Have you ever run into an old friend whom you detested and felt the need to prove yourself? Maybe the last time you saw each other was in school and they’ve have moved on to some high-flying career. Or maybe you’re experiencing a new low in your work and just feel the need to impress someone. There would been some circumstance where most of us would have felt the need to prove ourselves to someone at some point in our lives. I would like to share my own story about a recent encounter that left me feeling anxious to prove myself: “Last month one weekend when I was in the Chai cafe enjoying an evening Tea, I ran into a group of friends who were my nemesis in my earlier job. They knew me in another stage of life and another couple of decades ago. They knew me more as the immature me and probably still have the image of me as a shabby guy who is still trying to prove that he was somebody important. As we bumped into each other (unfortunately), I listened to this person list off all of their achievements since we last met. When one of them asked what I had been up to, I immediately felt an impulsive desire to prove to this group that I was way successful than them since we last met and my life was at it's best currently. I didn’t like that feeling of such a sudden, defensive urge, so I paused and sipped the tea and then quietly shared some general updates about my family and then moved on." [Signs of maturity] So here is the gut-check question: where does the instinctive desire to prove ourselves come from? Why is it so important to let others know how important we are?
0 Comments
So you are wondering who is Jessica Alba? She is is an American actress and businesswoman. She has won various awards for her acting, including the Choice Actress Teen Choice Award and Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, and a Golden Globe nomination for her lead role in the television series Dark Angel. In January 2012, Alba co-founded The Honest Company, a consumer goods company that sells non-toxic household products, and owns 15 to 20 percent of the company. In 2005, Alba was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, and also appeared in the magazine's 100 Most Beautiful list in 2007. She is one of the entrepreneurs featured on Apple’s Planet of the Apps alongside celebrities Gary Vaynerchuk, Will.i.am, and Gwyneth Paltrow. She has grown from a Hollywood figure into a respected businesswoman. She is involved in charity work which includes participation with Clothes Off Our Back, Habitat for Humanity, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and many others. From severe illness as a child, to becoming a household name; Jessica Alba has years of wisdom and experience to draw from and share. Here are some of her inspirational quotes compiled from the Internet Few months back, I was watching a TV show which was detailing about how to be more productive. One of the main points which came up was that you had to be a morning person. Later that evening this Pasuram from திருப்பாவை (Thiruppavai - 12th Verse) came to my mind. கனைத்திளம் கற்றெருமை ... சினத்தினால் தென்இலங்கைக் கோமானைச் செற்ற மனத்துக்கு இனியானைப் பாடவும்நீ வாய் திறவாய் இனித்தான் எழுந்திராய் ஈதென்ன பேர்உறக்கம்! அனைத்து இல்லத்தாரும் அறிந்தேலோர் எம்பாவாய். Translated: kanaitthiLam kattrerumai ... sinandhingu thennilangai kOmAnai chettra manatthykku iniyAnai pAdavum nee vai thiravAi initthAn ezundhirAi eedhenna pErurakkam anaitthu illatthArum arindhElOrempAvai Meaning: You, the sister of the rich man in whose house the buffaloes let out abundant of milk... We have come here at your doorstep and stand with dew drops falling on our heads. Wake up, why is this long sleep? Come and sing of the Lord who wrathfully vanquished the lord of Lanka. After watching the show and reading this verse, I got exited and wanted to become a morning person myself but the doubt persisted. Can I become a morning person? First of all, yes. It is possible. This is not like trying to become a professional basketball player if you are only 5’6″ tall. This is more like trying to change a belief system and a set of habits. You can do it if you are intentional. The next logical reason would be - why should I become loose the beautiful sleep and what can I acheive by getting up early. Studies and reports show that early rises tend to:
So how do you actually become a morning riser if you are not one right now? Below are 9 steps which you can start from today to achieve that. A Rahul Dravid defense, a Sachin straight drive, Micheal Jordan's "The Shot", Messi's dribbles, Tiger wood's putt or Dhanraj Pillai's tackles all have something in common. They all included team work, competitive edge, initiative and total dedication. You may think that these are great skills for any sports but they are very useful in other areas of life, including your career. While you are looking out for a new job, you need to convince the hiring manager that you are the capable person for that job and also better than anyone who has applied for that post. This requires some of the skills found in sports and which will come in handy to you. Here are 5 ways that having experience as an athlete often accelerates your success: Before you even proceed to start reading this blog, can you answer a simple question? Are you going to give your full focus to reading this blog? Unfortunately, the answer is probably a NO. [Not being cynical or pessimistic here] Recent studies by many Universities in the US especially Univ. Of California, Irvine suggest to us that the average abiilty of a common man has decreased a lot in the last decade. The main culprit is of course the digital media and devices. I know what you are thinking now, "Do we need to do elaborate researches to find it?" I don't need it, since I have always been struggling with FOCUS and CONCENTRATION. As a project manager, I have often felt at the start of the project that I have lots of time and not soon I find myself that slowing down and always trying to do the catch up tasks. The distractions kick in at work and on a usual day I loose close to 3 hours minimum. I always feel that I am having to stay up late, stretch, skip lunches etc just to keep within the deadlines much like Alice running in the same place in the Red Queen's Race. It's was when I learnt about concentration and put it to work in real time that I stopped facing these problems anymore. Let me elaborate 5 simple techniques to get you out of this problem. |
AuthorVasudevan is a Leadership Mentor and an Executive coach. I run an online website geared towards helping creative entrepreneurs and future managers to build their dreams. Archives
June 2023
Categories
All
|