Chanakya's Quotes - Worth Learning

Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC - 275 BC 
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"A person should not be too honest.
Straight trees are cut first and Honest people are screwed first." 
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"Even if a snake is not poisonous,

it should pretend to be venomous."  

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"The biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody.

If you cannot keep secret with you, do not expect that others will keep it.
It will destroy you."
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"There is some self-interest behind every friendship.

There is no Friendship without self-interests.
This is a bitter truth." 
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"Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful? Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."

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"As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it." 

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"Once you start a working on something,

don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it.
People who work sincerely are the happiest." 
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"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind.

But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."
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"A man is great by deeds, not by birth." 

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"Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years.

        For the next five years, scold them.
By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend.
Your grown up children are your best friends." 
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"Education is the best friend.

An educated person is respected everywhere. 
Education beats the beauty and the youth."
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Put the Glass down ..

Not worrying too much about the problem is the first step to solve it

A chemistry professor decided to teach his students a different lesson one day.

Holding a glass of water in his hand, he asked the students, “How much do you think this glass of water weighs?”

“500 grams!” came a voice from the back. “600,” said another student.

“I don’t really know!” said the professor, holding the glass up to make sure everyone could see it. “And unless we weigh it, we won’t know.” With the glass still in his outstretched hand, the professor continued, “What will happen if I hold it like this for a few minutes?”

“Nothing!” came the reply.

“Right, and if I hold it for an hour like this, what might happen?”

“Your hand will begin to hurt,” said a student.

“Indeed. And what would happen if I held the glass in my hand like this for 24 hours?”

“You would be in tremendous pain,” said one student. “Your hand will probably go numb,” said another. “Your arm will be paralyzed and we’ll need to rush you to the hospital!” said a student on the last bench.

“True,” said the professor. “But notice that through all this, the weight of the glass did not change. What then causes the pain?”

The class went quiet. The students seemed puzzled.“What should I do to avoid the pain?” asked the professor.

“Put the glass down!” said a student.

“Well said!” exclaimed the professor. And that’s a lesson I want you to remember.

“The problems and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. But think about it a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything. It’s important to remember to let go of your problems. Remember to put the glass down!”

We may not have been in that classroom that day, but it’s a lesson we would all do well to remember. Put the glass down! Always. It’s not just problems and worries. Sometimes, we feel hurt and betrayed by a friend. And we carry that grudge through our lives. It grows and causes us anguish and pain. Learning to forgive – and forget – is not just good for the other people, it’s great for you. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail and when he was finally freed, you can understand how angry and vengeful he must have felt. But guess what? When he became President, he invited his jailers to be present at the inauguration – in the VIP seats! If he could forgive after 27 years of suffering, surely we can too.

It is the same with our fears too. A failure or an incident in early childhood becomes a deeply entrenched fear over time. Fear of public speaking, fear of Math, fear of rejection. You name it, and chances are, we have it. Someone gave us that glass to hold when we were little kids – ‘you are clumsy, you are no good, you can’t do it’ - and we have faithfully held on to it all our lives. ‘I can’t’ - becomes a thought that stays in our mind and grows – leading us to complete paralysis. Time to put the glass down!

The story goes that there was a hardworking man who lived a contented life with his wife and children. Every evening when he returned from work, he’d follow a ritual. Outside the door to his house were three nails. On the first one, he’d put his hat. On the second he’d hang his coat. And on the third nail, he’d unwrap an imaginary turban from his head and ‘put’ it there. A friend happened to see this and enquired what he was putting on the third nail every day.

“Those are my problems, my worries and my anger,” said the man. “I have lots of that at work, but when I come home, I remember to take it off – and leave them outside. I don’t take them home with me.” Maybe you should learn to do that too. Starting today. Put the glass down. And see the difference!

Article by: Prakash Iyer (MD, Kimberly-Clark Lever and Executive Coach)

The Vision

We are living in the era of advent of technology and we are familiar with internet, satellite television and mobile phones. Like everyone in the world, Indians have also played a very, very big role in inventing and innovating technology at regular intervals in India and their omnipresence is visible across the globe. Presently, we cannot think anything without the help of modern technologies.

50 years ago IBM was the front runner in computer technology. Their then chairman, Thomas Watson, opined in 1943 about the future opportunities of computers in the market: "Now, in the world market, there is a scope for selling a maximum of 5 computers, that's all". He said this because at that time the computers IBM produced were gigantic machines and the cost of each computer was unaffordable, even to millionaires. This means even Thomas Watson could not foresee the scope of computers.

In 1949 "Popular Mechanics", the US magazine, wrote about the computer in one of the editions: "We think the future computer may be not much bigger than 1.5 tons". Now even our 5 year kids play with the palmtop, just like operating a TV or a mobile, but a renowned science magazine like Popular Mechanics could not predict such an advent of technology at that time.

