M.I.N.D : Most Innovative and Natural Device !!

It is researched and believed that an average person thinks approximately 65,000 thoughts per day. In these 65,000, about 95% are exactly the same thoughts that [passed] through the minds of people the day before.


The idea is to, reduce the number of repetitive thoughts. This can be done by,


1. Reducing the number of negative thoughts and replacing them with the positive ones.


2. Increasing the number of unique thoughts.


A bats man out of form will have more negative thoughts. When Bret Lee balls at 99.9 mph, the batsman’s mind floods with thoughts and when the negative thoughts is more than the positive one’s he becomes out in the easiest way possible. It happens to the best of batsmen. The coach cannot find any fault in the technique of the batsman, so they go for thought conditioning. Day in and day out they flood the mind of the batsmen with positive thoughts. They create an environment where negative thoughts don’t even enter the mind. That’s called conditioning camp. You might have noticed that a team rules the world sports for a long time until they lose the form. But when they are winning their mind is flooded with thoughts of victory. Suddenly, it looks like they are unbeatable. However, with few defeats, the negative thoughts start coming in and the positive thoughts gets into the mind of the other team because they start realizing that they can defeat this undefeatable team.


The same is with baseball players where in they have to strike the ball with the right measure in split seconds and so is it with boxing where in the boxer has to take the shot for the split second that he sees an opening. He doesn’t have time to think at that moment. It looks like seeing and acting happened so fast that there was no processing done in mind. That’s why they are feed with positive thoughts. When mind with nothing but positive’s , it will have no doubts when the opportunity arises. It will direct the body to act so fast that the reaction time looks like nil.


That’s the reason why people with positive attitude are able to sense the opportunity and they spend no time in pouncing on it. Hence, the world terms them as lucky. Everyone can be lucky. All that they have to do is tame the ‘Chattering monkey”.


Have a rubber band around your wrist. Every time the negative thought comes in. Just snap the rubber band so that it hurts a little. That will signal the mind to recognize that it is a negative thoughts and should be replaced. After a while, your mind automatically, will start recognizing the negative and filling it up with positives.


Someone once told me, “ If you don’t use something, you will lose it. It’s the natures law”. You don’t use your muscles, you will lose it. Yeah, just like our tail. You don’t take care of your health, you will lose it. You don’t take care of your family, you will lose it. You don’t take care of your finances, you will lose it. The same is with your mind.

“USE IT or LOSE IT”

GREEN, Everything but not GREEN and COLORLESS; MIND’s !!

It is believed that the world is mostly sleeping and once in a while it wakes up and makes empty noises and then goes to sleep again.


It was Y2K some years ago, and then it was financial crisis. This time it is, “SAVE OUR PLANET”, “GO GREEN” and the sudden panic.

Everyone is speaking, writing, reading about it and suddenly it seems like the world has just woken up from a nightmare and they are in a hurry to do something that could stop the nightmare from becoming a reality.

But, stop. Did everyone have the same nightmare? How do you prove the nightmares are going to be real? Some showed the melting ice in their refrigerator, some showed the bathroom shower from which the water doesn’t come out even though it’s on.

Some are busy painting the world green, and others are counting their foot prints. Suddenly, the world seems to have been infected by a crazy virus and that’s green as well.

But hey, what’s that? A group of elite rich are partying over there. The Mercedes, BMW and the private jets are parked next to them. I can hear the AC growling at its full speed. Why are they not counting foot prints like others? They are all in white, red and blue. I don’t see any green in them. Didn’t they have any nightmares like others?

The other green bunch of people is suggesting things. Things like sharing and reducing. Sharing bikes, cars, buses and cycles (not money). Cutting down the consumption of power, switching to renewable source of energy and so on. They are going crazy over the idea. It feels like third world war and the world is united in fighting. Fighting against their own ill doings. Fighting for the survival of their race.

Is it really united? How about the other bunch which is not in green?

One of the green guy calculates it to the last decimal point of currency and sacrifices his bike ride and takes the bus. I like the green guy’s idea. However, I can’t agree without a debate. Do I sound like an anti-slogan guy? Oh, I just want to know both the green and not so green bunch of people.

