Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

Presentation secrets of steve jobs

View more presentations from mukeshkulothia.

Personal Development

Personal Development is a lifelong process and it seems like never-ending. I would say it is a cycle. Human has always been chasing for 3 things in life: Health + Wealth + Happiness. To fulfill these 3 purposes, we have to keep on improving and developing ourselves. If you do not want to get better on any of the above three; you can stop reading this blog immediately. On the other hand, I strongly recommend this blog to people who are treading the path of life in pursuit of excellence in the areas of health, wealth & happiness.

To start developing oneself, we have to start with ideas, brainstorming, setting the end target in mind, developing a plan and taking first step (irrespective of its size, smaller the better). It took me years to understand and realize the power of Chinese proverb - ‘Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. This gives me courage to embark on any journey for excellence. Well, lets us begin with ideation. 


Three of the best sources for ideas and inspiration are:

  1.      Stay in company of great people, whatever field they may be from. If you ask me, what is the single most influential factor in deciding the destiny of a person? My answer is – Company i.e. the kind of people we live with makes maximum impact on our lives. Spending time with happy, healthy and educated people helps us to develop happy, healthy & learning mindset. People call it networking with great people or finding mentors. The idea is simple: Walk with the wise and not otherwise.   

2.      Read books written by and on successful people. These are the oceans of great ideas, insights and food for your head & heart. During my childhood in school I read the basic needs of human beings are food, clothes & shelter. But now I realized for me its food, clothes & books. Lincoln said, ‘A person who brings a great book for me that I have not read is my best friend’ and the same is true for all other great leaders in the history. Fortune is not there in the finance section, that’s there in the library.    

3.      Observe technology fast. Switch off your mobile and unplug the idiot box/TV. Spend time in silence and loneliness. Force yourself to reflect. Asking below questions helps bringing clarity which in turn brings strength and confidence to your steps.

a.       What makes you happy? Just get your pen moving and make a laundry list as big as you can. Is it earning more money or is it taking best care of yourself by exercising & pampering your senses by going to spa or sending thank you notes or going on vacations with your family or what else? And yes, don’t tell me smoking makes you happy; that is the biggest lie. I believe all the smokers in the world want to quit this but the problem is: they have become slave to this habit. Obedient slaves; where they can sacrifice happiness of the entire family.

b.      What should I continue doing? There must be some activities which make you happy and add value to you and/or others. Identify these clearly and keep on doing more of these. Adding feedback and tuning it accordingly will make it even better.

c.       What should I stop doing? Think and spot activities which neither make you happy nor add value to you and/or others. But still, you have been doing these in past like robot. Smoking or excessive drinking will definitely be in this. Make a resolution to stop doing these with immediate effect. This saves your precious time, hard earned money and lots of energy. Invest this extra money, time and energy in the activities which make you happy and add value to you and the world. Adding value to your self will make you a better person while adding value to the world will make you a significant person.

d.      What else should I start doing? Einstein said, ‘Doing same things over and over again and expecting different results is the biggest form of insanity.’ So either stay contended with whatever the outcome may be or change something/ start doing something for the betterment of your health, wealth or happiness. Here too, you can make a list. Writing things down has a magic associated with it. It brings clarity and helps you focus like a laser beam.

We are human beings and gifted with a wonderful blessing – freedom to make choice. I know you will not only choose health over disease, wealth over poverty and happiness over sadness but also set goals and give a push to your dream of better life. Perhaps one of the best things you can learn in life is setting SMART goals (read my articles on ‘Goals’ from May 2011 Archive). Abraham Lincoln said, ‘A goal properly set is half way reached’. Hence spending time on proper goal setting can be crucial step in your success. Reading & thinking right together will help you in setting proper goals. Once you decide what you want to do? I would say, be impatient. Take action without any further delay. You can start small but maintain consistency in steps and persevere. Once you get results, re-think and review your achievement. Calibrate the goals by applying the feedback and get started again. Remember, personal development is a cycle. It’s a never ending journey in pursuit of excellence which keeps getting even lovelier as you travel.

