365 Exciting Ways to Live : Excitement # 38

Enjoy Freedom from Technology.

All of the biggest technological inventions created by man – the airplane, the automobile, the computer – says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness.

– Mark Kennedy

We should use technology to enhance our productivity without becoming a slave to technology. We should control technology and not allow technology to control us. Check if you are a slave to technology:

·         Are you restless if you don’t have your mobile phone for an hour?

·         Are you upset when the lift does not work?

·         Do you mess up your morning, if your alarm does not go off at the time set?

·         Are you immobilised if there is no fuel in for your vehicle?

If the answer is ‘yes’, you may be a slave to technology! Why don’t you learn to live without technology? Refuse to be paralysed if technology lets you down. Try these simple exercises to enjoy freedom from technology:

·         Try to remember telephone numbers and dial without using the phone memory.

·         Do simple calculations without using a calculator to know what is four times four.

·         Don’t lift your mobile phone every alternate hour.

·         Climb the stairs one day every week and don’t use the lift.

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

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 32 : Build a Healthy Personality

Build a Healthy Personality

Clothes and manners do not make the man; but, when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance.

– Henry Ward Beecher

Have you thought about your external personality as seen by others?     We are being observed by others and we create an image about ourselves. Image is an important parameter for success. Recently, image and impression consulting has become a lucrative profession. They advise you how you should behave, what and how you should dress, what and how to talk to others etc., which go a long way in projecting your image.

Think about the following parameters with respect to your personality:

·         Your dress – do you dress to the occasion? Is it neat and clean, without stains? Are they wrinkled?

·         Your teeth – are there stains?

·         Your shoes – when did you last polish?

·         Your nails – are they neatly cut?

·         Do you have bad breath? Others may feel embarrassed to tell this to you!

·         Your hairstyle? Do you look haggard?

·         When eating, do you burp? While sipping a tea or coffee, do you make a sound?

·         When you speak, are you too loud or too low?

From today, notice these aspects of your external personality!

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

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live - Excitement # 34 - Be Generous in Appreciating Others

Be Generous in Appreciating Others

Every ear is tickled with the sweet music of applause.

– Isaac Barrow

Do you appreciate and praise others?   It is an important quality, which builds good relationship. We wish to be appreciated and we like people, who appreciate us. When you appreciate someone, both you and the other person feel happy. Great people are happy to notice and appreciate good things in others. They don’t feel jealous about others’ achievement and good work.

From today, notice good things in others. You can appreciate simple things such as a neat dress, a smile in the face, something very special and unique in others.

Make a list of people whom you know. Against each person, list one thing you like most. It could be even their handwriting. Some may have some special skill such as a sense of humour. After making this list, wait for the first opportunity and appreciate them. You may send a card or a sms or an e-mail. This will develop a healthy interpersonal relationship.

Do it tactfully. Be careful to do it naturally and without flattering! 

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

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 26 - Know How You Irritate Others!

Know How You Irritate Others

Prepare yourself for the world, as the athletes used to do for their exercise; oil your mind and your manners, to give them the necessary suppleness and flexibility; strength alone will not do.

– Lord Chesterfield

Do you irritate others? If so, do you know how? We may not know how we irritate others. It may be some mannerism or traits such as interrupting,  when someone talks; speaking with a loud voice; wounding someone’s emotions or feelings with words; talking too much; boasting; snoring; slurping; making unconnected or inappropriate comments; seeking undue favours. The list can be endless!

Many may not tell you, but you need to be aware.

There is a whole range of a subject called ‘Etiquette’, the social skills, which we need to know compulsorily. It changes from culture to culture. Especially when you move with a heterogeneous body of people drawn from various cultures, you need to know what is not acceptable in each culture.

Today why don’t you do an exercise? Talk to some of your very close friends and ask them to give you some feedback on how you irritate others? Encourage them to be frank. Work out an action plan to get rid of the same!

(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live'

www.thetimefoundation.com

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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 22: Get Noticed!

Get Noticed

If you don't get noticed, you don't have anything. You just have to be noticed, but the art is in getting noticed naturally, without screaming or without tricks.

Leo Burnett

Have you thought about the trait of ‘getting noticed’?   In order to succeed in life, we have to get noticed by others. We may have all the talents and we may also be contributing, but we may not be noticed. Unless we are noticed, we will not be recognised in the society.

Next time when you go to a departmental store, notice how the products are displayed to catch your attention. Even if the product is very good, people should know in what way it is different from that of the competitors. This is what is projected by the marketing agency.

Check what you have to get noticed by others. How do you ‘package’ your contribution to others? What is your unique talent? Is your communication skill different from others? How is your image – both internal and external? Are you an inspiration to others? Is there something which you alone can offer, which no one else can? If so how do you communicate your uniqueness to the world?

Today ponder over the above and jot down a few ideas, which come to your mind.


(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live) 

NC Sridharan
www.thetimefoundation.com
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365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 8: Tickle Your Right Brain by Free Writing!

Free Writing

You know you've got to exercise your brain just like your muscles.

– Will Rogers

In the previous chapter, I talked about the importance of developing the Right Side of the brain and I suggested an exercise. Free writing is another powerful exercise to activate your Right Side of the brain. Free writing means taking a paper and pen and just writing anything that comes to your mind spontaneously. The Right Side of the brain is spontaneous and does not think logically. Hence, when you write whatever that comes to your mind, you are activating the Right Side of your brain.

Today buy a notebook. Ensure that you are not interrupted for the next fifteen minutes; open the first page, take a pen and just write whatever comes to your mind. In the 

beginning, perhaps you may not write much. But continue to write. Over a period of time words will flow. Don’t look for any meaning or logic while doing this. Just write. Date the page. Do it every day. After six months browse through the pages and you will notice something different!What are you waiting for? Start today!

From my book: '365 Exciting Ways to Live'

NC Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com

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Organising Thoughts and Ideas to Strategies

First comes thought; then organization of that thought into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.

– Napoleon Hill

We are always thinking whether we are aware of it or not. Some thoughts catch our conscious awareness and some go unnoticed. It is said that on an average over one hundred thousand thoughts cross our mind every day. Intelligent people catch the thoughts and organize the same into ideas and strategies. The follow-through from the thought stage to the idea stage is very important.

Once the ideas are converted into strategies and action plans, the rest of it is very easy. The problem with ideas is the fact that if not acted upon, they will squelch and disappear. The first thing we should do upon getting an idea is to record the same and set aside some time to ponder over and explore that idea.

The next stage is the transformation of the idea into specific action plan in real life. This is the most important stage in any idea-exploitation process and this stage will decide the productivity of the idea.

Over this weekend, try to recall any good idea you got over the last one month and check whether you can work on the same through the above process.