·      Concentrate on the job on hand, whether writing, reading, thinking or any other work.

Gradually increase the duration of this exercise to two hours a day. This is the way to create ‘quality time’. The productivity of your time is directly proportionate to the care you take to avoid interruptions by careful planning.

Do this exercise from today and notice your personal productivity shooting up building your self-confidence.

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 98. Know the Value of Time!

 Know the Value of Time

If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.

– Maria Edgeworth

In order to effectively use any resource, we should be conscious of its value. If this consciousness is missing, we will not be careful with the use of that resource. Time is a valuable resource, but we are not conscious of its passing since we don’t see this resource through our eyes. We are able to see other resources such as money, petrol and water to know what the balance is. But we can only feel the time passing, if we choose to do.

Do you know how long one minute is?  Do you know how long is five minutes?  Do this exercise to understand how unconscious we are about the passing of time.

Close your eyes and resolve not to open your eyes for two minutes. Stop reading this page and actually do this exercise. Most of you would have opened your eyes before two minutes! You would have felt restless and anxious to know if two minutes were over. Do this exercise every day, gradually increasing the duration up to ten minutes. Over a period of time, you will become accurate in noticing time passing. This consciousness will make you to value your time as a scarce resource.

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 97. Improve the Quality of Your Voice

Improve the Quality of Your Voice

The human voice is the organ of the soul.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A pot is tested by the sound it makes and so is a person. Have you ever thought about your voice quality? The quality of your voice is an important criterion which will add to your image. Some people have an attractive voice by nature and others can develop or improve it. Voice pathology is an important field of consultancy. A good voice can open up a career in the media industry.

Record your voice and check for the following characteristics:

• Nasal: you may not know, but your voice may be nasal. Nasal speakers don’t open their jaws sufficiently.
• Non-authoritative: your voice does not exude confidence, and lack projection, inflection and intonation.
• Low voice level: your voice is too low or too high; it could damage vocal cords.

·         Voice speed: voice could be very fast reflecting nervousness.

Your voice will decide the quality and effectiveness of your communication. The purpose of communication is to produce an outcome in the mind of the receiver.

For the next three months, take efforts to improve your voice quality. Seek professional help if needed.

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 96. Promise Yourself All the Very Best!

Promise Yourself

 To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words but great deeds.

To live in faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

– Christian D. Larson

(From my book '365 Exciting Way to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 95.Change What You Can Change!

Change What You Can Change

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to

change them yourself.

– Andy Warhol

Change is permanent and we cannot stop it.   We need to adapt ourselves to the changes. It is not easy to change. We should be intelligent enough to know what to change and what not to change.

Read the following five different types of change:

1.       Things which you think you cannot change and you cannot change;

2.      Things which you think you cannot change, but you can change;

3.      Things which you think can change but you cannot;

4.      Things which you think you can change, but you don’t;

5.      Things which you think you can change and you change.

Your opportunity lies in areas which you can change, but you don’t want to change. Great people have succeeded in this area only. Identify and work on at least five things under your control to change but you are not taking efforts. For example: I can reduce my excess weight, but, I don’t want to exercise; I can learn a new language, but I don’t want to cut down my TV watching and study every day thirty minutes.

Do this exercise for a month consistently and notice what happens to the quality of your life!

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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