And despite everything
The flowers continue to bloom
Trees bear fruits
Rivers flow
Sun shows up every morning unfailingly
Birds fly free
Nature keeps its pace
Life goes on.
Savvy
Monthly Archives: April 2020
You are meant to flow!
These reflections are my heartfelt effort at sending some positive words of hope and resurrection to so many daring entrepreneurs who risk so much in these difficult times.
Every enterprise finds a crossroad
With unexpected constraints
When the narrative gets disrupted
Innovate to overcome Inflections
Change is the law of nature
Life is meant to evolve
But often change can overwhelm
As it shows up unexpectedly!
Inflections can be challenging
But it opens new vistas of thought
When enterprise and effort kicks in
The resolutions become crucial
At the point of inflection
Identify a pivot to circumvent the situation.
With a purposeful drive to beat the odds.
The systems need an innovative rethink
To adapt to changes realistically
To identify the key drivers of change
Instilling agility in teams to deliver.
No business is risk-free
Yet forewarned is forearmed
To smoothen critical transitions
At unexpected events such as now.
Choose to envision the bigger frame
Adopt an eagles eye view
Seek to identify values and you will find pathways.
To lead you to develop & innovate.
A few tips along the way
Listen to your teams.
Schedule a brainstorming sessions
At different intervals.
Use the collective intelligence of teams.
Allow people to pitch in, it creates cooperation, trust and builds solidarity.
Be informed and innovate.
Every milestone is a learning curve.
Reinvent ideas & strategies
Expand your vision and allow your life experiences to guide you.
You did not just go through them for nothing!
You are meant to flow!
Savvy
All of You!
‘Precious Soul’ Artwork by Savvy Raj
Your smile is your soul signature
Your voice is the vibration of your energy
Your speech is a channel of communication
Your intention is the story of your purpose.
Your eyes are the window of your soul
Your heart is the expression of your being
Your steps are the path you create
Your actions are the enabler of deeds
Your body is the lighthouse
Your spirit is light.
You are precious.
All of you!
Savvy
Art of problem-solving
The wisdom in the challenges
Is in simplifying the complexity
To turn confusion to clarity
This is the art of problem-solving.
To live in a changing world
We must equip ourselves with new skills.
That can help us navigate through
Without unexpected setbacks.
Systematically finding solutions
Is an important life skill
That identifies a range of issues
That may appear or are already there.
From gathering information, observing the symptoms,
Avoiding preconceived notions
That can obscure the truth.
And asking the relevant questions.
Searching the cause of the effect.
Noticing the details & starting from scratch.
By changing one thing at a time
To see what can work to find a solution.
Prioritizing by weighing options
With time constraints & urgency in the pressure to resolve.
Checking the possibilities of temporary solutions
To buy time for permanent resolutions.
Knowing to always respond than react.
Choosing to find the right time.
And picking the right approach.
For the best solution to the problem.
Success at problem-solving
Can be immensely gratifying
Not just for the businesses
But for oneself knowing you have made a positive difference.
These steps towards finding solutions are relevant for problems in all walks of life.
Choose to be open to changes and work realistically.
You will work your way to finding what works!
Savvy
Hope it continues
There is an expansion
In heart fields
There is energy
Of love & goodwill
Radiating across the world
As we speak
There is a newfound camaraderie
Bonds of friendship & connection
Beyond the walls of isolation
Beyond the fear there is hope.
There is a realization
Of indifference and oversight
And awareness
Of the repercussions.
Soon the world will heal
And recover itself
Such is the law of nature
But hoping for the world
To continue this journey
Of new awakenings
And persevere to preserve
These understandings in the uncertainty
The pristineness of the serenity.
The wisdom from the challenges
Hope it continues to transform
Our world for the better.
Savvy
When Competency alone is not enough!
In the service industry handling customer service requests there is truly never a dull moment. With a mixed bag of complaints and accomplishments, every day brings new challenges and cheer.
The joy of helping someone at another end the best possible way and working to ease the process is a great motivator. However, the flip side is the unexpected escalations that can derail even the most balanced performers.
Unhappy customers can be irritated bothersome indifferent downright rude, insulting begin name-calling, and can threaten as well. It certainly takes a great amount of emotional intelligence to know it’s not about you and not internalize it and work out an amicable solution.
