This is one of the strongest lever I have seen work. By helping others, we realize new doors opening for us. This is the power of the universe coming into play. Try it. Do things for others without any expectations. Great things will fall in place for you.
There is more to life than losing sleep over people who bring the worst in you. Live your life well.
Dalai Lama is undoubtedly an inspirational leader! He is one of the most positive human beings I have seen, heard and read about. While reading the Deccan Herald today, I came across these rules (18 of them and I picked the top 5 which I wanted to share -with some thoughts of my own pertaining to running your own Startup.
Rule 1: Take into account that great love and great achievement involves great risk. Absolutely! The rewards are always commensurate with the risks you take in life! Take risks, of course, calculated ones- and see the rewards spilling out in the long run. Leaving your corporate job and creating a startup is a risk. A major risk at the time when you leave. Irrespective of the outcome, great achievements are round the corner -and you need to have complete BELIEF in that! Go with the approach- and you will come out richer, better and stronger!
Rule 2: When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. You will lose in many of the battles you take up. Which is good. Remember, they are not the end of the world. As a startup, we lose customers- but we learn lessons from why we lost them. Look for a learning in every misstep you take. And the more you take, the more lessons that you learn – which makes you sharper in the longer run.
Rule 3: Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Always! It may be bitter and makes you feel even more desperate! Ultimately in the long run, it is all for a good reason. We lost some great opportunities (it looked like that at that point in time), but in the longer run, we realised it was good that we did not win them. Go with this attitude into many of your discussions- and you will end up a winner in the long run.
Rule 4: Learn the rules so you know how to break them. The objective is not to break the rules. It is to understand how you can think out of the box and approach a challenge differently. Innovatively. As an employee you end up always having to work the rules- but as an entrepreneur, you have a chance to reset the rules. Follow that. For that- learn the rules first… and find ways of rewriting them.
Rule 5: Share your knowledge. Its a way to achieve immortality. The Path of an entrepreneur is a lonely one. But remember, there are a lot of people wanting to follow the same path. Show them the road. Be free with the feedback. Help them navigate the path basis what you have learnt. It is not about immortality- but it is highly satisfying- and that makes a big difference. If you are a believer- then remember, it will all pay itself back in the long run.
Being a Startup has its share of risks & disappointments. But the rewards far outweigh the risks you take to do this. Irrespective of the outcome, you will also always emerge better than before – and that is the best outcome of becoming an Entrepreneur.
Go and try it. Live your life. Live it well. Leave your mark in the world!
Thank you, Dalai Lama for these life lessons.
I have tried just about every possible way to keep track of my to-do’s (which are always behind schedule). I tried reading books. I watched Videos. I downloaded Apps in my laptop, my tablet, my mobile phone. I also paid (yes) for some apps (Wunderlist)
I did just about anything I could think of – to ensure I could get my life back in order.
Without luck.
After a long and hard search, I have reached a conclusion.
The best way to keep track of your activities is – write it down.
I read it in Brian Tracy’s book – Goals… almost 10 years ago… and it took me such a long time to follow what he advised then! Write the damn thing down!
That is what I will do from now on.
I have it all written down.. look out for more blog entries 
Note : This article was published on LinkedIn.
I am hazarding a guess that most people would have watched The GodFather, Forrest Gump, and at least some of the James Bond movies. Either when they were young, or for the younger folks, as classics.
I continue to watch them now and again. But over the years, I have started to view them and see messages that are relevant to us in many walks of life. And once we were a Startup, I picked some messages from the dialogues in these movies, that made a lot of sense to us.
Here are 3 famous quotes from these movies that I thought, fit the Startup DNA.
Actually, it applies to any company or employee as well.
“Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna get”
Mrs Gump/Sally Field in Forrest Gump (1994)
Attitude is everything.
Remember, the things you planned before you set out? The blueprints, the business plans etc.? Most probably, you will throw them out (or threw them out) once you started running your business. Your plans constantly evolve. Your customers change. The Segments you are addressing may evolve to include more or go deeper into a niche. But change will happen.
And change follows challenges. Challenges, that you will invariably face in the early days of your startup.
Don’t have a closed mind about the purpose of the business. Keep your options open and evolve with the business as you go along. You never know what you get next. Where your next order comes from. What your future holds.
Have a positive attitude. Irrespective of what hits you.
Just remember.
Life is a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get next.
“Bond. James Bond.”
Sean Connery in Dr No (1962)
What is your brand? Do you have a brand at all? Are you just one more of those startups or companies or employees trying to get by?
Are you working on it? If not, you should. How you position yourself and carry yourself and your company makes a huge difference.
Everything about you that touches your customers, clients, or other people should carry your brand- and make it stronger.
And it is not just the Logo.
The presentations you do. The communications that go out of your company. The mails. The proposals. The Website.
How do you carry these off? Are you seen as a “me too”? Do you see anything “different” about it?
Look at every communication as an opportunity put you and your company as being “different”.
If it does, you are in the right path. If not, it is time to look at it and start the rebranding exercise.
Bond. James Bond.
You are not just another Agent.
Remember, you are not just another Startup.
I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.
Don Corleone/Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972)
For a Startup, the first chance you get to tell your story and offer a solution to a customer, is the window of opportunity to blow his socks off. To do that, you need to do your homework. Understand the challenge the customer is facing, get into his boots, and then work on the solution from inside out. You are not bound by any restrictions of having to follow their rule book. You have the opportunity to show a bigger, broader vision to your client.
Design a proposal and an offer that makes it compelling for the client. Something by which he transitions from a “do I need this guy” to “how do I get this guy to help me”.
Make an offer he cannot refuse. Remember he has problems for which he is seeking solutions. Make the offer compelling. Make it relevant. Make it memorable.
Make it an offer he cannot refuse.
All the best. The journey is exciting. The opportunities tremendous. There is an opportunity behind every desk. Start somewhere and start making those changes today.