Brace Yourself For CHANGE !

The mere thought or mention of the word CHANGE instils in us a feeling of discomfort, if not anything more. Remember the times when CHANGE caught us unaware and landed us in a "No- Man's Land" where all we did was to rue the moment when we resisted the first step towards a better
future and life. The many missed opportunities and chances stand as a testimony to our reluctance or inability to change.

We grow up hearing that "Change is inevitable" but still we do not brace ourselves for it. The sooner we realise that the only thing constant is Change and there's no escape from it, the better equipped we will be to welcome the Change when it arrives in our life!

Bracing ourselves for any sort of Change is all about implementing the following "4W Model" where each "W" deals with an essential aspect of Change.

Let's understand what each "W" stands for

• WHY - To embrace any new situation, scenario or circumstance, we first need to be convinced about it. This "W" is all about establishing and becoming aware of the need to change. This awareness then sets the right context for us to take future actions which are well aligned. We become ready to adapt to change the moment we realise its benefits in terms of our growth and evolution.  

• WHAT - After establishing "Why", this "W (What)" is about getting specific in terms of what transformation or transition needs to happen to bring about the desired best/ better state in us. Being specific helps in gaining better clarity and the details help us identify clear and precise steps for initiating and achieving the change. Identifying whether a change in skill, knowledge or attitude is required help us complete the "What" component of change.

• WHERE -Closely linked to "What", this "W (Where)" is about identifying the area(s) of our life where Change needs to be brought in. A case in point is our constant struggle to achieve work-life balance. Our quest for holistic wellness depends a lot on our ability to select the area (Home, Office, Health, Relationships, Spirituality, etc.)  that needs to be prioritised for action.  One of the key reason for Work-Life imbalance is our failure to pinpoint the area (Home, Office, Health, Relationships, Spiritual, etc.) that needs to be prioritised and focused upon. Once the "Where" is identified, then taking specific actions become easier and smoother.

• WHEN -To ensure that we do not "miss the bus"  to a better life, it's important to put a timeframe to our actions towards adapting the change. Defining a time limit based on appropriate parameters help ensure that we not only stay relevant but are also ready to move to the next stage of change, as and when it arrives. As with everything else, a closure is essential to let the change happen seamlessly.

   So, embrace Change without any Fear and Success will always be Near! 

Have You Found Yourself Yet ?

It's so easy to lose ourself in the rigmarole of living life in the fast lane. Riding high and fast on the superhighways of information and communication we eventually find ourselves at crossroads. It's only when we get confronted with anxiety, confusion, exhaustion and stress we realize that we stand stranded in this maze of uncertainty and chaos. Every alley in this maze appears a mystery and whatever alley we take leads to hinterland, a place bereft of the ambitions and dreams that we wanted for our lives. We find ourselves participating in this mad rat-race where everyone is trying to outdo others and reaching for goals they never really set out for themselves. 

Sitting in the "nowhere land" and pursuing and engaged in meaningless misdirected pursuits, we appear clueless about our goals and dreams. Lost amidst the inner and outer cacophony, 

we ask ourselves ""How do I Find Myself Now ?" 

This act of asking ourself the above question triggers the process of "finding ourself" facilitated through more self-interrogation and introspection. This leads us to the realization that to find our true self, we firstly need to address the  root system of our lives, i.e. the building blocks that hold the key to our life-long success. These building blocks build shape our personality by providing direction to us and helping us identify a meaningful reason for our existence and survival. These building blocks stand same for all of us and all we need to do it to provide them our context 

So, before we find ourself lost in life, let's try to build clarity in life by strengthening the following key building blocks of our life:

• Passion : This determines our orientation in life in terms of what excites us most, what makes us enthusiastic, what our hearts beat for. The passion is our preferred choice in life. Identifying the passion sets the tone for living a satisfying and happy life. Asking ourself the question "What thing/ task gives me immersed and gives me immense joy and happiness while performing it?"

• Purpose : This refers to the sole reason for our existence and gives a clarity about where would we like to contribute. The purpose ensures we are making a difference in the way we envisaged for our life. The best way to determine Purpose is to ask ourself the following question - "What am i living for ?"

