Category: Life Gyan

Posted in Life Gyan

212º – The Extra Degree

Posted on by Anand Surana

Here is an inspiring excerpt from the new eBook by Sam Parker – 212º The Extra Degree, which will give you a new perspective and motivate you to go that extra mile and make the difference in the various walks of your life. It is an inspiring book with a singular focus on the essential life fundamental of effort – the primary fundamental that feeds all others.

At 211 degrees, water is hot.
At 212 degrees, it boils.
And with boiling water, comes steam.And with steam, you can power a train.
One degree. Applying one extra degree of temperature to water means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine – a beautifully uncomplicated metaphor that ideally should feed our every endeavour – consistently pushing us to make the extra effort in every task and action we undertake.

Two-twelve serves as a forceful drill sergeant with its motivating and focused message while adhering to a scientific law – a natural law. It reminds us that seemingly small things can make tremendous differences. So simple is the analogy that you can stop reading right now, walk away with the opening thought firmly planted in your mind and benefit from it for the rest of your life. That’s the goal of 212 – to help you internally define and take ownership of the most fundamental principle behind achieving life results beyond your expectations – a simple idea with a singular focus – an actionable focus. Two-twelve.

It’s this dramatic – three numbers joined together to form one, crystallising a message that absolutely assures life-altering positive results for those who choose to apply it. Why do we enter into any activity with anything but a commitment to achieve our objective – not a desire to achieve our objective, but a commitment?

Emerson said, “All great masters are chiefly distinguished by the power of adding a second, a third, and perhaps a fourth step in a continuous line. Many a man had taken the first step. With every additional step you enhance immensely the value of your first.”

Vince Lombardi tightened it up with, “Inches make champions.”

212 distills it even further: Often in life we miss the opportunity to do more and create better results because we are not aware of the possibilities that could occur if we applied a small amount of effort beyond what we normally do. For instance, consider the impact of making an extra contact each day at work: a sales call, a customer follow up, a brief discussion with a colleague, an encouraging talk with a member of your team. With contact comes opportunity. At the end of a year you’ll have opened more than 200 additional doors of possibility.

On the personal side, imagine the exponentially positive results of investing an additional 15 minutes of quality time each day with your children or spouse – an equivalent of more than two weeks each year at work. Fortunately, because you’re reading this, you’re now aware of 212º the extra degree. No longer will you be able to do only what is required of you and only what is expected of you. Because with awareness comes responsibility – to yourself and to others.

You are now aware.
The excitement has begun.
Are you smiling yet?
212: a new target for everything you do. . .

Posted in Life Gyan

10 Fresh Ideas To Add To Your Bucket List

Posted on by Anand Surana

Here are some really fresh ideas to add zing to your bucket list and give it a meaningful twist – 

(1) Travel Solo – It is always fun to travel in a group either with family or friends. But if you want to spend time with yourself and connect with your inner self then travel solo. Travel activates our senses and creates a feeling of freshness away from the mundane and the routine of day-to-day life. Travelling alone can be a very enriching experience.

(2) Have a terrace garden – and use it to cultivate essential herbs and veggies for your own kitchen. It is a daily joy to watch the plants grow and you will experience a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction when you use the produce of your own kitchen garden.

(3) Live in another country at least for an year – If you get an opportunity to relocate and stay in another country welcome it with open arms and live there for at least one full year. it is a great experience as you get to experience their culture, all the seasons of the year and take part in all the festivals of that land. It surely will expand your horizons and help you become a better person.


(4) Give back to the society – Giving only money to the charities is not what I mean. When your contribute some of your personal time and effort, and sometimes a little sweat, back to the society you will realise that it is such a humbling experience. And your heart will be filled with gratitude for the abundance in your own life. 

(5) Start a Bullet Journal – Bullet journal is a shorter version of the classic journalling. In that way you get to jot down the key aspects of your life and observations with our spending too much time. Additionally it also helps you express your creativity in the form of doodles. You can search the internet for the many many ideas available and choose what suits your style.


(6) Learn a new skill – it could be a life skill like swimming or learning to give primary first-aid or CPR or it could be something you are passionate about like playing a guitar. It will boost your confidence and above all add a feather in your cap.

(7) Achieve your ideal weight – make health your priority and sign up for a fitness regime to look your best. This one thing will have multiple benefits in various aspects of your life.


(8) Run a marathon – It is a great milestone to achieve and it also helps you become a fitter version of yourself. 

(9) Connect with past teachers and mentors who have had an impact on your life and thank them. Very few people actually reach out to the teachers and thank them once they have moved out of school/college even though the teachers leave a lifelong impact. Take time to Thank them.

