sell present life to start second act in life ? Yes! one guy is doing it.

Shane Butcher

Would you like to sell everything off, whatever you have accumulated till now, and restart your life all again.  I really like the whole idea of restarting the life from the scratch. I always thought, if my life would have been like a computer. I would love to format it every time it gets virus infected and reboot it. But as of now, there is a guy in america who is trying to format his life in a little different manner.

Shane Butcher, an american, resident of florida is selling his business chain of video games stores focused on retro titles “ R U Game?”, a waterfront home on tampa bay, three cars, a rental condo a couple of kayaks and all other stuff for $3.5 million and with this money he wants to start the second act of his life, from the scratch.and the best part is, he is not going it because he is in dire need of money. He has also offered to  stick around for next six months as a mentor to the person who buys his business. He is doing it just for the sake of doing it, to restart his career and his life. 

This 29 year old american with wife and a nine month old daughter wants to explore the world, before settling down with his second career. 

Butcher says that normally people invest in lot of assets and die with it but he wants the returns earlier and thinks that perhaps someone else will like to buy the whole package together what he has assembled for himself. 

I am not sure, if anyone in India would like to do this kind of crazy thing. Or is it really crazy enough? 

Whom should you look upon as MENTOR ?

Mentor is a person who shares wisdom and impart knowledge to someone who is less experienced. The term has been adopted in english from Greek Mythology.

As per the Greek Mythology, Mentor  was friend of Odysseus and in charge of his son, Telemachus. When odysseus left for the trojan war, Athena, goddess of wisdom in the disguise of Mentor encouraged Telemachus to stand up against the suitors and to find out about his father.

Many times, pressures and stress of corporate life, puts one in situation which is beyond one’s control.  At such moments of dilemmas, we would love to have a mentor, who can actually encourage us and provide practical guidance / plan to follow.

Though few companies in India, have started with formal mentorship program, still it requires better efforts towards effective implementation of the same.

But what should you do, if your company doesn’t offer formal mentorship program. What kind of a person you can approach to as a mentee or protégé to get the required advice. Who would be the best person to help you out as a mentor. How to find right mentor to answers to my queries or issues?

Frankly speaking, its difficult to choose your own mentor. But still, I would like to discuss few things here which may help you in your search for right mentor, who guide and provide you practical advice about your professional life.

Short term career planning:

First and foremost, decide what is your short term career plan. Where do you see yourself two years down the line. Decision can be in terms of organisation, position, role, salary or anything else. Once decided, try to find people who are already on that position or working in that particular role and if possible people who have grown from the position which is similar to you in present. If this person has gone through similar situations as you are currently going through, he/she will be able to understand you better and will be able to provide you correct and effective guidance tips.

Your relationship with this person can be more casual. He / she can be someone with whom you can go for a coffee or dinner. You should be comfortable enough to discuss questions and different ways to approach the various issues troubling you.

Long term career path:

I am sure, like me, you also must be wondering sometimes, what should you do with your career. Should you just change a job, or is it a career change that would help you in reaching your goals. Should you do some course or certification which may help you in the longer run or do you need more hands on experience in any particular trade to promote your career. These may be few strategic decisions which can steer your career in right direction. To help you in guiding and advising on such critical issues, you need someone more experienced who understand the industry and corporate culture pretty well.  This kind of mentor, may change throughout your career and may be more than one person as well.

Relationship with this kind of mentor grows gradually.This person may be your college professor or ex boss who understands you, your aspirations and can help you in sidestepping your weaknesses and working on your strengths.

There may be lot of people in your whole career whom you can turn to for advice or guidance but its always better to identify few key mentors who can ensure that you continue on the right path in smooth manner towards your career goals. 

the Super Temps - freelancers

How come, whenever I start thinking of doing something, suddenly i see the articles around referring to the same.

Yes! I am talking of blogging and freelancing. It has been on my mind since long now. I even tried doing it once, but failed, due to bad planning. But still, somewhere deep in my heart I believe that i can be a success in it. Mainly, because i am interested in it. And I really want to do it. And as they say, when there is interest and passion, then its not work. Its fun all the way.



