Professional 'You'

Is it all about being professional at office? Believe it isn't. They say – ‘You can never make friends in the professional world. You make friends at school/college and they stay with you forever’. Is this norm correct? Don’t people work at the corporate? Are they super-humans you can’t be friends with? Or is it that your thoughts are confined? They further say – ‘Complete your tasks & deliver the same in time. This should be your ultimate goal at the end of the day. Focus on what you do & forget about others’. Believe we were taught not to be selfish during schooldays. Are we not acting selfish NOW?

The Answers to the above questions are – Hey you, humans work in the corporate. Feel free to interact and make friends in there. The corporate world is meant not just for ‘Networking’ but to make long lasting friends. The world is full of crazy ones – bunch of crazy one’s with your kinda habits are stuffed everywhere. So, don’t worry, you won’t feel apart.

You have to fulfill your KRAs but thats not what your job is limited to. Gel up with people – share thoughts, ideas & you never know – you’d come across a billion dollar thought that changes your world. Sometimes you meet dynamic people at workplace. You get a lot to learn from them – both at personal & professional level. I don’t say – make friends with the entire organisation; however a bunch of geeks is worth it.

Be it friendship of this incredible duo – one who’s age is around 58 & the other approx 85. The differences in their thought processes is approx 2 decades (as per age). So, does that mean – they shouldn't be friends? I’m referring to Bill Gates & Warren Buffett. They are recognized as symbols of professional togetherness. Their companies come from varied industries; however, they identified a common knot – ‘Philanthropy’ and that built  a strong bond.

To become professional – firstly you need to be human. Don’t be selfish. Don’t judge others. Bet you are no better. Build an impression, carry positive attitude that people adore & love to interact with you. And thats what will make you professional.

Time to give a thought and have a look at the following check-list. Just say Yes/No to the following. Be true to yourself.

- The moment I enter the office, I share a  smile with everyone.

- I help others if they get stuck in work.

- I never envy others.

- I never take credit of other people’s work.

- I gift others (atleast my team) on their birthdays.

- I sympathize if they are sad & try to revive their moods.

If all your answers are YES – believe you’re doing great. And carry on with the same. If you have Nos – believe you need to work on them. Nobody in this world is perfect. Its never late to start learning.

‘     Professional You’ – is a collaboration of work with happiness. Its all about how you treat others. Life is all about giving & sharing happiness. Be You & Be Professional.

Failure defines The Power to Win

What wins comes under the category of ‘Success’ and the other enters ‘Failure’ by default. There is a perception that success is on the radiant side, whereas failure belongs to darkness. 

The term failure is far more passionate than success. Believe one should be proud of ‘Failure’, at-least he/she worked hard on a particular project. There are millions of people who don’t even give a try. To fail means to understand ways that don’t work. “I have failed hundreds of times. And I’m proud of that. I get to know ways that don’t work. I learn 100 new things through every failure. And some of these learnings help me design pathways to success”, says Aamer Rushnaiwala, Owner, ‘The Optimistic You’.

You have to taste the bitterness of Failure to be successful in life. Take any example – From Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Warren Buffet amongst many others have failed first, and then succeeded. And they are proud of their failures. You may like it or not; however, failure is the stepping stone to converting your dreams to reality.

The secret to Success:

- If you fail, either once or series of it, keep on working as hard as you did for the first time.

- Not to get disheartened when meet failure, once or multiple times.

- Learn whats working & whats not from failure. Analyse, write suggestions and then, bang on the target with a fresh approach and similar commitment.

This, I believe, has helped me work on my dreams. To commit errors is part of life. Believe every failure is an achievement, for you know what will work & then, charge with thrust to meet your targets/complete the project and attain success.

If you are giving yourself the permission to fail – you, at the same time give the permission to excel. Nobody can ever be interesting by not failing. The greater is your intensity to fail and get stronger and revamp, the better are you as an individual. Have you ever met someone who’s had a palatial living with no or zero struggle? Bet, you’ll meet none.

You are a Winner. You should not be afraid of failing. Losers are damn scared. They, who avoid failure do the same to success. The best of the individuals in the world (wealthy, famous,...) have been great failures. You take risks in life – and you know – there will be events when you fail & events when you succeed – and both are equally important.

Failure should not stop you from being successful. When you attain success – be on the tip of the mountain and you recall the landslides you fought with, severe weather conditions you dealt with – you realize that you didn't give up. And you are a Winner.

