What do you do?

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When I meet professionals at Conferences, Exhibitions, Meetings etc and ask them "What do you do?" Most of them give me identical responses. "I am a Program Manager at IBM", "I am IIM graduate working as Senior Consultant at J P Morgan", "I am a Software Design Expert at Microsoft".

None of them tell me about the nature of job they do at these Big Brands. Instead they seemed quite proud that they are working with Big Brands. Also while responding with a distinct tone, they will seek some attention and expect me to get impressed by hearing Big Brands.

The problem is not with them responding to the question "What do you do?” it is with the society where they respond. Guy asking the question would like to make a quick opinion about the other person, and so this person responds mentioning Brands. Soon the guy hears "Program Manager" or "Software Design Expert" the respondent is boxed on "Level of Designation", and on hearing "J P Morgan" or "Microsoft" respondent is further boxed on "Level of Brand".

On the other hand, I certainly agree that people should be proud of graduating from IITs & IIMs and working at Big Brands, but having this mindset for a longer period of time can turn these people influenced by the domination of Big Brands. When you attach a Brand to your name, you attach number of years that Brand strived to be successful. Question to be asked here is - "How much you contributed to that success?"

"Are you proud of working at your Company?" is what 95% people will go behind. "Is your company proud that you are working for them?" is the question need to be asked. The day you'll answer to the second question is when you have a value of substance within, and don't need to mention Brands to the question "What do you do?"

People Networking

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You would have observed people will usually go to the conferences & seminars to do "Networking", and the only way some of them know to spread themselves is by exchanging cards. I have observed these guys, approaching exchanging cards and telling about themselves quickly whether or not my interests are aligned to it, and then pushing off to find somebody else to give their card. Their whole objective remains, to Be Short, Cover More in Less Time & Be Fast. Moreover the combination of Short & Fast gives them the sense of "Being Smart!" but truly speaking "Being Fast doesn't mean Being Smart".

If they call this as "Networking", they are failing in their objective! Because you don't get to figure out on what the profile of guy is as he left pretty quickly, secondly you'll stare more at the card after he is gone to look at his designation and company to figure out in your thoughts where he can be actually a fit in your connections. Lastly, after few months if you happen to see the card again, you would have forgotten him or you'll put that in your trash!

Just because of being short & fast the guy was not taken seriously. And in turn guy measured his "Networking" by no. of exchanges he did, instead of making the true connections.

Networking is not just about broadcasting, but building the trust to have the greater possibility of come back in the future!

Share not just the "Knowledge" but the "Obvious" things too

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I work on one of the US Accounts, and it requires me to host meetings over phone. My company has provided me a passcode to dial out on a toll free no. to attend US calls such that bill is generated directly to the company and not to me by phone service provider. Thing is, passcode helps you to just host a call, and if you wish to dial out, there is a feature set of combination to be punched in to join a meeting hosted on US bridge.

Truly speaking, it takes couple of weeks to get the passcode from the company. Last week, one of my colleague asked "Mayank, how much are you billed on phone every month?". I said "Below Rs.800/month". She gave me a surprised look and further asked "Don't you attend calls from home?". I said , "Yes, I do, but I use combination set to dial out to US nos." & she was happy to have discovered the solution to the problem which was worrying her since three months.

I explained on how can you minimize your phone bill and send it directly to company, & still make calls to US without worries. Further she asked me a question "What was your phone bill when you were not having passcode?" I said "Zero!” And guess, she was more happy to have the solution of another bigger problem. She was dialing personal calls to US, and paying much higher than me, because I subscribed for Yahoo Voice for $10/year to make unlimited calls to US toll free nos(most of the meeting bridges are toll free) & other US numbers on 1cent/min. And I am using it since 4 years now to make PC to Phone calls from anywhere in the world!

Same glow I see on faces of people when they see me searching for places and finding route on my GPS phone using Google Maps. But it is nothing special to me as I am doing the same since one year now in India.

Giving the thought further, I analysed that something which is "obvious" to me is "knowledge" to somebody else. And all "obvious" things in our life don't hold "something special" within, where as new "knowledge" is all "special". Getting down to one more level, things like Alphabets on our Keyboard or doing calculations while giving money in the market goes further to "backside processing" of our mind. We truly don't notice it, or acknowledge it, because we had been doing the same since decades.

It is recommended to "share" not just the "knowledge" you hold, but "share the obvious" things too. You never know your "obvious" can be somebody's "knowledge" today!

Three things I learnt from Traffic

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These last 3 days, as I was driving an average of 100 Kms daily across NCR, I noticed quite a few things.

Roads in Delhi are quite wide in comparison to Hyderabad and Bangalore, cities I had been living in earlier. However, despite the roads being wider, the amount of traffic in Delhi is higher.

The Delhi Government has done quite a number of good things for traffic management, among them is the construction of flyovers & the removal of maximum possible red lights (and hence stoppages).

I have observed that when the light turns red, people stuff their cars and 2 wheelers as near as possible to the next vehicle. The vehicles are so 'tight' together that is appears ever air cannot find a way between them. What makes it a point to ponder is that because of this tight space (which is done to get moving as soon as the light turns green) the intended agenda of fast movement DOES NOT get achieved.

