Cage not the heart
Of those who dream of the yonder
Beyond the clouds, over the hills
Far across the horizon their soul
belongs.
Savvy
Sharing my artwork here with my musings on Peace.
In the forest of your mind
Wanders many creatures
Of thoughts,
Great and small
Playing the game
Vying for attention
Fighting for Survival
To be heard and to be listened to
To be acted upon and manifest itself.
Your history and future
Dancing a tango with each other
In this present moment
But in-between and betwixt…
There is a space of quiet
Of all pervading calm
Within lies a lake of stillness
Or call it a pool of peace.
A watering hole of wisdom
A centering space of simplicity
As all illusory creations of the mind
Partake in a regeneration.
As the thoughts refresh themselves
The mind collects itself once more
All is Serene and tranquil inches now
Peace pools in and life evolves…
Savvy
You may not get everything you dream about, but you will never get anything you don’t dream about.”
– William James
The Power of Your Dreams
Makes the subconscious
A conscious reality.
Dare to dream
Selflessly with all of you!
To create a life
Of beautiful moments!
Savvy
To all the ‘Crazy Busy’ Bossy kind of People, who say and feel they don’t have time…
For anything or anyone anymore!
If you don’t have time for your near and dear ones
You are perhaps indifferent and are taking people for granted.
Be cautious…Patience runs out of time!
If you are always dominant and intimidating by nature
People will follow you only by force and not from their hearts.
Be careful for soon they will become indifferent to your rants.
If you speak cutting people off mid-sentence.
You may be showing you are the boss
But people never appreciate not being listened to.
They will never turn up to you with suggestions.
All you will be harboring will be
The ‘Yes men ‘… think about it!.
If you have never walked along with your partner or your child or a pet dog…
Perhaps you should rethink if you have truly appreciated life’s moments you have had.
The joy of walking with another is a beautiful blessing only known to the ones who take a walk.
If you have never had time in your life
To do the things you wanted
And you keep giving excuses that if I had it this way I would do that…
Perhaps, you must realize life is best lived, doing what you love.
No one told you to sit it out.
If you feel you have little time
You are the reason.
You are still alive!
Take a step.
You have the way to change its course the way you choose!
Savvy
Here is a beautiful story from India…
During one of his travels, Kalidasa (the Great Poet) felt very thirsty and looked around for water. He saw a woman drawing water from a well.
He went up to her and asked her for water. She agreed to give him water, but asked him, “Who are you? Introduce yourself.”
Now Kalidasa thought that an ordinary village woman was not worthy of knowing who Kalidasa was. So he said, “I am a traveller.”
But his lady replied, “In this world there are only 2 travellers – the Sun and the Moon. Both Rise and Set every day and keep travelling perpetually.”
Then Kalidasa said, “Alright then, I am a guest.” The lady promptly replied, “In this world there are only 2 guests – Youth and Wealth … both are temporary and hence can only be called as guests.”
Intrigued Kalidasa said, “I am a Tolerant person (sahansheel vyakti).” Now the lady replied, “In this world only 2 truly know the meaning of Tolerance – Bhoomi (Earth) and Tree. How much ever you stamp the earth or throw stones at the tree (for the fruits), both continue to nurture us.”
Now Kalidasa was completely perplexed. He said, “Fine. I am a stubborn person (hatavaadi).” The lady smiled and said, “There are only 2 truly stubborn personalities – our nails and our hair. We keep cutting them non-stop, but they continue to grow.”
Kalidasa had been patient so far, but now in anger he said, “I am a fool”. Now the lady gave a wide smile and said, “There are only 2 kinds of fools in this world – a King who rules without having any capability or knowledge & a Minister who is a sycophant to such a King and lavishes praises on such a useless king.”
Kalidasa realised that he had been outsmarted. He fell at the feet of the lady and when he touched her feet and then got up, whom did he see?
Mother Saraswati – the Goddess of Learning and Wisdom. She said, “Kalidasa, you are wise. But only if you know yourself do you become a Manushya (human being). A person without any awareness of self has not reached the pinnacle of being a Human.
