Creativity | Savvy Raj

January 21, 2020
by Savvy Raj 1 Comment

Birthing ideas

A beautiful post on Germination of Ideas by my dear friend Ali Anani brought me to spring forth with some of my reflections.

Birthing ideas…

Ideas find their own way to germinate
At times they stay dormant almost invisible and untraceable.
And sometimes they emerge out of nowhere
As if they have a mind all their own.

So whether there are plenty of ideas or one is starved of ideas.
It matters not where they originated from…if it is the mind or heart spaces.
But it matters what path they take how they are applied?
What seeds they sprout in the emergence?

And yet, an idea that remains undeveloped, unappreciated today becomes a genius breakthrough someday.

On too much and too less

Too much of liberty and free will
At times may lead to aimless explorations and confusions.
Too less freedom leads to slavery and subjugation.
Too much thinking can create stress and be overwhelming
Too many ideas can be hard to contain.
Too little fodder for thoughts leads to bland existence.
It’s our choice actually…
Are we to live or simply exist?

Is there a paradox of enrichment?

Is overdoing a crime
To answer this, I ask
Is there bad in the good and good in the bad?
Too much of anything will lose its charm and character.
Appreciation declines and contentment reduces.

As it all turns to excess!

So I believe in equanimity that comes in finding equilibrium
Moderation is the key.
Too much sadness is unbearable
Too much happiness may lead to boredom.
For in too much of the good times
Values are lost and things are taken for granted.

Let there be a balance
In thoughts words and deeds
So there is neither depression of deprivations
Nor extravagance in enrichments.

Guess like ideas find their way to shoot in suitable time in time.

Like life itself, ideas also know how to balance and counterbalance themselves in life and living.

Life itself is a great idea after all!

What say, aren’t you one?🙂👍

Savvy

January 20, 2020
by Savvy Raj 8 Comments

Sweet moments.

January 19, 2020
by Savvy Raj 6 Comments

Heaven knows

Came across this beautiful picture share

And couldn’t help take a second glance

Credits go to the photographer fully for this amazing photograph.

Leaving me to question in awe

Is this a piece of heaven on earth?

Leading me to another question

Is heaven in a piece of your soul

Sought to be sighted in some faraway land?

Perhaps it’s nearer home.

Not milky ways away.

Heaven is the gasp of breath you take.

Heaven is in the tree of life.

Heaven is full of hope and wonder.

Heaven grounds you home or leaves you awestruck.

Heaven speaks from the heart.

For heaven knows …

Have you found your piece of heaven?

Trust yourself you will know it.

Savvy

Image credits to the unknown photographers

January 17, 2020
by Savvy Raj 3 Comments

Are you You?

We all have our good and bad days.

We can seem totally confident and be raring to go one day and feel completely strained and stressed out on another day.

We are only human and its perfectly ok to feel so.

We don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

It’s our life and we have just this life and this moment with us, if we are not living with joy in our heart then perhaps we have some questions we need to answer for ourselves.

Ask yourself these questions honestly…

Do you dare to be as you are?

Do you express yourself without doubts and fears?

Do you mince words, avoid stepping forward, play too safe

That you hardly dare to live your life?

Do you wear what you like?

Feel comfortable with what you wear

Or choose to conform to fashion trends or what’s expected of you?

Do you eat with all your heart?

Do you binge or fast in guilt or insecurity?

Or do you care to nourish and nurture yourself with food?

Do you check your weight?

To be sure you are in a healthy range.

Or do you find yourself too often on the scales, almost every day?

Do you dare to speak your mind,

To voice what’s in your heart.

Or shut up in fear of ridicule, of what others will say?

Do you measure your words to talk

In fear of being judged or criticized.

Or…to be the best version of you.

Are you happy in your skin

Do you care about your appearance

To the extent that it ruins your day

Or to feel good for yourself.

Remember you are most beautiful when you wholeheartedly accept the way you are.

Do you wake up because you have to?

Or do you have the joy of waking up…

To a new dawn in the hope of possibilities.

Make this moment special the best you can as you are.

Remember every moment in every day is a challenge

It sometimes gets easier or even tougher in the ups and downs.

It’s all in your journey and the way you take.

You have the power to choose your path

The choice is with you

To groan or be grateful

To make it bitter or better

It’s all up to you now!

Choose well!

Savvy

January 15, 2020
by Savvy Raj Leave a comment

An ode to the trees

It’s not how green or young you are
It is not if you have bloomed or not.

It is the grace as you grow whatever the shape.
It is in how your presence fills the air.

You are born of wisdom
And the faith of the seed as you were sown.

We reap the bounties of nature through you
My deepest reverence to the truth of the trees
Savvy

January 14, 2020
by Savvy Raj 5 Comments

Special to be ordinary!

Simply outstanding & thoughtworthy.