 In today's economic times, there is an article on freelancing. There are many successful people who are moving to freelancing and bloggers. Below is the world of freelancers depicted as in the article by Economic Times.

Would seriously work towards making easeworks  as an interesting professional blog for you all. 

Life is here... NOW...

“For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there’s nothing else. It’s here, and you’d better decide to enjoy it or you’re going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.”

— David Foster Wallace

Dont stuck with Perseverance... Also Let Go...

A very nice article in today's Times of India, speaking tree section, written by Mr. P.V.Vaidyanathan. If you want, you can write him to his mail ID, vaidyanathan.pv@gmail.com

He talks about two major qualities of any human being "perseverance" and "letting go". A lot of times, because we are so attached to the subject, that its difficult for us to let go. We do not understand the importance of letting go. Also a lot of times, we do not understand the meaning of letting go. In this article, he has tried to make us realised that perseverance and letting go are not two different sides of the coin, but they both are required to succeed in life.

This article says that we need to follow perseverance for sure, but finally we don't need to stuck to that idea, if its not working. And this happens lots of time , life is a hit and trial. Unfortunately, GPS was not discovered before life... :) Hence we need to do our best, and after that just leave it to that higher one, universal power, who is there to steer our life. Though we can push the car of our life to our best, still once it starts, our driver ( that universal power) knows where it has to go.

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Perseverance and letting go are both positive qualities that we all possess. However, despite their being life-enhancing qualities, these are often complementary and even antagonistic to each other, and need to be employed in sequence, and at the right time, rather than in isolation for us to achieve success, peace and harmony.

‘Try, try till you succeed’ is something we’ve all been taught in school. Success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration, we’re told, to highlight the importance of hard work. And work we must, for that is the very nature of life. Karma Yoga, as outlined in the Bhagavad Gita by Krishna speaks highly of work as a form of worship. Swami Vivekananda persuaded his followers to work ceaselessly till the goal is reached.

Success is determined by a combination of factors. Hard work is only one of them. Besides hard work, we also need talent, inspiration, creativity, luck and destiny. While most of us work hard, true success and joy come only to some, while most others have to remain content with whatever they get.

This brings us to the relationship between perseverance and letting go. Perseverance is the quality of sticking to one’s job and to one’s goals, come what may. Letting go, on the other hand, is exactly the opposite. It consists of putting one’s faith and trust in a higher power, whether we call it God or destiny, waiting patiently for results. While these two qualities may seem to be opposites they are, in fact, not so; they are complementary to each other.

Every venture, dream and project needs divine grace for its successful completion. Those who decline to believe in the power of the unknown are likely to continue struggling and will have to depend solely on their own efforts. They could meet with limited success, often hitting roadblocks which seem insurmountable or which drain away tremendous amounts of time, energy and money. The human mind and the ego are such that giving credit does not come easily. This is not only true where other people are concerned, but our mind and ego often do not even want to acknowledge the Power that runs the universe, day in and day out, without exception. Not wanting to give credit to God, destiny or fate, and wanting to corner all the praise is one reason why people find it difficult to let go and trust.

Hard work and perseverance are absolutely necessary, doubtless. But somewhere along the course, after having exhausted all human possibilities, one must learn to sit back, be detached from the outcome of our efforts, and hand over our endeavours to a higher power. How and when to do this is purely an intuitive or instinctive phenomenon. When we sincerely let go, not out of laziness, complacency and lethargy but after having done our very best, it is then that the process of life shifts to another plane, with the unseen hand coming into play. And the power or destiny works in myriad ways. A chance meeting, something overheard or read in the newspapers, the stirring of a memory, a different thought process, sudden release of funds that had dried up – something is likely to happen, which would put our work and project back on track.