Note:
The Guru who recounted this story in His Teachings said, “Children should become a Manushya & know themselves. More than teaching them how to earn more money and become rich, parents should teach them to become aware of themselves and become better Human beings.
Wouldn’t you agree?
What do you think of this ancient story and its relevance to our education today?
How far have we really come with the so called knowledge?
What legacy will we really be leaving behind for our children tomorrow?
When can we bridge this growing gap between learning for knowledge and learning for understanding?
How can we transform our methods of education where we educate not just the mind but also the human heart?
For the truth is that…
Humanity needs us all to be humane more than ever before to survive!
Savvy
Here are my musings to support the
Qualities of a Leader mentioned by the esteemed and the honourable Dr Abdul Kalam Azad.
All these are valuable qualities in leadership.
A Visionary:
Without knowing where to lead the followers how can a leader execute his plan?
Equanimity
Without being able to be balanced in equanimity in both actions and attitude, how can a leader be able to ride the storms and manifest the changes in the challenges?
Nobility
Without enabling the heart and mind to be transparent to each other, how can a leader be synched in the decisions taken?
An Explorer
Without being open to an explorer’s mindset how can the leadership survive in this cutthroat world?
A decision maker
Without a focused approach and timely decisions taken with courage how can leadership know what to do ahead?
Integrity:
Without a sense of honesty and morality how can the leader lead others?
And I love the wisdom in these words. For this is what to me, is the sign of a great leader.
Peace
Whenever we get too drawn into the vortex of living life and whenever it starts to feel like a burden and like there is no lightness in the moments it is perhaps time to take a check on our own way of being. So today I am heart fully sharing my dear mother’s two bits on the way of peaceful life and living… I have re read it earlier for to balance my own thoughts as well.:))
Already a lot has been said and written about this. So many experts in different fields have shown so many ways to attain peace.
Peace- the ultimate human need even after reaching peaks of success in their fields. It eludes even the so called achieved souls.
Humans have various desires and find various ways to fulfill them.
Need for wealth, health, love, knowledge, family , status, fame, power, comforts… . the list goes on. To achieve them they go through various states of hardships n emotional turbulence . Perseverance, hard work, focus and luck help them to achieve their goals. But after attaining all these is one peaceful?
Unfortunately the more one gains, the greater is the loss of inner peace. Loads of pressure weighs down them.
The need for more never get satiated. Contentment is always on the other side of the river.Because our expectation keeps on increasing .
From childhood one has to live to the expectations of people surrounding them and in the process then they grow up, they start expecting the same from all around them .
Whichever field or whatever state they are, there is always expectations. Family , friend, society, teachers, work place, children, lifestyle, appearance, behavior befitting their age n status…expectations everywhere.; either by us or from us at all stages of our life. Again it is endless. Peace still eludes .
Like the most difficult puzzles have very simple solutions , life problems also can be simplified.
Simply working towards reducing and gradually ceasing the expecting from others or living to other’s expectations.
Be yourself , let others be themselves.
Never shy away from our duty or ignore social responsibilities or inner values. Doing without expectations. But it is not easy to transcend basic human nature. More than desires, our expectations not happening cause us more sorrow. All are not yogis or saints. But peace is ultimately desired by all. If every one adheres to practice non expectation, peace will befriend the surrounding .
Do your duty, Be dedicated, Be grateful , Be understanding ,Be helpful, Be kind and compassionate,
Be selfless , all without expectations.
Your due will come to you in its own time in its own way.
Such is Cosmic law.
No expectation –
No disappointment –
No arguments –
No disharmony –
Peaceful existence
With whomever or wherever one be, adopt, adjust & accept. Happiness & peace will follow.
When acceptance becomes our nature the rest become easier.
One word mantra to peace
Live, let live.
Stop Expecting.
Start Accepting.
Live happily.
I think these Seven Pieces of Advice from Rumi, always applies as a gentle reminder…as a way of being.