In 1968, when the microchip was invented, one of the senior officers at IBM commented, "How will the microchip will help us? And it is useless".

Later the advent of technology made people think about home computers and Ken Olson, the then chairman of American Digital Equipment Corporation, said in 1977: "I don't see any scope of computer in our homes".

These renowned people like Watson, Olson were very much associated with the business for decades, however their ability to visualize and imaginations were very confined to vagueness, and they could not forecast the scopes of computer in the future.

Western Union was the pioneer in communications with the telegraph. When the telephone was invented, the management of Western Union commented that "the telephone is not a good machine for communication. It has limitations and we do not see any value of using it in our business".

Later on Western Union Management was able to realize their mistake, although initially they failed to see the innumerable value of telephone. Too late, the competitors outperformed Western Union to form a monopoly in telephone communications.

Similarly, the president of the Royal Society of England said about the airplane in a meeting that "Nobody can invent a machine that could fly", but in 8 years the Wright brothers made history by flying the first automated airplane. On hearing this, the Military Strategist of France, Marshal Ferdinand said, "Maybe airplanes are good, but they are no better than a toy".

Even Bill Gates could not foresee a computer with speed more than his 640 K, which he developed in the 1970s. He could not foresee the abundant scope of a computer in future, though he was considered to be a visionary in the field. He was later able to modify his views and he made history with his imagination and vision. This made a wonderful transformation of the world of computers and his company, Microsoft, became the pioneer today in relentlessly innovating and creating new avenues of imagination and it is no wonder his company has the edge on other corporations.

Though we may not be wizards in visualizing the future like Bill Gates, we can also imagine and innovate to see the future positively and believe in ourselves to create a better future for the coming generations. We should not limit ourselves saying that enough is enough and nothing more, but the fact is that we have to travel many roads to reach destiny. 

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, is a self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey. It has sold more than 15 million copies in 38 languages since first publication, which was marked by the release of a 15th anniversary edition in 2004. Covey presents an approach to being effective in attaining goals by aligning oneself to what he calls "true north" principles of a character ethic that he presents as universal and timeless.

The 7 Habits

Each chapter is dedicated to one of the habits, which are represented by the following imperatives:

Self-Mastery

The First Three Habits surround moving from dependence to independence (i.e. self mastery)

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Synopsis: Take initiative in life by realizing that your decisions (and how they align with life's principles) are the primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Take responsibility for your choices and the subsequent consequences that follow.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Synopsis: Self-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision the ideal characteristics for each of your various roles and relationships in life.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Synopsis: Plan, prioritize, and execute your week's tasks based on importance rather than urgency. Evaluating if your efforts exemplify your desired character values, propel you towards goals, and enrich the roles and relationships that were elaborated in Habit 2.

Interdependence

The next three have to do with Interdependence (i.e. working with others)

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Synopsis: Genuinely strive for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your relationships. Valuing and respecting people by understanding a "win" for all is ultimately a better long-term resolution than if only one person in the situation had gotten his way.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Synopsis: Use empathetic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them to reciprocate the listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates an atmosphere of caring, respect, and positive problem solving.

Habit 6: Synergize

Synopsis: Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no one person could have done alone. Get the best performance out of a group of people through encouraging meaningful contribution, and modeling inspirational and supportive leadership.

Self Renewal

The Last habit relates to self-rejuvenation:

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Synopsis: Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle

Abundance mentality

Covey coined the term abundance Mentality or abundance mindset, a concept in which a person believes there are enough resources and success to share with others. It is commonly contrasted with the scarcity mindset (i.e. destructive and unnecessary competition), which is founded on the idea that, if someone else wins or is successful in a situation, that means you lose; not considering the possibility of all parties winning (in some way or another) in a given situation. Individuals with an abundance mentality are able to celebrate the success of others rather than be threatened by it.

The abundance mentality is believed to arrive from having a high self worth and security (see Habits 1, 2, and 3), and leads to the sharing of profits, recognition and responsibility. Organizations may also apply an abundance mentality when doing business.

The Upward Spiral

Covey explains the "Upward Spiral" model in the sharpening the saw section. Through our conscience, along with meaningful and consistent progress, the spiral will result in growth, change, and constant improvement. In essence, one is always attempting to integrate and master the principles outlined in “The 7 Habits” at progressively higher levels, at each iteration. Subsequent development on any habit will render a different experience and you will learn the principles with a deeper understanding. The Upward Spiral model consists of three parts: learn, commit, do. According to Covey, one must be increasingly educating the conscience in order to grow and develop on the upward spiral. The idea of renewal by education will propel one along the path of personal freedom, security, wisdom, and power.