(10) Give a heartfelt surprise to someone – We all have one or two such longings in our heart but due to various constraints we keep postponing them to the next time. You may not realise that life slips away like sand from our hand. Don’t postpone the joy. 

Posted in Life Gyan

Is This How You Deal With Emotional Stress?

Posted on by Anand Surana

At times we get overwhelmed by our own emotions. Sometimes it could be sheer frustration at other times it could be grief. It can be betrayal or even separation from a loved one. Emotional turmoil can mean different things for different people both in type and intensity. One of the most common reasons for emotional turmoil is the mismatch between expectations and reality. This could be in the form of a bad appraisal, betrayal of a friend, separation from a loved one, heated altercation with spouse or not being able to keep up with the daily grind when there is too much on your plate. 

Whatever the reason might be, the important thing to understand is how you respond to adverse situations in your life. Observe what you do when you find yourself in one such situation and feel completely helpless? 

Do you sulk and sulk till you get over it. Do you brood over it over a cup of coffee or over a smoke break. Do you just pull the blanket over your head and hit the bed to cut out the continuous chatter in your brain  Or do you throw temper tantrums. 

Some people weep and need to be left alone till they get over it. Some look for solace in a friend’s company. While some others subconsciously binge on chocolates and junk food. Some even go shopping to divert their mind. 

Different people have different ways of dealing with emotional stress. At a very broad level – it is either FIGHT or FLIGHT. 

Some things heal with time, some are bundled and pushed into a corner of your mind as you get busy with the things at hand till someone pulls the skeletons out of the closet once again. And in most cases you learn to live with the pain. 

What if I tell you a that there is a way which will help you deal with your emotional stress in a better way. What If you could channelize your emotions in a positive way. It may also help you heal over a period of time. For the healing to happen we need to learn to manage our emotions.  

If you want to learn about a healthier way to deal with your emotional stress watch this space for updates.

Posted in Life Gyan

17 Camels & The Wise Man

Posted on by Anand Surana

Long ago in a village in Rajasthan, a farmer left a strange will for his three sons. The will stated that,
“The eldest son should get half of his Camels,
The middle Son should be given 1/3rd of the Camels, and
the youngest Son should be given 1/9th of the Camels“

The problem was that the farmer had 17 camels. The sons realised that it is not possible to divide 17 into half or 17 by a third or 17 by a ninth. And neither of them were interested to give the other two more than the share mentioned in the Will.

Unable to resolve the issue amicably, they decided to go to a wise man for help. The wise man listened to the issue patiently and they showed him the Will and told him about the problem of dividing the 17 camels as per the Will of their father.

The wise man, after giving the problem a careful thought, smiled, got up and brought one of his own camel & added the same to the 17. That increased the total to 18 camels. “Now”, he said, “let’s read the Will one more time.”

The eldest son should get half of the Camels – 18/2 = 9.
So he gave 9 camels to the eldest son.

The middle Son should be given 1/3rd of Camels, 18/3 = 6
So he gave 6 camels to the middle son.

Youngest Son should be given 1/9th of the Camels, 18/9 =2
So he gave 2 camels to the youngest son

Now adding : 9 + 6 + 2 = 17 & this leaves 1 camel, which the wise man took back.

MORAL: The art of negotiation & problem solving is to find the 18th camel i.e. the common ground. Once a person is able to find the common ground, the issue can be resolved. Though it can be difficult at times. However, to reach a solution, the first step is to believe that there IS a solution. If we think that there is no solution, we won’t be able to reach any!

Posted in Life Gyan

7 Ways to Read More Books Each Year

Posted on by Anand Surana

Most people I speak to these days lament that they hardly find time to read books. Even though they somehow start one, the progress is negligible. And the time gap between two successive times when they reach for the book is so large that they have to re-read a few of the previous pages just to refresh where they left off last time. I am sure by now you are nodding in agreement and smiling. 

So here are a few easy hacks that you can adopt to increase the number of books that you manage to read each year. These hacks recommend small changes that are easy to make and will help you connect with your passion of reading books in newer ways. 

  1. Make your environment more reading friendly – Make it easier to read books – (1) have books easily accessible at your favourite places in your home especially near your bed (2) Keep the distractions away like leave the ubiquitous smartphone at a little distance from your bed
  2. Carry your book(s) along – that way you will always have a book handy when you are travelling in cabs or standing in queue or waiting for a friend
  3. Read more than one book at a time. Not everyone can do this but if you have the appetite you can read multiple books from completely different topics in parallel. It is a great way to add variety to your reading and also helps complete difficult to read books
  4. Talk about books with others – share stories & recommendations
  5. Post book reviews social media or your own blog once you have completed the book
  6. Make time to actually read the book rather than turning to the smart phone every time you get some free time.
  7. Have a goal to read at least 15 min each day and this one habit alone will be enough to get to your reading goal.
Posted in Life Gyan

Are You Having These Conversations?

