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ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

Often, we hear that age is a mere number,
But also wonder if it makes us dumb and dumber;
Unless proper and timely steps are taken through channels right,
The chances of our becoming dull happen to be bright.

The body needs all the care and affection it can get,
The mind needs to be kept active, not to forget;
The soul needs nourishment of a different kind,
Otherwise it is left in torment and in a bind.

The zeal of youth makes us leap light-heartedly into traps,
The spirit of adventure keeps us wandering off the known maps;
Romantics at heart, fragile in maturity, we jump at gold coins with strings attached,
We behave like zombies, often getting disappointed over chickens un-hatched.

 ZOMBIES

When advanced in age, our optimism fades, no longer making the spirits lift,
A feeling grows that our guardian angels no longer care to bear a…

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(Sanjay Sehgal is Chairman & CEO at MSys Technologies, USA. His profile is accessible at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sehgalsanjay. In this post, he examines the relevance of some of the basic tenets of Bhagavad Gita to real-life business situations.)

 

The saying “As you sow, so shall you reap,” is considered one of the best-known representations of the concept of “Karma.” It got me thinking when it comes to work, how far can we caution ourselves about what we are “sowing” into our business (money, work, culture, decisions, conflicts, resolutions, etc.)? More importantly, how will we know if our dealings are in line with constructive evolution (the good side of the scale of karmic balance) or submerging us further into karma’s vicious cycle (the bad side of the scale of karmic balance)?

A rare tale of a leap of good faith

I still remember reading this inspiring news that made me smile with moist eyes. In 2015, Dan Price, the CEO of Gravity Payments, raised the minimum wage of all his employees to $70,000 a year. Dan had slashed his salary to $70,000 from $1.1 million to do so. Dan had once pronounced that he wishes to buy his dream car. To return the favor, 120 employees of Dan’s firm saved their one month’s salary and gifted him his dream car. It was Karma unfolding in its classic style.

Karma – the good, the bad, and the ugly

The notion of karma is comparable to a balance sheet, with the golden principle – debit in, credit out. You earn credit for all your debits. This credit will be good, bad, or ugly, depending on the debit you produce.

When you marry karma and business, you are bounded by the law –

A.   Good karmic debits = Good Credit>input

B.    Bad karmic debits = Bad Credit >input

C.   Ugly karmic debits = Ugly Credit >input

Where karmic debits are your intentions, the input is your action based on intentions, and credit is your output. In any way, your output is greater than the input. Therefore, rule A is what we all must aim.

After having set up several ventures, and mentoring start-up enthusiasts I’ve consolidated the five Sutras of Karmic Management, which I feel can be applied in almost all situations:

1. The Law of Growth

While starting a new project, venturing out to materialize an idea, or managing a team, hasten the course of inevitable failure and stop doing anything that is not working out. That way, you may fail fast but it will turn out better if you also learn fast, and can help you grow faster. Take a new path that promises to take you to your destination. The great Abraham Lincon lost elections eight times and failed in business twice. But, he quickly moved on by failing fast and recovering faster for success.

2. The Law of Synchronicity

You’re thinking of replacing your car while driving on a highway, and you drive past a billboard, which advertises a good exchange offer on a car. This phenomenon is called synchronicity. The law of synchronicity is looking out for signals or events in the external surroundings that can help us achieve our objectives. You’re attracted to such signals unconsciously; as you’re constantly thinking of your objective, you are linking everything around to it.  Logically, the idea emanates from the bedrock of curiosity that makes one look for the answer in everything around. Therefore, you are more aware of the external world that attracts you to the desired answer quickly, just like the law of attraction.

3. The Law of Reflection

We reflect our surroundings, and our surroundings mirror us. When we carry positivity within, we also reflect the same in people around us. Resultant – you are appreciative of people’s efforts and become a source of motivation. On the contrary, when you’re always complaining and criticizing, it is a clarion call to look within and reignite the fire of positivity. Take someone like Mahatma Gandhi, who was filled with hope and selflessness. He invariably saw the same in everyone and inspired the whole world to lead the life of righteousness.

4. The Law of Focus

In the face of problems, if you tend to lose direction, you are giving way to insecurity and rage. Instead, the best way to rise above challenges is by seeing them as opportunities to focus on your goals. Despite hurdles and lawsuits, the great Nicolas Tesla never lost sight and created over 300 patents to his name. It is said that he once worked 84 hours straight.