Keep on working – trying, you'll be successful. To keep on trying is the best way to defeat failure. Your try kills the fear of failure, eventually kills failure.

And it is here when we say, ‘Failure defines The Power to Win’.

Full & Final Settlement – Last Visit to the company

The feeling is strange. The organisation you've been a part of, worked for sometime, contributed in the expansion/sales/operations/finance/HR/IT and there comes a day you visit the company for the very last time i.e. for FULL & FINAL SETTLEMENT.

It certainly is strange, out of the blue and awkward – you are asked to sit in the reception and wait for the HR to come. You have a look at the floor – same place where you walked day-in & day-out in formals and there you are – waiting for the Full & Final.

At the reception, you realize that nothing has actually changed. The reception is the same place you came some time back for an interview – waiting for your chance, scared about the questions to be faced, result to be announced and there you are – Last day at the company.

The organisation never feels your absence. People are working & the organisation continues growth. You see similar faces saying ‘Goodbyes’ & ‘Wishing luck’ who at some point in time sat on the same floor. At this point in time, you think about the contributions you did, nights you worked, and friends you made. You may as well think – Did I take the right decision of leaving the job?

Hey – you’ve taken the right decision. Never regret about the decisions you've taken. Your decision to leave a particular organisation is based on some aspects/incidents & there’s no reason for you to regret. There is no point to work for people/company you don’t feel good about. It’s time that you explore & grow with some other organisation or build yours own.

HR arrives and hands over an envelope which contains the cheque & letter of experience. And that completes the circle – Signing of the appointment letter to receiving the experience letter. You’re asked to sign on the papers that your account has been settled & you’re relieved from the company. One signature makes the difference.

There are certain key learnings you should keep in mind:

- Never get emotionally attached with the company. The company doesn't feel the same for you.

- Believe in yourself & your decision. You are the best – the very best.

- Never regret. No point thinking on What? Where? Why? When? It was your decision – respect it.

- The future is brighter and radiant than you think.

And finally, HR greets & says ‘Good Bye’. This is when your journey with this organisation comes to an end. I’m sure you had great times to learn. There’d be times you’d be angry/happy about. Your boss appreciating/criticizing your performance. Attending parties, making fun of/criticizing colleagues/boss, competing to prove yourself and what not. Overall, you eventually say – Hey, that was a great experience.

And there you are – pull the glass door, and wish all the best to the company. And you don’t look back. Walking through the corridor, for the very last time – you smile & say, “I’m now ON to something really big. A great decision. Time to build the future”.

Am I Alive?

Guest post by Rutvij Bhutaiya

I think in myriad ways about why we are here? Why we are doing particular tasks or things, what’s the purpose behind it? In search of this teaser I lost battle, every time.  Because may be such thinking should not exist. There are no questions and no answers. But there is ‘something’, which is impossible to explain. And I believe it is already in existence, inside us.

In my life I've seen a lot of people simply appeared and then vanished like smoke. Why some of those strangers became my best friends in this life, what if I would have chosen different path?  

Today I don’t have a job and I am penny less. And I am the happiest person in this world because nobody in this world can measure the value of happiness or love or beauty. It is inside, only I can feel it. Felling sad or hate doesn't mean we are unhappy; we are, but we just don’t look at that happiness or love which exists inside us. It is and always will be.

The true thing is that we all are machines, and we work according to outside events. We express sad feelings at sometimes and sometimes we become happy, and we forget that our inner state is always being happy and feeling good.

‘Life is an experiment and world is your laboratory’. It’s never going to repeat, never. But we can utilize every moment. Utilizing every second, working round the clock and making billion dollars does not mean utilizing your life. Do what you love, and love what you do. If you like photography, go out there and click. I like to walk, I walk 3-5 km not for health but I love to walk, there is no logic, I love I do. It you want to become an entrepreneur – you know what you want to do, and fortunately only you know what you love, do it.

We all chase some destination, but my experience and definition about destination is different. Our journey as a life is the only destination. If you think you will be happy having a big car – your goal – or having a nice home with swimming pool. Actually it is not a destination or a goal, because at the same time your preferences do change your goals. And finally it becomes an endless journey without any destination or goals.

End of this, I found that ‘something’ which I used in top paragraph. That something has a different definition for each individual. For me that ‘something’ is right now, this present moment. And I can say, Yes, I am alive.