• Mission : This is the most critical of the building blocks as it is the core around which our lives revolve. Mission refers to the guiding principles that we define for living our life. At any point in our life, we adhere to these principles while taking any action or decision. Mission is like the "nucleus" of our life. It's worthwhile to spend a good amount of time in defining the right "mission" for ourself. Our "Personal Mission Statement" acts like a compass in our life and keeps us on track always. Asking ourself "What set of statements/ principles would act as my reference point and guide me at every stage of my life ?" will help us define our personal mission better.

• Goal(s) : These act as milestones in our life and act as key motivation to grow, evolve and achieve more in life. They give shape to our dreams and desires. The following few considerations would help the goals be more effective

• Goals should align with our passion and purpose
• Goals should be specific and shouldn't be too easy or too difficult. If it is too easy then it won't provide us with challenge enough and if it is too difficult, then we may get overwhelmed by it.
• The focus should be on goal-setting and goal-getting both because without taking any action, goals may just remain unfulfilled dreams.

 Remember the below mantra 

Building such a robust life so that we never get lost in life is all about getting the above four building blocks right 

YEARN for YIN_YANG#AtoZChallenge

Y is for YIN-YANG

PERFECTION and BALANCE are 2 things that each one of us is striving for in our life. But the irony is that we are trying to achieve it in a completely non-conducive environment which consist of a world that’s overflowing with information & knowledge; mind that is filled to the brim with chaos and commotion and a body that is all the time busy multi-tasking. We are aiming for the improbable considering the dynamic eco-system we live and operate in. The best way to achieve balance is to seek progression instead of perfection and move forward. The moment we start accepting the duality of everything in life, we will achieve balance in life. This principle of duality is YIN-YANG, a concept/ approach which helps us deal effectively with uncertainties of life - ups and downs, good times and bad times, opportunities and challenges.

Why is YIN-YANG important ?

·      Life is never a smooth ride and we need to deal with adversity as well. YIN-YANG prepares us for dealing with the downs in life and move ahead in life

·   Adopting the YIN-YANG approach build in us the requisite mental strength to deal with difficulties

·        YIN-YANG prepares us to build multiple perspectives

·        YIN-YANG helps us perceive the adversities as natural       happenings and not get bogged down by them 

How to balance YIN-YANG ?

·         Accepting failures and negative events in our life as natural occurrences, similar to the positive ones

·         Focus on achieving balance in all aspects of life – work, home, relationships, etc. The more all these aspects are in harmony, the more balanced our life will be

·         Include practices like mindfulness, meditation and yoga which connect us to our inner self

·         Practice gratitude and be thankful for everything in life

·         Declutter life to attract clarity and positivity in life

 Bring YIN-YANG in life and live holistically forever ! 

WILLPOWER makes a WINNER#AtoZChallenge

W is for WILLPOWER

Many a times winning is more to do with our inner ability and strength rather than the external skill or knowledge. The true test of a winner’s personality is his/ her ability to push themselves towards accomplishing the goal(s) or completing the task at hand in spite of all odds and many challenges. This ability is termed as WILLPOWER and is a necessary personality trait for anyone wanting to achieve great/ big things in life. WILLPOWER connotes inner strength and/ or determination needed to overcome all obstacles and always be inspired to complete the task at hand, those tasks which others may give up because they are hard to finish. 

Why WILLPOWER is important ?

·         Gives us the power of choice – either to give up or move on and be an achiever

·         Enables us to overcome any difficult problem or obstacle 
      with ease

·         Gives us inner strength to take tough actions in life and be ready for any challenge

·         Build us determination to complete the task and achieve the defined goals

·         Helps us move out of our comfort zone and adapt quickly to any kind of CHANGE in life

·         Gives us an edge over our competitors and make us competitive

·         Builds a positive self-image; positively impacts our self-esteem; boosts our self-confidence

·         Builds a strong character person

 How to build WILLPOWER ?

