Gems of Wisdom - It's called Mindset

It's called Mindset
As I was passing by the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg.

No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.
   
"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.

"I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.
   
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Wise say, “Your attempt may fail, but never fail to make an attempt.”

Gems of Wisdom - Be Thankful

Be Thankful
Be thankful when you don't know something ... for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times ... during those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations ... they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge... which will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes ... they will teach you valuable lessons.

It's easy to be thankful for the 'good' things ... yet, a life of rich fulfilment comes to those who are thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive ... find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings!

Gems of Wisdom - Handling criticism

Handling criticism
Rather than trying to avoid criticism, expert performers welcome it. They seek out coaches and advisors who can give them constructive, sometimes even painful feedback. They then use this feedback as a guide for steady improvement.

Here are some steps you can take to handle criticism effectively:

1. Acknowledge Your Error - Acknowledging a mistake is not the same as acknowledging that you are an inferior person/a failure. If you believe the criticism is accurate, take full responsibility. Don’t blame something or someone else and don’t make excuses. If appropriate, offer a diplomatic apology: “I’m sorry that my actions led to that result. It certainly was not my intention.” Again, if appropriate, ask for suggestions on how you can improve your performance the next time.
   
2. Take Corrective Action - After you’ve heard the other person out completely, and listened to any suggestions for improvement, state/communicate your eagerness to improve in the future. If appropriate, describe any actions you will take at his time to counterbalance your previous error.

3. Acknowledge the other person’s motive - Thank the other person for the feedback and make sure to state how valuable you consider it. This demonstrates your ability to use criticism as a way to improve – an essential quality of a leader. In addition, let the other person know that you are open to receiving his or her feedback in the future.

Even when you don’t care for the style in which criticism is presented, be thankful that the other person is willing to give you feedback, and along with it, an opportunity to improve.

Gems of Wisdom - Practice those qualities which you believe in

Practice those qualities which you believe in

If kindness, patience, honesty, and generosity are qualities that you believe in, you make every effort to practice those qualities at work.

Treat people with kindness and respect. If someone is late or makes a mistake, you try to be patient. Even if it’s your job or appropriate to reprimand someone, you do so from a foundation of love and respect.

In a given day, you have so many opportunities to practice patience, acts of kindness, and forgiveness. You have time to think loving thoughts, smile, embrace others, and practice gratitude. You can practice being non-defensive and a better listener.

You can try to be compassionate, particularly with difficult or abrasive people. Practice the way you greet people and deal with conflict. You can practice in virtually everything that you do.

Gems of Wisdom - Stay focused in the present!

Stay focused in the present!

So often, our attention wanders off into the future. We think (and worry) about many things all at once – deadlines and potential problems. We anticipate objections and hassles and things that are likely to go wrong. We often convince ourselves how difficult something is going to be, well in advance of the actual event.
   
Or our attention is drawn to the past – we regret a mistake we made last week, or an argument we had this morning. We sometimes fret about “last quarter’s poor ratings,” or relive a painful or embarrassing event. And whether it’s in the future or the past, we usually find a way to imagine the worst.

A great deal of this mental activity is about things in the future that may or may not ever happen. And even if they do, the anticipation of it is usually worse that the actual event, and is rarely helpful. Or it’s about past activities that are over and done with; things that may have actually happened, that we no longer have any control over.

Get completely absorbed in what you are doing. Be in the present!

Gems of Wisdom - The Ant Philosophy

The Ant Philosophy

Over the years, I’ve been teaching kids about a simple but powerful concept: the Ant Philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy.

Here is the first part: Ants never quit. That’s a good philosophy. If they’re headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they’ll look for another way. They’ll climb over. They’ll climb under. They’ll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy—to never quit looking for a way to get where you’re supposed to go.
Second, ants think winter all summer. That’s an important perspective. You can’t be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants gather their winter food in the middle of summer.

An ancient story says, “Don’t build your house on the sand in the summer.” Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to think ahead. In the summer, you’ve got to think storm. You’ve got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun.

The third part of the Ant Philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, “This won’t last long; we’ll soon be out of here.” And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they’ll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can’t wait to get out.

And here’s the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the “all-you-possibly-can” philosophy.

Moral: Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

Gems of Wisdom - Don’t draw conclusions until you know all the facts!

Don’t draw conclusions until you know all the facts!

One old man was sitting with his 25 year old son in the train. Train is about to leave the station. All passengers are settling down their seat. As train started, young man was filled with lot of joy and curiosity.

He was sitting on the window side. He put out one hand and feeling the passing air, he shouted, "Papa see all trees are going behind".

Old man smiled and admired son’s feelings. Beside the young man one couple was sitting and listening to all the conversation between father and son.

They were little awkward with the attitude of 25 years old man behaving like a small child. Suddenly the young man again shouted, "Papa see the pond and animals. Clouds are moving with train". Couple was watching the young man in embarrassment. Now it starts raining and some of water drops touch the young man's hand.

He is filled with joy and he closed the eyes. He shouted again, "Papa it's raining, water is touching me, see papa".

Couple couldn't help themselves and ask the old man.

"Why don't you visit the Doctor and get treatment for your son."

Old man said, “Yes, We are coming from the hospital as today my son got his eye sight for first time in his life".

Moral: Don’t draw conclusions until you know all the facts!