It’s never just about existence
There is always more
To life and living.
Something in the offing
Something in the sensing
Something that’s not yet palpable
To think we exist for ourselves
Is to have never existed to all
Forget about living life.
We thrive most
When we help each other thrive
That way we sustain our thriving
Life is meant to be lived & loved
For all that matters in the end is
Have we lived or just existed?
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
Silence reveals the truths in time
Silence speaks volumes without a word
Silence is the recovery period between two breaths
Silence dwells in every moment waiting for acknowledgement.
Silence ensures the moments of discernment when emotions rule.
Silence hears the unspoken words and feels the unexpressed thoughts.
Silence hones the wisdom within
Respect the freedom of silence as much as the freedom for expression.
Savvy
Silence dwells in the spaces between the steps to access whenever.
Silence leads and the path appears.
Trust the lessons learned in silence.
Savvy
There is something endearing about dancing with a partner, it’s the power to attract another magnetically and charmingly interact with another’s energy and spirit through dance movement.
A prerequisite to dancing well is one’s ability to take an emotional journey and open oneself and to share and connect to another’s energies .This is what engages the audience and keeps them enthralled. It’s beyond the physicality of steps, patterns, touch, or even the right dance hold or dance frame. It’s in the ability to dance with space, time, yet in complete awareness of one another’s heart of movement.
I had an opportunity to experience this just the other day when I witnessed all of this and more in Rohini (my mother’s friend actually) a family friend of many years .
I have known her to be a simple religious and a happy go lucky person who also may have been through much personal turmoil like so many others but yet has managed a cheerful disposition every time I met her.
Her characteristic sunny nature would never give away the strife behind the smile. The occasion was her 25 th wedding anniversary that I got invited to , and as we reached the venue the couple were at the dais, very understated , a picture of simplicity & composure.
The evening took off, with all their close friends having some wonderful and touching things to say about them both.
There was a small dance floor which soon got filled up with people who were initially hesitant As the music filled the air many more of us started getting into the groove and dancing. And then I saw her, it was her in her element, dancing from her heart and soul. It was fantastic to see her energetic dancing in full display for the all to see , Her ever calm and composed husband seemed mesmerized by all the fun moves she did .
In fact everyone was charmed by her passion and for that moment I realized just then that her joyful dancing soul had peeped out from the depths of it all.
Kudos to her for keeping the spirit of dancing alive in her through all these years .God bless!
Dancing from the heart always counts more than perfection of steps. And that’s the ultimate challenge… To keep the mind open, ready, receptive, giving and simple enough, to dare to step out of comfort zones.
My salute to this dancing soul !
Savvy Raj
Sharing these inspiring lines…
You are not what happened to you
You are how you handle it.
What makes you handle life’s challenges well?
What is that in you that makes you bridge over troubled waters?
What makes you sail through your troubles?
It is your own faith, trust,belief and most importantly hope that keeps you alive.
For hope is unending!
Looking back at life’s challenges
If you were to see things
With the element of time
Yesterday it may have mattered a great deal.
Today things are different
Perceptions change altering our perspectives.
And we learn to see the bigger picture
And then we give and take.
And learn to receive and let go.
And life goes on!
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
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
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
Sharing my mother’s poem today.
It is not about what we are having or doing.
It is about how we are feeling.
It is about how we make others feel.
It is not about where or how we are staying
It is about with whom we are staying.
It is not about where and what we have studied.
It is about what we are speaking.
It is about the tone of our talking.
It is not about the form or attire we are wearing.
It is about the approach & attitude we are having.
We live not with the luxuries of life
But with the state of our mind , our constant companion.
One word, or one stare has the power to change the whole state of mind, irrespective of the surrounding.
Being aware & having the right attitude in this ever changing life and making them positive ones is within one’s reach.
All it needs is the effort to make even the harsh moments to consoling n soothing moments with the right words & approach.
Yes. It needs a lot of training n conditioning to change the mind set, to walk the right path.
Yet it is worth trying as it brings peace n happiness to self & others.
Ultimately it is what we all are seeking. Right?
Ok to work. Better being silent is the best answer.
Never get hurt of insults. Take it as a way to move forward in life. It will strengthen you.
If you are not ready to adjust in life sometimes, you may have to suffer for a longer time.
Never be in awe of anyone.if you are awestuck you will be always a step behind them.
Never wish to live like others. You will loose your peace in the process.
Never compare yourself with others. It will end up in hating yourself.
Do not give much importance to other’s criticism. Then you will never live for yourself.
Being practical in approach makes life easier.
Sow the seeds of love, happiness, trust & success. They will come back in plenty. That is Nature’s Law.
If you want to know the value of your parents, live with your relatives for some.
If you want to know the value of relations live without money with them.
Never hesitate to try again. If you win it will take you to the next level. If you loose it will teach you a life lesson. Perseverance makes everything possible.
You have to cross many rejections to achieve success.
Anjana
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
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
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
Savvy Raj 
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