When success becomes palpable, it is important to remember and acknowledge and give thanks to existence, without proudly proclaiming that everything was achieved only by our own perseverance.

source: timesofindia, dated, 19th May 2011
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/To-Persevere-And-Let-Go/articleshow/8419976.cms

employees get showered with Money @ LG

I was definitely amused by this news article in today's ET "LG Electronics gives 200% and 700% of basic salaries to employees"

LG knows how to motivate its employees, and it motivates big time.With the announcement of the bonus which can be upto 700% of the basic salary of employees, LG has also informed the market about its own performance. I must appreciate COO, YV Verma for the employee friendly policies of LG.

This bonus includes the following

• Two half-yearly performance incentives,
• Diwali bonus,
• Post-Diwali bonus,
• LG Birthday Bonus and
• Retention Bonus
  

Believing in the motto, "life's good", LG paid bonus even during recession when other companies did not pay. I am sure, this small act of paying bonus irrespective of the market growth won loyalty of employees, which is not so easy to earn. I would definitely say, Happy employees make happy companies. And LG cares about happiness of its employees.

In india, the monetary rewards still score much more than non monetary rewards. Any day, employees would love to get hard cash instead of a fully paid trip to Malaysia or Thailand. Traditional indian values of saving money, is still not forgotten by all. And even employees who love to spend, gets satisfaction by spending money themselves, rather than just getting something for free.

One more good thing about LG is not only appreciating the results but also the risk taking abilities of the employees, and taking up challenging initiatives.

Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/bonus-lg-electronics-gives-200-and-700-of-basic-salaries-to-employees/articleshow/7400473.cms

Inspiring Story - teamplay & fairplay

This is the story that i have read in today's newspaper under speaking tree, written by Sudhamahi Regunathan. This story is told the Tainos, the indigenous people of Puerto Rico Island to their children showing them the way to good life.

I am mentioning here the three lessons of good life, being highlighted in this story.

1. Your size doesn't matter, your voice and words are more important. Means, it doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor, you are having special powers or not, what matters is that people should respect your words, and you should speak good. Good speech is always appreciated by everyone.

2. Teamwork always wins. Teamwork can defeat an opponent of any size.

3. Whatever said and done, fairplay should be the rule defining your life. You should not do anything which is against your own personal ethics and values. You should lead a life which is an example to others, and you should follow the rules, which can be all or any combination of natural laws, universal laws & your own values.

The story goes like this......

The animals had taken to easy life and were all becoming fat. This became a cause for concern because they could not move about at all. Life came to a standstill. Queen Iguaca, the parrot that ruled the forest with care, was worried. No progress was made because of the sheer laziness of her jungle mates. And so, the Tainos would tell their children, never be lazy. It will take you nowhere.

Queen Iguaca wondered whom to consult. She spoke with the agile and evermoving wind who looked in amazement at the bloated condition of the animals, some of which were special to Puerto Rico: the lizard was so huge that it could no longer climb trees, a species of snake was so fat that it barely slithered, the giant toad that was as big as a bull, and a bull that was worried to see a toad catching up and so ate more – and the coqui. The coqui is a small frog which is different from others of its species, not only because of its very small size but also because it does not have webbed feet.

The queen announced a race with an attractive award for the winner, to motivate the animals to exercise and return to shape. The animals were excited. Each dreamt of getting the award. The coqui, however, was small anyway and it found it had no chance of winning against the other larger animals. But the coqui needed a voice desperately. To be small-sized and without a voice is a curse… another lesson to be remembered, said the grandparent Taino. They had to overcome it.

The community of coquis decided to work together, for they felt that it was only in teamwork that success be achieved. A senior coqui suggested a plan of action. So good was the plan that they won! But there was a problem – that other contestants pointed out. It was not entirely fair play. As in a relay race, the coquis had positioned themselves at different points so that each time one of the bigger animals shoved them out of the race, another stepped in. That’s how they had won.

The queen considered the case and announced the verdict. The coquis were the winners because they had worked together as a team, strategised and won. And so they would be given a voice. But since there was an element of unfair play, they would get their voice only after sunset and till sunrise.

Even today the coquis sing every night in Puerto Rico. They jump up on to the branches of trees at dusk and call: “Co-kee, co-kee” and that’s how they got their name. They make such a loud but very musical noise that one would think an amplifier had been attached to their voice box. The coquis begin singing with the onset of dusk through the night till the first rays of the sun fall on the land. They remind everyone that team spirit is great but anything done unfairly never sees the light of day.

