My hut is burning

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.

The worst had happened ~everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. God, how could you do this to me he cried. Early the next day, however, he was wakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island.

It had come to rescue him. How did you know I was here asked the weary man of his rescuers. We saw your smoke signal, they replied.

The Rocks of Life

A reminder for right prioritization:

One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz?”, and he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him.


He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”.

Everyone in the class yelled, Yes! The time management expert replied, “Really?”. He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

He then asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not”, one of them answered. Good! he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.

Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, Good! Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.


He looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?” One eager student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!”.

“No”, the speaker replied, that’s not the point. “The truth is, this illustration teaches us that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”


“What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life, time with your loved ones, your faith, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others. Remember to put these ‘big rocks’ in first or you’ll never get them in at all.”


So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question - What are the ‘big rocks’ in my life Then, put those in your jar first.


 
 

Attitude

You have brains in your head;
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself

in any direction you choose.

You're on your own. 
And you know what you know.

You are the guy who'll decide where to go.

                                                                                                                         --Dr. Seuss

7 steps to...yes, being mediocre

This grabbed me by the ears. Thanks

Here's 7 tips to get you started down the path of mediocrity.

1. Worry About What Others Think
Live for the approval of others. Do what you think they want--or won't notice. Check each of your decisions by the benchmark of group acceptance.

2. See the Finished Product
Be overwhelmed by success. See only the clean and shiny after-pictures instead of the small steps that made it possible.

3. Do Safe
Don't take risks. Small, medium, or large. Instead, live safely in the cocoon of seeming comfort. If you've done it before, keep doing it. And only it.

4. Think 'Forever'
Treat each opportunity--or life overall--as infinite. Put things off today because, hey, you can always do it tomorrow. Don't rush. Don't hustle. Wait. Wait until it feels just right. Then keep waiting.

5. Compare Down
Compare yourself with people who have less, give less, do less. This will make you instantly feel better. It will also keep the pressure off. As long as you're not drowning, there's no need to kick hard.

6. Keep It Fuzzy
Don't mess with your fears. Keep them just how they are: fuzzy and heavy. Let that vague feeling hold you back and scare you. Let those unclear doubts make your stomach twist and legs freeze. Don't reduce your fears to their facts. Keep 'em fuzzy.

7. Make Failure Permanent
Always, always, always see failing as a final fall. If you mess up--game over. You can't get back up, you can't brush yourself off. You are done, and you look like a fool for trying.

Follow these simple tips and you too can be average! 

(Or do their opposites and start to live a better, more exciting life.)

The Killer

This one is from Motivation123.com

::Routine is a killer.

Years ago, before starting the Motivation123 Web site, I had pockets full of plans and ideas. My mind was in a constant state of activity.

As for my reality, nothing ever changed. Nothing in my life went in the directions I had hoped for. It got to the point that I began to doubt whether or not a better life was even possible. Could I change?

Then, while paging through a magazine at the doctor's office, I came across a question, just a short team of words that gripped my attention.

It was simple--as most powerful truths are--but it made an immediate impact. And from that day I possessed a key to progress that has served me ever since.

Before we get to that answer, however, we need to pin down the problem.

The Killer

In a word, it's routine.

It's the pattern of living that, like molten lava, slowly crawls into adulthood, covering and consuming our hopes, dreams, and ambitions.

It's doing the same thing every day because that's what you've always done. It's a vicious circle of repeating actions and events that leads to nowhere.

The reason nothing was changing in my life was because I was stuck in a routine. Every day I followed the same basic outline of living: wake, work, sleep, repeat.

I had new ideas, to be sure, but my actions were old.

Then I was hit with the truth while waiting - for what seemed like weeks - in my doctor's waiting room.

- - -

At this point you might be thinking to yourself that the most important question to answer is 'What do I want?' If you don't yet have clearly defined goals, you're right.

For a series of insightful exercises designed to help you uncover the goals and life purpose that are right for you, visit:

http://www.motivation123.com/prd-gdc.html

The Question I Took with Me

The sad reality is that most people never realize what is happening until it's too late. That is the skill and cunning of habit and routine.

It wraps its arms around the minutes and hours of your life, distracting and luring you into autopilot, into a dazed mode of living.

All the while, the little time you have to construct your ideal experiences is being sucked away, stolen.

