Thought for the Day - Leadership Lessons

 Some leadership lessons

1) Play the best XI for this match - do not play the next match

2) Start strong - open with the best bowlers and best batters

3) Go with your strengths, do not play to the opponent's strengths

4) Seize the early advantage and press on from it

5) Don't hope, fix all grey areas - it needs some thinking

6) Play match ups smartly - don't take chances

7) Take calculated risks that give you an advantage, don't be defensive

8) You cannot win if you are afraid to lose - don't be too defensive 

9) Be clear about what is expected from each member and communicate it to them in terms of numbers

10) Expect the best - don't expect the worst - stay present

Thought for the Day - Preparation for the Big Final

There are many ways to approach the big final or the big day. Some get all nervous and stop thinking about it and leave it all to God, some get over anxious and try to cram till the last minute, some say it's best to treat it like any other game - many approaches but what's the balance really.

In retrospect I feel that one should make everyone in the team aware of certain things

1) that it is not another match - it could be the difference between being on the winners podium or the runners

2) that one cannot avoid looking at winning and 'hope' to win - one must go through the fear and look at how to 'win' and not leave it to 'hope'

3) address the gray areas in everyone's minds - one must address their biggest fears and put it out there and rationalise to the mind about their preparation, their strengths, their processes - it must be specified to the conscious mind that the mind and body is ready - this can be done as a collective because we need to hold one another in the arena 

4) look at what if scenarios - focus on doing this, if this happens then we do this and don't just go blank

5) once you have 'looked' at the fears, at your preparation, at the process of how to 'win' - trust your preparation, your subconscious and go in with a blank mind and follow process    

Thought for the Day - Job of the Mentor

Apart from overseeing things, guiding, being there, and making adjustments where required, I realised that I had one more job that I felt I had to assume.

As mentor, my job is to hold the energy of the players so they can leave their fears, doubts and apprehensions behind and play freely to their potential. My job also goes to hold the energy of the support staff, the management and keep it calm and focused on the game.

When I realised it, the way I viewed the games changed. Very interesting.

Anvita Khammam Aces - Thank You Visit to Khammam

We went to Khammam on a day trip as a thank you trip for all the fans and supporters in Khammam. Checked out of the hotel and headed to Khammam at 6am. Stopped at 7 for breakfast. Reached Khammam outskirts by 11.

Chatterjee, me and Gajanan at 7

Vinay, Chatterjee and Samson at the first function hall

An auto with a poster of the team

A rally was organised and all the players and staff got into an open top mini truck and the rally began. Lots of crowds, people cheering etc. 

Visit to the Laxmi Narasimha temple at Khammam

The rally - Impressive

A stop at the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple and then to SBIT College for an interaction with students. Local boys Sahendra Mallu, Shaik Azhar, Mahesh Vipparla and Baddi Vishal Yadav were felicitated. Ved Reddy got the loudest cheers everywhere as did Sahendra.

Our team in the open truck

Another view

From there we headed to another function hall where we were felicitated and had to answer questions etc and speak a bit.

The crowd at SBIT

The backdrop behind the stage

 This was followed by a nice lunch. It was 430 by the time we were done.

Started back at 5.

Anvita Khammam Aces ends up as Runners

After a 20 day extravaganza, TG 20 finals between Anvita Khammam Aces and Hyderbad eChampions happened in fits and starts - a poor start by Anvita Khammam Aces, a half hour power cut in its 12th over, a decent ending to put up 157 on the board. 

Runs on the board in a final watched by some 30k people in the stadium, will always put the batting side under pressure. 

And so it was - Champions were 6 for 1, and then, what promised to be a good match suddenly went the other way with Anvita Khammam dropping three catches. Still, at 100 for 4 in the 13th over, it looked interesting but Champions pulled it off without further losses.

It was a well organised event with superb crowds, great energy and lots of good cricket. I enjoyed being part of a new experience. Surely, many players will be recognised and called for IPL trials thanks to TG20.

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind - Joseph Murphy

The basic premise of Joseph Murphy's book is that we can use our subconscious mind to find answers, to manifest things in an easy way (and not simply rely only on our conscious mind which has limited functions and abilities). The treasure within us is the subconscious if we know how to use it. The subconscious mind and its power can be used to improve every aspect of life such as health, wealth, relationships and what not. As always I picked some interesting lines from the book which resonated.

Desire is prayer he says (prayer comes easily when we desire something also). One has to unite mentally and emotionally with the good we wish to embody and our subconscious will respond.

We must have a clear picture of what we want in the end and feel emotionally, the joy of having achieved it. It is this process that activates the subconscious. (If we feel scared or fearful or think of the worst outcomes, its almost like asking the subconscious to fulfill that desire. So be careful what you feel your mind.)