What is your definition about ‘something’? Place a comment because this moment will never repeat.

Keys to Stay Organized

Hey You! Do you plan before taking action? Do you manage your calendar? Do you prioritize your priorities? If not, better start doing it now. The battle begins as the alarm rings. Time to prove and get ready for the day. Difficult, isn't it? It actually isn't; however, we believe it so. These are some secret keys to stay organized:

1. Prioritize your priorities: Most successful people prioritize tasks to be done that day. A to-do list is the best way to manage your day’s activities. Believe you have priorities; however, it is important to prioritize your priorities. Tasks with greater degree of relevance should be completed first.

2. Manage your desk: Hey, never leave your desk dirty. Don’t flourish it with useless papers, files, and other things. Understand it is difficult to organize the desk on top of important meetings, work, priorities, etc. Take an hour every week to organize your desk. The investment to stay organized is one great way to deal with emergency situations – makes it easier to get data, papers and files resulting in saving time.

3. Set aside 20 minutes to evaluate the entire day: Make sure you keep 20 minutes to evaluate & analyse how the day passed. These 20 minutes will help you prepare for the coming days. Prepare a list of do’s and don’ts – learn and try improving yourself. Also go through the remaining work – assignments to juniors, respond to voice-mails & emails, file things you need, and clean up the rest.

4. Maintain a Calendar always: Prepare a calendar – organize your activities. Maintaining a calendar either on your smartphone or sticky notes makes sense. This will keep you updated for the meetings, tasks to be done.

5. Set goals & stay focused on them: Your target should always be to hit the ‘Bulls Eye’. Remind yourself of the goal day-in and day-out. This will help achieve the success you dream of. Your goals should be realistic & encouraging.

And yes, never forget to add the ingredient of ‘optimism’ whilst preparing the dish. Optimism, hard work coupled with being organised will surely help you achieve success. A little investment of time, develop a system to keep a track of key things will assist in creating a personalized road to productivity.

Stay focused, Stay optimistic and STAY ORGANIZED.

How to Kill Stress When Unemployed?

Unemployment – it is certainly stressful. It has the power to capture most of your senses, thought processes, happy moments, to build pillars of tensions, worries, darkness and a lot more. I have seen this period of being unemployed for a long time. This article won’t quote any other individual, but my understanding on facing stress when unemployed.

I've seen a time when most of my batch-mates were joining some or the other company & entering the much talked-about Corporate World. 90% of my batch-mates became part of the profile they were not happy about. They said – Its need of the Hour. The economy is going down & you need a job. Many of them currently working, are not happy with their jobs.

I have seen months being unemployed. My academics have been sound, my understanding of the markets is fair, my general knowledge is fair –  to sit for interview processes. I never sat in more than three interviews at my college for one reason. I adore & respect a few people in this world who have followed their hearts – Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Warren Buffet. The only answer they gave to what was the key to success, they always highlighted on “Following one’s heart”. They did what they loved.

I have followed my heart & always will. To stay unemployed was tough. Those were the days when I spent time improving vocabulary, building this blog – The Optimistic You, watching videos of people who changed the world by following their hearts. My friends believed in my thoughts, my dreams that someday I’d grow successful & this struggle was worth it.

The following are certain keys I’d share to unlock stress & the fear of being unemployed:

- Do not feel jealous to what others are doing or how far they have gone. Follow your heart.

- Not to leave hope & believe things would settle down for good.

- Believe that you can & you will.

- Engage time in reading fruitful articles in sync to the kind of profile you want to be a part of.

- Engage with your friends – share thoughts & ideas.

- Improve yourself – personal development till the moment you land up the career you wish to proceed with.

Friends, the core is to believe in yourself. You cannot lose. Life will hit you hard with a brick – do not lose faith. Follow your heart – for this will keep you happy & focused to what you want to achieve in your life.

My last words on Unemployment – Enjoy this phase in life. It’s worth exploring. ;)

Virtual Life: Is Social Media killing personal relations?

Over 3 billion people share online space with over 2.5 billion active on social media. A revolution which began half-a-decade back has changed the way we communicate today. Various platforms as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn amongst others have leveraged most of our personal space. Its a great way to stay in touch with your loved ones; however, it has remained limited to photographs, messages, videos & updates.

We spend more than five hours on these platforms – thinking of building networks; however, end up reading what’s happening in other’s life, how many likes did your rival get on a pic, what is the hottest controversy in town, etc. 