Routine is a murderer. It kills hope and the chance for change. It blinds us to the truth and with a scalpel cuts away our goals and ideas. Routine puts a hand in the face of growth and  improvement, leaving room for nothing but the same.

You need a way out of the routine. And for me, the way out came in the form of a question:

'If you continue to follow the same patterns, what are the chances you'll ever experience the things you want to do and ever become the person you hope to be?'

I read the sentence again. What would my chances be? Things hadn't worked out so far, so why would doing the same thing result in anything different?

My Realization

I had my answer. My chances were none.

I would never do the things I had always thought about, never grow into the character I hoped for. If I followed the same routines, the same patterns, I could expect pretty much what I had been getting.

For some, this is the perfect scenario. But for me, I wanted more. I knew how much life had to offer and I wanted to dive in head first. I wanted to experience it all and live a life worth living again.

I looked around the office, looked at the people next to me. None of us would reach that place without a change in pattern. We were all trapped in a circle of habit.

This brings us face to face with a truth that most men and women would rather avoid.

It's relieving to let our goals live in 'someday.' We don't have to worry about never attaining them.
Instead, we can put them off and fool ourselves.

'It will happen someday.' No, it won't.

The truth is, if you don't change your routine now, you will never reach those goals. You will never wake up to a life that matches the one in your mind. Never.

Don't hide from this. Accept it. Embrace it. Use it to smash through the chains of routine and drive you into a new way of life, into a new pattern of progress.

This is the first step. Realizing a change is needed is the beginning of something amazing - but it is only the beginning.

Would you like to continue the process?

If so, visit the address below. It will show you a new way to think about motivation - the key to changing your patterns and your life.

Believe it or not, inner drive (that feeling that makes you want to get up and do what it takes) is a switch that can be turned on and off at will.

All you need to know are six simple steps to make it happen. To discover what they are and to begin using them today, visit:

http://www.motivation123.com/prd-tmm.html

Routine may be a killer, but it can only work in the shadows. Now that you know it's there, you can stop the damage, stop the patterns, and start something new.

My Best,

Jason

- - -

Jason M. Gracia
Founder & President
www.motivation123.com

The 100/0 approach

Excerpt from The 100/0 Principle, by Al Ritter

What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It's The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return.

Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent.

The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.

STEP 1 - Determine what you can do to make the relationship work...then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.

STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.

STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait.

STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don't respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.

At times (usually few), the relationship can remain challenging, even toxic, despite your 100 percent commitment and self-discipline. When this occurs, you need to avoid being the "Knower" and shift to being the "Learner." Avoid Knower statements/ thoughts like "that won't work," "I'm right, you are wrong," "I know it and you don't," "I'll teach you," "that's just the way it is," "I need to tell you what I know," etc.
 

Instead use Learner statements/thoughts like "Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation," "I could be wrong," "I wonder if there is anything of value here," "I wonder if..." etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious!

Principle Paradox

This may strike you as strange, but here's the paradox: When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. When that occurs, true breakthroughs happen for the individuals involved, their teams, their organizations and their families.

The Cycle of Completion

I got this from Josh Hinds, http://www.GetMotivation.com

Do you live in a state of mental and physical clutter? Do you have a bunch of unfinished business lurking around every corner?

Incomplete projects, unfinished business, and piles of cluttered messes can weigh you down and take away from the energy you have to move forward toward your goals.

Cycle of Completion...

When you don't complete tasks, you can't be fully prepared to move into the present, let alone your new future. When your brain is keeping track of all the unfinished business you still have at hand, you simply can't be effective in embracing new tasks that are in line with your vision.

Old incompletes can show up in your life in lots of different ways... like not having clarity, procrastination, emotional energy blocks and even illness. Blocked energy is wasted, and a build up of that energy can really leave you stymied!

Throw out all the clutter and feel how much easier it is to think! Make a list of areas in your life (both personal and professional) where you have incompletes and messes, then develop a plan to deal with them once and for all.

Fix and organize the things that annoy you. Take your final steps in bringing closure to outstanding projects. Make that difficult phone call. Delegate time-wasting tasks that you've let build up.

When you free yourself from the mental burden of incompletes and messes, you'll be amazed at how quickly the things you do want in life arrive.