So, something which is just temporary and known to be un-mounted or unassembled should not be given effort more than the requisite level. Else it will require same amount of effort while un-mounting or un-assembling. In a relationship also, if you give more love, care, affection to people in life, it hurts, harms & makes you upset with same degree when those people move away from you!

While driving on wide toll roads and straight stretches, I encountered few people who were fast drivers. Their only aim is to drive fast, and make the way through by jumping lanes, and reach destination at the earliest. They don't apply any other principle except for driving fast.

I respect Speed Limits, and adhere to them. Driving within speed limits gives me appropriate time to decide on accelerate and brake. Like while approaching the Toll Gate at 50Kmph I can judge the length of queues, and decide on which is the shortest one to drive my car thru. Where as fast drivers at 90Kmph don't get enough time to make the judgment and have to push their car in the queue straight ahead.

Moreover, fast drivers accelerate & brake too frequently in city driving. Especially when they brake, they forcibly stops on what they have given effort on (acceleration), reaching destination with consumption of more fuel. They consider themselves 'fast drivers' but certainly they are not 'smart drivers'.

Three things I learnt from Traffic in Delhi:

1. Give only required effort on Temporary things in life to stay efficient.
2. Go within limits to give optimum time to think & decide.
3. Don't just be 'Fast', but be 'Smart'.

Why do you want to do; what you plan to do?

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You would have encountered many people at work and among friends who just write plans & goals; without evaluating it through "capacity of execution". Moreover, their plans & goals are inherited after looking at the "positive" & "flashy" ends of their fellows or friends. Something like "Since Ram created his own house at the age of 35, I also need to do the same", "Since Shyam started Investing Rs. 10000 every month in Equities, I also need to start Investing Rs. 10000 every month", "Since Mehtas had been to Europe Tour this year, we also need to visit Europe", etc.

People while framing their plans don't evaluate the "capacity of execution". Most of them don't even answer themselves as to "Why do they want to do what they plan to do?" If you question "Why" to them, they will come with answers like "Ram & Shyam did that, so am I doing?" and they completely oversee the fact that the execution of a plan is directly affected by the environmental & capacity variables. And they believe & rely on their "Power of Assumption" to such an extent that it starts appearing "reality" to them.

I recommend you to plan & write goals on something you are passionate about, while evaluating your capacity to execute it. Like, if you have liquid funds & want to plan your financials, invest in better options instead of buying a SUV to "show-off". If you love mountains, and want to go on vacation, go to "Laddakh" instead of "Mount Titlis" after borrowing a sum of Rs. 1 Lac from the bank. Do something which can give you "sense of achievement" without pushing you into debts & not measuring yourself on scale of "relative competition". This is your life, why to mould it like anybody else's?

Assess Capacity! Plan Goals! Execute Happily!

Is your mind accepting the ONLY solution?

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Everyone is surrounded with one or more problems at any instance of time. However, magnitude of problems may differ. One might have a problem with his phone & other might have problems on his project. The most preferred way of Problem Solving is sharing out & Brainstorm! Everyone knows that! And so we share out some of our problems at home as well as at work.

One interesting observation is, after sharing out your problem, you'll look out for solutions from few set of guys (who are probably SMEs - Subject Matter Experts). At the same time, there is another set of guys who will give instant solution (and these guys can be in or out of the set of SMEs), who will answer to your problem something like:

1. This is the ONLY way to resolve the problem on...
2. This is the ONLY way to make money through...
3. This is the ONLY way to be in the business...
4. This is the ONLY way for you to be successful in...

Every time someone on phone call at work, or someone out of friends & relatives gives a solution after introducing the word 'ONLY', my mind generates a WARNING Signal! These category of people, on answering instantly with the word 'ONLY', pressurizes other's mind to not to 'Think any Further', and 'Accept' the solution. This further stops the 'creative thinking', and more usage of these patterns of solution answering will put 'creative thinking' to death over a period of time.

You need to observe yourself too. Do you often use the word 'ONLY' during solution answering? And now on, when someone uses the word 'ONLY' while giving solutions, look for the underlying assumptions they are making. Interestingly, you'll find the usage of the word 'ONLY' in events & conferences by various CEOs, VPs & Top Management.

Be Creative! Think more Further, when the word "ONLY" comes during the conversation.

What do you Want in Life & How much money is required?

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"I want chocolate ice-cream!" can be heard if you ask 5 years old kid, "What do you want?" 30 years old guy will answer "I want my own house!", and a 70 years old man will say "I want nothing!" Here 5 years old kid doesn't earn money, and so asks you a very small portion of money which can satisfy his want. Whereas 30 years old guy earns money and asks equivalent of what his money can satisfy his want. And 70 years old man simply says "nothing" because his wants cannot be bought with money.

