Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Mantra for Success Part : Goal Setting by Sunita Sharma

Mantra for Success Part : Goal Setting by Sunita Sharma



https://youtu.be/49t0RYmkEAU





Hello friends and welcome back to AwesomeazingLife.
Thank you for your valuable feedback and comments on my last
video.
After my last video, I got a lot of questions from some of
our subscribers. In this video I would like to address a few of them.             
One of the most asked question is, who should create goals? Is
it important for students or professionals, Or do entrepreneurs and business
owners have more importance of it?
Well, I would like to ask who doesn’t need to sets goals.
Consciously or subconsciously we are setting up goals all the time. Whether it
is passing a certain exam, getting admission in a specific institution, getting
a particular job, buying a house going on a vacation, buying certain car, even
a mobile phone. All of these are goals. When we work towards achieving a
certain thing or task that is a goal. Big or small doesn't matter.
It is such a natural need, just like breathing, that many a
times we end up doing it without even realising. However, if we train ourselves
to consciously be in control of setting up, prioritizing and putting together a
game plan to reach our goals, we would be able to achieve so much more in our
life. It is an exercise that everyone needs to do, irrespective of any
categorization (age, gender, line of work etc).
There was also a lot of confusion and anxiety as to how do
you create goals or how do you set goals?
Well, best way is to start small. Have you heard of a term
called bucket list? That’s your starting point. Sit with yourself and try to
identify how you want to your life, that project, task at hand….  to be? What are the things you would want to
have? Whether you talking of your life goals or KRA’s is in your workplace, a
vacation or anything else, draw a complete picture of it in your mind as if it
is laid-out in front of you. Visualize it...
Like I said, it doesn’t matter big or small, a Goal is a
Goal. Remember, if you have done it in your mind, you can do it in reality for
sure.
Another question that someone asked me was, even when we
have goals or things in the bucket list, why don’t we work towards achieving
them?
Well, drawing up a plan for anything you desire is a fancy
flight that we all love. However, making it happen asks for efforts. You will
have to face challenges, hurdles, and hardships at many junctions. And if your
reason is not strong enough we will never put in the right effort
Your willingness to put in the efforts, determination to go
past every challenge and the perseverance to go an extra mile  to achieving anything in your life is
directly proportional to how important it is to you and what will you lose if
you don’t achieve it. We don’t put our efforts because either it is not
important enough or not urgent enough.
Conclusion:
       So,
as I mentioned earlier, GOALs are the stepping stones to success.
       Irrespective
of what you do, defining and planning for your goals can help you achieve more.
       Break
down the Goals into small logical tasks. Each task completion will give the
sense of achievement and the satisfaction of hitting a milestone.
       Goals
have to be BIG in your heart, by the virtue of your passion for it, and not
necessarily by the monetary value of it
       Passion
for your Goals creates the Drive and Attitude to win in you..
       Clarity
of Goals will bring Success for sure..
If you have any similar
questions, please post it on the comments and we will definitely respond to
you.
Stay tuned for more. Until next
time.


Thursday, August 8, 2019


  OWNERSHIP 

A very commonly used term yet not part of formal education....

The ultimate and exclusive right conferred lawfully- If you have ownership of something it means that you are the owner; it belongs to you. This is the Definition of Ownership and also how most like to view Ownership as - something I own.

However, I would like to take a look at Ownership from another perspective. For me Ownership means being completely responsible for whatever you own. 

“…Losing to a superior opponent while fighting with everything you’ve got, searching until the very last for a way to win, that my friends is ownership.”
Daniel Flowers

This is how I would like to see Ownership as. 

Taking pride in what you deliver. Ownership means you care about the success of the project. It's not about just doing something that is to be done and hope you reap success but it is more about ensuring everything that needs to be done is done in the absolute perfect way that it is to be done in. It's not just clocking in time and collecting a paycheck... it's about taking responsibility and placing value in the quality of your work. Taking ownership is not just doing a job, or working on a project; it means making it your mission to see it through.

It means you don't give a damn of what the circumstances are or what the world thinks. You are completely consumed with the passion to make it work and accept nothing lesser than the Very Result you had as the Vision when you started working for it.

