Darkness is a great opportunity to discover the divine face of the light!’
I like the positivity in this quote by Mehmat Murat Ildan the Turkish novelist
Acknowledging the shadow behind the light is understanding the duality of creation and valuing the balance and harmony in every moment .
Savvy
10 Life Skills that you need to master.
1. Managing Changes
Change management is an important component of life skills. Often loneliness is felt at different phases of life
Overcome the fear of being alone. Life teaches many challenging lessons. But most of all know that nothing is permanent Change is the order of nature And if you ever find yourself at crossroads feeling deserted lonely or lost without any loved one , fear not, as there are many who may be feeling so amidst company.
Develop hobbies and a sense of purpose that you are passionate about. And you will never feel alone a single moment in your life .
2 Art of patience:
Everything has a time and reason. Like nature teaches us time and time again, nothing can be hurried without a repercussion. And all comes in course of time.
Cultivating Patience is the key to mastering burden of procarasitation by others.
3 Letting go . Let past go and do not dwell on it. Work to balance the holding back & the letting go with discretion and discernment.
4 Managing Expectations
The world does not owe you anything infact you owe it much.Managing people’s expectations and your own requires some clear boundary setting by you for your own sanity. Dont expect immediate results and ease up to master expectations.
5 People Management
All cannot be pleased by you and neither should you try pleasing all. Managing Self involves learning to say no when you feel it deeply. You cannot live a life pleasing others . Putting your health and self care on priority is a duty to the life within you. You have every right to be happy and healthy. Self care is never a selfish act.
6 Self Control & Self Discipline
Both help and aid you to progress towards Self control than to control all around you. You may not be able to control everything and every one’s behavior. But remember you are completely in charge of your own behavior.
7 Empathy :
Empathise with your problems but there is no need to over sympathize and feel sorry for your yourself. Accept that you may have emotionally weak moments which may drain you but know it moves on. So you dont need to stay there in your thoughts hurting yourself.
You may feel and go through bouts of tears envy anger jealousy and they can be at times to heal you through or counter productive for you depending on the intensity but these self pitying moments in your thoughts come as you are only human, but you have free will and intention on your side and it is duty and right, for you owe to yourself to let these go as they came and not drown yourself with these thoughts. So pull out yourself out of the down spiralling thought road.
8 Responsibility :
Being responsible includes making an effort to finish work entrusted in a timely manner as well as in an efficient manner. Strive to improve your potential. Know where, why, when, how and for what to use your own personal energy and strengthen yourself engaging and involving in worthwhile company and causes.
9 Moderation :
Moderation in behaviour
Your thoughts result in actions
Strive to cultivate a balanced approach in extreme circumstances which may seem truly challenging.
Express your opinions tactfully address the situation mindfully & he(artfully) as you integrate the wisdom of the heart and mind conciousness.
10 Resilience
Life is different for each of us. So move ahead knowing that every day challenges come for a reason that is best not revealed now . Have faith hope belief and trust in your being. There is always a reason why things happen the way they do . Do not give up hope in your failures as they are harbringers of hope and wisdom to create a more evolved you.
Remember every failure is a step to chisel and sculpt away to a better you.And most of all make your life worth living.
Savvy
Self mastery is art of life living
In self control and self discipline
In discerning for the self
In dedicated focus
In balancing and regulating thoughts and emotions
On what matters most!
In the continuing battle
Between the heart and mind
Between feelings and logic
Of thoughts and emotions
Between expression of emotions
And restraint in rationality
Between thinking and doing
Often creating extreme experiences & situations.
If one can practice self control consistently…
One can master anything.
Savvy
In the midst of the moments…
So many ways to sense peace
In the serenity of tranquility
In the calm of quietude
In the stillness of silence.
In the repose of ease
In the joy of contentment.
In the bliss in this now.
Savvy
Saw this post and I was struck by the truth of these words.
In fact what made me post this is that I have carried this exact feeling of being truly alive whenever I have danced.
In fact I had captured it years ago in a set of verses dedicated to dance and the way I feel about it .I had summarized it to this very same concept of being alive.
Am sure if there are other dancers reading this post they would agree,
“To dance is to be alive to this now… “
Savvy
Life presents new paths at every turn
Every now has new learnings.
The trick is to be present in this moment
To understand the evolving perspectives
To be one, with the changes that manifests
Be present. Be adaptable. Be receptive!
Savvy
A prayer is a bow of acceptance.
