Savvy Raj

Live Life Lovingly!


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Hope you dance…

To dance is to know

The feeling of being alive

To this now in your life

Being present with all of you

Listening and moving

To your own beating heart

For the music and rhythm

Is yours to own and sense.

To dance is to let go

Of the spurious and irrelevant

And reclaim the energy

That is yours to own.

And in that owning

You create moments

Worth living for…

Hope you dance!


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Asking & Giving

Beautiful thoughts

From an empathic mind.

That cares from the heart

Truly what use is giving

Without a need for the giving

As giving is a gift only

In the receiving

Else it’s just giving away

Without any takers

All is wasted.

So perhaps its alright to ask

Before you plan to give.

Savvy


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A space for you…

Is there  a space you love to be
Where you feel most you ?
Where there is respite from chaos
Where there is peace  for the sensing
What is that place for you ?


Your home or somewhere far away?
While I love people and enjoy my time with them
And infact get charged by some amazing conversations



I would also love to be by myself
By nature preferably walking
In the calm of a forest trail
Or perhaps on a winding road  uphill,
Would love to have a flowing river by my side
and most of all be surrounded  by trees


Or even up the mountains
Watching the world from a vantage view.
And then comes the  sandy beaches and sea
There are of course those moments  to cherish
With the whistling dunes

In all I would  love free spaces
where I could sense the earths energy undisturbed.
And be synched in for a while.
May be hugging a tree or an animal


Or walking by a beautiful stream
Or under a canopy of stars at night.
These are spaces for me
To connect deeply within.

How about you?

Savvy


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Smiles from the heart

‘Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.’
Paramahansa Yogananda

Have you smiled today?

When you smile from the heart

You begin to let go the spurious

You rise above apprehensions

And self created notions.

Smile from the heart ❤️

Savvy


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Just Breathe

Breathe deep in trust

Breathe well in faith

Breathe in peace

Let go uncertainty

Breathe in connectedness

Own your every breath

It’s yours to inhale & exhale.

Sense your breathe in balance

Reach out with confidence

Stay grounded in rootedness

In this now, witness

The present moment

For it makes all the difference

Just breathe…

Savvy


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Lift another life

You may try to aim for success

You may strive for your success

But success that really matters

Is the one that lifts up another

The one that changes lives

Where humanity thrives

Because every step, every action

Speaks louder than words.

Success stories are interweaved

In the tapestry of time

In the circle of life…

Lift another life

Savvy


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Gifts of Nature

Fruits and vegetables support existence . So important to cultivate gratitude for every bit that comes one’s way.

A gift of nature that was awaiting me at dawn from my terrace garden.

Gratitude and thankfulness to the fresh fruits and vegetables in nature🙏

Savvy


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Light & Dark

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


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Small Steps

Every little step in time matters.

A little step every time

Takes you closer to your goal

Without much of a challenge

Whereas more the distance

Between two steps

More the need for motivation

For continuous progress

In the case of little steps

There is always a little progress

In every small step forward.

You are steps ahead in time

In consistent balance.

Small steps together

Can make a big difference

In the sensing of success.

Savvy


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A prayer

A prayer is a bow of acceptance.
A prayer is a joyous amalgamation to the divine within.


Savvy


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Art of Management

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


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Its Logical!

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


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A passionate perseverance…

You become what you consistently  think about.
Would you agree?


From since I can remember I have been fascinated by movement and dance. With its power and applications in grace and dignity.

I had no plans to become a  dance educator but decades into dance and training  here I am still thinking  and writing  and dancing whenever I can.


Yes, you may have many other professional careers and  experiences in varied fields but the things you are deeply passionate about, you become and becomes you.


Be it any form of art of science  or anything in between yet unnamed…
You draw energy  and purpose  from it…
You feed from the very energy  in reference and reflection.
You transform yourself and your environment with the very same energy within in enthusiasm as you come from heartfelt abundance.

Savvy


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Taro

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


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Acknowledge as is!

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