I think the real world is comparatively more healthier than the virtual one. To call up an old friend & have a hearty discussion either chatting about old memories or settling a feud is better than the virtual space which lasts within the text boxes. Human touch & feelings can never be expressed through smileys. The idea of social media is to leverage the arena of friendship to the next level. It should not be limited to the virtual life. 

Social Media was, initially, limited to laptops. Now, it has broadened to mobiles, net-books & tablets. People have turned to zombies with tilt heads spotting inside their mobile phones. More than any, I see group of friends who hang-out at some place with the majority indulged in the screen than enjoying with friends.

To chat, connect, and cherish moments with friends/family/enemies on social media is great. However, one should never forget the existence of humans outside the 5 inch screens.

- 65% employed Chinese feel pressured to be in constant touch with social media.

- 53% Americans have a feeling of guilt if they don’t reply to social media messages instantly.

- Out of total respondents from China, US & Singapore – 57% feel jealous of others, 62% bear the pressure to be witty & 58% feel social media obligations are stressful.

The motive of this article is not to say that social media is bad. It is important to share moments on these sites & share happiness. If you hang-out with friends, make sure the screen remains in your pocket or you make minimal use of it. People in this world die to be loved. The best way to display affection is to call, hug, hold a hand & share some time together than a message on social media.

‘The Optimistic You’ supports the ongoing trends in social media & appreciates the same. However, it also highlights the importance of relations – with friends, family, loved ones in person & not on digital screens.

Every Girl’s Final Placement (Marriage) - Optimistic Observation

The idea behind this observation is to reveal the connection between Corporate & Societal Culture. I & Nikita (friend of mine) were discussing on this unbelievable topic. Thought of sharing with you. An optimistic observation described in a humorous way.

Every child works hard during his/her tenure at school & college to attain good scores leading to healthy earnings - linked to a great life. We (men & women) dream to get placed and begin our professional careers at the coolest business houses in the world. To get paid well, respected, appreciated are the basic expectations from work place. We, as well, wish to build a long term relationship with the organisation. I define this as the marriage between an individual with the business house - ‘The Corporate Marriage’.

Lets think from a different perspective altogether - The Societal perspective - Parents start thinking of searching a groom for their girl child as she turns 25. In India, at present, parents do have control in the selection procedure. This gives initiation to her Placement Process (Final Placement). The search is signaled Green.

100s of families are scanned to decide the best fit for their girl. What kind of a family is it, how much do they earn, will she stay happy… Similar kind of questions come to an employees mind while selecting the right kind of a job. Is the company in Fortune 500, what is the turnover, what CTC is being offered, is the company employee friendly… This is the first step. Once the selection is done, the girl finally gets married & is welcomed to the family. In case of the corporate, the employee is welcomed post joining details & signatures take place.

The new joinee is introduced to the team, reporting manager & is given training programmes. For the bride, mother-in-law is her reporting manager who trains & describes processes followed in the house. Father-in-law acts as the CEO. Orders never flow to her directly. They are passed through the reporting manager (mother-in-law). The most important person in her life - to whom she is wedded to - her husband, is merely a colleague.

Every new joinee tries to give maximum (100%) at workplace. He/she tries to achieve targets at the earliest to build value in the organisation. Similarly, the bride tries to please the family by cooking delicious dishes and gel up with every member. Employees seek permission from his/her reporting manager for leaves. Once approved, they visit their hometown. We have a similar process at the other end. The bride seeks permission from her mother-in-law to visit her parents. If approved, she visits hometown for a week or so.

Employees go through ups & downs at workplace, so does the bride. If the employee attains targets, he/she earns rewards in the form of incentives. For the bride, children are her incentives. The employee is paid fixed salary at the end of every month. In the bride’s case, she gets benefits - branded bags, mobile phones, laptops, cosmetics, honeymoons,... Employees are taken for an outbound trip once a year by the organisation - that they gel up with others. Similarly, families go for a tour - that the bond gets strengthened.

There are so many similarities. However, I’d like to pin a positive difference. The current organisation might not be the employees final placement; however, the family she (bride) ties up with is her final placement (in most cases).

There are similarities and differences in views, ideas, opinions, thoughts of people. The motive is to identify it through the positive eye. The motive behind this article was to share a moment of happiness & a couple smiles. If you did smile for once - share this article with your loved ones (especially your family) & share a smile.

