A year on since I chose to chase my dreams - It’s never too late to reinvent yourself

A year back, I was Frustrated, Scared, Unsure, Anxious, Trapped &Unfulfilled. Stuck in a dead-end job. Smothered by society’s expectations. Didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life or how to proceed further. May be it was a case of Mid-Career blues.

My time at Schneider Electric (10 years) and my work/life balance was for most parts great except for the last year or so. The environment was getting political, decisions were being rung in from the Top, without logic or reason, and at the whims & fancies of the Top Leadership, who were far flung from the realities on the ground. Merit was no more the criteria for growth and subservience, political affiliation to a leader & gender was the recipe for growth. I chose not to be subservient. I was no more enjoying the job, the environment or the Leadership. I needed a trigger to chase my dream and this was it. I needed to be pushed outside of my comfort zone.

After my review meeting with my Boss and a conversation with the Global CHRO, I realised that I was going no-where and the last straw of juice in me was being squeezed, tighter and tighter. I was getting dehydrated mentally & physically.

Every once in a while, when you start realising that you have had enough of the world caving on you, enough of others pointing out your mistakes, enough of responsibilities that almost drown you and enough of living for others.

You hope to break free from this cruel world and live life as it occurs to you in a world, where you gaze at the open skies and enjoy the refreshing breeze, witness the sun shining on your face and soak yourself in the pouring rain. You feel like putting your foot down, shutting yourself from the concrete jungle, and escaping into the unknown, where every turn brings on an adventure and every mile leaves behind an unforgettable memory.

I threw away a prestigious Top Leadership Job with one of the Fortune 500 & Linked In TOP 40 companies to work for, with a top draw salary, leading a large team (100 members), cris-crossing the country & the world, partying in cosy 5 star hotels, driving luxurious cars, a comfortable living situation & a great life style, stability (financially & career wise), and a comfortable life to chase a dream.

On paper, the decision might look a crazy one-

I cared for myself enough to change my life, but I didn’t have the slightest clue where to start. I spent my days wishing that things would change—that I could escape a life that my soul could no longer bear.

The worst part of all, I was living the life that society had always told me to live. “Work in a Corporate Job” and your Social Status would depend on where you work and how high you are in the organisation and the life style you lead.

I don’t know about others, but it turns out that for me, the “right thing to do” sucked the joy out of life.

I had seen it all, been there all and done it all. Off course there is no end and there is always scope for more, but I had reached a point of no return.

Imagine feeling trapped in an unsatisfying existence. Wasting your precious time doing things that you really don’t want to be doing. Being afraid to express yourself, with fear of trodding on the superiors. Having fun on the weekends then dreading the upcoming week, few moments of satisfaction drowned out by a constant grind of work that doesn’t fulfil you. Oh GOD it’s a Monday!

Then something hit me. It was a proverbial hammer to my head. I’d heard it before, but it had never sunk in. Then, as if out of nowhere, a voice in my head spoke loudly and clearly. “What am I doing, where am I going”. I was only adding more zeroes to my bank balance but cutting out precious moments of LIFE.

I was reminded of

“ when you have the time, you don’t have the money

When you have the money, you don’t have the time

When you have time & money, you don’t have the health”

History warned that 95% of StartUps fail and I still chose to take the risk and be in the 5% that succeeds.

There are plenty of talented people who never make a choice to do something different, to reinvent themselves, and to pursue their dreams. It’s hard to work up the guts to try something new. Nobody wants to feel stupid and start from the beginning all over again.

But talent isn’t worth a thing without the willingness to take action. It’s great to have a dream, but it’s better to pursue it. Reinventing yourself and developing a new skill is hard work. Transitioning from corporate to proud entrepreneur is hard work.

I’m not an entrepreneur because it is the hep thing to do now, or because I want to make a lot of money. I can’t just be another cog in the wheel, amongst number of thousands of other employees. I couldn’t concentrate any more working in an Organisation. I wasn’t feel normal.

I know that I gave up a great opportunity at Schneider Electric, but it is something I chose to do. The urge to chase my dream and start something on my own got bigger each day.

www.humanengineers.com became my obsession, humanengineers is my life, and is something I was ready to throw away a great Career.

Entrepreneurship is cool now, and everyone wants to be an entrepreneur.  Every newspapers, websites, magazines, TV shows & college campuses, everyone has an idea and a dream.

