Maximise Potential

We all want to be happy and with a new year coming instead of looking at things that are not working in our lives it might be wiser to think of the things that are going well. The problem with resolutions is we are trying to always change something. There are some things that may never need to be changed. There will be all sorts of messages in the new year asking us to change or set new resolutions. My point is we have to really see why do even need to change unless we want to. Just because it is the new year it doesn't mean we have to change. I think everyone has one common goal in life and that is to be happy. It has also been well established that you can’t really pursue happiness but rather it is the result of concerted action towards your closely cherished dreams. Aristotle said  “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” What are the keys to happiness? Happiness has been defined as the progressive realization of a w

I have realized that life is truly a numbers game. It is wonderful to look at all the numbers of your life and see where you stand versus where you want to be. As they say the numbers tell the whole truth. This being the end of the decade it might be the best time to take a look at the numbers of your life. Here are the areas where I like to review the numbers in my life. See if this applies to you Sleep  - This is so important that I want to put it at the top of the heap. Measure the number of hours you sleep. 7 hours at a minimum is a must so if you are not getting enough sleep see which activities you must stop to get the extra sleep. You may have to forego some activities to get this sleep in. However, this is an absolute must if you want to get the most out of yourself. There are so many books coming on this so it is imperative to get this right. Exercise  – Barring any health conditions you need to see how much exercise you are getting on a weekly basis. Again, if this me

As the year nears completion I wanted to share some of the books I enjoyed reading this year. I would say this year has been one of the best in terms of terrific books. Please check out my favorite books of 2019 below. Most of them are business books which is my preferred genre and I have also reviewed some of them so if you are interested you can check it out by clicking the related links. At the end of the article you can also find my favorite books from 2015 till 2018 as well. Trailblazer by Marc Benioff and Monica Langley  – This was totally inspirational to me. Marc gives his back story which was interesting. He was always interested in technology from childhood. The main theme is that culture not only eats strategy for breakfast but everything else. Doing good and giving back is good for business. It does have an idealistic tone, but I think this book is a must read for all entrepreneurs and business leaders. He also talks about taking a stand on issues which Marc has done on

With 2020 beckoning a lot of us want to create resolutions and most of them don't work over the long run unless there is a strong commitment to follow through. I prefer goals instead which are more long term. Instead of having a goal of losing 5 pounds we can instead just install the habit of exercising daily. If we exercise daily consistently then the 5 pounds takes care of itself over a reasonable period. My aim with this article is to give long lasting habits that we can implement not only for this year but for life. If we do that then the necessity for resolutions disappears. Our habits make us or break us. If there is one thing that will surely help you on this journey of life it is your habits. There is no scientific formula to develop habits but one thing is sure unless you are totally determined to change then the results will not be what is required. Here are 13 habits that when implemented can really help us get closer to where we want to be. Get up early  – This is

Wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. As 2020 gets on us we all want to feel more self-confident. Self-confidence is wonderful quality strongly correlated with success. A lot of times we see people who are highly successful and it is a direct result of their self-confidence. It is not something that you just have when you are born but rather it is something internalized after years of hard work and proving your competence in your area of expertise.  Here are the 15 ways I have identified to become a more self-confident person. Keep track of your accomplishments  - Everyone has had success at some point in life either in school, extracurricular activities or college. Write down every single achievement you have ever had right from your start. This can be anything from learning a language, learning a sport, or academic achievements. This will give you a good start on your journey towards increasing self-confidence. Some authors advise to have a victory log of all your acco

Happy holidays to everyone. It is that time of the year when most of us get some time off and we are usually on vacation with our families. Of course it is a well-earned break. However this could also be a time of some stress and over stimulation. Some of us more stressed after the holidays than before we entered it. We all plan some vacations and for most of us this is with kids. This means the likelihood of stress is higher. A lot of us also go on vacations which is great but sometimes we need a vacation after the vacation. So, my aim with this article is to give simple suggestions to stay relaxed and enjoy the holidays. At the same time, I also share strategies which can reduce our stress levels and enjoy life more. Stress is one of the leading causes of depression and considering the pace of our modern lives we should pause and reevaluate our lives on a constant basis. As Mahatma Gandhi said  “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Here are some simple strategies to

Sharpening the saw is very important as we enter the end of the year and decade. It will also give us an opportunity to start the next year on a relaxed frame of mind. Of course, this metaphor was made famous by Stephen Covey in his book Seven Habits. In my opinion as the complexity and challenge escalates the need for the Seven Habits elevates. The concept is simple. Focus on these 4 areas for personal renewal. This what Stephen Covey says are the keys for a successful life. It is to learn(mind), to live(physical), to love(emotional) and to leave a legacy(spirit). If we focus on these four areas consistently we can achieve lasting fulfillment. 1.  Mind  – Ensure you read broadly expose yourself to diverse books not even related to your field. Associate with people who are excellent and find a mentor. You can also use your mind for visualization. 2.   Physical  – Of course this is taking care of your physical side. This can be done through exercise, yoga or just long walks. The ho

It is really difficult to plan for a day sometimes. However a week is a better way to manage ourselves. As the week starts we can decide what we want to do this week both in our personal and official lives. Put another way we can decide the priorities we want to pursue this week. That is the starting point to get control over our attention and time. Time Management is the most overused term and there are so many books coming out on the same topic. Having read quite a few of them I have come up with a summary of the best ideas that I believe can help us really thrive in an interconnected global environment. These are the simple keys we need to really thrive. As Peter Drucker said the key to time management is managing yourself. I encourage you to really think long about this because we all have 24 hours but how to schedule it is up to us. Of course some of the time is not entirely our own as we are responsible for the companies employing us and our family responsibilities. Here ar

With the new decade beckoning it can give us a fresh start and define how we want to achieve what we want in our lives. The aim of this article is to give the fundamentals that can help define your personal version of success applicable to you. There are ten fundamentals of success which you would need to achieve your version of success. Here are the 10 fundamentals of success I have identified to get the most out of yourself in the coming decade. You need a mission  – When you have a personal mission statement for your life you feel enthusiastic. You get the big picture of your life. Crafting a personal mission statement is very important. For this first identify your personal strengths and then see how this can help others. This would give an idea of what your personal mission statement should look like. You need to have a vision – Vision is not something only reserved for CEO’s. All of us need a reason to get out of bed every day. A compelling vision will provide the fire of p