Is it feasible? What do I lose? The reality check. The colorless guys mind.

The time is 1pm. The sun is at its best. Sweating is second to breathing in the city. the colorless guy needs to go to office because he works in odd shift. He walks 1.5 km to reach the so called shared auto (yes he shares as well). Energy meter displays 75%. amber. Gets down and waits for the public bus. (Oh yes he shares as well). The public bus never comes. Sometimes he feels that the bus simply makes a vanishing act between his stop and appears at the next stop. After 2 hours of sweating and cursing, the ultra modern 1940 bus arrives with all its glory. After 30 minutes of awesome travel, he lands at a bus stop which is again 1km from office. All buses don’t stop near his office. Again marathons walk and by the time he is on his seat on 5th floor, then energy meter which is now flooded with sweat displays, 10 %., ready to sleep. Of course he is no more colorless. Thanks to Sun God, he is kind of red. Loads of emails to respond to and meetings and work. He is as fresh as a daisy now, you see.

The colorless guy had a nightmare. He has to follow the same routine while leaving to home.

The carbon rating and footings sounds so good, sophisticated and awesome.

The reality checks again. Is it feasible?

The developed nations have good infrastructure, we are still behind in terms of public transport. We need to fix that first. The G8 nations speak about stopping the funding to the developing nations which don’t meet the proposed standards to curb the environmental change. However, i believe that this kind of black mailing won’t help anyone. In fact they should set aside a part of the aid to the developing nations to assist them in cutting down carbon footprints or whatever it is.

I strongly support our Prime minister who said, “They (the developed world) bear the biggest responsibility for what has happened and must bear the greatest responsibility for correcting the damage. But we too have to take action. I believe our response must be proactive and based on our finding feasible and practical solutions to the real and potential threats we face”

It’s the time and effort involved in taking public transports that hurts me the colorless guy. The actions should be proactive and based on the feasibility. For example, the tissue papers are back in the rest rooms because the hygiene seems to be the top priority (read H1N1). We need to differentiate the threats as ‘real’ and ‘potential’. The solutions to real threat should be immediate. How do you confirm that the threat is real? Just because the glacier is melting or the drastic change of climate or some experiment conducted by the super brainy scientist or some powerful guy has said so?

Are we aware of the fact that earth too has a cycle of change? There are theories which explain ice age and so on. What do you believe in?

Ok, let’s assume that it’s a potential threat. So, do we sacrifice our basic needs to happiness to save earth? How do you know for sure that it will save earth?

Certainly the colorless guy believes in hope. But the solution should be feasible. You can’t simply take a boat to another country instead of aero plane because it will cut down carbon foot prints.

The colorless guy’s theory is simple. Don’t preach the world about carbon footprints and glaciers melting. The guy on the street doesnt care about it. It is similar to the media scaring people with H1N1 and the mask makers striking gold( as well as the doctors and pharmaceuticals). We need green, because it produces oxygen and it’s necessary for clean air. We need to use renewable source of energy because the other sources may not remain for long ( i.e. until we find another planet). We go green because it cuts a lot of waste and cost, thereby helping the system to perform at its peak efficiency. So make the best use of resources available. But before you see the ice melting check if the refrigerator is switched on and before you switch on the shower, check if the tank has got any water.

Greedy is Fine, Selfish is STUPID !!

I believe human’s are as greedy as any other species on this earth. Greed is a necessary for survival. Therefore its natural and quite essential. However, the reason why we carry the greatest responsibility for what is happening to earth is because we got something more than greed. We are selfish. Selfish because, we have been knowingly continuing with unwise practices because of a belief that we will never personally have to pay the consequences for the results, but that eventually our children will. Secondly, though we have realized our mistakes, there is a remarkable imbalance because the speed at which the potential future problems are accumulating is far more greater than the speed at which the previous mistakes are currently, arguably addressed.