Another area where you'll find incompletes in your life is in your emotions. Are you holding on to old hurts, resentments, and pain? Just like the physical clutter and incompletes, your energy is being drained by holding on to and reliving past pain and anger.

Remember, you'll attract whatever feelings you're experiencing. So, if you're stuck in revengeful thinking and angered in muck, you can't possibly be directing energy toward a positive future. You need to let go of the past in order to embrace the future. Letting go involves forgiveness
and moving on.

By forgiving you aren't releasing the other person from their transgression as much as you're freeing yourself from their transgression. You don't have to condone their behavior, trust them, or even maintain a relationship with them. However, you do have to free yourself from the anger,
from the pain, and from the resentment once and for all!

When learning to forgive, make sure to complete the cycle. Acknowledge your anger, your pain, and your fear. But also own up to any part you've played in allowing it to happen or
continue.

Make sure to express whatever it was that you wanted from that person, and then see the whole event from the other's point of view. Allow yourself to wonder what that person was going through and what kind of needs he/she was trying to fulfill at the time.

Finally, let go and move on. Every time you go through this process you're learning how to avoid letting it happen again!

-Jack Canfield
______________
Jack Canfield, is the founder and co-creator of book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, go to http://getmotivation.com/qk.cgi/jack-canfield
 

Tracking Personal Accountability

It gets really painful to review ourselves, say over the last one year and see that there were so many things that could have been done but were missed out for no reason at all. I am not talking about any huge goals like buying a house or a change of job. It's about very simple and basic things that could have been easily done but we either took it easy or thought it could be done on any day...particularly those simple things that made our lives so enjoyable and joyous....

It could be reading, exercise, developing a habit or even getting in touch with friends. The thought crosses our mind but then gets drowned in the cacophony of so many other internal dialogues. Eventually, it never gets done. And we look back and regret that. The consequence of not doing it may range from negligible to slightly regretful to even painful. 

One such activity (from a really long list) for me was reading books. I was wondering why I missed out and then realized that over the years I have started to look at reading as an activity rather than a habit. I still remember those days when I used to compete with friends in reading maximum number of books. Time & years have really stolen this excellent habit and here I am setting goals for that! A lousy way to lose a good habit, isn't it?


This is just one example. I have many more in my life and so would anyone... Somebody quoted that if we did everything that we are capable of doing, then we will produce amazing results. I was wondering how to get back those good old simple habits...and start some new ones and sustain the initial momentum without losing focus...The best option looked like to start doing it on a regular basis till it becomes a habit again.

And I came across Joe's Goals, a free online tool. that could add some fun and method to doing exactly that.


Here, we can set up such simple activities that we want to do on a regular basis..and one can back there and give +ve marks for having done that or -ve marks for not doing it.


So I promptly set up a set of goals - typically things that I want to start doing, things that I want to continue doing and things that I want to stop doing. Now, scoring +marks & -ve marks makes real sense and what more, I am my own evaluator. All I have to do is to work it on a regular basis. Ten positive things (Start or Continue what is already being done) and five negative things (to stop / never to be repeated - like getting up late etc) and I am ready to score daily.

It gets even more cool that I can tag each of these under categories like Health, Exercise, Habit, Productivity etc. and review them. I can also run reports for a period and I get my score. 

I have decided to put up a graph on this blog (another cool feature) so I can track my progress as an average score over a period. Talking about commitment, huh?

Simple, powerful and amazing! 

Video review here

Book: For One More Day - Mitch Albom

"Have you ever lost someone you love and wanted one more conversation, one more chance to make up for the time when you thought they would be here forever? What if you got it back?" 

The book in a single line would be - A suicidal former baseball player is granted one more day with his dead mother.


It's a gripping story of a shattered family that's superbly written. Mingled with moments that wring the heart, it is in a fluid style where a broken Charles 'Chick' Benetto narrates the story of his life. 


The book is about Chick's failure to build a a professional career and his even more serious failure with his family, job and finance. It's about his failure to discern what is right and what is wrong, failure in realising the most important people & things of his life. It's about his blind faith in his father that leads him to do so many irresponsible things like dropping out of college and lie to his mother. One day he leaves home for a game, he leaves her birthday party, without declaring the real reason of course...he shuts the car door as his mother speaks to him...that's the last he sees her alive. She dies as timely medical help is not available. And our Benetto lives in regret of all those times he didn't stand up for his mother. 