Enjoy the way to success & happiness. Stay blessed. Keep shining.

Are You Happy?

'Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions'. said Dalai Lama. I am sure the below flowchart will spark reflection for tuning your actions on right wavelength.     
 

Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.   - Hafiz of Persia

Finish Impeccably

Remember the New Year day January 1, 2011. You decided to make this year as one of the best years of your life. You had lot of dreams for the 12 months to fall. You might also have developed a plan to reach your goals. I am sure you have taken actions for few weeks and then went off track. This is the case with most of the people. Still, if you are in those few who set and reached goals. I congratulate you and wish the best for the month ahead. Here are ten things you can do to make this December, best month in the year and finish impeccably (irrespective of the status of all other goals which you set in the beginning):  

1. Read ‘The Ultimate Gift’ by Jim Stovall. You will definitely learn to live a more fulfilled life.
2. Watch ‘I Am Kalam’. My most important learning from this tremendous movie is: circumstances are nothing and you are the master of your destiny.
3. Wash, get ironed and donate your old winter clothes. I do this on traffic lights while travelling to office. Enjoy the smile and happiness within.
4. Unplug your TV (at least for 2 weeks) and feel all the peace and abundance of time at your disposal. Experience the laughter with your loved ones in this time.
5. Go on a vacation for two days, preferably to a place closer to nature i.e. mountains, rivers, lakes, forests etc.
6. Write ‘Thank You Cards’ to at least five persons who contributed maximum to your development & growth in health, wealth & happiness. There are very few things as powerful as a sincere, hand-written thank-you note. Share your gratitude with those who helped you this year. Tell them how they helped you and what it meant to you.
7. Write down your top three values. Make a decision to drive your life on the basis of these three words/phrases. I bet, you will live more gracefully and build better legacy. For me the top three values are: Love, Integrity & Excellence.
8. Find out your three best heroes (For me the names are Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi & Abraham Lincoln). Hang up their portraits on the walls of your home, read their biographies, master their lives and list down the qualities in each one of them which influence you the most. Now, decide to get one habit from each hero.
9. Contribute to world peace – love your family. After receiving Nobel Prize, Mother Teresa was called on the stage to speak on, ‘How can we contribute to world peace?’ This angel spoke, ‘Go to your home and love your family.’ Yes, be a role model to your kids and do not do anything which you do not want your kids to emulate. Refrain from things which do not make your parents feel proud of you. Be a responsible citizen. Just practice it for a month. It will definitely make the world a better place to live.  
10. Join this blog and visit regularly. J

Thank you for reading. Stay blessed. Keep shining. 

Lincoln's letter to his son's teacher

He will have to learn, I know,
that all men are not just, all men are not true.
But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero;
that for every selfish Politician, there is a dedicated leader…
Teach him for every enemy there is a friend.

Steer him away from envy,
if you can, teach him the secret of quiet laughter.

Let him learn early that,
the bullies are the easiest to lick…
Teach him, if you can, the wonder of books…
But also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky,
bees in the sun, and the flowers on a green hillside.

In the school teach him
it is far honorable to fail than to cheat…
Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him they are wrong…
Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son
the strength not to follow the crowd
when everyone is getting on the band wagon…
Teach him to listen to all men…
but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth,
and take only the good that comes through.

Teach him if you can,
how to laugh when he is sad…
Teach him there is no shame in tears,
Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness…
Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders
but never to put a price-tag on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears
to a howling mob and to stand and fight
if he thinks he’s right.
Treat him gently but do not cuddle him,
because only the test of fire makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage
to be impatient…
let him have the patience to be brave.
Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself,
because then he will have sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order,
but see what you can do…
He is such a fine little fellow, my son!

~ Abraham Lincoln