Make a difference

10 Minutes for the next 10 Years – Matthew McConaughey Motivational Speech

Posted by Haja in Attitude, Leadership, Motivation, Personal Branding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8OySa4uZmU

I come across these fantastic motivational videos that I love- and then promptly forget. Till I see it again.

I plan to update some of the best ones I see that I find motivating. To make it more relevant- I am also summarizing the key content from these videos that you can use to summarize the entire video into key learning points.

Believe in the Possible: Always remember, nothing should be called “unbelievable”. Embrace the extraordinary and give credit to yourself and others for achievements. You can achieve great things, so believe in them.
Acknowledge Life’s Hardships: Life isn’t easy or fair, and it’s important to recognize this. Don’t see yourself as a victim; instead, tackle challenges head-on. Overcoming obstacles is part of your growth.
Value Effort and Struggle: Most rewarding experiences come from hard work. Don’t shy away from breaking a sweat for what you want. The effort you put in makes the achievement all the more satisfying.
Embrace Discomfort: Stick with your journey, even through uncomfortable times. It’s in these moments that you learn the most about yourself and grow stronger.
Find Joy in Your Purpose: Happiness is fleeting, but joy is constant. Find joy in doing what you’re meant to do, not just in the outcomes of your actions.
Define Your Identity: Understand who you are by recognizing what you are not. Self-discovery is a process of elimination, leading to a clearer sense of identity.
Redefine Success: Success isn’t just about money or fame. Define what success means to you, whether it’s family, helping others, or personal growth. Stay true to your definition.
Maintain Your Integrity: Make choices that align with who you are and who you want to be. Avoid anything that compromises your character. Remember, integrity is key to true success.
Understand the Power of Responsibility: Embrace responsibility as a path to freedom. The choices we make shape our future, so make decisions that build a life you’re proud of.
Courage Leads to Growth: Be brave and face your fears. With courage, you’ll find yourself getting stronger, more aware, and more respectful of yourself and your journey.

Dec.27

Living a purposeful life – Stories that inspire (#001)

Posted by Haja in Attitude, Coaching, Leadership, Motivation

Story & picture taken from Twitter (X)- https://twitter.com/fopminui/status/1736157563807318119

Kenyan runner Abel Mutai was a few meters from the finish line, but got confused by the signals and stopped, thinking he had finished the race. The Spanish runner, Ivan Fernandez, was right behind him and, realising what was happening in front of him, began shouting for the Kenyan to keep running. Motai did not know Spanish and did not understand.

Fernandez pushed Mutai to victory.

One reporter asked Evan, “Why did you do this?” Evan replied, “My dream is that one day we can have the kind of community life that pushes ourselves and others to win as well.” “But why did you let the Kenyan win?” the reporter insisted. Evan replied, “I didn’t let him win; he would win. It was his race.”

The reporter insisted and asked again, “But you could have won!” Evan looked at him and replied, “But what is the merit of my victory? What is the honour of this medal? What will my mother think?”

Values are passed on from generation to generation. What values do we teach our children and to what extent do they inspire others to earn them? Most of us take advantage of people’s weaknesses rather than helping to strengthen them.

Dec.18

Patience! Your time will come

Posted by Haja in Attitude, Coaching, Motivation

I was expecting things to happen faster than they are. We planned to shift but we are still unable to – because of issues beyond our control. .

Frustrating? Yes- absolutely

I can do about it? Yes- but it does not come automatically. I was seething with frustration and anger. And then I realised, was there anything I could do about it? If yes- follow through. If not – then stay patient!

Your time will come!

Jan.28

What Dalai Lama taught us about our life in a Startup

Posted by Haja in Attitude, Business, Innovation, Leadership, Motivation, Personal Branding

Screen Shot 2015-06-10 at 10.01.43 am

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.

Jun.10

So you want to be an Entrepreneur….

Posted by Haja in Startup Tips

It has been an year exactly since we got into our Entrepreneurship journey. It has been one exhilarating ride till now. And while we sit on the other side of 365 days, here are some comments that come to mind from friends and well wishers…

It is not going to be easy to do something like this. Stay focused.

You guys have guts to do something like this!

I want to do this either, but I have commitments. Will you be open to sleeping partners…

Most of what they said, makes complete sense.

When you start your business, you run on your enthusiasm for the first 90 days. Then you realize that the money you planned to use, is drying up- much faster than you had anticipated.

And you start wondering what to do next.

Here is a compilation of thoughts that we have gone through and learnt post 365 days of flying, running, walking, crawling… in that order. And then the flying starts again.

Here is the first tip!

Irrespective of what you plan, what you think, what your friends tell you…. the time it takes to turn around a business is anywhere between 12-18 months! Plan to stick around that- and ensure your family is fully supportive. Without a supportive family, it will be a struggle. With a supportive family, it will be a blessing! You will want to do more!

Don’t go on the basis of people who “Make it” in 3-6 months. For every company that makes that happen, there will be a 1000 more, that will not be able to get to that timeline.

It is better to err on the side of safety!

Go live your dream!

Mar.22