I don't want to be just dreaming to be an entrepreneur,   I have to be one

The reason I chose www.humanengineers.com full time is passion and dream that I wanted to chase. I care about humanengineers more than I could ever imagine I would care about anything. It’s all I can think about all day. It's mentioned within a few minutes of every conversation I’ve had in the past year. It’s becoming less of a company, and more a part of me. I don’t know if I will ever be this passionate about another company in my life, and I have to pursue it now.

A year later, when I look back I am happy to have chosen to chase my dream. Happy to have believed in my dream and pursued it relentlessly despite hiccups & challenges.

I feel that everyone can look back and see one format of moment one time where they made a choice, they had to close their eyes and jump. And that choice made all the difference. And that choice for me was to become an Entrepreneur chasing my Dream. I had the opportunity to show the world my unique perspective through my actions. I have the freedom to express, to experiment and at my own pace. The fact is there have never been more choices and opinions than there are today. Its easy to forget that you are in fact riding your own story. This is no easy task and although I know where I am heading, I never really know where I am going to end up. Which way would you choose

My venture www.humanengineers.com is very well received.

As per the global, 

HYPESTAT website analysis, https://www.hypestat.com/info/humanengineers.com & Alexa Traffic Rank (of Amazon) – http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/humanengineers.com

www.humanengineers.com receives on an average 540 unique visitors per day 5292 page views per day ie 9.8 page views per visitor. Its Newsletter reaches out to around 18,000 HR Leaders /readers every week. Its extremely gratifying to see the kind of growth & patronage and growing day by day in such a short span. It spurs me & my team to grow to greater heights fulfil our dream of becoming the GOTO HR Portal.

We have some very exciting unique offers for release in the future and are really excited for the day of the launch.

I am happy to have chosen my own path, because it gives me freedom, flexibility and agility. I can return home for lunch, have a nap, work untill midnight or simply dont work (as I have no one to answer but myself). In this journey I also found time to pursue my long lost passion for adventure, travelling, motorcycle adventure tours, photography and most importantly recuperate on my health & fitness. I could spend quality time with my children and family. Work in corporate life was no more fun, it became a source of STRESS. I was able to bring back some fun into my life & reduce STRESS to a great extent.

Its not that I have arrived and fulfilled my dreams. I have only made a beginning with a slow & steady start and have miles to go before I can sleep.

I will continue to chase my dream, I am going to follow my heart, and the day I stop following it, is the day I want it to stop beating

The path to doing work you love might not look the way you expected, but it can still get you to where you want to go — if you make the choice to try something new.

It’s never too late to reinvent yourself.

RIP - apj@abdulkalam.com - whom will our Youths write to and who will answer our Youths inquisitive questions ?

Its indeed sad to hear about the sudden demise of our beloved late President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Populary known as the Missile Man and loved and revered by one and all from children to the old and across the world. He demystified the aura around the Presidents Office and made himself and his office & his palace accessible to the common man. He was one of the first President to vote. After relinquishing his office he went back and stayed in a One & a Half room house - in stark contrast to the earlier Presidents.




He was know for simplicity, kindness, cheerful smile, integrity and forthrightness. He loved to spend time with Children for he felt that if he could influence the minds of the youth of India, he could help shape the future of India.


I was fortunate to have shook hands with him and listen to his address at the NHRD National Conference in Hyderabad in Nov 2013. He spoke with great passion and urged all of us to Dream and to always work with an attitude to "Serve - People, Humanity & the Nation". He said HR is all about serving and not just to Corporate Honcho's and to Corporate Employees but also to widen our horizon of serving the People at Large. He made a very sarcastic remark "Love your job - Dont love your Company, because you may not know when your Company will stop loving you". So very true in this Opportunistic world.


He took a few questions and due to want of time, he said "dont worry, I will answer all your questions. Pl. write to me apj@abdulkalam.com and I promise you, you will get a reply in 24 hours". Amazing human being and from a Ex-President of the Largest Democracy.


He has left a big void and I wonder whom will the youth of India write to in future and who will answer their inquisitive questions ?