The reason why we are making very slow progress in this regard is because, in order to correct our mistakes we need to change our life style which we have been practicing since few hundred years now, and we all know habits die hard. It’s like sitting in the office powered with centralized AC and talking about the depletion of ozone or riding a badly maintained bike and giving the lecture to your friend, on global warming and pollution. Are we being plane hypocrites ? Well, that we are by nature as well. One might argue, that we are at least spreading the message and making people aware. Awareness is a strange word. It’s like reading the headlines of news paper. End of the day, almost everyone is AWARE but nothing changes. We sleep till we read a new headlines next morning.



What we really need is action. Environmental protection laws and a system which protects these laws against corruption. Each person\factory\new technology should be held responsible for harm they cause to the environment. Every smallest thing to the biggest technological thing we invent should pass through the series of tests which confirms that they don’t posses any direct or indirect harm to the nature while in use, as well as while in production. Every waste produced should be recycled to be bio degradable and non hazardous.



We need to revolutionize the way we think and pursue technology. We have to go close to the nature as much as possible, for answers. For example, one of the hardest material steel is manufactured by superheating the iron ore at 800 – 1050 Celsius. This uses a lot of resource, energy and produces a lot of waste. Compare this to spider web. Spider silk is one of the 7 great wonders of the animal kingdom. That a small animal, often less than a millimeter across can make a substance that we humans with all our technology are unable to reproduce, a substance that is tough, stronger and more flexible than anything else we can make is surely a humble reminder of the fact that Nature created us and not the other way around. Obviously, spider doesn’t have the luxury of superheating the material to 1050 Celsius !! Now, consider concentrating our energy is conducting research to find and mimic this mechanism. Astonishing, isn’t it?



Well, the answer is simple. Concentrate on areas that is causing the maximum damage to the environment due to industrialization and make laws to either curb it or stop it completely. Increase the spend on research programs and encourage the scientists to come up with new renewal source of energy or increase the efficiency of the existing technology like solar cells. Spend more time on children, the future, by not only making them aware of the importance of safe guarding the eco system, but also practicing the same by asking them to plant saplings and then guiding them to take care of it by themselves. The idea is to bring in the sense of responsibility. Perhaps, it’s time we spend very less time on dreaming of landing on moon and more time on safeguarding the beauty within our planet, our home !!



We know that we have done the mistake. It’s totally fine. Human’s do make mistakes and that’s how we learn. The first step towards improvement is excepting the mistake. It’s time to move on. As much as possible, try not to make new mistakes. Plants eat up waste and produce oxygen. Either decrease the waste or increase the plants. Suit your style !! Let’s not allow this to be the most costliest mistake of mankind that would wipe us out from the face of the earth. Already, things are improving. Although not fast enough. Hopefully, we will pick up the pace. Because like Obama say’s, “WE CAN !!”

“We all know that nature protects itself and us. All we need to do is give a helping hand. Learn from it and live with it”
 
 

Note : “Neither do I believe in numerology nor do I adore mathematics. But I am honored and pleasantly surprised, that I could share 100 thoughts with you all and thereby gain 1000 more myself !! Hence, I would like to thank all those kinds of commenter’s that Sree invented and also all those who have imagined my thoughts and silently connected with their own. Sometimes thoughts don’t match, other times they seem to be too hard to imagine. Feel free to share your thoughts, for I am neither scared of thoughts, nor intimidated. Oh, thoughts. I just love them. God bless.”

It’s not easy to be a SUPER HERO; it’s harder to be a LEADER !!

It’s not easy to be a super hero; it’s harder to be a leader.

“He hates me”


“He is partial”


“I hate him”


“How can he give me this rating. I should have been promoted this time around?”


My friend yelled at the top of his voice. He was angry about not being promoted. Of course he has worked hard all these days and he is very experienced. He deserved better. However, the results where shockingly different. Shocking because he didn’t deserve it. Less shocking because it was expected because of the slow down.


All that his lead could do is cut a sorry face. I could feel my friend’s pain and anger, at the same time I was thinking about the lead. I was sorry for him as well. Professional courtesy you may say.


I read my colleagues post on being a leader. Very well written with practical questions to be asked to oneself before you become one. His last question,


“4. What is your best foundation/strength that will help you be a good leader?” brought back the incidents which had happened over the week. What could be the answer?