Everyone knows that value of money in this world depreciates with time. 10 years back if you were able to buy 1 Kg of rice in 5 rupees, today you'll get 100gms for the same sum. The value of money doesn't even depreciate in this world, but also in our lives with time. Money is a scale of measuring the importance or value of 'entity' in your eyes. And this 'value' gradually increases with age, attains its peak between 40-50 and then drops steeply. If plotted on graph, it will be:



At the time of writing this article I am 31, however the plot of values on the graph above is being judged by the answers you get by questioning "What do you want?" to different age groups. This graph depicts the 'Amount of Money required to Satisfy Want'. The age-band where I am in today 25-40 years, people learn how to make money, and do what not to make it more. Next age-band, 40-60 years people make money out of what they earned in 25-40 and gradually in 40-60 the "want for money" fades and "want for respect/recognition" increases. Next age-band, 60-80 years people will go clueless as to what did they do with their life? Kept on running behind something which was just depreciable?, and will ask questions to self "Did I just kept on earning more of what was actually needed & missed the opportunity to see other key aspects of life?" and will eventually go to "world tour" or some "house of worship" & spend rest of the life understanding "spirituality" and "inner strengths of humans" or just "exploring this world".

5 Miles High & Zero Existence

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You would have encountered "5 miles high & zero existence" people at your office, among friends or among acquaintances. Let me explain who are 5M-Hi-ZeEx (5 miles high & zero existence)? Rolling back 20 years of Life when you were pretty young, remember the guys who used to show-off their motor bikes, their gadgets, their power, their acts-of-living life, their collection of music cassettes, etc. And then, when you used to get to these guys to try out or share their things, they used to either show-off with glitters or refuse to give it to you saying excuse.

Similar people exists at our offices too, they show-off by saying "I am having X years of experience", "I have done super complex projects in my life", "I am the sole contributor to the success of what X company boasts about", "Problem solving is a cake walk, do Step 1 - Step 2 - Step 3, and you are done", etc. They not even show off their own-categorized "superlative wisdom", but want others to pamper it too. If someone approaches these 5M-Hi-ZeEx guys to discuss on to the solution of Problems, or just over a casual chat. They will question back on competencies and history of achievements so far after keeping their "superlative wisdom" on the table.

Questions to be asked to 5M-Hi-ZeEx guys:
1. If I Google your name, will you be the first link?
2. If I Google the top competency you possess, will you be on first page?
3. If I ask for you at the reception of your office, will receptionist be directing me without looking at her computer?
4. If I put your pic on posters, and paste it across city of your choice in country you live. How many will recognize you?
5. Flying 5 miles high on a plane, if I shout out your name. Will anybody recognize you?

If answers to these five questions are on negative side, it is better for these set of people to be on ground, and greet people in corridor with smile, keep their "ego" at the back seat and respect the knowledge others have. Thinking & Knowledge are not always dependent on the Years of Experience you have. Contributing to success of others & sharing owns knowledge will help gain the respect. Give it! Don't demand it!

First Impression is no more Last Impression

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"1st Impression is the Last Impression" is a famous saying. Is it still true? Remember the time you guys interacted me 1st - At Work, In a Meeting, Some Conference, Reading my 1st Mail, During College or may be some 20-25 years back? Today after knowing me for some time, all of you carry a different Perception of me - Friendly, Over-Friendly, Neutral, Formal, Silent Observer etc.

And there are some others in this group who never had a talk with me, but have known me from BlogSpot, Face book, Articles, etc. The perceptions of these guys differ totally, because they never had a chance to have 1st Impression about me. They never met me, nor did I send them any email. They just carry my "0th Impression". Today, they have some assessment about me without even interacting with me.

Whereas, few other guys in the group who know me for quite some time, probably never knew some of my Hidden Thoughts. And so now via Blogs & Articles they are getting "Surprise Impressions".

So, in today's world, you don't have to worry about your "1st Impression" any more. Focus on "0th Impression" to help Unknowns and on "Surprise Impressions" to help Knows in giving your True Picture of Who You Are?

What are your GOALS in LiFE

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When you were in school, this was the question which was shooted the most - "What would you like to become when you grow up?". And then you'll hear the answers covering all the professions. But when you grow up, there is change in wish. You get to experience more reality, and then you filter, change & narrow your goals based on the surrounding opportunities & your competency.

But many of us today just plan out short-term goals, and once achieved; we raise another set of short-term goals, and keep the loop going till we hit the age of 65, where we eventually realize and then question ourselves - "What was the human life for?", "Why was I sent to this planet as a human being, and not as any reptile or a tiger?", etc etc. And then suddenly you'll draft a Spiritual Plan, and join some house of worship to devote rest of your life understanding the meaning of those questions.

In my opinion you should craft out both short-term goals and long-term goals which should be revisited every 6 months, and stay more focussed on top 3-5 goals every year. Make one goal from each of the nine categories:
1. Career Goals
2. Relationship & Family Goals
3. Financial Goals
4. Educational Goals
5. Health & Fitness Goals
6. Community & Social Involvement Goals
7. Self-Understanding & Personal Goals
8. Spiritual Goals
9. Leisure Goals

Truly speaking, setting up a goal sheet is much easy, but many of us wouldn't know which direction to move to achieve them. The best way is to measure where you are right NOW. And so a correct assessment of our current situation is very much required to move ahead. I suggest a simple way of doing it - Against each goal list down some obstacles which could get in your way, and list down the resources you will need to overcome those obstacles. Resources can be your family members or friends or coworkers too. And more precisely have a Start Date & End Date attached to all of the goals!