Here is a replication of a Whatsup Message I received from a purported student (not verified however) - Sirjan Pal Singh , who was with Dr. Kalam during his visit to IIM Shillong and his last few hours. It reinforces the greatness , simplicity & concern for humanity,  of Dr. Kalam and his love for spending time with the Youth of India . No wonder he died almost in the arms of the people he loved the most - STUDENTS :


Quote from Whats Up Message:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"What I will be remembered for.. my memory of the last day with the great Kalam sir...


It has been eight hours since we last talked – sleep eludes me and memories keep flushing down, sometimes as tears. Our day, 27th July, began at 12 noon, when we took our seats in the flight to Guhawati. Dr. Kalam was 1A and I was IC. He was wearing a dark colored “Kalam suit”, and I started off complimenting, “Nice color!” Little did I know this was going to be the last color I will see on him.


Long, 2.5 hours of flying in the monsoon weather. I hate turbulence, and he had mastered over them. Whenever he would see me go cold in shaking plane, he would just pull down the window pane and saw, “Now you don’t see any fear!”.


That was followed by another 2.5 hours of car drive to IIM Shillong. For these two legged trip of five hours we talked, discussed and debated. These were amongsthundreds of the long flights and longer drives we have been together over the last six years.


As each of them, this was as special too. Three incidents/discussions in particular will be “lasting memories of our last trip”.


First, Dr. Kalam was absolutely worried about the attacks in Punjab. The loss of innocent lives left him filledwith sorrow. The topic of lecture at IIM Shillong was Creating a Livable Planet Earth. He related the incident to the topic and said, “it seems the man made forces are as big a threat to the livability of earth as pollution”. We discussed on how, if this trend of violence, pollution and reckless human action continues we will forced to leave earth. “Thirty years, at this rate, maybe”, he said. “You guys must do something about it… it is going to be your future world”


Our second discussion was more national. For the past two days, Dr. Kalam was worried that time and again Parliament, the supreme institution of democracy, was dysfunctional. He said, “I have seen two different governments in my tenure. I have seen more after that. This disruption just keeps happening. It is not right. I really need to find out a way to ensure that the parliament works on developmental politics.” He then asked me to prepare a surprise assignment question for the students at IIM Shillong, which he would give them only at the end of the lecture. He wanted to them to suggest three innovative ways to make the Parliament more productive and vibrant. Then, after a while he returned on it. “But how can ask them to give solutions if I don’t have any myself”. For the next one hour, we thwarted options after options, who come up with his recommendation over the issue. We wanted to include this discussion in our upcoming book, Advantage India.


Third, was an experience from the beauty of his humility. We were in a convoy of 6-7 cars. Dr. Kalam and I were in the second car. Ahead us was an open gypsy with three soldiers in it. Two of them were sitting on either side and one lean guy was standing atop, holding his gun. One hour into the road journey, Dr. Kalam said, “Why is he standing? He will get tired. This is like punishment. Can you ask a wireless message to given that he may sit?” I had to convince him, he has been probably instructed to keep standing for better security. He did not relent. We tried radio messaging, that did not work. For the next 1.5 hours of the journey, he reminded me thrice to see if I can hand signal him to sit down. Finally, realizing there is little we can do – he told me, “I want to meet him and thank him”. Later, when we landed in IIM Shillong, I went inquiring through security people and got hold of the standing guy. I took him inside and Dr. Kalam greeted him. He shook his hand, said thank you buddy. “Are you tired? Would you like something to eat? I am sorry you had to stand so long because of me”. The young lean guard, draped in black cloth, was surprised at the treatment. He lost words, just said, “Sir, aapkeliye to 6 ghantebhikhaderahenge”.


After this, we went to the lecture hall. He did not want to be late for the lecture. “Students should never be made to wait”, he always said. I quickly set up his mike, briefed on final lecture and took position on the computers. As I pinned his mike, he smiled and said, “Funny guy! Are you doing well?” ‘Funny guy’, when said by Kalam could mean a variety of things, depending on the tone and your own assessment. It could mean, you have done well, you have messed up something, you should listen to him or just that you have been plain naïve or he was just being jovial. Over six years I had learnt to interpret Funny Guy like the back of my palm. This time it was the last case.


“Funny guy! Are you doing well?” he said. I smiled back, “Yes”. Those were the last words he said. Two minutes into the speech, sitting behind him, I heard a long pause after completing one sentence. I looked at him, he fell down.