·         See the BIG picture instead of focusing on short-term benefits of achieving any goal

·         Be creative by taking up challenging tasks

·         Develop a solution-oriented mind set to find ways to do things

·         Break up goals into smaller and manageable sub-goals which are easier to track and achieve

·         Develop inner strength through practices like Mindfulness, Yoga and Meditation

·         Use Affirmations to build up positive self-image and self-confidence

·         Adopt an action-oriented approach in life – always willing to try out things and attempt them

·         Don’t get overwhelmed with the task/ goal. Think action and the sub-goal

·         Overconfidence is a killer. Don’t assume success. Take every task as new and give it your best try

Let your WILLPOWER be the magic wand of SUCCESS !  

TUNE-IN and TUNE-UP Life !#AtoZChallenge

T is for TUNE-IN 

Many a times in situation of crisis or emergency, we get deeply impacted and struggle in physical, mental or emotional aspects of our life. During these times, when we exhaust all our external resources or support but still need to rise above the obstacles, it becomes imperative to look inwards (within ourself) for help because that’s the only option left available to us. This “Tuning-In” to our inner self is what brings forth the desired courage, confidence, inspiration or motivation to face the challenge/ obstacle and come out victorious. Intuition, Creativity, Conscience, Coincidence, Gut, Hunch are all manifestations of our inner self. The “Inner Voice” acts as our saviour when needed the most and is totally non-judgemental. Our “Inner Self” acts as our guide and advisor when tapped properly.

Why “Tuning-In” is important ?

·         Is the most reliable source of support as we just need to reach within us

·         Every human possess great potential and a huge reservoir of untapped resources which lie latent unless tapped properly

·         Our body possess great self-healing powers and used as an alternate healing option

·         Each one of use is unique and the signals that our body gives us is well aligned to our internal composition

·         Acts as a useful insight into our self

·         Acts as a bridge for those seeking spiritual growth/ evolution

·         Brings harmony in us as we start connecting within and tend to take favourable decisions in life

How to build “Tuning-In” capabilities ?

·         Be more observant/ Pay attention to what’s happening in our life in terms what we know as coincidences.

·         At times, follow  your heart while taking decision. Try and follow the cycle – 1. Relax and Rest the Brain , 2. Connect inwards, 3. Listen to the “inner voice” that’s trying to guide to the next step, 4. Do as the “inner voice” suggest

·         At times, practice to go with the flow in life, just letting it (life) happen

·         Develop patience as it will help us listen to our inner self

·         Do regular positive self-talk to repose faith in our self

·         Ask specific questions to self to get the specific answers

·         Try any of the practices that help us focus on inside. Few practices are Yoga, Meditation, Visualisation and Mindfulness

So, let’s “tune-in” to extraordinary powers within us and “tune-up” for a harmonious and creative life !

PURPOSE is POWER#AtoZChallenge

P is for PURPOSE

Life is all about living to grow, evolve and achieve and for this to happen, life needs to be in forward movement always. We need to be constantly striving to reach our destination, all excited and enthused. This driving force which pulls us towards our goal/ destination is PURPOSE, the thing that gives meaning to our life.  We can’t live our life like a rudderless boat, going where the wind takes us. We need to be sure about the direction we want to take. To make our existence worthwhile we need on earth, we need to be aware of what we live for, what we seek, what impact we want to make on others through our existence. For making it happen, we need to harness the POWER of PURPOSE and turn it (Purpose) into a catalyst of our progress in life. PURPOSE is also like our underlying philosophy to live our life.

Why PURPOSE is important ?

• It brings clarity in our life as we get to know our expectations
• It provides direction to our life. We get to understand the path we need to tread finish point we need an
• It establishes the philosophy to live our life. This philosophy guides all our actions and moves us closer to our goal
• It gives meaning to our life as we develop intrinsic motivation to keep giving it our best
• It makes us more productive and efficient as all our energies are focused on our identified  purpose
• It makes us an achiever as we keep accomplishing things aligned with our life’s PURPOSE
• It helps us get focused and in control of our life
• It challenges us, push us to our limits and enable us reach our full potential

How to identify PURPOSE ?