5. The Law of Significance and Inspiration

Your good returns are the fruits of your energy and intent. Fair use of intelligence is to have positive intentions and to put your energy into fructifying them. Invest in improving your business conduct. Use the profits to thank, encourage, and improve the lives of those who helped you succeed. Humility is the best form of investment.

The Karmic Philosophy of Business Sustainability

The core objective of any business is sustainability. A good business Karma will ensure a long run for any organization. Let’s decode further. The business Karma consists of four key elements

  • Strategy – Implementing decisions that are thought through and would reap long term benefits. For example, mergers and acquisitions or product diversification.
  • Transparency – Acting per policies and communicating in all openness, honesty, and goodwill to employees and customers. For example, intimating clients in case of an operational-hiccup.
  • Nurturing – Promoting a culture of care and empowering employees to grow in the system. For example, a manager guiding his/her team by sharing expertise and wisdom.
  • Objectivity – Acting fair by ensuring pragmatic criteria to arrive at a decision. For example, eliminating personal biases when addressing employee grievances.

When actions comply with these four elements the good business karma is manifested in form of sustainability. On contrary, bad business karma will impact a business’s lifeline.

(Link: https://yourstory.com/mystory/apply-good-karma-business?utm_pageloadtype=scroll)

 

(Related Posts: 

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/when-ceos-are-left-twiddling-their-thumbs-bhagavad-gita-could-help

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2019/08/01/the-karma-operating-system

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2018/06/11/ignoring-the-small-stuff-focusing-on-values-in-business)

(One of the many perks which the Coronavirus has conferred upon Homo sapiens is that of making us realize the criticality of being part of a ‘Soul Family’ and also rediscovering the one we happen to blessed with in this life. In my own terms, these are a bunch of buddies who happen to have an underground cable connection with us, to be reactivated as and when the situation demands so. 

Here is an insightful message which I received from a friend of mine recently. The author is unknown. But the intention to share it here is merely to spread its wisdom and the positive vibes, not to plagiarize!) 

Your soul family is slightly different to your spirit guides and guardian angels as they are usually a collective group of beings to whom you are on similar frequency levels and energetically connected, related and in tune. However, there are variations to this as occasionally a soul family member may be of angelic or seraphim origin or if in physical form they may even be incarnated as your pet who watches over you.

Some of your soul family members travel with you and incarnate at the same time as you do, while others remain in higher frequency worlds. These relationships are often powerful and have a notion of a mission that is shared by the various family members. Your soul family members who have incarnated here with you at the same time don’t always have to be part of your bloodline family but can be anyone who you strongly connect and resonate with and often share similar interests.

Connecting and working with your soul family may help you feel protected and nurtured as they do their best to assist and support you.

Your soul family brings with them great wisdom that may not have been previously fully accessible to you. This wisdom and knowledge may be able to assist you in remembering your life purpose and feeling like you have a mission in life. Your soul families wisdom may be very useful in healing deep wounds and assist in clearing things from your life that no longer serve you. Better life balance may be established also.

Your soul family may have worked spiritually on planet Earth in previous lifetimes may be part of the collective of etheric elders, shamans and protectors of planet Earth. If any of your lifetimes included spiritual shamanic work, then you may be able to establish a connection to this shared knowledge and wisdom.

Ten Extraordinary Things That Happen Once You Connect With Your Soul Family 

For any individual, there are very few people with whom they actually connect at a deeper level. These few people hold enough power to overhaul a person’s worldview and force them to face the realities of life, making them much stronger and wiser. They share a strong system of mutual love and support.

If you already have such people in life, keep them close, for this is your soul family. If not, be on the lookout for them!

Soul groups comprise of people who knowingly and unknowingly uphold the mission of waking each other up and helping break illusions of life. They work together to serve each other.

Given below are the ten important signs that occur when you are with your soul family:

1. THEY HELP STRENGTHEN YOUR INTUITIONS

Being a part of a soul group will activate a harmonious energy exchange inside you which will activate your heart chakras. All their words will emerge from the heart, and you will feel the same. Your conversations will be on an intuitive level, exchanging thoughts and energies.

2. YOU FORM AN IMMEDIATE CONNECTION WITH THEM

There will always be a member of your soul group with whom you feel most comfortable with. You will always feel secure with them as your energy signatures will match.