We picked him up. As the doctor rushed, we tried whatever we could. I will never forget the look in his three-quarter closed eyes and I held his head with one hand and tried reviving with whatever I could. His hands clenched, curled onto my finger. There was stillness on his face and those wise eyes were motionlessly radiating wisdom. He never said a word. He did not show pain, only purpose was visible.


In five minutes we were in the nearest hospital. In another few minutes the they indicated the missile man had flown away, forever. I touched his feet, one last time. Adieu old friend! Grand mentor! See you in my thoughts and meet in the next birth.


As turned back, a closet of thoughts opened.


Often he would ask me, “You are young, decide what will like to be remembered for?” I kept thinking of new impressive answers, till one day I gave up and resorted to tit-for-tat. I asked him back, “First you tell me, what will you like to be remembered for? President, Scientist, Writer, Missile man, India 2020, Target 3 billion…. What?” I thought I had made the question easier by giving options, but he sprang on me a surprise. “Teacher”, he said.


Then something he said two weeks back when we were discussing about his missile time friends. He said, “Children need to take care of their parents. It is sad that sometimes this is not happening”. He paused and said, “Two things. Elders must also do. Never leave wealth at your deathbed – that leaves a fighting family. Second, one is blessed is one can die working, standing tall without any long drawn ailing. Goodbyes should be short, really short”.


Today, I look back – he took the final journey, teaching, what he always wanted to be remembered doing. And, till his final moment he was standing, working and lecturing. He left us, as a great teacher, standing tall. He leaves the world with nothing accumulated in his account but loads of wishes and love of people. He was a successful, even in his end.


Will miss all the lunches and dinners we had together, will miss all the times you surprised me with your humility and startled me with your curiosity, will miss the lessons of life you taught in action and words, will miss our struggles to race to make into flights, our trips, our long debates. 


You gave me dreams, you showed me dreams need to be impossible, for anything else is a compromise to my own ability. The man is gone, the mission lives on. Long live Kalam."


Your indebted student,


Srijan Pal Singh

"WINGS OF FIRE" has flown away - RIP Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

He did not die while resting on his sofa. He did not die eating his favorite food at a posh restaurant. He did not die while signing his cheques. He did not die sick in his comforting bed.

He died while he was interacting with students which has always been his favorite thing in the world. Dieing while doing our most loved thing. How many of us are going to do it?

His body may have left. His 'Wings of Fire' has no death. They'll always flutter in air. All around us.

When you live, live like him. When you die, die like him.

RIP Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Heaven is lucky from now!

"Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“All Birds find shelter during a rain. But Eagle avoids rain by flying above the Clouds.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“Failure will never overtake me if my definition to succeed is strong enough”. - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy the success.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“If you want to shine like a sun. First burn like a sun.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam 

“It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

"All of us do not have equal talent. But , all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

" Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness." -A.P.J Abdul Kalam

"Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life."  - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

" Without your involvement you can't succeed. With your involvement you can't fail. " - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Following are 10 quotes by the scientist, author and former President:  courtesy NDTV

1. You have to dream before your dreams can come true.
2. Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.
3. Life is a difficult game. You can win it only by retaining your birthright to be a person.
4. Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.
5. We will be remembered only if we give to our younger generation a prosperous and safe India, resulting out of economic prosperity coupled with civilizational heritage.
6. Those who cannot work with their hearts achieve but a hollow, half-hearted success that breeds bitterness all around.
7. Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model.
8. Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.
9. If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.
10. My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.

Story First Published: July 27, 2015 22:30 IST

Who are your REAL FRIENDS ?

My uncle used to tell me that life is not going to be the same after you quit your high profile job. All those people who appeared to be your friends will not be the same after you have moved out of that position. People were with you because of the position that you occupied and you will know who your true friends are only after you have moved out of that position. Well this message is a timely reminder of that smile emoticon

What is maturity ?

Manish Maladkar‎Life-An Odyssey by Dr Manish Maladkar

What is Maturity ?

• Maturity is when you strop trying to change people, and instead focus on changing yourself.
• Maturity is when you accept people for who they are.
• Maturity is when you understand that everyone is right in their own perspective.
• Maturity is when you learn to “let go”.
• Maturity is when you understand that whatever you do, you do for your own peace.
• Maturity is when you stop proving to the world how intelligent you are.
• Maturity is when you focus on positives in people.
• Maturity is when you do not seek approval from others.
• Maturity is when you stop comparing yourself with others.
• Maturity is when you are at peace with yourself.
• Maturity is when you can differentiate between “need” and “want”, and you can let go of your wants.
• Maturity is when you stop attaching “happiness” to material things.
• Be simple. Be positive. Be relax. Show Maturity.

