Maximise Potential

I have read a few books at the start of the year across various topics like technology, motivation, success and leadership among others. Most of them are business books which is my preferred genre. Here are the 6 books I liked and will surely kick off 2020 on a positive note. Blowing the Bloody Doors Off by Michael Caine – This was totally inspirational to me. Michael gives his story and lot of helpful tactics for us to do well. He said initially he knew that he wasn’t going to be a hero type of actor but he said whatever part was given to him he performed it with aplomb. Even if you have the smallest role in a movie give it your best shot. You are always auditioning wherever you are. It is a total inspiration for me to read this. A Great Fit by Tom Murry  – This was a quick read on how to succeed in your career. Some of the points I liked was forgive and forget. Don’t dwell on the past, get moving and help others. You need both taste and charisma to reach the top. Take ...

Kobe Bryant died at the ripe age of 41 in an unfortunate crash. It was even gut wrenching that his daughter all of 13 years old also died. Of course it is heart wrenching for all the others who died as well. How much ever money or fame we have death seems to be the great equalizer. I see a lot of outpouring of grief on this which is totally understandable. It reminds us to look at our lives and maybe we are not going to be here forever. This might be a good time to see how we can live our lives more deliberately. Of course what he has done on the field is legendary and he will always be remembered as a great sports superstar. We have all heard so much about legacy. People say that when you think about leaving a legacy you feel a lot happier and purposeful. The more I thought about the topic the more I understood that while leaving a legacy is important it is not as important as living your legacy. I would like people to talk about me in the way I want to be known when I am alive. ...

We have been told so many times that exercise is good for us. Most of us start exercising to lose weight. I believe it is better not to exercise to lose weight but actually make it a lifestyle change. I have been exercising consistently for a number of years and I increased my effort to 60 min in Jul 2017. I like to exercise first thing in the morning and I am happy to report that till date I have been able to exercise 60 min on most of the days. Of course not everyone is a morning person and you can make time during lunch or in the evening. The key is to start and stick to a program that works uniquely for you. I have expanded each letter of the word exercise to indicate the payoff you get when you do a 60 min workout. Yes even 20 min exercise is fine but to get the full benefit I believe we should do it thrice or four times a week for 60 min. You should choose a number that works for you. Of course you should check with your doctor for starting any new exercise program that will...

Clayton M. Christensen one of the leading management thinkers of all time passed away on Jan 23rd, 2020. I have read a few of his books. Of course, the most famous of his books is “The Innovators Dilemma.” He came with the term disruptive innovation. Usually it is the disruptors on the low end of the market who disrupt and push the market leaders out. For example, Toyota came in with a new model in the 1950’s and the other automakers did not pay attention. We all know the rest of the story. This whole model is based on the S Curve where there is a long time initially where nothing seems to happen and then at the inflection point growth is exponential before it again becomes stagnant. The best example is Facebook which from its inception took 4 years to reach 10 percent penetration but then it exploded. Even the iPod took more than 3 years to really take off so we must be patient in anything and everything we try. The other book I liked is “How to Measure your Life.” It was based ...

A Great Fit by Tom Murry is one the first few books I have read in 2020. It has a lot of useful advice for our business and careers. One of the chapters had 10 simple tactics to have a great attitude. Here they are with my take on each. Think Positive  – The key to success lies in optimism. It’s not what happens to us but how we respond to what happens to us that matters. Steve Jobs believed in his products even when he was the only one with the vision. He was not even sure if it will be accepted in the market but he showed undying optimism to see success till the end. Even in his professional nadir he showed enduring optimism and show what one can achieve with optimism and belief. An example is the Apple Stores concept. Initially the media had written this off as a non-starter but Jobs believed in it. He wanted to take retailing and brand image to a new level. So, stay hungry and foolish but stay optimistic. Here is the optimists manifesto that you can check out.  The Op...

We are into the third week of 2020 and I think we can take off this year if we want to. We have seen planes keep moving in the runway and seeing other planes take off. They are waiting for their signal to take off. I feel the analogy here is applicable to our lives. We are all in the runway of life and we see others taking off in their lives. The moment we decide to take off in our lives is where we take firm control of our lives and direct it to the way we want it to happen. As Tony Robbins said “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” That quote has stayed with me and it is a powerful quote. Just think about it anything in your life is due to your decisions. One of the decisions you need to make to get the most out of life is to take off in your life. Really take off from the depth of your soul and the results will be there for all to see. I have expanded the word take off to really drive home the point. Believe in your talent – We all have reservo...

Tom Peters said "The race will go to the curious, the slightly mad, and those with an un-satiated passion for learning and dare-deviltry." Optimism is one of the key traits of successful people. All change or innovations that have happened in the world are due to people willing to see something more than others see. Where others see roadblocks, successful people see opportunities. I have come up with ten commandments which can help us be at our optimistic best throughout the year. I resolve to take 100% responsibility for my life  – I am not the first to suggest this nor will I be the last. Taking full responsibility for your life both personal and professional is the starting point of feeling great about yourself. When you feel you are in control of your life you are more optimistic. You also respond to life rather than react to it. I resolve to learn from setbacks  – Napoleon Hill famously said, “Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benef...

Wish everyone a great 2020. 2020 is well underway and we all have resolutions and goals we want to achieve. We also want to make sure this excitement doesn’t just last for two weeks but lasts for the entire year. So how do you keep this excitement going for a long time? To me the answer is one word which is discipline. It is discipline that will keep you going for the long haul and continue to keep your resolutions and goals in focus. This quote is great “Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.” Roy L. Smith In the book “The Motivation Myth”  Jeff Haden  makes an interesting premise that success is what leads to motivation. Attending a motivational seminar may get you excited but once you are back home you are the same person because you haven’t accomplished anything except paying for the seminar. I really liked this book because it hits right into what is needed for genuine success and it is grit, discipline and hard work. Once you get started th...

In 1937 Napoleon Hill wrote that  definiteness of purpose  is the key to success. He gave a six-step formula for success. The first step was desire that is deciding exactly what you want and then providing the service to achieve that. In 2020 even, most books will still talk about the same because it is true that success is going after what you want. I believe in 2090 as well anyone can define success the same way because it is going after what you want which is the key to a happy life. There is a lot of talk about grit and I do agree that it is important. However you can have grit only when you truly know in your heart of hearts what you really want. If you know what you really want in your life and why you want it you have a greater shot at displaying grit. In his wonderful book Shoe Dog Phil Knight says the following “I wanted to leave a mark on the world, I simply didn’t want to lose.” The more important thing he said was “Seek a calling. Even if you don’t know what th...

To stick to our goals or resolutions in 2020 we need to think like Olympians metaphorically. It is amazing what the Olympics can mean for all of us. It is a true triumph of the human spirit in action. Anyone who participates in the Olympics deserves applause because of the amount of preparation they put in before an event and the type of trials and tribulations they undergo even before they have the privilege of participation leave alone the winning of the gold medal. I was interested to see what we can learn from the Olympians and how it can help us get the most out of ourselves. I have expanded each letter of the word Olympian so that we can awaken the Olympian within. O for Optimism  — Just to participate in the Olympics athletes have to put in a minimum of 4000 hours of preparation. This requires nothing but complete optimism on the part of the athlete which only a few people are willing to do. It has been researched that a lot of us suffer from learned helplessness. The w...