A prayer is a joyous amalgamation to the divine within.
Savvy
For all artists, thoughts are the treaure troves of creative enterprise, to choose those from which to create from, are also thoughts that help pick tools for the infinite paths of expression.
The ability to express or create art is a gift.
A Gift of Grace.
To respect the gift of creativity …. is to express gratitude and use it in empowering ways.
To be able to express and convey is to be able to let go without doubts of disbelief.
To be ready and willing to share helps boosts the sense of self confidence and self worth.
Take time to appreciate the grace of your gift , as you make a difference in your own unique way!
Savvy
Irony Of Middle Management
One of the common concerns of any scaling team is that while the stakeholders ensure themselves with a great set of leadership and they in turn recruit a battalion of teams under them to do the work, there is one lacuna…the chaos and confusion in the middle management!
The disenchanted middle management scenario is a result of widening gaps in communication and connection between the managers and themselves.
Often, great work done by the team goes without credit, buried under the hierarchy structure and lack of appreciation.
Second, despite ability in the teams and readiness to accomplish good work, there is a lot of confusion about what to do as there is no clarity passed on to them from their managers.
It is clearly indicative of how important it is for the leadership team to share the purpose of why they are doing what they do…and how the message needs to be passed on with the same passion to every member of the teams, no matter the number of layers adding up in the middle.
This is how you reinstate ownership and accountability, which is paramount to the efficiency of the teams.
Unfortunately, much of what is conveyed to the managers from the top in terms of the purpose is typically withheld from teams, for the manager may not personally value the significance of the message for teams reporting to them to understand. It becomes less and less significant in their discussions. And that is where a gamut of internal communications issues show up.
What will you do
When you do not have a purpose
You stop steering…
As there is no winds of motivation to sail your course.
In the case of the middle managers sandwiched in between, they soon have no sense of purpose, they are frequently found working in circles without direction.
They may seem busy doing mundane chores to fill their workdays, and go back home every day a little more disengaged and disconnected with the system.
In my professional career as a Consultant & having been involved in the organizational development up close, I have encountered such scenarios where the value of transparency in teams in their shared work as well as the vision & purpose of the leader is regularly lost in the daily rut of routine. Between filling forms and answering mails, much of the work today has become impersonal.
I believe the role of the middle management is crucial in managing change, for they can bridge the gap between expectations from the strategic objectives and key results set from the top to match with the speed and efficiency of actual day-to-day activities’ integration.
An engaged, informed, and knowledgeable middle management would mean a lot to the stability of a growing organization. It is a huge balancing act between managing to sustain through the changes and managing policies practices and procedures ensuring compliance and come away stronger.
It is important for the key stakeholders to have a conversation that sets clarity on the value for the middle management in the system and expectations from them.
They need to know how much interconnected they actually are in driving changes. They also need to become more self-aware and understand the intricacies of working beyond biases and prejudices that may come along while they understand the power structure of their respective organization.
Beyond good communication skills, they will have to develop their expertise in networking with their seniors as well as their teams.
The responsibility on the middle management is demanding as the role is expanding to include the implementation of changes in the system as well as managing the cultural changes.
This can happen best when the senior management is aware of the challenges faced by the middle management, like time in planning to execution. They can best help fasten this process by direction support and feedbacks while realizing the strategic value of the middle managers.
Every level of management is intrinsically interwoven and important to the whole. In recognizing their individual strengths as well working in the spirit of collaboration, teams begin to evolve.
What do you think of the prevailing practices at work?
Savvy Raj
Logically
There is always a reason
For things as they are
For people to be who they are
For time to be as is
So dont worry!
Just be happy…
Savvy
Our Gardens Gift
Taro Or Arbi in Hindi
Every morning I try and spend some time in my terrace garden by myself, and I am often delighted by a gift or two from nature’s amazing abundance.
This morning I came across a refreshing sight of this plant growing right below our beautiful mango tree. I was compelled to use Google lens for more on this plant and found out it is Taro or what is commonly called Arbi in Hindi.
Here is a little bit more I read about this beautiful plant reaching out with a generous spread of leaves.
Taro is a starchy root vegetable that has a sweet, nutty flavor—a flavor and texture that seems a combination of chestnuts and potatoes. Taro can be steamed, boiled, fried, stir-fried, baked, and braised. It is often added to soups and stews where it absorbs fatty juices and serves as a nutty thickener.
