Emotional Compartmentalization

The work and family should be like rail tracks - together but parallel and never meeting at any point, to enable smooth journey in life.

In our day to day lives, we don atleast more than one role- family and work. Some of them even more. Each role has its own set of problems and needs a different way to handle it. Never mix up this both or never let the problems in one role to affect another. In other words, compartmentalize your emotions. Store up anger,tension,anxieties,sorrow of each role in separate compartments - for family,work and other roles.Its tough but doable.

Most of us carry the problems of work to home and vice-versa, thereby ignoring the support/comfort/joy the other role provides, creating discomfort to people around us. A selfish behavior - making others suffer for your problem they have no idea or no control.

The work and family should be like rail tracks - together but parallel and never meeting at any point, to enable smooth journey in life.

Emotional compartmentalization enables us to focus our energies on tasks in hand channelizing it in right direction. If we were to mix up family problems at work and vice-versa, it would result in lack of focus in either of the problems, building up the burden.

Everyone has their own share of problems and they definitely dont need yours !! Leaders (more so soldiers!) engage this art of emotional compartmentalization to carry out their task in hand.It creates an emotional stability in handling the tasks at hand. What if your boss vents out his anger on you because of his family problem?What if our parents do the same because of work tension? Is that acceptable?

Its may not be possible everytime to compartmentalize, especially if the problem is too big for us to handle and drain us out,but it should be an exception case, but not a rule!Once in a while its ok as it cant be helped!

Leave your workplace problems at your doorstep when you reach home to take up other role. Similarly, leave our family problems as you swipe in your ID card at your workplace. There are challenges in store for you.

Its inspiring to be You - the Unique Self

In this world's stage, being ourselves will make us heroes, being someone will only make us mimicry artist - just to be laughed at !

One of the very very few things in this universe that cannot be duplicated is You - i.e. being one's self. Our Self is a combination of capabilities, appearance, environment, interests, talents, joys ,struggles, people around us etc. Each of us have our own way of handling things. Its impossible to find another person who has lived in the same combinations as you.

Billions have come and gone and yet there is none like you. Fingerprints in our own hands are not the same, nor are the power same in both our eyes. For this earth, there is one sun, one moon and the one-unique You.

Alas, some of us tend to ignore this fact and pretend to be someone else wasting the whole potential of being one's self. There was and will always be only one Aryabhatta, one Charaka, one Leonardo Da vinci, one Einstein, one Mozart. There are a lot of things to get inspired, motivated and learnt from others, but it must only be learning not imitation! Learning expands our knowledge and experience, thus expanding our uniqueness.

Take a simple example: If a music composer copies or picks up a track another source and uses it for different film, do we still call him a learner or copycat? Do we still call him genius?? From that moment, doesn't he loses respect? The same applies when we also try to be someone.

The universal truth is that, there are people to like you, appreciate you, accept you as you are! Pretending will only demean one's unique (and great!) self.

With all the flaws and greatness, weakness and strength, stupidity and intelligence - You are the only one! You are where you are now because only you can fill in the gap in your family, fill the gap in the workplace, fill the gap in someone's life. In short, you are the unique missing piece to complete the jigsaw puzzle in life. So, just be You. Its inspiring to be You!

In this world's stage, being ourselves will make us heroes, being someone will only make us mimicry artist - just to be laughed at !

Perfect Situation??

There is nothing called a Perfect situation, only a perfect excuse

Most of us wait for things to get better before taking action.The truth is that if we keep waiting for it, we would be waiting forever. There is nothing called a perfect situation,maybe I would call it a perfect excuse!. Taking time to analyze the situation to take right action is fine, but waiting for a situation to get better to take any action is procastination. Its the process of delaying things because of fear of failure. In other words, a perfect(proper/right/approriate..whatever the term maybe) situation is not the circumstance but our attitude to face the situation. Its the only way to move forward.A soldier cannot wait for a such situation in a war nor can CEO in crisis period.

Everyone of us face such situations in our daily lives.Its a challenge thrown at us.An action needs to be taken.No matter whatever action it is,however small it is, it would definitely make the things move forward, leaving us more confident,stronger and motivated.These small actions fuel us to take on bigger challenges, building our inner strength and confidence and in turn build others' confidence in us. And this defines our leadership. It just requires just one quality - ATTITUDE. What makes a leader is what one does in Crisis and not when things are rosy!

In worst case, even if the action we have taken is wrong,it does gives an invaluable learning called Experience.

A Personal realization on this New Year 2010 – Acceptance and Hope

Like many, I was into deep retrospect of the just gone year 2009. Was deep into thought, when I realized that, while most the professional and family related wishes were fulfilled, my personal wish-list was totally untouched. All the items in the wish-list had financial strings attached to it. I realized that my personal financial commitment had totally taken me off my sight rather thought of my wish-list! There was an element of pain and frustration but too feeble to voice it out. Every moment I thought about it, there was such a negative feeling of frustration and pain – similar to a child crying when pulled off lollipop from its mouth! There was nothing I could do about it as none those things were in my control and I had other important priorities. After some quiet moments and self-consolation (just short of tears), I realized I had to accept the things that cannot be changed. It is better said than done! It wasn’t easy and it did take (and still taking!!) some time to accept it. Fretting over it again and again was kindling my negative emotions and it is definitely was not good for me and people around me. A good part of the New Year day was gone fighting over it. Can’t afford to lose the remaining part of the day!

As I slowly started accepting it, there was a kind of instant calm inside me. Did I bury my wish list?? No way..! I did feel like burying it but then it was something so close to my heart that I just couldn’t do it. It’s just became this year’s wish-list with the hope that it would be full-filled.

Most of us may have faced similar kind of situation. Acceptance of past will create a burdenless present and Hope for a better future.