Yes, Ownership should bring you Pride but shouldn't breed Arrogance. Instead of the ownership boosting up your EGO it must humble you further with the understanding that sits on your shoulder to ensure its well taken care of, appropriately projected to the world and is adequately guarded against anything that could be damaging to it. It should be absolutely clear in your head that more you OWN, more you are RESPONSIBLE. Taking the stance of ownership, we become accountable not only to others but most deeply accountable to ourselves. For an Owner, the values at stake are more intrinsic ones.
As an Owner, I can’t see a person, project or department - any aspect of it failing and say, “It isn’t my job to address it.” even when I am not personally responsible for them. Accountability is required only in the absence of personal responsibility. This is where Ownership and Leadership ceases to be the same. While Owner is simply a title or position, being a Leader (assuming the ownership) is simply a Choice. 

Being faced with the questions like:    
¶ It's not part of my responsibility. 
¶ I wasn’t trained.. 
¶ I’m waiting for ____etc.....
 Highlights a good chance you’ve lapsed in your commitment to take real ownership. Personal ownership makes all the difference during the extenuating circumstances. Excuses are merely a conveyance of what went wrong in the context of not taking personal responsibility for the results.

Owners must find a way to succeed. You Must Take Ownership of Your Success Today - That's an absolute must. So, you must OWN your success and start living in to your new identity. You have more control than you realize. Moreover, Nobody Else, Will ever take you seriously until You Do

Stop waiting to become perfect. Take ownership of becoming Perfect today. Today is as good an Opportunity as it would ever be. Realize now is the best time to begin and start something today.

People who Have Already Done it, weren't necessarily smarter, they took the ownership of first to start and then to keep going after it till they made it. Too much of Analysis often leads to paralysis. So, the faster you get going, the easier it will be to stay motivated. 

Ask yourself:
 If you don’t, who will?
 If not now, when?

Believe that:
You literally have everything you need to begin.

Believe in the reality of your abundance. You have more than enough resources to get started. Trust the Master Plan, Set a Goal and a Game plan, OWN it and go after it with all you got...

Keep watching this space for more ... Have an AWESOMEAzing LIFE - TADA

Harish Kumar
AwesomeazingLife.com


Friday, July 5, 2019

Little Things That Matter



My favourite season is the monsoon, the smell of the first rain brings back so many memories. It brings out the bitter sweet feelings of nostalgia. As I sat at the window sill watching the rain wash over the world around me, my mind was fast sailing down memory lane, making me realise how when we grew up we start running behind so many desires, aspirations, needs. 

Forgetting, how it was always the little things that made us smile.

The Smell of garam garam pakodas with chai. Praying for school to declare a holiday, a rainy day. Making all sorts of excuses just that childish joy of getting drenched. Coming home soaking wet.


The more I think about this, the more sense it starts to make to me. What brings us true joy? What do we miss the most when we “grow up”, finish college and get busy with our jobs?  It is the fun we used to have, when we were kids or teenagers. It was college. I am sure some of you have already lost yourself going down memory lane.

I remember, I could sit for hours in the veranda, just looking at the rain falling endlessly, doing nothing. Talk to my friends for hours, never really recollect what we were talking about though. Bunking college and going for that movies. One cold drink, shared between five friends. Those were such lovely days. I am sure we all have such memories.

Then we grew up…

Life became so hectic and busy that somewhere we forgot the essence of the little things. We started running after big salary, the promotions, the bigger cars, big house, the luxury vacations, searching for happiness.

As an entrepreneur I meet a lot of people from all walks of life. I rarely find people who are really, truly happy, where they are. People talk about a dissatisfied job, no personal time, lack of money, lack of time and resources, not able to pursue a hobby, too caught up with working to pay bills and EMI’s. No freedom to express. As we grow and mature in our lives, we accumulate more responsibilities and liabilities, in very many different ways and then, we stop having fun. Life becomes a rat race, go to office come back home, go to office and come back home.