Our subconscious mind is the hidden treasure within us. It has all the answers and knows much more than what we think we know. Our job is to tune into it - ideally at night before sleeping (a drowsy state is best) or first thing in the morning and present it with the problem or what we want. If we feed ideas lovingly to the subconscious mind we can get results (all it needs it thinking in that direction so you may as well do it). 

Our conscious mind and the subconscious mind have to be in sync to have a positive result -so convince your conscious mind and believe in what you want to achieve through affirmations etc. (Catch your thoughts going negative. Definitely catch your words going negative. You cannot say things like this wont happen or whatever and expect them to happen. Use positive words, rationalise to yourself how it will happen and put faith in the subconscious mind to make it happen. Basically you must believe that it can happen and its possible to change your beliefs because beliefs are only thoughts. Change your thoughts, change your beliefs.)

The subconscious mind accepts whatever the conscious mind decrees - so choose your thoughts consciously and decree what you want. The conscious mind is the gatekeeper of thoughts so control what it lets it. Use self talk to feed it the right choices of thoughts and words. Whatever the conscious mind believes to be true, the subconscious mind accepts.

All frustration is due to unfulfilled desires. Flow easy. Dissolve conflict by turning over your desires to the subconscious. Instead of anxiety, fear etc choose harmony, peace, health.

Always expect the best. Imagine the happy ending or solution to your problem, the thrill of accomplishment. Improve your imagination. 

For health, he says that the healing power is in your mind. Nothing appears in the body when there is no mental pattern. What you believe will come true. Develop a plan to turn over your requests to the subconscious. You can also pray from the loved ones who are ill through the universal subjective mind.

Desire to accomplish things the easy way. Feel the joy in foreseeing the accomplishment of desire. Th subconscious needs a picture backed by faith.

When the mind is relaxed it will accept the idea. There's always an answer. Remember divine right action is taking place. Avoid conflict between the conscious and subconscious mind.

As far as wealth is concerned, decide to be wealthy the easy way. You don't have to strive or work hard. Build into your mentality the idea of wealth. (Repeat 'wealth' to yourself slowly for 5 minutes prior to your sleep). Keep that feeling of wealth with you always. Your conscious mind and the subconscious mind must agree.

Importantly, the subconscious mind accepts the dominant idea - so choose wealth and not poverty. 

Your true source of wealth consists of the idea in your mind. Your subconscious mind will give you the idea you seek. Get on good mental terms with everyone (no resistance, no resentment). Be bold and claim your right to be rich. Not just enough but abundance, Your subconscious mind always keeps you supplied. Don't condemn money. Repeat 'I like money. I use it wisely, constructively, judiciously. I release it and it returns 100 fold.' Give to receive. There's no free lunch. Impregnate your subconscious with the idea of wealth.

The 3 steps to success are

1) Find out what you love
2) Specialise in it
3) See that it benefits humanity

Successful people possess great psychological and spiritual understanding. Sustained imagination draws miracles from the subconscious mind,

When you have no answers, keep looking for answers from the subconscious and you will find it. Believe you have the answer. Feel the joy of the answer and the way you will feel when you receive it.

The Subconscious mind never sleeps. Guidance comes when you are asleep Sometimes in dreams. So adequate sleep is necessary.

(Hateful or resentful thoughts are mental poison. What you think of others, you bring on to yourself. What you do to others, you are doing to yourself. Your inner speech is experienced in the reactions of others to you.)

Love is the answer to getting along with others. Appeasement never works. Do not be a doormat.

Forgiveness is love in action. Life has no favorites. Your guilt complex is a false concept of life. You are punishing yourself - no one else is. There's no evil in desire, in sex etc. Forgive yourself and everybody else by pouring out love, life, joy and good.

The solution lies within the problem. Habits are the function of the subconscious mind. The only obstacle to your success is your own thoughts and mental image. Your conscious mind is the camera and your subconscious mind is the plate on which you register or impress the pictures. Picture happy endings with confidence.

Master fear. It's a negative thought. It is man's greatest enemy. Counteract fear with the opposite suggestion. Imagine good outcomes. You have only two fear -f falling and of noise. Normal fear is good. Abnormal fear is bad.

When afraid of failure, give attention to success. Fear exists only in your thoughts. Remove your fears. Laugh at your fears.

Your most productive years could be 65-95. You're as young as you think. You grow old when you cease to dream. Remember, you are needed.

...

Interesting book. I got a few ideas that I will practice. I like the thought that I can access the subconscious and make things happen easily. I also like the idea that you tell what you want and let the subconscious figure out how.

   

Acts of Love - Acts of Friendship

To me all love is a high form of friendship. So watching two friends in a vulnerable state is an act of love to me. So many that were visible - an elderly couple walking, a young couple chatting, two young boys going to play cricket, two young girls sharing a moment, three girls on bikes, three kids running in an open space with gay abandon. Beautiful to see.

Each one of an act of friendship. Add vulnerability, the desire to do something for the other and you have an act of love. It's rare to find.