The book starts with a shocking question about why he wanted to commit suicide. As he takes us along his life one cannot help but feel sorry for him. One can actually empathise with the kid for the shallow ambitions without any preparation.


As a father, as a husband, as an individual he manages to become a pathetic loser in all of these aspects. He plans his suicide and is not able to go about it the way he wanted. He meets with a road accident from where the story leads us to his meeting with his mother. And then he returns, loaded with the lessons from his mother that he got during the one day that he spends with her in his town. 

The moments they spend together is very insightful and touching. This results in patching up the broken bond between the two. Their discussion about lives of different people they visit, the final moments of people known to them and finally their discussion about the one woman who would have drawn the utmost hatred....an amazing trip about people and relationships.



The mother. She towers above all the chaos. Incidents of times when the mother stood up for him...and times when he didn't stand up for her  that dot the book are amazing. We take our parents for granted. Particularly the mother. But she comes out of it all much stronger than anyone else in this book. And gives him one more day in his life to realise what he had done with his life. And then, magically, he gets to live on...to correct his mistakes and earn back the faith and trust of his daughter. The revelation of the listener's identity in the end is a pleasant surprise and proves that he actually succeeds in getting his daughter back.



The transformation he undergoes after meeting his mother is nicely captured. After all, not every one gets to learn from one's mother after her death. It's one thing to remember what she stood for but it is another to live one full day again with her to learn from her and get a lot of issues clarified in person. The plot develops in a captivating way, capturing the different aspects of relationships beautifully.

A wonderful lesson that ends with a longing statement  "I would like to make things right again with those I love". 

Of course yes, we would all love to do just that, but have never found the time to do so. 

How far will I go?

Here is a wonderful story I received from simpletruths.com
Great to keep up our spirits post-Diwali lull

The nest of young eagles hung on every word as the Master Eagle described his exploits. This was an important day for the eaglets. They were preparing for their first solo flight from the nest. It was the confidence builder many of them needed to fulfill their destiny.

"How far can I travel?" asked one of the eaglets.
"How far can you see?" responded the Master Eagle.
"How high can I fly?" quizzed the young eaglet.
"How far can you stretch your wings?" asked the old eagle.
"How long can I fly?" the eaglet persisted.
"How far is the horizon?" the mentor rebounded.
"How much should I dream?" asked the eaglet.
"How much can you dream?" smiled the older, wiser eagle.
"How much can I achieve?" the young eagle continued.
"How much can you believe?" the old eagle challenged.

Frustrated by the banter, the young eagle demanded, "Why don't you answer my questions?"
"I did."
"Yes. But you answered them with questions."

"I answered them the best I could."
"But you're the Master Eagle. You're supposed to know everything. If you can't answer these questions, who can?"
"You." The old wise eagle reassured.
"Me? How?" the young eagle was confused.
"No one can tell you how high to fly or how much to dream. It's different for each eagle. Only God and you know how far you'll go. No one on this earth knows your potential or what's in your heart. You alone will answer that. The only thing that limits you is the edge of your imagination."

The young eagle puzzled by this asked, "What should I do?"

"Look to the horizon, spread your wings, and fly."
Copyright 2001, Tom Reilly

Appreciating the days in between

Here comes another year which unleashes a deluge of emotions ranging from nostalgia to sense of achievement or a resentment. It's also the time for the annual ritual of looking back and looking forward.

I was looking for a positive thing to start this year when a very simple message landed in the inbox. It is so simple yet hits hard. I am sure to come back to this again and again just to get reminded to appreciate the in-between days.

Sometimes I need to see my life differently. Like stepping outside it and seeing it from a different angle. Maybe walking around it, underneath it or climbing on top. Better yet, through the eyes of a child. There is nothing complex about what I am about to share with you. In fact, the beauty of it lies in the simplicity.

I was talking to a friend about all the things I've been going through lately. We were sitting at a table in an open coffee shop located in the center of a mall.

I love coffee and I love conversation.

Just as we began speaking a woman with two teenage girls took the table just behind us. They were rowdy and unsettled as they were talking about all the shopping they were doing. Mom reminded them to sit quietly while she placed their order at the counter.

Remarkably, they quieted down immediately.

"All I want to do is to get through it," I said as we continued our chat.