We wait for the big dreams to come true, we work even harder. Forget the very reason why we chose to do something in the first place. My conclusion? We stopped doing the little things. We stopped having fun and looking for the small things that can make life worth living. I don’t believe that we should not have desires and aspirations. We should. Because every innovation, every discovery is the manifestation of a desire. As humans, we will never be satisfied with what we have, we will always strive for more, to be better than what we were yesterday, to have a more fulfilling life than what we had before and that is what drives us forward.

However, we start to run and we keep running, we lose focus on who we are and what are we running for.

STOP! Take a deep breath, close your eyes for a minute, clear your mind, sit down and have a glass of water. Its time- time to go back and find those little things. Think about what those small things are that really bring out the child in you. Call up that long lost friend, go get wet in the rain, don’t worry about falling sick. Every once in a while, look away from that phone and that laptop, talk to your loved ones. Listen to what your little one has to say about her day, what she did in school, what she had for lunch. Talk to your spouse.  Listen to what they have to say. Don’t let life happen to you. Let you be life. Make every moment count. Trust me, life is too short to postpone that trip. 

Life is hectic, life is moving at the speed of light. But, what stories would you want to tell when you are old. What would you have to hold on to, if you haven’t really lived? Make some stories.

I believe in fairy tales. I believe in a Happily Ever After. But it won't happen on it's own. You have to make it happen. You have to write your own Fairy Tale. Don’t wait for your prince on a white horse. Be it, for yourself and your loved ones. Take yourself on adventures. Let your imagination run wild every once in a while. Remember, who you are.

Sit up, make a bucket list of all the little things that make you happy, take time and do it. Because we are the creators of our Happily Ever after. Make a choice.

- Sunita Sharma

Sunday, June 23, 2019

KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS


Knowledge is the key to success. Whether it is from high school, college, a trade school, job experience or even from a real life experience, all are stepping stones to developing a well-rounded understanding of the real world. This understanding has a paramount impact on how smoothly can you traverse through the path to your Destination.



Knowledge Is Different From Information

Often Knowledge and Information is confused to be one and the same. It is NOT.

Information is nothing but the refined form of data, which is helpful to understand the meaning. On the other hand, Knowledge refers to the awareness or understanding on the subject acquired from education or experience of a person. It is the relevant and objective information that helps in drawing conclusions, understand the change coming their way or the change they need to make to successfully tread forward.

Change is an absolute must to Succeed. 

So in order to Succeed, you kneed to be aware and in grips with that Change. There are three things that that are required to be Successful: 

😀  You must have the Knowledge to be able to see  the Change coming. Else, the Change will take you down before you know what hit you.
😀  You must have the Knowledge to recognize change before the competition.
😀  If you wait until change is easy to see, you’ve already lost.

So, to capitalize on the opportunities that Life presents, you must be equipped to capture the Change coming your way.

Next, whenever you are starting anything new, it requires preparation! Getting ready to embark on any initiative requires building an understanding of the responsibilities that you’ll be undertaking. Having a general knowledge of what to expect on the way is a bare minimum MUST. It can be very difficult and frustrating if you start blindly, and have no idea what’s going on. The world will not arrange itself according to what you expect and desire. In a rapidly changing, dynamic world the one thing you can’t do without is reliable, authentic knowledge. The more you know the more you are prepared for.

So is knowledge the key to success?


Yes, it indeed is but in today's world that is  rapidly changing, it’s more about how you know! than  what you know.

Reliable knowledge doesn’t come from looking for reasons to think that you are right. The kind of knowledge that you need comes from looking for reasons that you are wrong! If the idea is strong, then challenges will only make it stronger. On the other hand, if an idea can’t withstand that kind of scrutiny it is better to find out now than to wait until it matters.

Irrespective of which path you take, it's important to always remember that the to key to success is knowledge and experience.

Knowledge is Power




It's often heard and said that Knowledge is Power. There couldn't be a more true statement than this. One who has acquired skills in any domain is self-sufficient enough to conduct his affairs efficiently. Person with knowledge does not believe in speculations or perceptions presented to him that are not supported with real facts. Basis of his knowledge he could eradicate superstition and create an environment of awareness. 

Knowledge have the power to create great leaders. 