It’s hard to describe taro flavor using other flavors. It is known to have a sweet taste with a hint of vanilla. People usually consume its edible corm and leaves. The corms, which have a light purple color due to phenolic pigments,are roasted, baked or boiled. The natural sugars give a sweet, nutty flavor. The starch is easily digestible, and since the grains are fine and small it is often used for baby food.
Young taro leaves and stems can be eaten after boiling twice to remove the acrid flavor. The leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C and contain more protein than the corms.
In its raw form, the plant is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate, and the presence of needle-shaped raphides in the plant cells. However, the toxin can be minimized and the tuber rendered palatable by cooking, or by steeping in cold water overnight (Source Wiki)
Interesting information on Taro.
Do you know more about Taro, do you have a taro plant in your garden? Would love to hear more.
Savvy
Today morning I happened to read my mother’s musings… which was written back in time on life. I share it here for I think it comes across as a relevant reminder for a pause in reflection.
No one is without faults.
To err is human, to forgive is divine.
Perfection in our speech, appearance, behaviour & habits are all our wants. But is it possible? Being wrong, doing wrong things, saying inappropriate words,-intentionally or not -is all in our nature. Do we realise, we too can be wrong sometimes , before pointing others.
Forgiving, if not forgetting is also in
in our nature. But how many of us are ready to do that. It is because of our ego and pride, putting ourselves first, comes before everything.
There is a proverb in Tamil. ” Even elephants can slip. ” How much ever perfect, one tends to be, mistakes happen many ways knowingly or unknowingly. If we keep this in mind , forgiving others, accepting people with their faults becomes easier.
Each is born & brought up differently. Values & principles change as per their culture , beliefs, situations and circumstances. Being stubborn & sticking to our thoughts , narrows our outlook of the world.
When we widen our spectrum, understanding & accepting others as they are, becomes much easier.
When we shift our perspective a little & start looking from other’s eyes, our shortcomings will become visible. Let’s be true n honest in our judgements.
We all need to co exist . Criticism, unless asked, distances us. Instead of accusations , appreciation & acknowledgement will bring us closer to each other. After all peace is what all of us want.
Above all we all are born with different nature by birth which is hard to change. We cannot change the stripes of a zebra. Acceptance & adjustment to a certain level is the road to peaceful co- existence.
So to have good relationships
Forget.
If not forgive
Accept
If not adjust.
We need not be divine. But need not be fault finders too. As fellow human beings , with erring in our nature, let’s all strive to live peacefully & happily acknowledge each other as they are.
Anjana
A poignant tale of a little child sensing the favoritism by her own father was shared by my friend Ali Anani in his post….
Here are my reflections on this post… which I had initially shared with him privately but then realized that perhaps it needs to be read and understood in the larger context of the trials and tribulations in life and living..
Truth has a way of baring open the wounds of the heart and mind on its path of healing the hurt.
For truth is on its own path of self correction in this world.
For unfairness and
Injustice has to somedayfind justice
Exclusion to inclusion
Doubts to clarity.
When truth speaks
In one way or another
It is important to listen
In empathy without judgements
Truth speaks as it is
In all of innocence
Or in wisdom of awareness.
And yet…
Innocence can be daunting to handle . But addressing the truth one way or the other
Leads to discoveries of how little we know or of what is sensed & perceived.
In the story that my friend shared…here are instances of lack of inclusion in a family
Where in one day there is marked difference in the way the father speaks,
When the child says
Why are you speaking to me…
Interesting to note that you perceived the young child as witty
Whereas another may perceive it as defiance,or even an evidence of an awareness of lack of inclusion and discrimination at this household in the young child’s mind.
And that she is voicing it in all of innocence.
What would be of significance is how the father addresses this brewing disconnect.
Lack of love can be a difficult phase at any age especially for a child.
Let’s trust the universe to show the way for this child to receive what she is yearning for one way or another.
May every life be able to sense love and live life lovingly.
Savvy
The blessed touch of kindness
In thoughts, words & in deeds
Can transform the moments in every now…
Choose kindness always.
The blessed touch of kindness makes an ordinary day blessedly beautiful 😊
Savvy
The soul knows the truths…
Yet the spirit is untamed.
To understand the wisdom.
It is important to create space
To allow learning to take place.
Humility is dormant
When ego is dominant.
Humility is patience in waiting
Invoking wisdom in humility
Savvy
Savvy Raj 
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