I was fortunate to work under a very good, development project manager when I started my work at cognizant as a tester, on contract. Few months ago, I had shared my concerns of leading a team with him, just like any of you. He told me something which seemed to be funny but was very practical.


“Raj, before marriage you are concerned if you will be a good husband or a good father to your kids. But, will this fear, stop you from getting married? You still get married, handle the responsibilities and try to be the best father in this world. Don’t you?”


“I have seen you and your work. According to me, yes, you do have the potential to lead the team.”


I will never ever forget that conversation in my life. In fact, it can be applied to any concerns you have in your life. In simple words, “If you are afraid of something then, run towards the fear and embrace it. You will see the fear subsiding. In fact, the fear won’t exist anymore.” Have you watched the mountain dew add? I like that line, “Dar ke aage jeeth hai” meaning “Beyond fear, lays victory”


I have been working in my current organization for a little less than 3 years now. I work for one of those clients who are not very good in sharing their appreciations. So, it becomes that hard to be motivated. I was asked to lead this team few months ago. I believe I have been doing very well. One of the challenges of leading a team which doesn’t get many appreciations from client is to keep them motivated. Especially in testing, where it gets monotonous sometimes. One of the options is to re ward the deserving team member’s with the internal award programs. We do have one of these programs in testing as well. Recently, I was asked to nominate the deserving candidates in my team to this award. Now, look at the fun part of this.


As I said I have been working here since a little less than 3 years and never before I have received any award here, though I have been recognized in other ways. It’s very special to receive award in front of your colleagues and managers. Now, here I am collecting the data and nominating the deserving team members for the award. To be honest, as a human and a first time lead, I was feeling the pinch of the situation. However, I nominated the deserving candidates after a lot of thought on who should be nominated for which title and they 200% deserved it and I was ready to fight at any level for that.


Now, on the day of award, when they named out the members of team to receive the award, I was happy that my nominations have been respected. My team mates received these awards. I could feel the pride, the joy in their eyes. Right there, at that moment, I knew the meaning of being a lead. I exactly knew what it was to be a lead or a manager. That feeling of bringing happiness and joy to someone’s life this way is just awesome. I can’t put it in words.


They told me it was their first in their career and I could feel the joy. One of them had cheekily asked me, what I had received. I wish I could have told him how I felt. I wish I could have told him that, it was totally a different experience. It was the kind of award, I would never forget.


But hold on. All of these will be forgotten in time. There will be days when a lead will have to make tough decisions. A lead will not have a choice. There will be days when the lead will be fired by the client for mistakes. There will be days when he/she will be shouted upon by the managers or his/her superiors. The lead will have to take it all. A lead cant went his anger on the team though he knows who is at fault. He becomes the wall which takes all the punches from all ends but makes sure his team performs seamlessly without much stress.


There will be a day, when his own team will ridicule him. Just like my friend. That’s the test of a real leader. He will be ridiculed, shouted upon by sometimes by his own people. But the lead will go on. Because he has to focus on the bigger picture. It could be his project; it could be his client or company.


The best example of resilience comes from one of our own hero. Super hero of cricket. Sachin Tendulkar. No matter how big his name is. No matter how much he has done for cricket or country, one bad match will turn all that around. He will be written off, ridiculed. All the statistics will come out to prove how bad he was.


One of my friends said this, “I wonder how this man can stand straight with so much on his shoulders. I wonder how he can afford to whack a 150 kmph Shoiab Akhtar ball in the air, well knowing that if he got out, he’ll break more hearts than Aishwarya Rai did when she married that ….”


Probably that makes him a superhero - faith in his powers. Spiderman doesn’t fear that his web would snap - he just keeps somersaulting. Batman doesn’t fear that his Batmobile is gonna crash while chasing baddies at 200 miles an hour. They both have faith in their abilities, much like Sachin has.


My friends lead told him this, “Sorry mate. I am as surprised as you. Everything went well. I think you have been dropped at the last round of discussion. There is nothing I could do.”