Leaders with Power of knowledge are respected by their followers. They are looked up to by their followers for ideas and suggestions. But the same could not be said about a leader who himself lacks knowledge and is not well-read. Hence the 'Knowledge is Power' that enables for influencing the Change for Success.

Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort makes all the difference!

Keep Learning, Keep Growing. Don’t give up!


Will continue to dwell more into the the Journey to Success in life in the following articles? Keep watching this space for more ... Have an AWESOMEAzing LIFE - TADA


Harish Kumar


https://www.facebook.com/AwesomeazingLife/

Friday, June 14, 2019

Why do people Fail?

Time and again, in my life, I have realized that failure is a teacher, a stepping stone to success. When I started on my professional journey and was looking for my first job, I must have applied to atleast 150 plus different opportunities and I didn’t even get a single interview call. During my corporate career, many a times my ideas were rejected, projects went into RED. Team collapsed and many more things happened. However, it took me only 12 years to become the Assistant Vice President of a multi-National software company, from a technical trainer that I started as. I worked hard, learnt from my as well as others mistakes. I worked on several business concepts, failed in many, lost a lot of money. I had the desire to succeed that kept me going and pushed me to try one more time.

Every failure taught me what I shouldn’t do. I know that in the face of “Failure” it seems and feels like the world is about to end and apocalypse, is just around the corner. Failure is not the end. We all want to advance in life, in jobs, in our careers, in our businesses. However, we must realize that failure is just like a speed bump on the road. It makes you to slow down, assess the risks and then advance. .

What is life, without the little speed bumps or the pot holes on the way? Would it make life smoother and happier? I would like to differ. When the ECG shows a flat line, the person is declared dead. For me failure is a lesson, leading to success, which I needed to learn to improve myself. 

I was in corporate for more than 18 years and I have been an entrepreneur for the past 7 and half years. I would say this has been an amazing journey so far, I have tripped, fallen and failed many times and felt like quitting more times than I can count. But today when I look back, getting through those are the moments which make me feel proud and happy about my journey so far.

I believe, you are not a failure unless you Quit. Let’s all agree that the road to success is not going to be easy. As per the statistics only 5% of the people survive and only 1% sustain as entrepreneurs. 

Why do so many fail? 

It is not because you didn’t have a winning idea or an out of the box concept. It is because you didn’t decide on the destination. You looked at the path and the vehicle and decide to take it, without truly knowing what your destination was? I can give you an analogy to help you understand this better. Let’s  say you buy a Ferrari, the fastest vehicle that exists, you would agree right… However, you wanted to drive down to Ladakh. What are the chances that you would reach your destination in the faster car on this planet? Chances are you wouldn’t even get to start on the mountain roads. Do you know why? Because, given the ground clearance and the controls that car cannot take a mountain road. Leave aside reaching Ladakh. Well let’s say you don’t want to go to Ladakh but to Kutch from Mumbai, with your entire family, which is a nice 4 lane highway and all flat roads. Now is this a good vehicle to take the trip on? Well, because a Ferrari has only 2 seats, definitely it cannot accommodate your family and your luggage as there is no boot in this fantastic vehicle. The vehicle in itself is Fantastic yet proves useless as it can’t help you reach your Destination.

“So the Path & the Vehicle can only be chosen after the Destination is decided.”

 This is the biggest mistake most of the budding entrepreneurs make. They focus on their current skills and they focus on what will sell and make money, they focus on the path and the vehicle. But, they all miss out the most important step. Which is getting to know The DESTINATION. We cannot decide the path or the Vehicle without knowing the destination, can we? But then, that is how most of us operate and then fall flat on our face, most of the time it is because we never gave enough thought to the end goal or the destination. It is not the fault of the vehicle or the path, it’s just that it cannot take me to where I really want to be. 

Most of the times, personal goals and business goals are completely out of sync. We define goals in terms of turnover and sales, we never define where I want to be in the next 5 years as a person / an individual. We forget that the whole purpose of life is to live it, find peace and happiness. But we don’t define the factors what brings us true happiness. It isn’t money that brings us happiness, but what we do with that money? 


Business goals have to translate into achieving personal goals. Hence, not being able to see the big picture. Every successful person has always had a global vision. Knowing the big picture and then breaking it down to the smaller goals and milestones. 


