Savvy Raj

Live Life Lovingly!

Category Archives: lifestyle


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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?šŸ™‚šŸ‘

Savvy


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Sweet moments.


Sometimes life gives you beautiful memories where you least expect it from.
Ā Or maybe all happens for a reason.
We were meant to meet!


A month back, work took me all the way to China. And while some industry visitsĀ were happening as scheduled, aĀ  small momentĀ of connectionĀ and conversationĀ resulted in great joy and camaraderie.
Met some very beautiful and loving hearts. We warmed up almost instantly with each other. We shared much about our cultures, our food and traditions.
We spoke to each other from the heart all with the help of a translator app.
It was such a beautiful flowing conversation. We circumvented language barriers although I spoke in English into the app and them in Chinese. It hardly came in the way. By the end of it what mattered was the joy that emerged. TheĀ beautifulĀ moments shared will always be treasured in my heart.

Thankful to the useful translator app that made it so simple. And helped create fond memories of that day!


Savvy


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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


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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


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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


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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


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Perfectly imperfect

If we only could understand
Our so-called imperfections
Are pieces in the giant puzzle
Of life and living
They are meant to match
Another jigsaw somewhere somehow.

We are meant to piece together
Collaborate and correlate
The meaning of life and living
Of existence beyond the bread & butter.
Of what makes us survive
In spite of the insurmountable.

If we could only begin to see
The beauty within us
We would learn to appreciate the beauty
That surrounds us.
We are perfectly defaulted
We are blessedly imperfect
As we are divinely manifested
To be the way we are.

We are but mirrors in the reflection
Across dimensions of space and time
Such is the eternal truth of our being.
We construct and deconstruct
In our imagined cosmos
The truth of our own existence.

We bounce and reflect our perspectives
In and on to each other.
We shine our brilliance.
We mirror perceptions.
We are vulnerable and yet volatile beings
Beaming energies boundlessly.
The task is to recognize the strength of our souls.
In our perfectly imperfect ways
We pattern our world along with us.
We are creation and creation is within us.
Our thoughts are powerful and with it
We are creating and altering the social structure of life itself.

Our world needs each of us.
To have our edges, sawed or not
Blunt or sharp
For actualising the purpose we are born for.
We are way bearers for the future
We are the torch and flame of life
Existence longing for itself.
Life can be fickle and yet very wise
The choice is ours to take.

Savvy