This message may change one’s attitude!

Do read it !!

1. Name the 3 wealthiest people in the world 2019.

2. Name the last 3 winners of the Miss Universe.

3. Name the last 3 people who won the Nobel Prize for Physics.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remembers the headlines of yesterday !!

Even though these people must be the best in their fields !!

Applause dies !!

Awards are tarnished and
achievements
are forgotten …..!!

Here’s another quiz:

Let’s see how this goes:

1. Name 3 Teachers who added your journey through school.

2. Name 3 friends who helped you through difficult times.

3. Name 3 people who taught you something worthwhile.

4. Name 3 people who make you feel special.

5. Name 3 People you enjoy spending time with.

Easier…..right?😊

The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with prestigious awards and loads of money !!

Life is full of ordinary people who have made the world a better place for you !!

Cherish them !!

Hold Them Tight !!

Perhaps sometimes it’s ‘Special’ to be ‘Ordinary’ !!!👌👍

January 13, 2020
by Savvy Raj Leave a comment

Meeting Personalities

Meetings are great learning spaces…

Here are some interesting observations from office group meetings.

Office meetings are no different
From groups of human getting together
Human behaviour has an extensive range.
From shy to extroverted, bold to introverted
Myriad patterns of personalities
Manifest in business meetings.

There are those totally in charge
Setting the tones driving the agenda
There are those who are out to showcase skills at every opportunity.
There are others who are peacebuilders.
There are facilitators who are also great delegators.
They are resourceful in the absence of a leader.
There are those brimming with enthusiasm.
They are the ice breakers who reduce tensions.
There are the creativity enhancers.
They step beyond the box and think.
They can bring tangible and intangible to light.
They can be ambiguous or realistic in views.
There are contributors who just say a few words which make people rethink.
They may have voiced their opinion only after much thought.
There are those who blether on and on without consideration for others.
For, they love to be the centre of attention.
They forget it is a meeting with a time & agenda.

Then there are the team players who actually enjoy meetups.
They are adaptable, versatile and happy to help.
They are the bond that binds one and all.

They are juxtaposed with the reserved and silent ones.
They are those who are uncomfortable with the attention.
They are the wallflowers who may have many views but are quiet in a group.
They are great to tap into to hear alternate views.

Have you noticed those who are physically there in a meeting but yet not there?
They are lost in a realm of their own
They are wanderers who are free spirits actually.
They hate to be restrained in one space for even a while.
There is just one issue they hardly pay attention and hence may be unproductive at meetings.

Have you also met the pessimistic who always think it won’t work?
They can bring down the spirits and the morale of an entire team.
There are also the argumentative who always have a counter view without thinking.

Then come to the detail-oriented
Who never leave anything to chance.
They come prepared and are diligent.
They are at risk of seeming too intense.
They, however, can pinpoint the errors.
Their questions can bring clarity to the team.
Finally, there are those who rarely attend.
They saunter in without an agenda.
They have no idea what the meeting is all about.
They have never bothered to find out either.
They still can be channelised through proper directions.

Lastly, let’s watch out for perpetual latecomers.
They always may come in full of excuses but with the right interventions & time management skills.

They can be great contributors…

How many of these types have you observed in your office meetings?

Every person is unique, & likewise, every meeting is thus equally unique.
Through a positive approach, when utilized in the right way for the right skills…
Everyone can then, greatly contribute to the productivity of a meeting.

Savvy

January 12, 2020
by Savvy Raj 2 Comments

Making people feel special!

In my earlier stint of working in the aviation industry, I had the privilege of working with a multitude of passengers day in and day out.

Handling VIP passengers, tough customers and dealing with difficult situations was an everyday affair. But it taught me patience and adaptability on the job and most importantly how to maintain a cool and pleasant disposition no matter the time of the day or the shift you are in.

Beyond the glamour were the grind and the rigours of the conformity in the service industry.

However, there were some amazing takebacks & learnings for a lifetime with regards to people management especially customer service.

Sharing a few thoughts on Customer Care:

The best way to express customer care and what you can give any customer is your undivided attention.
It can be in the form of kind words, pleasant voice, empathetic smiles, nods and eye contact that work to show that you understand their needs or issues.

Psychologically it is equivalent to giving personal time, it aids to comfort people, reassure them, and make them feel good especially in moments of crisis, delays or disappointments.

Remember to avoid mechanical responses, choosing some people as favourites and treating them better.
Aim to treat every one of your customers as important.

Be understated and avoid embarrassing the client with too much emphasis on the care you are giving. Aim to be classy and not overly effusive that it looks unnatural. Customers may even start apologizing for taking your time…

Aim to do your best every time. Your customers may not remember how you did it but remember you made them feel special. And that goes a long way!