It is always that when you regular habit of reviewing your goal sheet, you'll be able to achieve them. So what are you waiting for? December 31? My dear, do it NOW.

Do you REALLY Think?

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I was playing a game of questions & answers with my friends with the rule that they need to answer within 5 seconds of me completing the question. I was asking them questions like "Which country is the largest exporter of Tea?", "Which is the 3rd highest mountain peak in the world?” etc. And after a while one of the friends said that I need to give more time from 5 seconds to say 15 seconds. I asked him "Why?", and he replied he need more time to THINK!

You might have asked similar questions to the people in day-to-day life like "What is Rahul's Phone No?", "How far is New Delhi from here?", etc. And soon thereafter they will gesture like they are THINKING, before they answer out. The common entity among all these questions is, they have a finite answer. So, would you agree with them that they were THINKING? Or would you agree with that they were just SEARCHING? In my opinion, someone who is good at answering quiz questions may not be a good Thinker. Where as someone who is good at reasoning, planning, decision making, and doing similar activities is most likely a good Thinker.

Remember of when you were kid, how many of your classmates used to raise their hands quickly soon after teacher finishes the question? All of those were having great Recall & Search memory, and how many of them used to dive into the questions and come out with some creative answers after a while? All of those were Thinkers. But the 'Fact of the Life' is then Searcher succeeded and Thinkers Failed! But as you grew, you would have observed it going reverse.

Consider your brain is having a box within, and whatever you have learned so far is in this box. Now, if somebody asks you a solution to the problem, most of the time you will go to this box, search out pieces from your learning, apply some relational analysis and join those pieces to present the solution. Eventually you are going to make a known solution, because it came from learning already known.

The Power to THINK is so incredible, it allows you to go beyond the boundaries of this box, and come out with a solution which is unknown to this world. And it is you who need to apply that 'extra' effort on your THINK muscle, because it that 'extra' only which differentiates between an ORDINARY & an EXTRAORDINARY.

Do you THINK at work?

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I am in IT Service Delivery for more than 11 Years now. And most of the folks in this group are also in some way or other related to same function. Being in Service Delivery function of the organization, we need to clock 40 hours/week in a tool to show our weekly productivity. I wonder if I can add 8 hours/week in the tool as 'Thinking' activity?

Let me ask you a question - 'Do you THINK at work?'. You might reply back saying 'Yes', if you are an Individual Contributor, or if you are a Manager you'll question back saying - 'Who does not?' :). So if you really THINK at work, why don't you clock those many hours as 'THINKING' activity in the tool? One of you may say 'The option does not exist in the tool'. If I further ask you another question - 'Does THINKING helps in increasing productivity & efficiency at work and derives new ways of doing work? And is it one of the necessary skills to possess?’ If you answer 'Yes' to this, then wouldn't it be nice to discuss the same with your team/group and have the option inserted in the tool?

I want you to try out this - When you are at work, free up your mind and pick one problem from your daily process, or your project, or your assignment, and then THINK on it for 15 - 20 mins, on how can you solve this. During THINKING don't look at anything distracting like PC Monitor or Hallway and don't sip any drink like Tea or Coffee. Just keep looking at something still like ceiling or the desk or the pen or the wall and keep Thinking. You know, what will happen? people will come to you and after keeping their hands on your shoulder they'll ask you - 'Are you worried about something?', 'If something is bothering you?', 'I can't see you sitting like this, anything I can help on?', etc etc. Yes, they can't let you think. The only acceptable mode at work is keep on working by either moving your mouse, or typing, or staring at your monitor.

Question is changed from 'Do you THINK at work?' to 'Can you THINK at work?'

Fact of the matter is, Customer is not going to pay for clocking the time as 'THINKING' activity, and people at work will start sympathizing(disturbing) you after looking at you not working, even when 'THINKING' is the most productive activity.

Hence from now on, you spread the word and give space to people at work to THINK, to empower them from their inner strengths to make them more Productive & Efficient, and let them derive new ways of approaching on same problems, eventually helping the Business they are in.

Do you admit saying "I don't know"?

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Are you questioned every day, either by your boss, relatives, friends or by yourself. And in instances when you are in public or in community, you reply back with an answer at the very moment. I have also observed people answering the questions they don't know what to answer about on. There are two reasons for answering instantly for the questions you don't know, (1) "ego" issue, and (2) "prestige" issue.

It becomes difficult for you to say "I don't know", especially when you are in a position of a manager or a leader, or if you are delivering a talk or presentation to a group of people in some event. Because you are in a position with the "preset" in your mind that you know everything about where you are, and it is your responsibility to answer to the team/group. But answering to the questions you don't know the answer of, can lead to two problems, (1) you give a fast-food answer which might not be able to give the right diet to the questions asked, (2) you get relieved, and further don't think about the right answers for the questions because you already gave the substitute.