Needs can always be met but not greed - A wonderful message by Super Star Rajanikanth

Will Britain say SORRY - a brilliant speech by Dr Shashi Tharoor

In an explosive speech at the Oxford Union, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, a member of the Indian Parliament and a Congress MP argued that the British looted and plundered India during the 200 Years of British Raj of the subcontinent, and that Britain must accept that it owes a debt to India for its wrongdoings during the days of the British Empire.

Taking part in a debate at the famous Oxford Union, he argued why Britain owes India reparations for the economic and psychological decline of its people during the rule, and that of all the countries in the Commonwealth, India was Britain's biggest cash cow during that period.

He explained the manner in which Britain used India and its resources for its own benefit, and that British families working for the Empire had minted money at the expense of India for over two centuries.

He explained how India's share of the world economy fell from 24% of world economy when it invaded India to about 4% when British Empire left India in 1947 in a space of 200 years. Between 15-29 million Indians died due to starvation during their Rule. Its appalling to hear him say that when there was the great Bengal Famine where hundreds of people were dying each day because Britain diverted the food from India to UK, Winston Churchill had the temerity to ask "is Mahatma Gandhi still alive and why is he not dead".
Violence & Racism (famous Divide & Rule strategy) was rampantly implemented in the country.

During the world war of all  all the British forces that fought in the war, fifty-four thousand Indians, actually lost their lives in that war 65,000 were wounded and another 4,000 remained missing or in prison. Indian taxpayers had to cough up a hundred million pounds. India supplied seventy million rounds of ammunition 600 thousand rifles and machine and 1.3 million Indian personnel served in the war.

In the end but total value everything that was taken out of India and that too during the Great Depresssion / Recession time and poverty and hunger was in today's money its billion pounds.

During the Second World War (where my Father late Major Dr K Rajagopal served), it was even worse two and a half million Indians in uniform and Britain at  one point $25 billion was owed to India.

Our railways and roads were really built to serve British interests are not those for the local people. They were designed to carry raw materials from the hinterland into the ports to be shipped to Britain. Indian Railways were built with massive incentives offered by Britain to British investors guaranteed out to Indian taxes paid by Indians with the result that you actually had one mile of Indian rail was costing twice what it cost to build the same  in Canada or Australia because there was so much money being paid and extravagant returns. Britain made all the profits, control the technology supplied, all the equipment and absolutely all these benefits came as private enterprise at public risk.

The wrongs that have been done cannot be denied, the fact remains that many of today's problems in these countries including the persistent in some cases the creation of racial and ethnic and religious tensions were the direct result of the colonial experience. So there is a moral debt that needs to be paid.

It’s not without precedence. Israel gave reparations to Poland. Italy's reparations to Libya, Japan's to Korea and even Britain has paid reparations to the New Zealand Maoris so it's not as if this is something unprecedented.

There was reference to democracy and rule of law. What sort of democracy was it, when the British oppressed, enslaved, killed, tortured and maimed people for two hundred years and then celebrate the fact that the democratic at the end of it wreaths.

The debate is not of how much should Britain pay to India as Reparation, but the question is, is there a debt that Britain owes to India. More than in money terms it’s the moral debt that Britain owes to India. Would Britain have the gumption to acknowledge a wrong that has been done - to simply say Sorry to India for all the misdeeds perpetuated on India for 200 years during their Colonial British Rule (Raj).

Would they or not depends on their Conscience & their value systems…….

Truly a great speech and carried a lot of resolve &guts to have spoken against the British right in Britain. Hats off to you Shashi for standing up to India right in the Opponents territory. For what ever your past and controversies, I remain your ardent fan for your sheer ability to articulate and the communication skills and the poise & grace with which you deliver........

The Incredible Leh / Ladakh experience - A travelogue by Ramesh Ranjan

Set in Himalayan mountain splendour, Ladakh is an enchanted land, which amid the global chaos of our new century, seems in control of its own destiny. The scenic splendour of the soaring mountains and pristine valleys, coupled with the vibrancy of its cultural life, makes Ladakh one of the last undiscovered destinations, an adventure to feed the soul and enrich the senses.