"I know what you mean," my friend replied.

Then I said, "When I look back over my life all I see is me dealing with a problem and sooner or later another one pops up."

Without hesitation I heard, "What about all the days in between?"

I looked at my friend and he shook his head as he said, "I didn't say that."

"I did!" a young voice replied.

Then from behind him one of the girls turned around, smiled, and repeated, "What about all the days in between?"

I smiled. I thought it wonderful that she felt she had something to offer us.

"Explain." I said.

"Well, this is just my opinion, but people always think about their problems. What about all those days in between? Those days we throw away worrying about what happened and what might happen," she said.

"Those days are good days, probably more of those than the bad ones!" the other girl added.

Just then the woman returned. "Are they bothering you?" she asked.

"No, they helped me see my life differently," I said. "Now I see the days in between."

"More of those than the bad ones!" my friend added.

What do you see?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob's signature story, "I Wish You Enough," has circled the globe via the Internet. His inspiring true stories are based on the people he meets in his travels. In the mall, the airport, the park, or sitting in a restaurant, a simple word or phrase will often catch his attention; hook onto his heart-and from it a story blooms. Bob's unique perspective on life makes him "the philosopher of everyday moments."

http://www.IWishYouEnough.com
perksblog@hotmail.comSent as a courtesy of...Jeff KellerAttitude is Everything, Inc.Motivational resources to help you succeedhttp://www.attitudeiseverything.com

Bucket-Filler or a Dipper?

You have heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favorable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full.

A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another's bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listing to him.

When one's bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways.

Lets say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady's skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed. "Bright Eyes" across the table says, "You upset that glass of chocolate milk." I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake ("Red pencil" mentality!)

Buckets are filled and buckets are emptied ? emptied many times because people don't really think about what are doing. When a person's bucket is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose bucket is empty, "That is a pretty tie you have," and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.

Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing.

The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another's bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another's, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another's bucket we do not fill our own ... we lose a little.

For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds "fakey," or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is "brown-nosing."

Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone's life in order to fill their bucket.

Attitude is Everything

Priceless things in life

Here is an interesting story.

A husband wakes up at home with a huge hangover. He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the side table. He sits down and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed. He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest of the house. He takes the aspirins and notices a note on the table. "Honey, breakfast is on the table, I left early to go grocery shopping. Love You!"

Totally shocked with the note , he goes to the kitchen and sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the morning newspaper. His son is also at the table, eating. He asks, "Son, what happened last night?"

His son says, "Well, you came home around 3 AM, drunk and delirious. Broke some crockery, puked in the hall, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door".

Confused, the man asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me? I should expect a big quarrel with her!"

His son replies, "Oh, that! Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your clothes n shoes off, you said, "LADY LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M MARRIED!"

Moral:
Self-induced hangover - $ 400.00
Broken crockery - $ 800.00
Breakfast - $ 10.00
Saying the Right Thing While Drunk – "PRICELESS "

Have a wonderful week ahead :)

Management by Super Stars?

It was late in the night, on board the Kingfisher returning from Delhi. The dinner trays had just been cleared by the efficient crew and everyone was either smiling at The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on their TV screens or just started dozing off. I was lazily browsing through the newspaper when the above visual and the accompanying article in the Delhi edition of Hindustan Times shook me wide awake.



It went like this "Witnessing the resurgence of charismatic leadership in the Rajnikanth persona, the debate about the methods and madness of management by charisma has once again surfaced. Fenzied mobs crazy with their adulation for the leader, who is the star and the center of their universe. A hysteria that gripped Indians and non-Indians across the globe and created history."



Then the writer quotes names of famous leaders and notorious people who used their persona to move followers into action much like the flute of the pied piper and says the same is true of the Rajnikanth effect.



The writer emphasises "The need of the hour is for the saviour who will redeem the masses and restore faith in the system. We need to create a leader who creates followers."
One needs to read the full article to understand the writer's thought process supporting the above statement. It's just amazing :)


The concept linking super heroes with requirements of a great Leader is neatly illustrated under the areas of:


The authenticity
The Image
What the followers need
Tricks of the trade
The ethics debate


The author, Aneeta Madhok, Dean, Center for Human Resources, S.P.Jain Center of Management Academic City, Dubai, sure knows how to throw light into areas never imagined!