In our busy life and living, every work problem is measured by the ability to find solutions. Technology is driven into the equation, research analytics and statistical data crunching become the fulcrum of deductions & resolutions.
Yet somewhere there exists a gap which we miss out often.
We forget that the problems we are finding resolutions for are customers who are unique Each with different needs and expectations. Simply put technical knowledge and expertise cannot create a successful business model that can be sustained.
We need to be able to recognize and identify the people who have the ability to bridge the gaps for seamless and effective process delivery.
Take for instance a service-oriented company that must never undermine the importance of great customer service strategy. So hiring the right people for the job with the requisite skills is necessary. But even more so is training them to be able to bring their authentic voice to create a great customer experience in every call. This can change the way customers perceive the company’s products and services as well.
Although it must be added that such an approach must be consistent across all levels of interaction with the company.
Art of turning down what you cannot fulfill.
There is a profound saying ” Don’t bite more than you chew”
Valuable learning to be applied from here is never over-commit and then fail to fulfill it. In the service industry, there are situations where a request from a customer cannot be fulfilled for whatsoever reason and must be turned down. It is of utmost importance to be able to say no, but also suggest alternatives with empathy and consideration of the difficulty faced by the customer and acknowledge without over-commitment on what cannot be fulfilled.
In customer service like in life, our knowledge alone is never enough. What is important is what we do with it and how we show we care that makes the job well done.
Savvy
WFH -The Global Shift
This Global Shift to Work From Home was meant to happen. The lockdown just hastened the process. With more and more work being computer-driven the approach to online meetings finding acceptance the shift was inevitable.
With increasing traffic and the associated fatigue, the rising costs of real estate, infrastructure, and equipment to maintain and sustain a physical office environment the Work From Home seems to be a more suitable effective and efficient alternative in the current scenario.
However, this will soon gain greater acceptance as employers will find although there are challenges people actually can be productive from wherever they are. And there are ways and tools as well to ensure it. So much system integration and analytics only show how it can turn the majority into adopting this method of employment. Unnecessary travel time and cost are saved, the energy can be utilized with resourcefulness.
Virtual meetings are adaptable and can even be recorded and replayed. So training modules can be conducted once and replayed.
As change is the need of the hour a series of altering and shifting of perspectives will be taking place simultaneously. In such difficult situations, we need to learn to be pliant to what’s required. Learning to be more collaborative cooperative and supportive to make the purpose worthwhile.
Virtual Work is the Future.
While this is an advantage for employees to be flexible with timing with greater time at disposal by cutting travel times and the need to get ready etc. It is also a possibility of radical shifts for Future entrepreneurs will have to learn from this experience and weigh the pros and cons carefully and cut unnecessary costs to be resourceful productive.
As for employees though the multidimensional dynamics of social interaction and sense of community in a physical office is lost, an online conversation is replete with its own tools to circumvent this.
However, with no face to face physical interaction, lesser office politics, and no watercooler gossips, it could certainly reduce the waste of unnecessary time and lead to greater efficiency.
Already with the drastic changes in the world economy and the predictions for challenging times ahead, it is time to find ways to reduce costs and increase online engagement which is already offering an array of productive resources and end to end collaborations that can change the way we work. It’s time to rethink and reinvent the way we work!
Savvy
You Matter.
Are you too empathetic for your own good?
Are you putting yourself in others shoes so much that you disregard yourself?
Are you neglecting your own self for others’ needs?
Are you having shoulder stress and general fatigue?
Are you feeling worn out often and yet get dressed and show up?
Are you feeling you are giving more than you have…in words and deeds?
Maybe you are overstretching in the giving.
Remember you need to reach out but only until you are able to keep your own self in balance.
Otherwise, you will soon feel you have nothing left to give.
Are you unable to sleep well?
You toss and turn all through the night.
Are you are so tired that you are constantly down and have chronic pain?
Are you overpressured?
You feel responsible for others’ problems.
Time to check your own state of being.
It is quite possible …
Maybe you are being over accountable.
Maybe you are over accommodating.
Many of us may identify with some of these sensations. I have also born the brunt of being in the state, with my health affected, in spite of being aware, thinking it will self heal in time.