• Identify what we are most passionate about and what gives us feeling of satisfaction. The answer to this would be our PURPOSE in life
• Identify our fundamental values in life and the reason/ logic for these would be our PURPOSE
• Define goals that align with our fundamental values. Detailing the goals further in terms of objectives and outcomes will help us arrive at our PURPOSE
• Deep reflection of our interest and passion will unmask our PURPOSE to us
• Identify doing what gives the maximum satisfaction and a sense of achievement
• The act of critically questioning ourself will help boil down to our PURPOSE
•  Be creative and try out new things. This may reveal us our missing PURPOSE
• Engage in activities/ exercise that help connect us with our subconscious. Meditation, Yoga and Visualisation are few such activities

So, Live with PURPOSE and make a real DIFFERENCE ! 

OPTIMISM creates OPPORTUNITIES#AtoZChallenge

O is for OPTIMISM

A happy and abundant life is built step-by-step based on the choices we make or decisions we take at every moment in our life. Some moments are life changing and determine the course/ direction our life will take.  It’s during these crucial moments that the choice we make becomes so critical. Every moment provides us with 2 choices – be an Optimist or a Pessimist. The choice of Optimism brings out the best in us; even the word “Optimism” has roots in Latin, derived from the word “Optimum” denoting “the best”. Optimism or the tendency to look at the brighter side of everything and is more of an attitude or mindset that carry us through tough times. 

Why OPTIMISM is important ?

·         Builds an progressive and positive attitude towards life in our thoughts and actions

·         Helps us see possibilities and opportunities in every situation/ circumstance

·         Build and strengthens our coping skills which helps when confronted with failure/ setback/ rejection·         Keeps us self-motivated which enables us achieve more in life

·         Provides health benefits in terms of ensuring better and healthy cardiovascular system, better immunity. Being positive and optimistic releases serotonin, which creates a sense of well-being

·         Makes us more solution oriented where we focus more on finding positive ways to problems

·         Increases our level of self-esteem and self-confidence

·         Renders us more clear and organised in our thoughts and actions, thereby managing time better

·         Build in ability to take more risks and try put new things

How to build OPTIMISM ?  

·         Build a mindset of acceptance that things may go wrong. Keep revisiting your beliefs and remove those which hold you back from seeing the bright side of life. Practice mindfulness 

·         Stop seeking perfection in everything , rather start focusing on progress. Start taking small steps towards the goals

·         Be in the company of people who uplift and motivate. These people help us see the positive/ bright side of things

·         Reminding our self about our accomplishments, however small they may be helps us be positive. Celebrate the little successes

·         Practice Smiling more as it releases good chemicals (dopamine, endorphins and serotonin) in our brain/ body

·         Be watchful of the language/ words we use and make our statements more accomplishing in nature 

Capitalise on all the OPPORTUNITIES that OPTIMISM provides to achieve more in life ! 

NEGATE Your NEMESIS#AtoZChallenge

N is for NEMESIS

There are times in our lives when in our quest to achieve success and abundance we falter at the last moment and give it away. What could have been a remarkable achievement turns out to be a dismal failure just because of something that holds us back from crossing the last mile. All of us have our own NEMESIS which play spoilsport. The NEMESIS exist in the form of emotion, situation, event or person and these act as barriers to our growth in life. On all those occasions we have choked at the last moment and not managed to cross the finish line has been because of NEMESIS. They stick on to us permanently (till addressed appropriately ) and become a bane for us. Most of the times the NEMESIS may be attributes to the psychological aspect of our personality. Fear, Anxiety, Peers, Superiors, Big occasions – just about anything could act as a NEMESIS.

Why addressing NEMESIS is critical ?

·         They impact all aspects of our personality – emotional, social and psychological and make us tentative in our personal and professional areas.

·         It acts as an insight into our inner self

·         They act as hindrance towards achieving our goals

·         They impact our inner personality negatively – resulting in low self-confidence and low self-esteem

·         We start playing the victim card in our lives and develop an excuse-ridden approach to life

·         Render us indecisive and doubtful about anything major or big that we attempt to achieve

·         The spirit of competitiveness tends to die in us as our competent nature takes a hit

How to address NEMESIS ?