Another interesting observation with other kind of managers, leaders & speakers is, they will try to cook some answer which eventually will mean "They don't know", and then will pick up a guy from the team/group and piggyback this half-cooked answer to him for further cooking it to full. But none of them will say "I don't know".

In my view, when you say "I don't know", it opens up whole new set of opportunities to learn about something you don't know. The moment you declare "I don't know", you change yourself to the receptive mode to learn something new, and further spread the 'right' knowledge to your team. Also you don't have to come up with fast-food answers, and get out of the trap of making another quick sauce for the fast-food answer, in case somebody questions your fast-food answers.

Admitting "I don't know" won't make you small by any means, and in case the team/group thinks that way, you need to ask yourself if you are answering to right audience. But remember, saying "I don't know" regularly can become a competence or skill issue as well.

Get the most from "Bringing iDEAS 2 LiFE"

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I see Life as a Program, and at any point in time we are always in the middle of one or more projects in our life. But where we head towards in this program is largely dependent on the success of the projects. Life would have been cake-walk if we were exceeding expectations of key stakeholders, and completing all of our projects in time and within the budget. But truly speaking, most of the projects are running late, and are over budget. Moreover, there is a constant pressure both from within and people we connect - to perform better, and improve efficiency on every project. And so, we work hard towards completing the very project we are in, and put short term goals. Having achieved the same, we celebrate, and move on to the next project.

We completely forget about the Program, and eventually get into the trap of taking projects, setting goals, finishing it up, and repeating the same cycle. If nobody tells us about the 'Program', we will soon hit 45, and then start thinking about Life (The Program). And then will pick the reasons for failure, and will play the 'blame-game' for rest of the life.

I am setting up this Group of Facebook to share the Ideas we have learned from experiences, and get the followings in the best form of iDEAS to LiFE:

1. Tools to get most out of your Life.
2. Learning from the experiences you had.
3. Methods to identify the 'Hidden You'.
4. Decrease the turn-around-time for solving real life problems.
5. Strategies to improve your skills, and many more.

Return on Investment (ROI) is a key concept in business, and spending time in a Group is no different. I hope you'll get right ROI from this group. To calculate your Investment, go through this table:


And to calculate the return, you have to:
1. Take this group seriously: Really, it is up to you on how much you are applying these principals in your life?
2. Believe this group: Have faith in whatever you take up in life. And give time for tree to grow up before you look out for fruits.
3. Participate in the group: It is not the best answers from your Gurus can help you live the life to maximum; it is the questions you put up to them.

So let us start on this collectively, and thank you for your time for taking this read, and I believe we can share here some of our Ideas in living a better Life.

Stop Comparing Start Living

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Do you have a tendency of comparing your Job Title with your schoolmate's or college mate’s Job Title? Do you see at the model of the car or the type of gadgets when you make visit to your friend's house? Do you often think the reason of your friend happiness is the new property he/she bought? Do you run guess work on the Salary of your friends or peers in the office? If it is so, you are suffering from a disease, of which probably I don't know the name of. But this article can help you (somewhat) to get rid of it.

If you want to be happier in where you are then just try this - Stop Comparison! If you'll try it, for sure it will make a huge difference in looking at your life, and living it in a way it is supposed to. Most people I have met, have trouble with their jobs or relationships or (if not anything else for sure) the boss at work. Why? Because they 'Compare' their job or relationship or boss with some 'Ideal entity in their imagination'.

If you are suffering with the problem of comparison, your mind will generate all negative thoughts for the entity (job or relation or boss), and going through this for a longer period of time reduces your 'Thinking Bandwidth' such that whenever you Think Next, you think negative.

To overcome this, flip the way you think. Try this - Think what is positive about your job - Is it giving you opportunity to work with most powerful brands? How many people in the market are willing to come and work at place you are? Similarly think positive side of your relationships & your boss.

It is pretty difficult to overcome the 'Comparison' quickly. So I suggest it is better to compare the reverse way. Take a sheet of paper, and write down the things your friend or peer doesn't have. And more precisely write non-materialistic things first like 'Caring Spouse', 'Living with Parents', 'Childhood you had', 'Time you spend with Family', 'Some skills you have like - painting, singing', 'Things you are passionate about' etc. And then write a header on this sheet "Exclusive to my Life" & then stick this sheet somewhere in your Bathroom (preferably right adjacent to mirror where you brush your teeth), to have a refreshing kick start every day.

Remember, in 'The Race of your Life', you compete in getting better with 'Yourself' and not somebody else, after all this is 'Your Life' not anybody else’s. So why let anybody ruin 'Your Life'? And every day in this race either 'You WIN' from yourself or 'You Learn' for yourself.

Simplify your Life

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Do you still have an active item on a three-month-old "To Do" list? Are you too busy to sit with your family over tea in the evening? Do you suffer from "hurry sickness" - always in a rush to get somewhere but seldom enjoy the moment? Do you give excuses by blaming on time? If answers to these questions are YES, you need to simplify your life.

Major contribution to your "Stress" and "Lack of Time" today is the choices-overload in the market. And in time to come it is going to increase. When I was kid:

1. there were broadly just two categories of milk - Cow & Buffalo with no nutritional facts table. Today the choice is to have Full Cream, Toned, Double Toned, Zero-Fat etc. with the nutritional facts table mentioning calorific value, fat content etc. And one can get "Stress" in selecting from choices.