The truth is many us may even know we are in such situations that are exhausting our reserves and yet at times may be unable to take drastic measures to prevent them. Knowing is not enough! It is necessary to take a step to change.
The trick is to understand the circumstances that we are feeling overwhelmed by and choose to target our changes realistically.
To each, the problem presents itself uniquely! For some, it may be relationships and family or careers. For others, it may be a personal affliction or tendency to multitask beyond themselves or even battling over perfectionism.
Whatever the reason the sooner you realize that it is detrimental for your health and understand you need to implement lifestyle changes the better it will be.
Often in our efforts to be the best version of ourselves, we may go into a mode of putting ourselves into more than we can handle. Our mind body and spirit also need rest and recovery from the daily stressors that life doles out to us all.
We can learn from nature
Everything is best in balance.
Savvy
Each of us may have different coping strategies to overcome the challenges but the problem is our purpose of being is so passionately driven and in the determined perseverance of what we choose to accomplish and achieve in our lifetime we often fail to recognize the state of our own lives until it feels too overwhelming.
Until the lack of sleep creates discomfort and disorders eventually leading to inflammations and diseases in the body and mind. We are guilty of undermining ourselves. We need to remember our sole responsibility as adults rest with us and we need to adhere to our health needs. After all, it is the only body we have. The importance of a healthy body and mind cannot be stressed enough.
Things every one of us can easily implement include :
- Optimize food: Check your health and improve your food habits
- Avoid self-victimization: Choose to not feel overtly responsible for all.
- Plan your day: Prioritize tasks Schedule a personal time as often as you feel necessary. And value it.
- Avoid procrastination: Recognize your symptoms and take action.
- Sleep well. Remember you matter and health comes first. Only if you are healthy can you do anything else?
- Do what you love and you will love what you do.
- Most of all choose to Live life lovingly!
Savvy
Its all connected!
It’s all connected!
So much vibrations in this now
That is was and will be playing
As the dance of light and frequency
In the eternal river of time.
Momentous fields of matter
Cosmic rhythms of color at play
Vivid manifestation of vastness
Of potential in the abundance
So much to understand & discover
The truth of the moment
Is connected to it all
Such is the truth of nature in sublimity.
Savvy
And suddenly it works!
First there was fear
And then came panic
On how to cope
So many doubts
That erupt in the mind.
Chaos and confusion abound
And then in the silence that ensues
There is a certain quiet
That feels strange and new
For the world has borne too much noise.
It isn’t comfortable with lack of sound.
The world takes its time to ease in
Soon there is a certain awareness
That pervades all over in the stillness
While the world finds its bearing again.
Savvy
Whose work is it anyway?
Bored?
What boredom, no time for boredom!
says my seemingly exasperated friend in India on the phone.
With the complete lockdown and most on’ Work from home status ‘majority of families are struggling to cope with rising demands of the family be it the seniors at home, children and of course pets as well. The families are now suddenly having no house help, the quintessence of urban class living.
Compared to the Western world in India still, the lure of cheaper labor force makes a household helper available to all. But in the current scare, there are no maids, let alone cooks or gardeners. Except for those who may have a live-in helper which is not often the case.
Suddenly the ‘Work from home’ status actually registers the truth. For it is truly challenging for most families who have never bothered to make their own bed or do dishes or cook ever. In fact, there are many who wait for someone else to make their tea or coffee or get a glass of water.
In these hard-pressed times the major part of the work comes to the women of the household still, in spite of all those talks of women’s liberation that goes on doing the rounds every year around early March.
To all the women, who have suddenly vowed to prove themselves superwoman please take it easy.
A little dirty corner, neglected kitchen shelves, not a four course meal, everything is acceptable. But not at the cost of your own health. Remember your falling sick at these times will be disastrous especially if there is no one to take over from you !!
Stay safe
The women are left with no options as the demands keep on rising as those who are at home are hungrier than ever with time to kill.
There are, of course, some of those evolved households where all are contributing their bit. The onus of responsibility needs to be shared, else it will make every day a living hell.
If only more young parents of today teach all their children both sons and daughters equally to cook, clean and do housework as a part of life skills training so that they also know how to manage a home when they have one, the lives of so many future families will be truly much easier.