In generosity and helping others be like the river.
In compassion and grace be like the sun.
In concealing others’ faults be like the night.
In anger and fury be like the dead.
In modesty and humility be like the soil.
In tolerance be like the ocean.
Either you appear as you are or be as you appear.
Heal the world
The stories of the bygone are contained in the stone
For within, it holds the secrets of the past.
The fragile flower owns its freshness to this now
The Blossoming of the bloom is the present truth of time.
How delicate is life and yet so very powerful in potential
One life has the power to transform lives…
But our life carry us on, not backwards
But further into the future.
The good we can do today will impact the life we have in future.
Touch a life positively & make an impact.
Intend with the goodness of your soul.
Treat yourself and others well
For you are creating goodwill in every action
Speak well and share kindness.
Enthuse yourself and create cheer.
Smile through the moments
Live love laugh.
Help heal a life and you have helped heal the world .
Savvy
The ones who stayed away
Acted upon with wisdom
Instead of herd mentality.
Safe are the ones who stayed away.
Exercising precautions
Refusing participation in social gatherings.
Staying away from any crowded places
For the good of all.
Time to think beyond oneself.
Expand your heart and mind
Align the self to what is safe
For one and all today.
Stay away and stay safe!
Envision the beauty of alignment
Like when the bloom centers itself!
Like this leaf that presents a backdrop!
At the right place and time
Creating visual harmony!
Like life shaping itself in Synchrony!
Like life evolving into a perfect pattern
Exuding a sense of synchrony.
Savvy
Profound words of wisdom flows through these words and makes us understand the necessity of cultivating certain skills and developing abilities in life… for these abilities can hold us in good stead, no matter how life treats us.
Ability to flow but with fortitude
Ability to decide when to take a stand
Ability to appreciate & share kindness
Ability to distinguish needs and wants
Ability to respond with discernment
Ability to assert without arrogance
Ability to empathize in understanding
Ability to forgive and let go…
Ability to be flexible yet firm
Ability to accept and acknowledge
Ability to own up to our limitations.
Ability to balance our own being
Ability to laugh at ourselves
Ability to see the good in others
Ability to see the larger purpose
And most of all…
Ability to live life lovingly!
What are your thoughts on this ..do share if there are any more abilities you can think of.
Savvy
Setting up protocols is a tedious process
But once set, it makes things much easier.
When a team shares the same language they communicate effectively so protocols aid in communication.When rules procedures are set as the protocol to follow, workflow improves without hitches With protocols laid down like a step-by-step process every employee can have clarity on ways to address conflicts if any, and how to seek resolution.
Why is there a need and necessity of creating rules systems and follow protocols?
In the workplace, it can be a guideline for proper behavior at work and also can help prevent conflicts or protect from harassment.
With changing times and situations as they are, whether it’s a ‘Work from home or office’, netiquettes and manners can make a huge difference in the way businesses are run.
Every small exchange of interaction can make or mar the communication levels.
Setting up protocols and training modules can increase productivity and improve professionalism in conducting business.
Communication for Implementation
For protocols to be successfully implemented It has to be relevant and easy to understand. Often the rules can seem too confusing so communication is very crucial in getting protocols in place in any organization understood. And even more so in this changing world.
Standards and protocols when defined properly, can certainly help increase productivity at work. And as expectations are set and there is clarity for what methods are for the deliverables and the timeframes, there is greater ownership, attention and accountability in the organization to follow the procedures.
As a Consultant I have enabled teams across departments setup their systems in place as well as improvising on the set procedures , while making the required changes such that the process can work efficiently. Ensuring the protocols are followed is just as challenging as setting it up. However, it becomes easier when they are followed as a practice with checks and balances in all teams without too many exceptions to the rule, to support new employees to ease in to the system.
How important have Protocols been for your organization’s efficiency?
Have your teams been following through the set norms and have they been effective?
I would love to know. Do share.
Savvy
Savvy Raj 
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