2. there was just one wheat flour which we used to get after finely grinding the wheat from flour mill. Today there are nearly about 50 choices in the market to pick from.

3. there used to be just one channel on TV - Doordarshan, instead Doordarshan used to be the TV. Today there are 150 channels with the options from TATA Sky to record other channel while viewing some other. Here TATA Sky is capturing the market of people suffering from "Stress" and "Lack of Time" and "Indecisiveness" in what to view and what not to on the TV.

Million Dollar question is "Were you happy then with less or no choice, or are you happy today with multiple choices?" In my opinion don't ignore the options, but downsize them to fit your need.

Fix the level of your satisfaction, and decide the one out of choices. Today if I ask you to search something on web using the best tool, you'll immediately go to Google without looking for options, and run the search in no time, because you have downsized and picked Google as your best search tool.
And if I ask you to go to Super Market, and bring the best potato chips, you'll go to the rack of chips, and will look around and will take more time to pick the best potato chips because you have not downsized on the existing options.

So my dear to get out of the stress and give yourself more time, Simplify your work, downsize your choices, and just don't sit after doing it once. Repeat it at some frequency (say 3-4 months) as by then new choices will be there in market to compare with.

To measure on if you are simplifying or not, you can ask these questions to yourself:

1. In your Job Role with the current company what are you simplifying for the Business?
2. In your relationship with people what are you simplifying for them?
3. How many things were you able to downsize out of choices last month?

If you don't evaluate and downsize on what is the best for you out of choices, anything will satisfy your need.

Know your "Shelf-Value"

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Are you employed with the Government of India? Do you have Job Security with current Employer? If the Answer to these two questions is NO, then have a quick check on your "Shelf Value" by asking these questions:

1. If you were asked to give a presentation to a group of 100 professionals from your industry in the next 2 hours, which three topics will you pick up? How many of these 100 professionals would be interested in listening to your topics? And how much is the longevity (in years) of your topics in the industry?

2. If you were asked to give names of 3 people from your Professional Network to recommend you. How many of these would be willing to hire or work with you today? Check your linkedin account to see what is your ratio of number of 'Recommendations' to the number of 'Connections'? Remember, networking is always two way. It is not how many connections you have, but how many people value your connection.

Running through these questions you'll get answers for:

1. What is the relevance of your skills in your industry?
2. What is the current & future demand of your skills?
3. How many professionals believe in your skills?

If the scores are low for these three questions, may be you need to think & plan about pumping them up!

Indian Innovation - 'Jugaad'

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There are Tens of Thousands of people from villages and slum India who apply 'jugaad' (make-shift-arrangement) everyday to solve problems without any outside help. But the only difference between them and those experimenting similar things in Hi-Tech Labs of Urban World is the 'recognition'. And so the 'recognition' goes to those who have 'funding' attached to it.

Most of the Indians or for that matter people from Brazil or Phillipines may be economically poor, but they are not poor in their mind. They have amazing creativity, ideas and innovation within.

The best example is that every single india born is not having english as his/her primary language. Their primary languages are Malayalam, Tamil, Gujarati, or mostly Hindi. But they apply the art of creativity in learning English. I did the same! Truly speaking I was not able to converse in english till the age of 14. I am comfortable now.

There had been many thousands of grassroot innovations from villagers and slums. If you get a chance to go visit villages or slums and see their entertainment devices like TVs, DVD Players, Music Systems, you'll find innovation around it. Do you remember placing speakers in 'matka' (round clay pot) during childhood times just to get good bass and beats out of the music by investing low cost? There had been Kabir, Rahim and many Sufi Saints who were super creative in their thoughts even though they were poor.

Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory fails here, and so Enlightment doesn't come only after Physiological or Security needs are fulfilled. It is in everybody's mind! So start Innovating! go Creative! prepare and let prepare as many 'jugaad' you can to solve problems, and help poor people patent these 'jugaad' to set them free of poverty thru their creativity!



(Posting a video where poor indians of today innovated and solved some problems using their creativity - Appachan made a tree climbing apparatus, Md. Saidullah at age of 70 innovated cycle which can be used in flood as rescue device, Dhanji Bhai modified the scooter by self which dwarfs can ride, etc.)

When will the Black Gold go extinct?

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Most common resource of producing Energy which the generation-today can think of is Oil. And there had been debates on the 'End of oil' among them. Looking at the content of the raw material which had been and have been producing Energy to this world since last 200 years, we'll find Carbon & Hydrogen. However, there had been an interesting observation on the consumption of oil today. And it is that the Demand of oil is falling. Is it good or bad?

200 Years back world used to worry on after burning the Wood for generating energy. They used to think what if all wood is burned out? But then Wood became the past and Coal became the obvious source.

Then 100 Years later world started worring over Coal. It became the past and Oil became the obvious.

Today world is worring over oil. It will become the past as now people are on Natural Gas, Nuclear and Renewable sources. And the only factor behind making the past & the obvious is the Idea, Innovation & Technology.