Leh the erstwhile capital of the kingdom of Ladakh is now a dream destination of many and the Mecca of adventure enthusiasts! Leh, one of the coldest deserts in the world is located at a distance of 434 Kms from Srinagar and 474 Kms from Manali (Himachal Pradesh).

Leh is an adventurer’s haven. We have around 100+ bikers (mostly Royal Enfield bikes – mostly driven solo an in some cases with pillion riders including some women). It’s also supposed to be a backpacker's haven with numerous trekking trails, valleys, and picturesque lakes. Renowned as the land of monks and monasteries there is lots to see in this amazing piece of land.

Surely a must place to visit in one’s life.

We embarked on this 7N/8D trip organised by Eezeego.com and were joined by another 3 families at Delhi. Here are some glimpses of our trip to LEH, probably one of the best places I have visited in my life so far (have been to aroun 46 countries so far) and an unforgettable experience of driving thru the Himalayas across snow-capped mountains, deserts, sand dunes, lakes, highest Pass, highest Airport, highest Lake, highest Motorable Road – truly a high point in my life.

Read on the Travelogue 

Truly a Leader

There were about 70 scientists working on a very hectic project. All of them were really frustrated due to the pressure of work and the demands of their boss but everyone was loyal to him and did not think of quitting the job.

One day, one scientist came to his boss and told him - Sir, I have promised to my children that I will take them to the exhibition going on in our township. So I want to leave the office at 5 30 pm. His boss replied "OK, You're permitted to leave the office early today"

The Scientist started working. He continued his work after lunch. As usual he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch when he felt he was close to completion.The time was 8.30 PM. Suddenly he remembered of the promise he had given to his children.

He looked for his boss,,He was not there. Having told him in the morning itself, he closed everything and left for home. Deep within himself, he was feeling guilty for having disappointed his children.He reached home. Children were not there.His wife alone was sitting in the hall and reading magazines.

The situation was explosive, any talk would boomerang on him. His wife asked him "Would you like to have coffee or shall I straight away serve dinner if you are hungry. The man replied "If you would like to have coffee, i too will have but what about Children ??"

Wife replied "You don't know ?? Your manager came here at 5.15 PM and has taken the children to the exhibition "

What had really happened was ... The boss who granted him permission was observing him working seriously at 5.00 PM. He thought to himself, this person will not leave the work, but if he has promised his children they should enjoy the visit to exhibition. So he took the lead in taking them to exhibition

The boss does not have to do it everytime. But once it is done, loyalty is established. That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work under their boss eventhough the stress was tremendous.

By the way , can you guess as who the boss was ????????

He was none other than Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Ex- President of India...!!!

How much to protect our Children

Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Dan Kindlon says that over-protected children are more likely to struggle in relationships and with challenges. We're sending our kids the message that they're not capable of helping themselves.

A man, an avid Gardener saw a small Butterfly laying few eggs in one of the pots in his garden. Since that day he looked at the egg with ever growing curiosity and eagerness.

The egg started to move and shake a little. He was excited to see a new life coming up right in front of his eyes.

He spent hours watching the egg now. The egg started to expand and develop cracks. A tiny head and antennae started to come out ever so slowly. The man's excitement knew no bounds. He got his magnifying glasses and sat to watch the life and body of a pupa coming out.

He saw the struggle of the tender pupa and couldn't resist his urge to "HELP". He went and got a tender forceps to help the egg break, a nip here, a nip there to help the struggling life and the pupa was out. The man was ecstatic!

He waited now each day for the pupa to grow and fly like a beautiful butterfly, but alas that never happened. The larvae pupa had a oversized head and kept crawling along in the pot for the full 4 weeks and died!

Depressed the man went to his botanist friend and asked the reason. His friend told him the struggle to break out of the egg helps the larvae to send blood to its wings and the head push helps the head to remain small so that the tender wings can support it thru its 4 week life cycle. In his eagerness to help, the man destroyed a beautiful life!

Struggles help all of us, that's why a bit of effort goes a long way to develop our strength to face life's difficulties! As parents, we sometimes go too far trying to help and protect our kids from life's harsh realities and disappointments. We don't want our kids to struggle like we did. 

