Total recall...

I was facilitating a competency progression session for my colleagues - when I recollected the day where I came across someone who asked me four questions which would leave a mark on my life for ever.

It was four years back, I was attending a conference...a conference where it would be strategized - WHAT TO STRATEGIZE !!! Corporate Honchos all around, ties galring to break free from those double brested siuts, mobiles working hard to grab one others attention !!! A strange feel for a person like me who was yet to integrate into the jungle of no-where...CORPORATE !!!

In front of this large contingent of brain oozing people stood a 6'4" hugely built rugby player of the yester years - he had been a pastor too....Lenford Gerber - he was introduced with a fantastic edification by one of my colleagues....while introducing it was mentioned that Lenford could positively impact your life for ever & that if you WANTED to, you will learn WHAT you WANT out of his session....it really dint bother me much...I wanted to learn either ways - I was hungry to know what these corporate animals were made up of. I was waiting - but never knew I was at the wrong place at the right time - because after Lenford asked the group those life transforming questions I did not find a quite corner to just sit around & cry....

Those four questions hit me like a hammer even today - each time I think of.... Lenford named them the "Cross road questions"...but for me they actually built a road of meaning....

Would love to share them in my share space:

1. When is the last time I did something for the first time???
2. How OLD is my attitude???
3. Who am I when no one is watching me???
4. Why am I doing what I am doing???

If you find an answer to these questions - my friend, from this minute your road towards your destiny has started...remember what I always say:

Destiny is not destined - it is - DESIGNED....Chandramoorthy

On Passion...

I just recollected an age old incident...

I was then working for an MNC, based out of Erode (MNC - out of Erode !!!)...during one of my routine trips (In a bus...)to a neighbouring town Salem, I couldnt fight my urge to attend to natures call & walked to a govt run pay toilet inside the bus stand...

Little did I know that the next 5 minutes I spent inside that dingy, stinking place would leave a irrevokable mark on the way I shall think - throughout my life...

The place was flirting with stink & I was choking to get out to fill my lungs with some breathable air, when I noticed something absolutely life transforming...In that place - there was a boy (should have been around 15/16 years old) who was employeed (!!!) to clean the toilet after each use.

The way he enjoyed executing that seemingly disgusting task was a splendor to watch...This boy was actually making each person walking inside - smile with his antics & laugh with him on his jokes...I couldnt think of a better way for any individual to elude passion !!!

When ever I am attending to a task today - all I have to do is recollect that 5 minutes for me to experience the level of passion with which I can DO things...

I am back...

Sometimes you get into your own shell - thinking why you are doing what you are doing??? You neednt have a answer for all your questions all the time - some are better unanswered...

I was asking my self why I stopped doing something (Blog) which I started to...was I looking for others to take notice? May be yes - thats why when I did not get any notice for what I was doing I thought for whom I should do this? Surprise surprise ---- I completely forgot I am seeing what I am doing....thats amazing I forgot I am seeing what I am doing....

Now to ensure I keep myself in good stead & terms with myself I decided to do something which I love the most - be myself...

So with no compulsions that I am doing anything what I do for anyone else & without any predetermined thoughts that I SHOULD blog every week on fridays (How funny it is now to think I had done this to myself....hahahahaha) I have decided to start again...

Welcome back CM .... am sure youd love this journey too - as you have your others....

Remember Destiny is not Destined - it is - DESIGNED...

Freedom on Friday - 4th Serving...

As each one of us continue to assimilate our learning’s & experiences on a day to day basis, we evolve better ways to deliver our objectives in an affective manner – hence it is obviously imperative for us to take ownership for our actions.

Connecting with the above, I recollect one of the Golden rules given to me by my mentor -

"There is nothing more powerful than taking ownership for things by yourselves…"

Accountability & responsibility are the two most powerful words in the Human dictionary. This rule retreates the same philosophy that I had read again and again and again by some of the most powerful Authors in this world who describe Leadership as 'action on thoughts'.

If I were to take ownership for my actions & stand accountable to myself, there would not be a single instance that my personal consciousness would allow me to take a wrong route. This rule strongly imbibes the most important factor for a person to develop into a true Leader. I am taking measured steps to attain mastery in this art - of taking ownership for things.

How about you ???

Destiny is not Destined - it is - "Designed"

Freedom on Friday - 3rd Serving...

