Tiger Woods & Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, et al

Been wondering for a while now, There is definitely no doubt that what Tiger did was unacceptable but did the media and the general public go wrong somewhere.

We tend to look at the personal and the professional aspects of the person in the same vein, Is it right?

I feel no and that's what makes the likes of Sachin Tendulkar far more superior to the rest because they have shown (there are only a handful of them, i believe) exemplary behaviour on and off the field. This makes them even more precious for us to adore and admire.

A Tiger Woods would never be a lesser golfer but the personal behaviour and the personal traits that go on to shape up the personality of a human being too play an important role.

Sachin - You are great (may be god as some say :)). Tiger, apologize and move forward, may god be with you!

My bags...

It was a definite strategy, I can relate to it now when I think about it.

As I started school at a tender age of 3.5 years, I was handed a metal bag (peti) that carried my books.

As I grew a little smarter, the metal “peti” was replaced with a cloth bag and I think I continued with the cloth bag for almost 7-8 years. With few interruptions where I had to carry a nylon bag that friends and colleagues made fun of because in a fit of anger due to my poor performance at school my bag would have been thrown off some place in a fit of anger.

The cloth bag went away only when the more trendy back packs came in the late eighties, they were fun and they were trendy, they looked cool, it was the way to go for the school and college going crowd. I continued using this till I got to my engineering college, a long train journey in the first year meant one had to rely on that back pack heavily and as the pressure eased, I moved on to the more convenient plastic bags that one could carry in hand with just a notebook or two!

At work initially it was a “NO bag” personal policy, I would just carry the pen (with an attitude of Pen is mightier than the sword J). As I graduated towards the bike my bags returned with a vigor – for the raincoat etc. Now I drive to work, the bag carries a laptop and few sundry things. One of the oldest bag that has remained with me is not 10 years old and going strong.

touching lives...

Recently attended a course on performance engagement skills from a really affable trainer. The course was good and I was able to interact with colleagues from different backgrounds, lines of business etc. One of the aspects that I was part of as a side discussion was the fact that there is a scope for each one of us to touch lives in some form or the other, however small, in whatever tasks we are involved in.

At times this means volunteering to help someone without they asking for it, at times it means sharing your feedback in an open manner truthfully with the facts laid out and helping someone to improve. All of this needs courage, more importantly it requires time too. Can each one of us spend the required amount of time, well may be not, but we can definitely make an attempt to create and carve out pockets on our busy schedule that can be dedicated to helping others, touching lives!

A youngster on my team today morning walked up to me and said they would like to teach English to the facilities staff who have expressed their desire to learn English, my eyes lit up and I felt happy and mentioned of my support to it wholeheartedly. Again touching lives!

Tact and me.... a failed combo :(

There have been innumerable incidents now and in spite of my trying to be tactful with people close to me, i think i have really not been able to make it up in any significant way!

A very recent example of this failure is when i was supposed to pick up a friend from near a hotel close to their place. I saw someone standing by the hotel entrance but felt it looks to be someone else and stayed in the car for a while thinking my friend is definitely not as dark and also not put on as much weight as the person standing out there.

I stayed put in the car for almost 10 minutes and much later figured out, after a phone call that it was my friend :)

The worst was yet to come...I also told my friend about why i first did not notice and thought that it was someone else :) I spoke the truth again and got into some sort of trouble... for...
a. Not being able to recognise a friend from a distance of 10 metres
b. Indirectly calling the friend dark, though my friend is anything but dark
c. Suggesting in a way that my friend has put on weight

I wish i could be a little more tactful, i must actually thank people around me for accepting me as i am, else i might have had no friends by now, with all the sense of tactlessness that i have displayed for dozens of years now!

Thanks Friends. I owe you all a lot...a lot lot more

"Birthday Friend" from Kerala

We have known each other for some years now and known each other well, we have helped each other with pep talks and in other possible ways.

It would not be correct to say that we are in constant touch these days, nor do we speak or write to each other frequently.

There is one day in the year when I know for sure, I can expect a pleasant email and that is my birthday, never has it been forgotten.

Makes it special every year and this year was no different. Thanks for this and all the years in the past.

The race...where do we stop

As anyone who started life in the pits, I personally, perhaps have had a dream run over the last few years - personal as well as professional front! AND then there have been tough times, real tough ones, tougher than i feel i could have really thought and imagined them to be! :(

I have always wondered and at times given a deep thought as to where does this stop, how would this end some day?

It took me a while to realize that life does have its own way of slowing you down when you are going too fast, when you are at times thinking you are doing good for some one/some people, but actually are misunderstood or are understood right but people just would not want to believe that's how things are with you.

The slow down needs to be a feature that one must be prepared for, it would almost always last a little longer than one's patience and determination can bear! A TEST is how i have always termed it and dealt with it.

Quite successfully as well. I must admit... So also tells a good friend and an ex colleague of mine, That i inspire people like them to do more, fight issues and problems harder and make the most of what's on hand, with out losing out more than what is required!

I have always ensured that when the times are tough, there are more things that go wrong and also there are more people who stand out there and are trying to either find faults or at least appear to be doing that to us.

The trick really is to keep at it, never lose focus, be realistic with your decisions and also be truthful in accepting what is on the plate. NEVER ever loose your self respect, at all costs, its not worth it never ever!

Don't stop, Believe in yourself, Keep fighting, have good friends around who can keep the spirits (some times with a little bit of spirit for the tummy as well :)) high. The race is never really out, it sometimes gives you a break, that's all the luck one can ask for :)

Tough times...Tough decisions(?)

Almost all of us go through difficult times, at different stages in our careers and lives!

The important thing is that each one of us has a different way of looking at problems, creating solutions, managing emotions, fighting temptations to give up mid course, sacrificing value/value system, focusing on the immediate gains like money, giving up self respect etc… there are a host of things.

What defines the decisions that we make during these tough times?

From my personal experiences of many(J) such incidents, events is that we typically are driven by the following:-

a. Upbringing and the values that are imbibed on the “young” mind

b. Events that have shaped one’s thinking

c. Maturity in thought processes

d. An attitude to be revengeful, bite back with a vengeance after one has been bitten!

e. Company/Circle of influence

f. How far is one from the saturation point, peak load when the point of breakage is close!

g. A mind that is easily swayed by the “bucks” - $$$

I can quote examples where people have failed to live up to expectations, I too have been a victim at times of believing into someone, at times knowing that the person next to you is trying to con you into something, we have gone thru and suffered. It ideally is the case because we just got swayed by one of the above points.

I keep getting butchered by friends and family about my lack of understanding on money matters, I always promise them that next time I would take care, it’s been 32 years now and I still am the same when it comes to my thoughts on money – Once an idiot…..so goes the saying!

The only solace one can have is one has never had to lie, trouble someone, lose self respect for money and hope it remains that way…forever!