Delete these 6 Things from EveryDay routine

To prepare a To-Do List is a great way to be productive & enhance relationships, but make sure you delete the following six from your daily routine:

1. Phone in hand when talking to someone: If you wish to be a remarkably likable person, make sure you don’t make use of your cell phone when chatting with the other person. It leaves a wrong impression on the counterpart – for he might think that his words have no VALUE.

2. Multitasking during meetings: Focus on the discussions & stay in alignment with the meeting agenda in the conference room. This will help you learn more about the subject matter, spot opportunities and give valuable suggestions than most others.

3. Importance to people who don't matter: Your friends and family would support you all the time. It is useless to stress yourself by thinking about people who don’t matter. Devote time to people who can bring smiles to your face, revive and make you feel special all the time.

4. Allow the past dominate future: We should understand the fact that – WE ARE HUMANS & NOT ALMIGHTY. We will commit mistakes, billions of them. Make sure the errors help you learn & you turn them into opportunities to build a better future. The past is just a tutorial. Never let the past define you. The future is yours. You are armored with lessons from the past – and its time to attack the future.

5. Crib about others: To crib about others is an important deletion from our daily routine. If you have a problem with ‘A’, discuss it with him/her than sharing it hundred others. To become a gossip king won’t make you successful. There are a lot more important things to talk & learn about.

6. Say ‘Yes’ when you really meant ‘No’: The moment you be untrue to yourself, you feel bad for a long time. Why to say ‘Yes’ to something that you’re not interested to be a part of? The moment you say ‘No’ to the other person, you’ll feel bad for sometime. The other person would respect your decision for being true. If he/she doesn't respect you & your decision, believe me, there is no point for you to stay sad.

These six deletions should be added in your daily routine & affixed in the To-Do list’s ‘Not to do items’.

Identify the WRONG you want to RIGHT - Steve Jobs

A tyrant, hippy - billion names to the guy who revolutionized the globe through his dream company ‘Apple’. The one who believed in himself, passionate about the job and dedicated to change the world - yes, I’m referring to the Big Daddy of the Technology Age, ‘Steve Jobs’.

Steve never believed in competing. His idea was always to build a product creatively - differently. A healthy coupling of hardware with the software. The man who gave birth to revolutionary products like Apple II, iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. His fundamentals were clear. He loved what he did. The dots did connect for Steve Jobs - Founder of Apple -> Removed from Apple -> Built Next & Animation company Pixar -> Joined Apple as CEO.

The creation of iPod, as Steve says, was because of the failure of Japanese companies building battery-sized Walkman players. It was the wrong that he identified and built a handy device that could sync with the PC and store more than 100 songs. A wrong that defined building blocks for the success story of Apple. I’d like to share certain leadership lessons of Steve Jobs:

- On his return to Apple & making sweeping changes, he began taking his ‘top 100’ employees on retreats year on year. Posing a simple question - ‘What are the 10 best things Apple should focus on’, he’d get a bundle of suggestions from the team. He used to list the best 10. He would slash the bottom seven and say - we can do only three.

- Leapfrog strategy comes at place when you feel you are far behind competition. Steve Jobs identified the wrongs in the iMac. Instead of making changes in the product, he created an integrated system that transformed the music industry - iTunes, iTunes Store & the iPod. Once the iPod became a hit, Steve designed the same into the iPhone, keeping the track sales with Apple.

- Steve Jobs focus was to make products that were ‘insanely great’. John Sculley, who drove Apple from 1983 to 1993, focused on maximizing profits than product design. And Apple gradually declined. When Steve returned - he shifted the focus back to making innovative products. Wrong -> RIGHT

There is so much that can be learnt from Steve who was thrown from the company he created. It was his insane passion to create great products that made him successful. A company which was about to reach bankruptcy in early 90’s became the most valuable company in the world in 2012.

Steve Jobs, while giving a speech at Stanford in 2005, emphasized on being optimist in life. He stressed upon identifying what you love - for both work & personal life. He also enlightened the fact that you’d face tough times in life - don’t lose faith.

You need to follow your heart. Follow your dreams. Continue doing what you believe is great work. And that is the pathway to success.

To conclude - There are not many people left in the world like Steve Jobs. But, the globe needs individuals who are insanely passionate about creating something beneficial for humanity. It needs people who work beyond the processes set and build companies like APPLE, leaders like Steve Jobs. Last but not the least - ‘STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOOLISH’.