For me, some of the most intense learnings in my life were gifted by two individuals - one, a person who is absolutely deceptive in looks but has the uncanning capacity to inspire a dead man alive, second - a person who has inspired a thousand souls to identify their true potential...

I say I should have been such an amazing & relentless persurer of my dreams that the universe conspired for me to have come across these two people who have made my life look more meaningful.

I would love to share some of my treasured Golden rules

Justice is not sufficient if done – it has to be seen to be done

This is one of the most powerful Golden rules I have acquired. This statement has been a motivating factor for me @ many a times when I always used to wonder why people do things the way they do….

It is obvious – yet we never see, that every individual needs the acceptance, recognition & attention the way we crave for. This rule is one of the most powerful tools I use currently in my day-to-day business activity & the results are showing in terms of highly improved Personal relationship built with people across all departments.

Freedom on Friday - 2nd Serving...

I remember reading somewhere - "If you are going to lead, you better have a deep-seated belief that you should be at the helm, dragging everyone into that better future - Virtually nothing about a leader is humble. I'm not saying they are arrogant, but their dreams are big." Successful leaders must find a "universal truth" to rally their followers. These universal truths stem from the basic human needs, fears and desires that unite all people, across all cultures. They also happen to be great tools for leadership.

Take, for example, one of the great human fears -- fear of the future. We all share a fear of the unknown. The biggest challenge for we modern-day leaders, of course, is that we traffic in the future, but believe me - some of the worlds most accepted & best leaders have overcome this fear -- and build confidence among their followers -- with a weapon of their own, a weapon called: Clarity.

By presenting a clear message, and backing up their message with actions that support it, top managers of companies have rallied employees to their cause and enjoyed bottom-line success as a result.

The best way to turn anxiety into confidence is this: Be clear
Clarity is the antidote to anxiety
Even If you do nothing else as a leader: Be clear

I have consciously decided to be CLEAR - how about you....

"Destiny is not Destined - it is - DESIGNED"

CM

Freedom on Friday's

In my previous assingment, I had been running an initiative to share Life learnings with colleagues - I used to call it "Freedom on Friday's". These insights dont come from any management books, but from people sharing their amassed personal knowledge & experience. Infact certain values in life binds us to the core purpose of our existence - thought I could share some of my precious learnings over the years which I have accumulated from people like you.
I have chosen Friday's of all coming weeks to share some heart warming & thought provoking insights - which have greatly affected tens of thousands of people world over...I am doing this to infact uphold one of my learnings that Knowledge shared always grows exponentially...your inputs & views shall be highly appreciated...

Rules to be Broken - "Don’t waste your time with Dreams"

Let us look at a true story. There was once a parson. Let us call him Father Smith. Fr. Smith, in his congregation, would hold sermons. In his sermons, there was one called, "You can be what you want to be". This sermon was very powerful and slowly, Fr. Smith became very popular in his church because of that sermon. He was once called to Chicago to hold a prayer meeting and in that meeting, he spoke on…. you guessed it, ‘You can be what you want to be". After the sermon, when people were filing out, a small 10 year old girl came up to Fr. Smith. She was wearing braces, had thick (soda bottle) glasses, and was walking with crutches. She came up to Fr. Smith and asked, "Can I really be what I want to be?" Fr. Smith said, "Of course.". The girl said, "Father, I want to be a Wimbledon star." Fr. Smith was now caught in his own trap. He could not tell her that she could never be a tennis star, but could not tell her that she could be one either. So he said, "Child, go and learn ballet first". He had, in sales training parlance, handled the objection.

A few years later, Fr. Smith was sent tickets to the Royal enclosure in Wimbledon with hotel vouchers and plane tickets. When he reached there, he was warmly greeted by a warm and vivacious young lady, who greeted him and said, " Father, I was sure that you would come." Fr. Smith could not recognize the girl. So she said, "Father, do you remember, you asked me to learn ballet?" This girl was the Tennis super star "Billie Jean King."
To me, friends, that is the power of a dream.

So - I would like to break the first rule. I will dream and I will dream big. I will let my dream wake me up at night and will let it eat up my waking moments. For I am going to make my dreams come true.
What about you?

Signing off with a statement which I created for myself - "Destiny is not Destined - it is - DESIGNED" - Chandramoorthy...