Later on my friend came to know that his lead had got a rating very much lesser than himself.


That is what it means to be a leader. To put the interest of once team before his own. One of the biggest bollywood actor was asked, what does it take to be number 1? He said, “The first thing is, Good Heart. If you can take all the bricks all the failures with a smile on your face, then that’s when you are on your way to number 1.”


The last scene of one of my favorite super hero comes to my mind.


Batman asks Lt. James Gordon to get the dog’s chase him and he runs away.


Lt. James Gordon’s Son: But why he is he running?


Lt. James Gordon: Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.

It’s not easy to be a super hero; it’s harder to be a leader.

If Tomorrow, NEVER COMES ?

If tomorrow never comes,

I want you to know,

My love for you is deeper than the ocean

Higher than the clouds in sky, in motion

Longer than the longest river on earths face,

Wider than the everlasting, unknown space.

If tomorrow never comes,

If want you to look,

Look at the beautiful night sky,

You will find me in the star very high

Smile at me, as you did when we meet

I will know it’s you with your eyes wet

If tomorrow never comes,

I want you to feel,

 I will still love you more than ever before,

Memories of you will pour galore

But I am going to remain cheerful

As I know death is beautiful.

If tomorrow never comes,

I want you to listen,

Listen to the waves in the ocean,

Can you hear notes of a musician?

Listen to the cold august breeze,

My words will get to you through fairies.

If tomorrow never comes,

I want you to believe,

Hope is synonym of love

I will be guiding you from above

Promise me,

You will fight all the pain

My love, I will wash it all away as rain.

------- RAJ

FREEDOM ? Huh - FREEDOM

Freedom? Huh - Freedom

My son,

I gave my body to till and grow food

My heart quenched your thirst with water

I sheltered you from sun and rain

And you whipped out all with your selfishness and gave me pain.

You are all my sons and daughters

I taught to live in unity and not to falter

What have you become now?

Killing each other, where is brother hood and love?

I taught you to be wise and honest

Not to hate anyone and adjust.

You found ways to cheat and bribe

Terrorized the world with unfriendly vibes.

What is the religion I taught you?

Humanity is the only thing n there is nothing new.

Now you fight over hundred religions and thousand God’s

I was here even before God, so this is absurd, really odd.

I know there are few good sons and daughters of mine,

Who haven’t forgotten me and they still shine.

I know the path to freedom is not free of risks and troubles,

But you are the only hope so teach the world and be my angels.

Teach the world to live in harmony,

Discrimination on caste, color, and creed brings only agony.

If they are blind to light, make them feel the heat.

Because, “Freedom is not free, you got to go out and EARN IT”

WILL U B my F.R.I.E.N.D ?

 Will you be my friend?

If I am defeated fighting the fate

, face covered with mud and hate.

Lying tired in the endless meadow

, waiting for the death’s shadow.

Will you be my friend?

If the world is against me

, blames me for a dishonesty.

Cursing me for being inhuman,

, reasoning with their unnatural acumen.

Will you be my friend?

If I lose my fortune,

, wondering in the hot afternoon.

Clothes in shambles like a nomad

, just a penny in my hand

Will you be my friend?

When no one knows my name

, and don’t invite me to games.

Stripped of charm,

, walking alone in the dusty farm.

Will you be my friend?

If I lose my cool

, act like a bl**dy fool.

Throw my weight all around

, only to seek attention, profound.

I will be your friend,

We will conquer the fate,

I might be slow, but never too late.

I will be your friend,

Will stand in between u and the world,

Don’t worry about them and be bold.

I will be your friend,

We will turn the fortune around,

I might have lot of money

, but u know my feet is always on the ground.

I will be your friend,

When you lose the cool,

Navrathna oil is always there,

“thanda thada, cool cool”

I will be your friend,

Will make you laugh,

Now can you tell me one thing?

If you find my mobile switched off,

Will you charge it or simply sit like a king?

I will be your friend,

Will invite all the birds

, tell them to spread this word.

“This is my best friend.

Engrave the name in your mind.

He is the gem very difficult to find.”

-------- RAJ