3. IT’S EASIER TO FORGIVE

To forgive and forget is easier said than done for most of us. As much as we would like to do it, we struggle with the idea of forgiving others for the hurt they caused us.

However, when it comes to the people in our soul group, we find it easier to forgive them. We understand their intentions and motives, and thus don’t misconstrue their actions or words.

4. THERE ARE NO OFF-LIMITS TOPICS AROUND THEM

You are able to be yourself around them and be free with what you say and how you express yourself. You don’t shy away from showing them your goofy side. Same goes for your vulnerable feelings and thoughts too. You are completely authentic around them.

5. THEY ARE YOUR MIRROR

The members of your soul group will share certain aspects of yours. Some of these friends will help bring out positive traits and habits which you might have forgotten over the years. Others might help shine a light on the darker aspects which will help you in understanding yourself and healing your cracks.

6. YOU JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF EACH OTHER’S COMPANY

When you spend time with your soul group, it fills you up with energy. This happens because of a mutual exchange of energy between its members which fills you up with positivity.

7. THERE ARE PROGRAMMED SIMILARITIES

Close members of a soul group will generally share similar upbringings. It may be a similar religion, profession, or ethnicity. This shared base promotes a growth in the group which benefits everyone.

8. THERE ARE NO MANIPULATIONS HERE

There is no sense of destructive competitiveness among the members of such a soul group. No one drags another down in order to pull themselves up. There is no manipulation done to achieve the upper hand and everyone takes pleasure in watching their friends succeed.

9. PERFECT TIMING

A soul group will have a shared innate sense of timing within them. They will be there to pick you up when you’ve given up hope and are questioning your abilities. Their sense of timing will bring to you a support system which is there for you in the depths of your despair and one which brings along the best of surprises when you are least expecting it.

10. THEY SERVE AS YOUR CATALYSTS

Spiritual awakening of any kind occurs after a period of pain and suffering. Your soul group acts as the catalyst which sets this in motion and stand alongside you through thick and thin. When they leave, the pain will be excruciating, but important to lead you forward on the way of spiritual awakening.

Once people find their soul group, their lives go through radical changes. It transforms them, serving their higher good. So hold on tight to them if you already have them, or else always observe the energies you get from people. The right kind will always fill you with elation.
(Illustration courtesy www)
(Related Posts:

 

 

Bishal Dev Bandhopadhya was a brilliant individual but a terrible boss. He held a senior position in an organisation of repute in Bangalore. One afternoon, Bishal is found collapsed on his table and dies soon after he is taken to the hospital. His coffee has been laced with poison. Is this murder or suicide?

Read more about this mystery in the recently released book ‘Who Killed the Boss?’

It is a whodunit which comes highly recommended, especially for hard-nosed CEOs, HR honchos and line managers who treat the people around them like mere specks of dust beneath their chariot wheels!

The narrative is lucid, tight and has a smooth flow. It keeps the reader hooked from very early itself. Suspense keeps building and one keeps twiddling one’s thumbs trying to figure out the real suspect. The amazing part is the expertise the author has deployed – one can’t figure out how – of bringing in extensive knowledge about detective methods, criminology, chemistry of poisons and drugs, human aspirations and motivations, the brighter and the darker side of pharmaceutical industry and, above all, the flip side of bosses who become road rollers. The concluding part is simply brilliant, touching upon a part of the underbelly of corporate life – a boss’ tyranny – and goes even further to
offer a preventive road map for the future.

The touch of compassion towards the accused is a fine stroke indeed. As the human race hurtles towards cold advances in technology, the criticality of following human values is appropriately brought home.

A complaint, if I may. There should be a law that authors refrain from coming up with such un-put-down-able books. Like captivating members of the tribe of the delicately nurtured, such books demand undivided attention and often end up disturbing the normal life of a lay reader.

(Pradeep Swaminathan has had a fairly successful corporate career in India and abroad. Prior to his retirement he was on the board of listed companies. Some of his articles have been published both in the Hindu and Readers Digest. His first book was based on a PG Wodehouse character and published privately got him an excellent review from the Hindu. The book ‘Who Killed the Boss?’ is his first one to be formally published. It can be accessed here.)