NEMESIS in our life tends to make us live with assumption that external factors have a role to play in our plight but the reality is that the factors for our sad plight/ inability to cross the finish line are all internal and our individual self is responsible for it. Be it any situation, the power of choice lies with us and this locus of control lies within us and the key to rise above the odds is to negate the nemesis by working on self. Few ways to achieve the same are as mentioned below:

·         Awareness about our Nemesis to clearly identify what needs to be worked upon

·         Self-reflection through SWOT analysis

·         Positive self-talk to establish belief in self and raise self-esteem. This will help raise our self-confidence

·         Practice Visualisation about situation where you want to be succeed  

·         Getting organised and setting proper goals with deadlines

·         Treat failure or the inability to finish as a feedback and improve on the gap areas

So, Negate your Nemesis and earn a life filled with Success, Happiness and Abundance !

LISTEN to LEAD#AtoZChallenge

L is for LISTEN 

Effective communication forms the basis of our relationships in life, be it personal or professional. For communication to be relevant and useful, it is essential that we pay as much attention to how the communication is received as we pay to what is being communicated and how it is being communicated. The sender and receiver have an equal role to play in ensuring smooth and effective communication to happen. LISTENING is what needs to be focused more in a communication as it gives an opportunity to understand the message more clearly before responding. Whether it is about connecting and working together with our colleagues or with our family and friends, LISTENING will ensure that relationships grow stronger.

Why is LISTENING important ?

·         Prevents miscommunication and misunderstanding

·         Holds the key for building stronger relationships and inter-personal skills

·         Considered an important skills for leaders

·         A mandatory skills for professionals working as counsellors or coaches

·         Builds patience and develops the ability to pay attention

·         Helps us understand the message in a holistic manner, much beyond the word spoken. Provides us with an insight into the context and emotions behind the message as well. Helps us with a deeper understanding of the content/ message

·         Plays an important role in conflict resolution situations

·         Puts us at an advantage while participating in various meetings as it helps us absorb the key points of other speakers and accordingly build up our response.

·         We tend to spend maximum time listening while at workplace

How to build EFFECTIVE LISTENING skills ?

·         Focus on the message (being delivered by the speaker) in a non-judgemental and unbiased way.

·         Practice mindfulness as it will help build acceptance of others

·         Practice Active Listening which will help gather the exact meaning and the intent of the message. This involves displaying empathy while listening, paraphrasing for better understanding, observing the other non-verbal/ body cues in the speaker to establish its connection with the message

·         Practice whole body listening as it will put us in a relaxed state while listening

·         Applying some basic techniques like being interested in the speaker, not interrupting the speaker, asking probing questions when needed and most importantly thinking/ reflecting before responding

So, be and ACTIVE LISTENER and be a LEADER in life !

GOALS ensure GROWTH#AtoZChallenge

G is for GOALS

Our Success and growth in life is measured by our accomplishments which are represented by our goals. The forward momentum in life is an outcome of our action towards our goals. GOALS are like the checkpoints in our life which tell us whether we are moving in the direction of our identified purpose. GOALS hold importance in our lives as they act as the roadmaps for us . They are like the destination points in our lives. The absence of GOALS could be related to a rocking chair, which keeps moving but not achieving anything.     

Why GOALS are important ?

• They define purpose in our lives
• They give direction to our efforts
• They help us move forward
• They turn us into achievers
• They help us maintain work-life balance by helping us focus on all spheres of life
• They provide us confidence, raise our self-esteem, turn us into a go-getter.
• They make us dream big (and achieve it too !)

How to achieve GOALS ?

• Set realistic and achievable goals well aligned with our passion and purpose
• Ensure that goals are holistic in nature encompassing all major spheres of our life
• Break goals into short, medium and long-term to make them more achievable and manageable
• Get rid of distractions/ deterrents and build focus towards the goals
• Set Goals that are challenging (but achievable) and within our available resources
• Make a transition from goal-setting to goal-getting as mere planning would not ensure achievement/ completion of the tasks.
• Inculcate the habit of writing down goals. This would activate the RAS (Reticular Activating System) which would ensure that our brain start focusing on the goals.
• Internalising our goals through Creative Imagery. Imagining ourself as having already achieved the goal(s) through all our senses make it appear real to our subconscious which helps in taking positive actions.
• Reinforcing self with positive affirmations whenever we achieve a mini-goal will keep us focused on taking necessary actions for accomplishing major/ BIG goals.

So GET SET and GO for your GOALS !