The wood remained! The coal remained! & The oil will remain forever!

Move from "Fixed Mindset" to "Growth Mindset"

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There are two mindsets which can challenge your Intelligence & Motivation. "Fixed Mindset" & "Growth Mindset". They have a greater influence in the way you learn, perform & be creative. Problem statement today is as the age increases, Fixed Mindset increases and Growth Mindset decreases, resulting decrease in creativity & performance.

People whose intelligence is fixed and cannot improve, or improve slightly are of "Fixed Mindset". The traits which they exhibit are "smartness in the well". They prefer tasks they can already do well and avoid ones on which they can make mistakes and not look smart. Result, they may stay their original level and may not have improved performance.

People whose intelligence can grow and improve through challenge are of "Growth Mindset". The traits they show are "challenging themselves". They prefer tasks which increase their abilities, even if they fail at first, they like to put more efforts and can reach higher levels of achievement.

If you are getting trapped by "Fixed Mindset", answer these questions to move to "Growth Mindset":

1. Are you afraid of facing more challenges? What are the roadblocks?
2. Do you get motivated enough? What can motivate you to get out of comfort zone?
3. How can you improve your intelligence level?
4. When did you last applied creativity at work or at home or anywhere? Last when did you think like a child?
5. Do you make 'Escuses'? Do you often say 'You don't have time'?

ITIL - Hindi Way

Here is a translation effort by me on ITIL v3 Framework:

ITIL - सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी आधारभूत ग्रन्थालय

1. Service Strategy - सेवा कार्यनीति
i. Service Portfolio Management - सेवा संविभाग प्रबंधन
ii. Demand Management - मांग प्रबंधन
iii. Financial Management - वित्तीय प्रबंधन
iv. Supplier Management - पूर्तिकर्ता प्रबंधन

2. Service Design - सेवा प्रारुप
i. Service Catalogue Management - सेवा सूची प्रबंधन
ii. Service Level Management - सेवा स्तर प्रबंधन
iii. Risk Management - खतरा प्रबंधन
iv. Capacity Management - योग्यता प्रबंधन
v. Availability Management - उपलब्धता प्रबंधन
vi. Service Continuity Management - निरन्तर सेवा प्रबंधन
vii. Information Security Management - सूचना सुरक्षा प्रबंधन
viii. Compliance Management - अनुपालन प्रबंधन
ix. Architecture Management - वास्तुशिल्प प्रबंधन
x. Supplier Management - पूर्तिकर्ता प्रबंधन

3. Service Transition - सेवा अवस्थांतर
i. Service Asset and Configuration Management - सेवा सम्पत्ति तथा समाकृति प्रबंधन
ii. Service Validation and Testing - सेवा मान्यकरण तथा परीक्षण
iii. Evaluation - मूल्यांकन
iv. Release and Deployment Management - मुक्ति तथा प्रस्तरण प्रबंधन
v. Change Management - परिवर्तन प्रबंधन
vi. Knowledge Management - ज्ञान प्रबंधन

4. Service Operation - सेवा परिचालन
i. Event Management - घटना प्रबंधन
ii. Incident Management - घट् प्रबंधन
iii. Problem Management - समस्या प्रबंधन
iv. Request Fulfillment - निवेदन संतृप्ति
v. Access Management - अभिगम प्रबंधन

5. Continual Service Improvement - निरन्तर सेवा सुधार
i. Service Level Management - सेवा स्तर प्रबंधन
ii. Service Measurement and Reporting - सेवा माप तथा प्रतिवेदन
iii. Continual Service Improvement - निरन्तर सेवा सुधा

Time to improve Brake Lights

While driving in New Delhi most of the time you have to observe Brake Lights of the car you are following. There are Euro 4 norms on the roads today, but since decades there had been no improvements on Brake Lights. It is still a flip-flop indicator, like how it was in Ambassador of 1970s. If you apply brakes, the brake light will glow, and if you release it, it will stop glowing.

All you need is an extra skill of observation and reflexes. The skill is to judge the deceleration of the car applying brakes, and then send the signal to your reflexes so that you don't push your car into the front or another buddy following you doesn't bump his engine in your trunk. What a skill to master!

I see that breaking is not a flip-flop mechanism, there is a force attached to it. One applies brake with less/medium/hard force. But the output of this mechanism, the brake light doesn't talk about the magnitude.

Instead I would like car manufacturers to develop a Brake Light which should act as a "level meter". It can have about 10 distinct group of LEDs of Red lights (as shown in pic). These groups will be illuminated centre out, and more lights will be lit based on the strength of braking. For emergency braking, another indicator can be placed, and would be activated to warn drivers behind that emergency braking is taking place ahead of them.

This could minimize the possibilities of collisions! And is not a tough task to engineer and implement in today's world.

Enterprises bored of Earth now battling on Cloud

After the "Green Computing", next new Buzz Word is "Cloud Computing". And as a rule-of-thumb all technologies start slow with skepticism from especially large enterprises like IBM & Microsoft, which themselves send their Elephants & Horses in the Battle Field soon skepticism fades away as early adopters of the technology takes it and provide feedback.