Today when the Tainos have been long gone and the Puerto Ricans have experienced different cultures with the coming of the Spanish, Africans, Chinese and Americans, the coqui, symbol of the island, still sings for them every night, with the same message: Be one and be fair.

Golden Egg Technique

When you purify your centre, you become receptive to higher vibrations. Creativity happens in this space. Carnatic music composer Thyagaraja discovered a new raga by listening to a bee. A monk observing a snake and a crane fighting discovered the martial art, Tai Chi.

There’s a technique called the golden egg technique: Imagine that there is an egg and in it there exists gold. The gold is hidden inside the egg. Treat every problem you encounter as one such egg. Imagine that there is a golden opportunity hidden inside every problem. Whenever you are faced with a problem, don’t lose hope. Instead of getting disheartened, try to understand that it is only an egg with precious gold tucked away deep inside. Delve deep into the problem and recognise golden opportunity. This attitude will invoke creativity in you.

There are many more ways of dealing positively with problems. Try this. When you come face to face with a problem, think of at least 20 ways of dealing with it. Play a game. Write down all the possible solutions. OK, now that you’ve written down 20 options, choose five out of the 20 and begin working on them. With those five kinds of solutions, find 20 ways of fulfilling them. Ask your friends to give ideas. The mother of creativity is the attempt to generate ideas. Play with it.
All these methods can be applied provided you remember not to view a problem as a pain. If you do so, then your hurt body will increase and you will pass on your pain to your children. Are you distressed that your son is lazy? Apply the golden egg technique. In the problem of your lazy son, there is gold hidden... an opportunity hidden. Treat it as a great opportunity to study the reason as to why he is lazy. Be an anthropologist and study the causes of his laziness. By doing this you are in a proactive state and this state of your being will motivate your son.
Next, apply the second method. See 20 ways to make your son active. Take help from friends, as this will help in expanding your ideas. Creativity opens up when there are ideas. Include your son in the game plan and make him your teammate. You will observe the inspiring energy that you create and as a result your family will have a meaningful goal.

Use transformational vocabulary. Use empowering language. There are no winners in an argument. Hence use words wisely. When someone expresses something, try and understand their point of view instead of branding and labelling them as something or other. The moment you brand them, you will see only the labels. As a result you miss seeing the person.

Stop treating differences as conflicts. View them as points of view. Learn to appreciate variety. Appreciate differences rather than viewing them as pain. The moment you relate to differences as pain, you will experience them as pain. View differences as creative versions and you will feel positive energy flow through you.

source : Times Of India - 15th June 2010. The Speaking Tree - Discourse: Swami Sukhabodhananda

I want to be a child again... what I was once...

CHILD :: Changing * Hearty * Inquisitive * Love * Daring

C - Changing
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A child moulds herself to change as easily as water gets into the shape of its container. For child, change begins from the time of birth itself. After being in dark womb of mother for nine months, she opens her eyes to the light and accepts the welcoming world with open hands. She cries for food, she cries for play, she cries when she is forced to walk on her own. she cries when she needed to speak to the world. But she accepts all these new changes within first few years of life.

And now, we intelligent people have created barriers to change. We say, how difiicult it is to change, when we all have embraced change so well in our childhood. We should behave as a child again, to accept all the changes in life with an open heart, open mind and open arms. Then only we can keep our pace with time, and move ahead towards a better world.

H - Hearty
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Hearty means so many things, energetic, enthusiastic, Jovial.
Have you ever seen a child sitting queitely even for half an hour. She needs to be doing something or the other. She can not sit idle. She is agile, she is energetic. Have you experience, when you reach home from the office, tired and worn out, it is her enthusastic talks, which forces you to see the poositive side of the life, which you have ignored for this busy corporate life. It is she, who shows you the sapling of the plant which has started growing out of your wall. You always wanted it to weed out, but she finds it so beautiful. She finds meaning in every small happening of life.

