Moving home...Moving up..

Moving home isn't fun. Thinking about all the things that need to be done and all the planning that is required, it would almost seem to take out the drive as to why I should move. Add to it the costs and time associated with it and things would seem so lovely to maintain Status Quo and stay in the den you are currently in. But you got to do what you got to do... I convinced myself that it is not going to be a big deal and it is NOT a recurring event.. So started planning for it bit by bit.. Getting the lease in place and ensuring overlapping stay between current and new home is essential to get started.. I had the dates planned against the activities and their priorities.. Breaking away from usual way of doing things in person, I started calling up the offices or going online to create the service requests with various utility companies. You are lucky if you get the right Customer Support the first time , and a bonanza if he/she  takes own the request correctly.. Online has it own set of problem.. Sometimes feel ashamed to be Software Arena, seeing what some of your indirect colleagues have built.. A Crashing application, Request for Non-existent data,  Non-existent confirmation, unsupported browsers  etc are some of the issues I have come across.. I did all that and it seemed so funny at the end.. Yet again I broke my tradition of moving stuff myself and tried to engage a services of a Movers... Once i got through a Board of Self Written Excellent Reviews, I located a good one and have okayed him.. The packing is yet to begin but with a week left, I think I should be better off.. I cant believe how much stuff I have garnered over the years.. I don't think I need more than half of them..:)

thinking about all these, I at various points of time , wanted to stay back in the same apartment. I was getting comfortable i guess... I knew the place.. I figured the survival.. but then I knew the leasing office was increasing the rent and trying to tax my "Comfort Zone"..and then I kind of strangely connected this to life..and career.. We all at some point, everyone of us become soooooo exuberant  at the success we achieved at a place that we stick to it and never let it go.. A sense of security is provided and we live in its warmth, not trying to take the next step for fear..fear of many things including the planning , time , costs, failure etc.. Others when they smell this carefully start manipulating us for their benefits.

Lessons Learnt for Self..
1. Stop Cribbing and Start on it.. Dont know what it is unless you are in it..
2. Get rid of the unnecessary load.. Life is a journey.. travel light..
3. Stay Hungry.. Stay Foolish.  Comfort should be temporal..

 

Me learning...

Stagnation- There are periods of time where one gets really cosy and comfortable in the situation one is ... One almost convinces that he or she is enjoying the fruits of their hard work..Many take this as a plateau of success and go on a really deserved BREAK. What follows is a due or undue acknowledgement of their work with the "Carrot".. Many people now really start to feel this as this place they were meant to me and gain a sense of Self Actualization [Maslow Theory].. Their learning and earning starts showing a decreasing increase year on year... and one fine day they stand added to the statistics that prove the Peter principle.. that's exactly when some one says "Machi avan verum peter machi..." ..[He is full of Hot Air].. Well if not for anyone, the next generation reporting to the person is sure to utilize this as an excuse for their lack of direction. 

Learning is constant...In this rapidly changing world and information age, one needs to keep oneself updated of things that are coming in and stay ahead of curve... I am not denying that one needs a break but one cannot afford not to sharpen his skills in this so called corporate world.. You cannot simply do things of the past, in the present and expect to be in the future.. Experience is certainly something that the person would have gained but the application of the newer knowledge with the experience gained is what makes one "Best in the field". Would you personally agree if a doctor advised you an obsolete medical treatment , just because he has not stayed abreast of the latest happening.. Would you agree to copying notes word by word instead of photocopying them... You need to have the passion to keep moving forward through constant learning. In this context, I am reminded of two quotes
1. "Arise, Awake and Stop not till the Goal is Reached"- Swami Vivekanand.... In light of what we are discussing, I think, one should stride with passion and focus towards self set goals, overcoming all obstacles that may arise...

2. "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" - Steve Jobs, You can watch the video here.
He was pretty sure when he said it... might have sounded a little true.. but for to add meaning to life, one must Stay Hungry , Stay foolish .. It is a deadly combination.. which makes your survival based on curiosity for the unknown .. Puts you on a never before taken road for your own  progress...

The above words not only apply for Individuals but also to Companies.. History is evidence that Companies which once dominated the world have been losing market and try to stay afloat... Kodak and Sony are classic examples of companies being in such a state.. Yahoo and Microsoft in the software field are case studies that clearly portray the same .. Some have clearly spent the time and energy in knowing the direction and adapting to it.. IBM is a classic example..

Cyrus Mistry who has recently taken over the Chairmanship of Tata Group from Shri Ratan Tata had this to share with his employees --

"We live in increasingly competitive times. To succeed in such an environment, we will need to differentiate our approach and innovate. As history has shown, corporations that are happy with resting on their laurels are weeded out by nimble competition that have sensed the pulse of customers with an emphasis on innovation to be continuously relevant in these fast changing times. Clearly, across our businesses, we need to be able to respond swiftly and adapt to changes in market conditions anywhere in the globe." Quote NDTV. 

Glad to know many have realized the fact and are working towards constant learning moving away from stagnation... So let us stay hungry.. stay foolish...

Happy New Year 2013.

New Year is here... As I look back into the year that has passed and list the things achieved against my goals or so called resolutions, it seems like a lot has been done. But then a bitter fact also comes to picture that a lot more has been added and a lot more still needs to be done. While the Clock struck 12, I was basking in the glory of having achieved all but one of my resolutions that I made for 2012.. Also I started carefully planning the road ahead. Well there isn't exactly a GPS for planning this route.. The main thing that one needs to contend with is list of things to be achieved. There is just so much of them.. While having a long list of resolutions looks awesome, practically all it does is dilute focus. I started prioritizing my list to see "What is IMPORTANT to me". One tool I use in such situations is the Covey's Time Management Matrix. It is a very practical way of doing things and how actually we need to do it. Important and Urgent tasks are so  different but in real world they are treated alike. Urgency in most cases are a result of pressure from external factors that takes away our focus away from important things. Apart from the matrix, my other influencing factors for planning are
1. Sustainable Pace.
2. Demonstrable.
3. Cost Factors.
4. Long Term Plan

The Calendar ideally breaks ones time into appropriate shorter bursts of time. This for all practical purpose helps us by breaking down the tasks into smaller milestones, tracking their progress, monitoring deviations and focusing. So once you have the resolutions, break them down into smaller tasks - Divide and Conquer. At all times, stay in control of your own time. Planning stuff is one thing but not sticking to it, is a bigger waste of ones times.. Stress is likely in such cases.

With another 365 days available to us, let us make the best use of it to accomplish the things we want.. we like.. we need and we must....

Wish you all a Happy New Year 2013....