Savvy

January 10, 2020
by Savvy Raj 5 Comments

Life is as you make it!

This is a beautiful painting by my dear artistic friend Rupa from India.

Am visiting France currently, so I happened to send her a photo in the morning of a beautiful magpie on the street in Rennes. Her brushes waxed eloquent on the canvas and painted the beautiful being in my heart for eternity.

Yesterday as I was speaking to a senior faculty at a university here who also nurses a similar interest in painting and photography I was so happy to share my friend’s work with her… I believe love for art and creativity is such a beautiful way to connect with life.

Thank you, dear friend, for taking the effort… it’s such a lovely first impression.💙🤗💙

One who knows the worth of life cannot afford to waste even a single moment of life.

Every step you take towards a more meaningful life for you, makes life worth living in it.

Savvy

January 9, 2020
by Savvy Raj 1 Comment

When wisdom flows

It sees no borders that bound

Humanity speaks for itself

Beyond the east or west

To let go of the trivial niggles

In the unity of understanding.

Of the bigger picture…

There is much wisdom in integration, in finding meaning in the divergences.

What a poet relates to the truth in humanity.

What a scientist relates with theories of relativity

Are all drawn from the same well,

Of cosmic vibrations,

Of conscious awareness,

Of the eternal truths of life.

Where wisdom flows

There is Universal consciousness

Savvy

Here is a beautiful conversation I came across between the great minds, of Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore…..when the two met and spoke at length.

Do take time to read this interesting dialogue between them in this article link below.

Tagore and Einstein in conversation

January 8, 2020
by Savvy Raj 3 Comments

Tall trees…

A photograph by Savvy Raj @France

Umpteen number of years gone by
Though I lost the count,
Nature got it etched on my trunk.
I can’t remember when I was a seed or sapling.
Today I stand tall being a witness to the passing seasons.
I wither and flourish,
With each passing year
My branches multiply tall and wide.
Though my hands try to reach the passing clouds…

My roots stand firmly grounded on the earth.
My secret of longevity
I adapt to Nature
Withering in Autumn
Clad in the snow in Winter
Rising to be alive with Rains
Flourishing in Spring.
Though I may look barren at times
My creeper friends cloth me in green
Till my canopy is filled with greens.
To nurture and nourish withstanding Time.

Anjana

I am truly happy to share the above verses for this is one of my mother’s impromptu poems written in a flow, just a while ago, after I shared the above photo of a tree that I was drawn to capture with her.

Tall trees that seem to touch the sky …
devoid of leaves and blue skies with silver puffs of clouds floating by…

I am currently in France and while sitting in a bus stand admiring a tree at a distance, I decided to take this photo as I found myself drawn to capturing the vision of the sky from the ground below through the branches as a canopy of sorts.

Every manifestation of life is beautiful and significant in its own way. We often assume that a tree devoid of leaves is barren and ignore it. Yet there is so much to see and learn, respect & reflect from it.

I loved the above poem by her for many reasons one of which is because, it reflects the wisdom of nature, that flows through us all maintaining balance and sustaining us in life and living.

Savvy

January 7, 2020
by Savvy Raj 1 Comment

Gift of Gentleness

A gift of gentleness

Could never go wrong

Such is the strength of sublimity.

When wrapped in the warmth of kindness

When sent as a gift in goodwill

And sealed with heartfelt love and gratitude.

Soft is the way of the gentle at hearts.

Soft is the strength of the soul within.

How gentle are you?

Savvy

January 6, 2020
by Savvy Raj 2 Comments

Art of Management

Here are 5 R’s of Coaching

& Conflict Resolution.

Recognize
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. So a team or an organization is more than just the number of individual members put together.

Reframe

To bring different factions into consideration and consensus it is necessary to reframe the issues in a more inclusive way that speaks for one and all. It is important to validate the needs and apprehensions of all to find common ground.

Reconcile:
All are parts of an interdependent system.
So every move impacting one will impact one and all.

Remember :
The strength is in the interconnects.

So think beyond the immediate self and work towards envisioning & understanding the larger picture.

Resolve :

Be inclusive and expansive.

Be mindful to be positively impactful.

In every organization whenever there is a need to examine the pressing issues of individual human nature and/ or behavior in a team and come to a resolution, it is mindful to be aware of the surfacing of hidden dynamics at play in communication and its impact on personal /professional relationships.

Any mediation is, after all, a process of balancing the ways of engaging, managing and productively finding resolutions that can help make a positive difference towards peace and goodwill.

Savvy

January 4, 2020
by Savvy Raj Leave a comment

Art of Management

Overcome Bias

We are humans working in teams together and we are all vulnerable to conscious assumptions and unconscious bias within us.
So how can we work on uncovering our own bias that we may hold within and let it go.
Surfacing a bias within us takes effort and engagement and employment of the ability to forgive.