Persistence and Perseverance: Most of the times we lose focus because we don’t see the results. Do you remember Kindergarden? How many times did you try just to get your “A” right. How many times M S Dhoni must have practiced a shot to get that perfect shot. The secret of success is self-discipline, consistent efforts, not for 2 months or 2 years, but until you get it right. No matter how long that takes.

When venturing in to realize your goals, you can only decide on the goal and plan. And don't worry if it doesn't work out the first time.


In my corporate career for 18 years, never did I ever see a plan work perfect the first time. Planning is an important aspect to identify the action needed to accomplish a goal. But the plan will change. Internal and external factors impacting the project will change. It will lead to re-planning, and we continue to go back and tweak the plan until we get the desired result. Experience makes us stronger and wiser.


But when it comes to our personal goals we are not persistent enough. A few failures, and we accept defeat.  Every successful person has faced many failure, our history is full of all such stories. The point I am trying to make here is.  Do you know what you Want? Is this really important to you? And how far can you go and how hard are you willing to try to achieve success?




Sunita Sharma

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunita-sharma-65a7756


Thursday, June 6, 2019

Belief - The Secret Ingredient




In the last article we talked about how GOALS are the driving forces to SUCCESS. Without knowing what to achieve, you can't be certain if the Achievement is really a SUCCESS for you.
Goal is the "power" to help steer your way to SUCCESS. But then what good is a Power that you don't even Believe in.

Success is all about BELIEF, starting with believing in yourself. Successful people believe: in their ideas, in their determination, in their persistence, in other people and, most importantly, in themselves. If you believe you can, odds are you probably will. You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.

This BELIEF drives your actions that helps you to be successful. Strong belief, triggers the mind into figuring out the ways and means to do something.
When you believe, it comes out in your body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions. It builds the Confidence of others in you and begins the required momentum for the journey of SUCCESS.
Success demands good relationships with others, and a lack of belief can be a problem. When people don't believe, their relationships fade a bit.

Belief brings Commitment and Persistence. If there anything you love so much you do it every day and enjoy it every time, most likely it's something you believe in. When we believe in a vision, we have the energy to keep pursuing it. We do what it takes to help bring the vision to life.
Belief impacts Morals. When in doubt, it's an ongoing struggle to stay motivated. However, when you believe in a possibility of achieving something, you'll bring your full creativity to bear and will pursue it relentlessly. 

Psychologist Marty Seligman relates in his book "Authentic Happiness" that we're happiest when using our personal strengths to overcome challenges, all while doing something we believe makes a difference. People are happiest doing what they find worthwhile. In fact, people often work harder for fewer rewards for causes linked to deep BELIEF.

Now, there is a good chance that there could be situations when you may not have the confidence you need to move forward with your dream, idea or next step. You may not have the required BELIEF in place. What do you do in such situations?

Borrow the Belief For Success. Yes, tap into the knowledge of someone that you respect & believe in. Surround yourself with other people who think like you, who are growth-minded and also believe in you.



It has been said that you become the average of the five people who you spend the most time with.
Doing so will keep you from getting in your own head and filling it with self-limiting beliefs. You won't have to rely on your own beliefs when you have someone else’s belief to borrow.

While, borrowing someone else’s belief works, it is only for a while. It does not work forever.
So, when you borrow someone else’s beliefs, you must try new things. And when you are successful in doing those things, you need to use that Success to start building your own belief. 
Eventually, you will start to rely on your own Belief more than the other's. Trust me, it's a great feeling when you start to make that transition from borrowed belief to intrinsic belief.
A solid Belief system can take you a long way. When you master your belief system, there is very little that can stop the inevitable:  massive Success. The pursuit of success has its roots in BELIEF. You cannot see what you don’t look for, and you cannot look for what you don’t believe in.
As the saying goes, WHAT YOU TRULY BELIEVE ABOUT YOURSELF DETERMINES WHO YOU BECOME.





Will continue to dwell more into the the Journey to Success in life in the following articles? Keep watching this space for more ... Have an AWESOMEAzing LIFE - TADA


Harish Kumar


https://www.facebook.com/AwesomeazingLife/