Posted on by Anand Surana

We, as a society, really have no idea how *suffocated* people are in their emotions. Most people have *nobody* to express themselves entirely to. Everyone is holding back their *vulnerabilities* to maintain the *social image* of a confident and happy person.
Heart-to-heart conversations have become *rare, artificial and shallow*. Most hearts are filled with *empty defences*.
Most people can’t even talk to their *life-partners openly* for the fear of being judged or rejected. Emotions await just a release. Social images make sure that weakness is not glorified.
Children have *bottled up* stress. Young people suffer from anxiety and depression.
It is just lack of social support. It is *lack of non-judgmental* friendships. It is a result of *fast and busy lives* where nobody has time to just sit and watch someone cry.
It is a result of *instant and impatient lifestyle* practices, that *emotions have started feeling like a waste of time*.
Our forefathers talked to each other. Because talking helps…..
The *face-to-face* type talking, the *just-listen-to-me* type talking, the *hold-my-hand-and-let-me-cry* type talking, the *sit-next-to-me-and-listen-to-my-silence* type talking… the talking where *persons can be themselves and say anything they feel without the fear of any judgement or loss or rejection*.
Today, we don’t like that type of talking! In fact we *avoid people*. Naturally, it has led to mental illnesses…. which are becoming an epidemic.
There is not much we can do but we can offer *listening* !
It is extremely important to have those heart-to-heart conversations where you can express yourself without being judged.
It can add years to your life and more importantly life to your years.
Let’s let people talk without any fear. Let’s create conversations.
*Let’s Start Talking Again*.
Posted in Life Gyan

Implement Your Ideas, Don’t Just Sit on Them!

Posted on by Anand Surana

A lot of people have bright ideas…and even world changing ideas !
What do most people do with these ideas?

  • They discuss those ideas with friends and colleagues
  • Feel proud of themselves to have thought a really good one
  • Ponder about it some more and smile in satisfaction
  • Wish someone can implement this idea

Beyond that they do not do anything. They give plenty of excuses to themselves as to why they cannot implement even if it is a great idea. A couple of years later or may be even sooner, they see a business venture or start-up being run on the same or similar idea and once again they say to their friends – I thought of that 2 years ago!

“People do not lack good ideas
They lack confidence
To believe in their own ideas
And the courage
To take a stand…”

If you have a good idea, add a little bit of conviction and effort to it and genuinely try to implement it. If you cannot go all out try to do it at a small scale. But do something and make the world a better place.

Every drop adds up to fill the ocean.

Don’t just sit on your idea. Do something.

Watch the below video which shows how small actions can also impact in a big way.


Posted in Life Gyan

10 Daily Habits of Exceptionally Happy People

Posted on by Anand Surana

If you get decent value from making to-do lists, you’ll get huge returns
— in productivity, in improved relationships, and in your personal well-being — from adding these items to your not to-do list: Every day, make these commitments to yourself. I promise your day – and your life – will go a little better.

“I will not blame other people – for anything.”

Employees make mistakes. Vendors don’t deliver on time. Potential customers never sign. You blame them for your problems.But you are also to blame. Maybe you didn’t provide enough training, build in enough of a buffer, or asked for too much too soon. Take responsibility when things go wrong instead of blaming others – then you focus on doing things better or smarter next time. And when you get better or smarter, you also get happier.

“I will not check my phone while I’m talking to someone.”

You’ve looked away. You’ve done the, “Wait, let me answer this text…” thing. Maybe you didn’t even say, “Wait.” You just stopped talking, stopped paying attention, and did it. Want to be that person everyone loves because they make you feel, when they’re talking to you, like you’re the most important person in the world? Stop checking your phone. Other people will feel better about you – and you’ll feel better about yourself.

“I will not multitask during a meeting.”

The easiest way to be the smartest person in the room is to be the person who pays the most attention to the room. You’ll be amazed by what you can learn, both about the topic of the meeting and about the people in the meeting if you stop multitasking and start paying close attention. You’ll flush out and understand hidden agendas, you’ll spot opportunities to build bridges, and you’ll find ways to make yourself indispensable to the people who matter.

“I will not interrupt.”