Cloud Services came up as the need of clubbing Software as a Service(SaaS), Database as a Service(DaaS), Platform as a Service(PaaS), Software plus Service(S+S) etc.

CCRS Criteria (Cost Control Reliability Security) will decide in selecting one of the GIM Players (Google-IBM-Microsoft).

On doing a quick weapon comparison, here is what I see:

1. Microsoft announced its S+S strategy in 2007 as a foundation of the cloud computing model, and then came up with hosted messaging, exchange, sharepoint etc. IBM in turn prepared the answer as LotusLive suite offerings in 2008.

2. Windows Azure was launched in Jan 2010 as the developer, service hosting & service management platform. IBM had its Smart business development, IBM Cloudburst, CoD (Computing on Demand) ready against it.

But the cloud services platforms are in their infancy and have not yet matured either in business models or technology. But having GIM Players adds credibility to its future access. It is good to have low cost service, but the key questions are around: Security & Reliability. One who will focus on key points now instead of Marketing the existing solution should win the Battle!

Jodhpur – Land of SUN, Sand and the Blue

For the avid traveler, India presents an eclectic mix of cultures and topographies. The imperial state of Rajasthan is an epitome of the diversity India stands for. The arid Thar Desert, the Ranthambore and the Bharatpur National Parks, picturesque lakes, vibrant culture steeped in festivities, palatial forts at every bend of the street, scrumptious cuisine—Rajasthan is a veritable explorer’s delight!

In October 2009, I visited Jodhpur and Jaisalmer with my family. On family trips, I usually prefer travelling by train and buy those extra hours to unwind by playing games and cracking jokes. If you are travelling from Hyderabad, you need to board the Secunderabad Bikaner Express, a direct train from Secunderabad to Jodhpur that leaves every Tuesday. But since we wanted to commence our journey on a weekend, I opted for another route. We boarded the Simhapuri Express on Saturday, from Secunderabad (Departure time: 10 pm) to Warangal (Arrival time: 12:20 am). From Warangal we embarked on our onward journey to Jodhpur aboard the Chennai Jodhpur Express which departs from Warangal at 1 am. We reached Jodhpur at 11 am on a sunny Monday morning.

Founded in 1459 by the Rathore chieftain Rao Jodha, Jodhpur is located at the edge of the Thar Desert and dotted with magnificent forts, palaces, cenotaphs, temples, museums, gardens and colorful bazaars. The city is known as the Sun City for the bright, sunny weather it enjoys round the year. It is also referred to as the ‘Blue City’ due to the indigo tinge of the whitewashed houses around the Mehrangarh Fort. The best time to visit Jodhpur is between November and February.



Must-visit sites
A visit to Jodhpur is incomplete without a tour of the Mehrangarh Fort. Located atop a lofty sandstone hillock 400 feet (122 meters) above the city, the Mehrangarh Fort with its imposing turrets and battlements offers a breathtaking panorama. Its imposing walls house several palaces acclaimed for their intricate carvings and sprawling courtyards. The entrance fee for adults is Rs 30. You have to pay an extra Rs 70 for the camera. If you wish to hire a guide, the charge is an additional Rs 200. An escalator will take you to the top of the fort from where you can get a bird’s eye view of the city, including its indigo bleached buildings. It is a sight to behold!

While returning from the fort, consider stopping by Jaswant Thada, a white-marbled cenotaph built in commemoration of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The stones are extremely thin and polished, and emit a warm glow when the sun's rays sweep across their surface.



The Umaid Bhawan Palace is not only one of India's most opulent palaces but also among its most recent. This lavish art deco monument had an improbable conception: it was built as a public relief and employment project during a long period of drought. It took 15 years to complete the construction. In 1977, the palace was segmented into the royal residence, the Heritage Hotel and a museum. Visitors have limited access to the property—the museum is all you can explore. But for Rs 30, 000, you can gift yourself a night at the grand Heritage Hotel, now a Taj property. Needless to add, waking up in a palatial bedroom will be an experience you will cherish for a lifetime.

Shopping
Loosen your purse strings and surrender to the call of Jodhpur’s vibrant shops. The Clock Tower is the best place to buy spices, Rajasthani handicrafts and garments. Walk five minutes, and you reach the Tripoliya Market where you can bag the best deals on traditional Bandhani and Lahariya fabrics and garments.

Cuisine
Keep your hygiene consciousness at bay and sample the delectable street food around the Clock Tower. The Makhaniya Lassi—a saffron-flavored refreshing drink—along with Pyaaz ki Kachori and Mawa Kachori will satiate your hunger, but whet your appetite for more.

The Gypsy Restaurant in Sardarpura became our favorite haunt for finger-licking Daal-Baati-Choorma-Gatte-Chaas and the unlimited lunch platter. The
Kalinga Restaurant opposite the Railway Station is another haven for local cuisine.

Getaways
If you have the time to rummage through Jodhpur’s neighborhood, earmark Osiyan for a quick tour. Located about 65 km north of Jodhpur, this town is an oasis in the Thar Desert known for its ancient Brahminical and Jain temples and Rajasthan’s much celebrated sand dunes.