You just see her and smile, because she reminds you of your own childhood. You always wanted to be as carefree, and jovial in life as her, but alas.. The real reason is, you never tried. Its as easy as 123 and you can feel the difference immediately. You just have to start living life every moment. Try to find out the positive side of each moment of life. Dont try to stop thinking about future or past, but try to stop worrying about the future or past happenings. If you are happy today, you will be able to make a happy tomorrow.

I - Inquisitive
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A child Wants to know everything. She asks so many questions, which may be as stupid as can be. But she asks. She wants to know every new things, which she sees, or experience. Its this inquisitiveness, which help her in growing and maturing as a successful person in life. She wants to learn more and more. She has not conditioned herself, she never accepts the norms, she wants to defy them, knowingly or unknowingly.

If we also try to be as inquisitive as a child, we will enjoy our life much more. Life is a journey, and every new day of life begins as a surprise. If we try to question and learn from each new surprise and situation, our life will become much more happening and we will be growing at much faster pace.

L - Love
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For a child, LOVE means complete world. For her it doesnt matter, who the other person is, if she is fond of any person, thing, situation, or place.. she loves it. She doesnt have any second thoughts about loving the things which are close to her heart. She loves from her heart and not from her mind.

Why we as grown ups, have so many hang ups about love. Why cant we love our parents, our relatives, our friends, our life unconditionally. Why we need to have a barter system for our love. Why we need to question ourselves about "whats in there for me" before loving. We need to be as free as a child and love everything which is coming our way. If we all spread love unconditionally, we surely can make the world a better place to live in.

D - Daring
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It doesnt matter for a child if the vessel is hot or cold, she just has to touch it, experience it. She may cry for sometime, if it burns her hand. But it would not be a deterrant for doing it again...and again. A child can do wonders, if and only if we do not mould her mind as per the conditioning we have got from our parents, society and environment.

As grown ups,we have a defined set of dos and donts. We try living our life only as per these rules. We do not defy, either we dont want to or we are afraid of others and hence we cant. We live such a boring life under the garb of living simple and sober life, as if we are gonna live forever. We forget that this life is only a journey and not the destination. If we really want to learn, we need to be daring and experiment as much as possible. This learning will help us in growing as human beings.

BE responsible! Enjoy freedom...

Responsibility and Freedom. We all think of these two terms as totally opposite. For us, freedodm means freedom from responsibilities as well. For us, responsibilities means boundations, and hence we are not free. But the truth is different from what we think and believe.

Real freedom is achieved not by running from it but by accepting and completing ones own responsibilities.

Lets explore the relationship between freedom and responsibiliities by quoting an example,

At work, I am always running from taking any responsibility. If my boss assigns me a job, i always starts thinking how to put the same on somebody else's shoulder. What if the responsibility is given to me of a particular task, and I am not able to complete it. It will be such a shameful moment for me, and hence i just run from accepting any responsibility.

But am I FREE? NO!

I live in a constant fear of getting into responsibility. This freedom which i get by running from responsibility is like a freedom of a convict who is running from the police. Do you think a convict is free if he runs from the law. NO.. similarly we can not considedr ourselves as free by running from our responsibilities.


NOW, let me accept the responsibility for my work in the office. By being a responsible employee, I would try to complete my work without anybody reminding me. I am not depending on anyone for completing my work. I am FREE to finish off my work as quickly as possible and then do whatever I want. I manage my time accordingly so as to finish off my work. And once I complete my work with responsibility, I am sure no one would complain. My boss, will not be after my life to get the work done. I will be free from the anxiety wrapping me every morning before going to office. I will be free to live my life as I want.


And hence I will be FREE... i will attain freedom from so many things, a few I have mentioned below.


1. Freedom from Nagging Boss
2. Freedom from complaining co workers
3. Freedom from Dissatisfied customers (internal as well as External)
4. Freedom from lack of time for myself and my family.
5. Freedom from tension, as I know I have to complete my work and I will complete it in time.
6. Freedom from being dependant on others to complete my task.