Interrupting isn’t just rude. When you interrupt someone what you’re really saying is, “I’m not listening to you so I can understand what you’re saying; I’m listening to you so I can decide what I want to say.” Want people to like you? Listen to what they say. Focus on what they say. Ask questions to make sure you understand what they say. They’ll love you for it — and you’ll love how that makes you feel.

“I will not waste time on people who make no difference in my life.”

Trust me: The inhabitants of planet TMZ are doing fine without you. But your family, your friends, your employees – all the people that really matter to you – are not. Give them your time and attention. They’re the ones who deserve it.

“I will not be distracted by multiple notifications.”

You don’t need to know the instant you get an email or text or tweet or like. If something is important enough for you to do, it’s important enough for you to do without interruptions. Focus totally on what you’re doing. Then, on a schedule you set — instead of a schedule you let everyone else set — play prairie dog and pop your head up to see what’s happening. Focusing on what you are doing is a lot more important than focusing on other people might be doing.

“I will not whine.”

Your words have power, especially over you. Whining about your problems makes you feel worse, not better. If something is wrong, don’t waste time complaining. Put that effort into making the situation better. Unless you want to whine about it forever, eventually you’ll have to do that. So why waste time? Fix it now. Don’t talk about what’s wrong. Talk about how you’ll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself.

“I will not let the past control my future.”

Mistakes are valuable. Learn from them. Then let them go. Easier said than done? It all depends on your perspective. When something goes wrong, turn it into an opportunity to learn something you didn’t know – especially about yourself. When something goes wrong for someone else, turn it into an opportunity to be gracious, forgiving, and understanding. The past is just training. The past should definitely inform but in no way define you – unless you let it.

“I will not wait until I’m convinced I will succeed.”

You can never feel sure you will succeed at something new, but you can always feel sure you are committed to giving something your best. And you can always feel sure you will try again if you fail. Stop waiting. You have a lot less to lose than you think, and everything to gain.

“I will not talk behind another person’s back.”

If only because being the focus of gossip sucks. (And so do the people who gossip.) If you’ve talked to more than one person about something Joe is doing, wouldn’t everyone be better off if you stepped up and actually talked to Joe about it? And if it’s “not your place” to talk to Joe, it’s probably not your place to talk about Joe. Spend your time on productive conversations. You’ll get a lot more done – and you’ll gain a lot more respect.

“I will not say yes when I really mean no.”

Refusing a request from colleagues, customers, or even friends is really hard. But rarely does saying no, go as badly as you expect. Most people will understand, and if they don’t, should you care too much about what they think? When you say no, at least you’ll only feel bad for a few moments. When you say yes to something you really don’t want to do you might feel bad for a long time — or at least as long as it takes you to do what you didn’t want to do in the first place.

“I will not be afraid.”

We’re all afraid: of what might or might not happen, what we can’t change, what we won’t be able to do, or how other people might perceive us. So it’s easier to hesitate… and think a little longer, do more research, or explore more alternatives. Meanwhile days, weeks, months, and even years pass us by. And so do our dreams.

Whatever you’ve been planning or imagining or dreaming of, get started today. Put your fears aside. Do something. Do anything. Once tomorrow comes, today is lost forever. Today is the most precious asset you own — and is the one thing you should truly fear wasting.

Posted in Life Gyan

Really Short Stories

Posted on by Anand Surana

Some of the shortest stories, with a beautiful meaning.
Pause on each one for a moment before you move to the next one.

1) Those who had coins, enjoyed in the rain. Those who had notes, were busy looking for shelter.

2) Man and God both met somewhere, Both exclaimed-“My creator”

3) He asked are you-“Hindu or Muslim” Response came- I am hungry

4) The fool didn’t know it was impossible- So he did it.

5) “Wrong number”, Said a familiar voice.

6) What if God asks you after you die- “So how was heaven??”

7) “They told me that to make her fall in love I had to make her laugh. But every time she laughs, I am the one who falls in love.”

8) We don’t make friends anymore, We add them.

9) It rained heavily last night,     Said the pillow.

Posted in Life Gyan

The Law of The Seed

Posted on by Anand Surana

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, each with ten seeds. That’s a lot of seeds. We might ask, “Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more trees?”

Nature has something to teach us here. It’s telling us: “Most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once. This might mean:

  • You’ll attend twenty interviews to get one job.
  • You’ll interview forty people to find one good employee.
  • You’ll talk to fifty people to sell one house, car, vacuum cleaner, insurance policy, or idea.
  • And you might meet a hundred acquaintances to find one special friend.

 When we understand the “Law of the Seed”, we don’t get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them – and work with them. 

IN A NUTSHELL
Successful people fail more often. They plant more seeds.