As we see it, the future is here with new challenges and unless we are all equipped with basic survival skills and takes into account, ownership, responsibility, and teamwork and move beyond gender biases, it is truly tough to live through times like these.
How are you and your families managing this interim period?
Stay safe and healthy!
Savvy
On Gratefulness
A forward doing the rounds on Social Media caught my attention today.
Worth taking a moment to read and contemplate.
💦 After the 93 year old man in Italy got better in the hospital, he was told to pay for the ventilator for one day, and the old man cried. The doctor advised him not to cry over the bill.
What the old man said made all the doctors cry.
Old man said, “I don’t cry because of the money I have to pay. I can pay all the money.” *I cry because I have been breathing God’s air for 93 years, but I never pay for it. It takes €5,000 to use a ventilator in a hospital for one day. Do you know how much I owe God ? I didn’t thank God for that before.”*
The truth of the news can’t be verified, but the old man’s words are worth our reflection.
When we breathe the air freely without pain or illness, no one takes the air seriously. Only when we enter the hospital can we know that even breathing oxygen with a ventilator costs money!
🙏🏽 *Cherish the time when we can breathe freely..!* 💐👏🏽
It is certainly true for we take nature for granted. The Sun, the moon, water, air, glaciers mountains trees rivers animals and humans all have reason to be.
Let us learn to live and let live.
Let us live life lovingly!
Savvy
Take a moment
Take a moment and answer to yourself these 10 questions that will work as a gentle reminder towards developing Self awareness.
10 Questions in Self Awareness
1.What are my thoughts focusing on this now?
2.What am I cultivating in this now?
3.What am I creating today?
4.What am I inviting myself?
5.What am I holding on to?
6.What am I letting go of?
7.What are my needs?
8.What are my wants?
9.What am I grateful for?
10.What is my learning today?
Choose to be honest with your answers as you pause to understand and you will find guidance in Balancing Your Life In Every Now.
Savvy
Enhance in every now.
Purpose of life is to evolve for the better. Wherever we are, however we are, humanity always finds a way beyond the trials and tribulations.
We are meant to thrive beyond the adversity.
Enhance your self
Self isolation can be challenging but need not be as difficult as it seems.
A few things that can make isolation easier to bear and productive as well.
PLANNING
Creating a schedule. Writing down things to do or learn in a day is a great start.
Having a routine planned, help a great deal.
Keeping channels of communication open.
Speak to people , listen to others well.
Express yourself through arts , pick up a book to read or a hobby you can learn in this interim period.
Care for your self. It makes you feel good about yourself.
Arrange your wardrobe.
Do all the things that you feel you never had time for.
LISTENING
Listen to some soulful or foottapping music.
Start a conversation on the phone. Many are feeling lonely or overwhelmed and overburdened. Offer to listen and empathize. One of the important aspects of doing this exercise is it changes self perceptions and brings an understanding of the world beyond the limited self.
ACTIVITY
Take care of your health, eat healthy.
Be engaged physically mentally emotionally & spiritually.
Look up at the stars at night.
Watch the blue expansive sky in the day.
Hear the sounds of waves, if you can.
Even in a recording…waves gives a repetitive, soothing rhythmical relaxation experience that can smooth out the creases on your brow.
Ease in, to time your breathing with the waves.
Try this one .
These are a few ways to create a personal space for yourself in your mind and heart spirit and soul no matter where and how you are.
Hopefully it may help in some way to ease through this phase we are in.
Every positive step matters a great deal in
Praying for the world to heal and recover.
Stay safe stay healthy where ever you are.
Savvy
We Can Heal The World
Our world is meant to heal
But it needs our support
More than ever before.
We need to do the needful
We have to stay safe
We have to be careful.
The truth is we are all vulnerable
And each of us is responsible
For one another’s life in every now.
It is our duty towards life
That is entrusted to us
And the lives that are connected to us.
Time to take every step safely.
Time to tune inward to understand
The healing is in the tuning .
Healing is in our thinking.Think well
Healing is in our listening. Stay safe
Healing is in our praying. Pray heartfully.
Let’s heal our world from where we are!
Savvy
Savvy Raj 
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