 

(Related Posts:

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/the-angry-birds-in-management

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2016/01/14/ceos-who-end-up-becoming-road-rollers

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/terror)

ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

While dishing out the unique fare that P G Wodehouse specialized in, never would he have imagined the kind of spell it would cast upon the unsuspecting youth in a country like India which remained a colony of the British Empire for quite some time. The kind of whodunits which he unleashed on the gullible youth occasionally launched an array of goofy schemes and practical jokes. And if the setting for rolling out such schemes happened to be an educational institution, one can merely bemoan the fate of its Reverend Aubrey Upjohns and other illustrious lion-tamers who had no other option but to be at the receiving end.

Imagine an educational institution which is teeming with a bevy of intellectually inclined youth. It is not difficult to surmise just how busy the institute’s Wodehouse Society office bearers would be, whipping up one goofy scheme or the other at regular intervals.

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“War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means.” ― Carl von Clausewitz, On War An ancient Chinese stratagem advises military leaders: “Loot a burning house.” The trick is easy and self-explanatory — attack when your opponent is most vulnerable. China has given, this and many other hideous ancient wisdom, paramount importance in the […]

HAS CHINA UNLEASHED THE FRIEDMAN’S DISASTER ECONOMY ON THE WORLD — Insightful Geopolitics

In fond memory of Eduardo Garcia who handed in his dinner pail recently.

ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

(Disclaimer : This composition is not by Ralston McTodd. But poets are, after all, also God’s creatures…)

I wish I could be Bertie, and let Jeeves do all the thinking
Whilst avoiding hard work – about it having no inkling,
I worship Ickenham’s horror of convention
And yet, often, am prevailed upon to avoid contention;

I yearn to saunter between tailor, bootmaker and hatter 
Rather than dentist and supermarket – whilst enduring boring chatter,
I dream of living in Blandings, superbly waited on by Beach
Unconcerned about rules I daily feel inclined to breach;

But, alas, one cannot live other’s lives – that’s our lot
And however irksome one’s existence, of it one cannot be shot,
So one must find solace in laughter, fellowship and books
To escape – however briefly – boredom’s nasty hooks;

And there is a place to go, unlike any other one
Which uplifting powers are…

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ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

The Droitgate Spa is well known for its detoxification programs for curing such ailments as gouty foots, asthma, liver troubles, telangiectasis, emotional dermatitis, hyperpyrexia and also in handling all kinds of stretcher cases.

The Spa announces the commencement of some specialized capsules aimed at the weary-eyed denizens who, even as they confess to being held prisoners amongst the multitude of screens in our technology-driven times, inwardly wish to be free from the tyranny of their technical gizmos.

The courses on offer are also ideal for netizens who are addicted to various social media platforms but do not relish the attendant loss of their privacy. These would enable a participant to learn to ‘switch off’ from their virtual worlds at will and concentrate instead on connecting with their real family and friends.

Capsules on offer

Getting rid of Commentitis

To overcome the need for commenting upon, and getting involved in, some…

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ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

(This is a dramatized version of the experiences of Prof. Sandeep Mann while he was at UBS. It is built around some facts furnished by him as to his movie marathon experience of those days. Inputs from him are gratefully acknowledged.

The narrative below is penned – or, key-board-ed, if you prefer – on his behalf. For bouquets, if any, please feel free to contact him. As to brickbats, you may risk hurling those at yours truly.)

Much before one of our learned professors started sharing with us, the batch of 1990, the nuances of Decision Making Under Uncertainty (DMUU, in short) and statistical models of exponential smoothening, we had figured out that two of the most high-risk businesses that beckoned us in the post-UBS phase of our lives were Politics and Movies, not necessarily in that order. Both need deep pockets, a very high risk appetite and, of course…

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ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

The Association of Sterner Husbands (ASH) hereby seeks nominations for its prestigious Star Sterner Awards which are conferred upon those of the tribe of the so-called sterner sex who have managed to break the bond between themselves and their delicately nurtured spouses during the preceding year.

ASH is devoted to the cause of promoting Masculinism. It has instituted the awards to counter the ‘rising trend of all this nonsense about the modern emancipation of women which has resulted in them getting it up their noses’, eventually manifesting itself in such ‘movements’ as Feminism, #MeToo and the like.

Things in the society have reached a state where physical violence inflicted upon the party of the other part, even if the husband is all sozzled up, is in the realm of imagination. So is the provocation of an extra-marital affair. The level of delicacy of the f of the s…

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