To quote clinical psychologist, Dr. Wendy 's Moral:

"It  is  Our Job  to  prepare  Our  Children  for  the  Road & Not  prepare the  Road for  Our Children"

Its what makes us Human

I sat with my friend in a well-known coffee shop in a neighbouring town of Venice (Italy), the city of lights and water. As we enjoyed our coffee, a man entered and sat at an empty table beside us. He called the waiter and placed his order saying, ‘Two cups of coffee, one of them there on the wall.’

We heard this order with rather interest and observed that he was served with one cup of coffee but he paid for two. As soon as he left, the waiter pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying ‘A Cup of Coffee’.

While we were still there, two other men entered and ordered three cups of coffee, two on the table and one on the wall. They had the two cups of coffee but paid for three and left. This time also, the waiter did the same; he pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying, ‘A Cup of Coffee’.

It was something unique and perplexing for us. We finished our coffee, paid the bill and left. After a few days, we had a chance to go to this coffee shop again. While we were enjoying our coffee, a man poorly dressed entered.  As he seated himself, he looked at the wall and said, 'One cup of coffee from the wall'.

The waiter served coffee to this man with the customary respect and dignity. The man had his coffee and left without paying. We were amazed to watch all this, as the waiter took off a piece of paper from the wall and threw it in the dust bin.

Now it was no surprise for us – the matter was very clear.

The great respect for the needy shown by the inhabitants of this town made our eyes well up in tears. 

Ponder upon the need of what this man wanted...He enters the coffee shop without having to lower his self-esteem…he has no need to ask for a free cup of coffee…without asking or knowing about the one who is giving this cup of coffee to him.

He only looked at the wall, placed an order for himself, enjoyed his coffee and left. ... probably the most beautiful wall you may ever see anywhere....!!!

Cool down & it will settle down

Once Buddha was traveling with a few of his followers.

 

While they were passing a lake, Buddha told one of his disciples, "I am thirsty.

Do get me some water from the lake." The disciple walked up to the lake.

At that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, The water became very muddy and turbid.The disciple thought, "How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink?" So he came back and told Buddha, "The water in there is very muddy. I don't think it is fit to drink."

After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake.

The disciple went back, and found that the water was still muddy. He returned and informed Buddha about the same.

After sometime, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back. This time, the disciple found the mud had settled down, and the water was clean and clear. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, "See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be, and the mud settled down on its own,

and you have clear water."

Your mind is like that too ! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don't have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless."

Having 'Peace of Mind' is not a strenuous job, it is an effortless process👌so keep ur mind cool and have a great life ahead...

Never leave Your close ones.If you find few faults in them just close Your eyes 'n Remember the best time You spent together...because Affection is More Important than Perfection..!

Neither you can hug yourself....nor you can cry on your own shoulder....Life is all about living for one another, so live with those who love you the most...Relations cannot be Understood by the Language of Money...Bcoz, Some Investments Never Give Profit

But They Make us rich...!

"Family n Friends are such Investments" 

Why should we avoid hesitation...?

Neil Armstrong, he is the 1st person to set his foot in moon.

But, do you know who was supposed to be the 1st person?  Many don't know...

His name is Edwin C Aldarin...

He was the pilot for the Apollo mission. He was working for the American Airforce. Moreover he had experience of space walking, hence selected as the pilot.

Neil Armstrong worked for the American Navy. He was selected for his courage as co-pilot.

When the Apollo mission landed on moon, they received a command from NASA, "pilot first".

But Aldarin was hesitant, "what will happen", "will I get sucked in or will I burn out", etc. The hesitation was not for hours, but few seconds.

In the meantime, NASA sent the next command, "co-pilot next".

Within next second, Neil Armstrong put his foot on the moon & became part of world history.

World history was changed in 1 second... Though Aldarin had the qualification and talent, because of hesitation, he is not recognised by many people.

The world remembers only person who comes first...

This is a good example of how people lose out because of hesitation & fear.

Whenever you see the moon, remember this, a moments hesitation can stop us from our greatest victory.

We all have great potential in us, the only thing that stops us from achieving what we are supposed to achieve is our hesitation, fear and shyness.

Many people are shy to ask, shy to appreciate others, & some are shy to share this message. If we fail to do the right things, we will most likely do the wrong things.

Avoid hesitation.